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CHAPTER

11

I BAGGED THE BOOT for later contemplation and left the gun and hat at home. We hopped into Sonny’s work truck, The Institute’s logo, a shooting star aimed toward other stars, emblazoned on the driver’s door, and made our way down poorly paved roads toward the mountains.

“I’m taking you to where I work,” Sonny said.

“Uh, I don’t think so. Your work is on the other side of the freeway.”

“Nope, mine isn’t.”

I thought for a moment. “Am I going to see something top secret?”

Sonny laughed. “No, we keep all the secret stuff locked in an underground vault. However, we don’t advertise what I’m going to show you, and we don’t allow visitors, unless they are very special.”

When he continued up the mountain and then took a dirt road off it, I sent him some raised eyebrows, but he only smiled.

“You’ll see,” he said.

“Where did you come from?” I asked.

“University of Arizona. I worked on the Webb Telescope project.”

“That’s cool.”

“It was. I gave up tenure to come here.”

“That’s a big deal.”

“It is, but it was an easy decision.”

“Why?”

“I love what’s going on out here. I’d love to be a part of a giant discovery, but this is also a fun adventure. It’s only forty-five minutes from Tucson, but a world away.”

I nodded. “The money must be really good.”

He laughed. “They pay me well.”

I nodded.

Sonny steered the truck around a short curve, and we came upon a security shack.

“I can’t believe I didn’t know this was out here.”

“Not many people do.”

There was a tourist spot not far from Black Vulture that claimed to display an alien’s body, but I hadn’t bought into the idea, and I didn’t know any locals who’d toured the place. I wondered if we were about to see something similar, something billboard worthy.

Sonny came to a stop at the guard shack as light glimmered off the heavy-duty chain-link fence and gate in front of us.

“Hey, Bruce,” Sonny said as a guard stepped out from the building.

“Sonny.” He bent over and shined a light in my direction. “This your girl?”

“This is Hazel Dylan, my guest.” He looked at me with fake horror in his eyes behind the glasses.

I’d never seen Bruce around town. I waved. “Hello.”