Ben Archer and the Moon Paradox

  BEN

  ARCHER

  and

  THE MOON PARADOX

  The alien’s choice.

  Rae Knightly

  BEN ARCHER AND THE MOON PARADOX

  THE ALIEN SKILL SERIES, BOOK 3

  Copyright © 2019 by Rae Knightly.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations em- bodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For information contact :

  http://www.raeknightly.com

  Cover design by PINTADO

  Book Formatting by Derek Murphy @Creativindie

  ISBN-13: 978-1790176847

  ISBN-10: 1790176847

  First Edition: February 2019

  CONTENTS

  1. Bob M.

  2. An Honest Conversation

  3. Beetrix

  4. Suspicion

  5. Headquarters

  6. A Dangerous Device

  7. Safe HAven

  8. Contact

  9. Deliverance

  10. Arrest

  11. Light Years

  12. The Lie

  13. Treason

  14. Shame

  15. Resistance

  16. The Interrogation

  17. Fireworks

  18. The Last Key

  19. Waking Dragon

  20. Broken Trust

  21. Paradox

  22. Return

  EPILOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  Bob M.

  When Ben and Laura stepped through the elevator door, they found Bob M. waiting.

  Not that Ben took much notice: at that point, he felt emotionally and physically drained. He slouched behind his mother, studying the marble floor, anxiously waiting for her to get over the tedious but obligatory introductions, and then, maybe, they would finally let him get some rest.

  Hang on for a bit longer.

  A movement out of the corner of his eye startled him.

  Tike?

  But it had only been a flickering shadow cast by candlelight on the countertop of an open kitchen.

  Ben swallowed.

  He had already caught himself thinking that his dog was scampering at his feet several times in the past days, sending flashes of raw pain through his body. But that wasn’t possible, of course.

  Tike’s dead.

  “Laurie, baby!” The man who greeted them as they entered the tenth-floor penthouse, reached out his arms and carefully pecked Laura’s left and right cheeks. He stood back and held her by the shoulders so he could take a better look at her. “It’s been so long!”

  Ben heard the strain in his mother’s voice. “Hello, Bob.”

  He glanced over her shoulder, remembering that Bob was the last name on the list his grandfather had left them, which meant it was someone they could trust.

  The man with short, brown hair and neatly trimmed beard stuck his hands in his pockets casually. “Long trip?” he asked, drawing his eyebrows together.

  Laura nodded. “Yes, we’ve been travelling for three days non-stop and just walked from the Greyhound Station.”

  Bob sighed. “You should have told me, I would have picked you up.”

  Laura shrugged. “It’s ok. I didn’t want to bother you…” She glanced around the apartment. “…and I wouldn’t have come if I’d known you were having a party.”

  Ben suddenly realized there were wine glasses on the kitchen countertop and chatting voices coming from a balcony.

  To their surprise, Bob burst out laughing. “This? A party? Oh, come on, baby. Have you forgotten already? This is Toronto. It’s Friday night. This is just a little get-together.” He cleared his throat as if he hadn’t meant to laugh so hard. “Don’t worry about it. These are just some friends. I’ll introduce you to them later. But I guess you want to freshen up first.”

  Ben stared at his frumpled clothes and muddy snow boots, suddenly acutely aware of his appearance. After all, Bob was wearing an elegant, black suit and white shirt, unbuttoned at the neck. He fit perfectly in the minimalist apartment with uninterrupted windows overlooking the Toronto skyline.

  “And, who’s this?”

  Laura had been standing before Ben this whole time, for which he was grateful, but now she moved aside purposefully and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Bob, this is Benjamin. Benjamin, this is Bob.”

  Ben glanced at his mother. “Bob M.?” he whispered.

  She nodded.

  “Is he a wit…” He was going to say “witness of The Cosmic Fall,” but she widened her eyes in warning and cut him off, “This is Bob Manfield.”

  Ben turned his attention from his mother to the man, confused. “Manfield? Isn’t that Dad’s last name?” His mind whirled.

  Bob tilted his head, his brown eyes boring into Ben’s. He held out his hand, which Ben accepted. “Hey there, squirt,” he said. He glanced briefly at Laura, then added, “I’m your Uncle Bob.”

  Ben searched his mother’s eyes, but she looked away.

  Bob shook Ben’s hand firmly, and for an instant, the boy forgot about their troubles.

  I have an uncle!

  “It’s good to see you again, Benjamin. It’s been too long,” Bob said, putting extra stress on the last words. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Ben as if he were expecting some kind of recognition from the boy.

  Laura shifted and placed a hand on Ben’s shoulder again. “Actually, everyone just calls him Ben. And we’re pretty tired, Bob. Do you think we could talk later?”

  “Of course,” Bob clapped his hands together, smiling. “Follow me.” He led the way into a stylish living room with black sofas and a glass coffee table.

  Ben spotted several elegantly dressed people on the balcony which was decorated with white, Christmas-styled lights and candles, while upbeat jazz music played at a decent volume–enough to lighten conversation without drowning it.

  A young woman wearing a tight, one-piece dress entered the apartment with a glass of wine in her hand. With the other, she removed her high-heeled sandals and thrust them aside, then smiled when she spotted them. “Hey, Bobby! There you are!” she called, pattering lightly over to them. “Who are your friends?”

  “Hi, Pearl,” Bob said. “This is Laura Archer. And this is her son, Ben. He’s my nephew.”

  Pearl squealed. “Your nephew? You never told me you had a nephew. Look at him! He’s your spitting image. But much more handsome.” She squeezed Ben’s cheek.

  Ben prayed the dimly lit apartment hid his crimson face.

  “This is Pearl,” Bob said, seeming a bit jumpy. “She works for me.”

  Pearl waved a manicured hand at him. “Yeah, right. I clean up after you, honey.” She rolled her eyes at Laura. “He has such a scattered brain, this one. You’d think he’d be capable of organizing a simple social event, but guess who did all this.” She waved a hand at the decorated balcony.

  Bob wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Yes, all right. I couldn’t do it without you, baby. You know that.”

  She smiled approvingly, then waved her wine glass at Laura, “So, is it just you two, then?”

  “…and Mesmo,” Ben blurted.

  Laura tensed sharply beside him.

  Bob frowned. “Mesmo? What’s a Mesmo?” Then his eyes widened. “Hold on a minute! No cats in my house. I hate cats. I’m allergic.”

  Picturing Mesmo as a
cat, Ben snorted before he could stop himself.

  Laura coughed into her hand. “Hum. Mesmo is a friend. And no, he won’t be staying. It’s just the two of us.”

  “I see,” Bob said, raising an eyebrow. Then, addressing Pearl, he explained, “Laura and Ben arrived from the West Coast earlier. They’ll be staying with me for a while.”

  Pearl’s face brightened. “How lovely! I’ll finally have a decent girlfriend to talk to.” She winked at Laura, then turned to Ben. “And you? Have you ever been to Toronto before?”

  “Erm…n-no.”

  “Really?” she exclaimed. “You’ll love it here! There’s so much to do. Have you seen the CN Tower?” She took his hand and skipped lightly to the window with him in tow. “Look! You can see it from here.”

  Ben swallowed and glanced back at his mother who directed a small smile at him.

  ***

  Laura woke with a start. She stared at the darkness, trying to remember where she was. She had only meant to lie down for a couple of minutes, but instead, had fallen fast asleep, fully dressed, in the bedroom Bob had provided for her and Ben.

  A light tapping on the door made her jump. She realized it was the sound that must have woken her. She rolled over and found Ben sleeping beside her, also fully dressed. He hadn’t even taken off his boots.

  She stood and quietly opened the door a crack.

  “Hi,” Pearl whispered. “I didn’t want to wake Ben.”

  Laura nodded, blinking the sleep from her eyes.

  “Hum, I didn’t want to wake you, either, but we ordered sushi and Bobby said you might be hungry. Do you want to join us?”

  Laura turned to check that Ben was still sleeping, trying to figure out what to do.

  “I made Ben a sandwich, earlier,” the young woman said as if reading Laura’s mind.

  “Thanks,” she replied gratefully, not used to having someone take care of things for her. She felt tired, but she was starving, too. Should she step out in her muddy clothes? The idea of mingling with a crowd of well-dressed, casual people was daunting.

  “Um,” Pearl interrupted her thoughts. “Bobby said you didn’t bring any luggage. I thought maybe you’d be more comfortable in this.” She held up a black dress.

  Now, where did she get that from? Laura wondered.

  “Bobby entertains every weekend. I always keep a spare dress around,” Pearl said, seeming to read her every thought.

  Laura accepted it, studying the young woman curiously. “Are you and Bob…” she began.

  “…together?” Pearl finished. She rolled her eyes. “Oh, God, no! We’d get into each other’s hair all the time. He’s so unpredictable. It drives me crazy.”

  She’s trying too hard, Laura realized.

  Pearl locked eyes with her. “What about you? I guess you and Bobby have quite a history?”

  Laura dropped her eyes. “Yes. But that was a long time ago…” She let the phrase hang. Then she smiled at Pearl. “Thanks for the dress. We won’t be staying here long–a couple of days at the most. I’ll make sure to return it to you before we leave.”

  Did a wave of relief pass briefly before the woman’s eyes?

  Pearl grinned, “Well, go on then. Try it on. We’ll be waiting for you.” She waved as she turned to leave.

  Laura closed the door and let out a long, shaky breath. Her heart pounded in her chest. Had this been a bad idea? Something in the back of her mind told her it was, but she had no choice. Ben worried her more than she cared to admit. The events that had taken place on the Kananaskis Mountains were excruciatingly fresh in her mind. She needed a place where she could watch over him and make sure he hadn’t come out with permanent injuries–physical or mental.

  “That goes for me, too,” she thought sarcastically, heading for the attached bathroom.

  The hot water from the shower triggered a flow of emotions, and she found herself sobbing as she let go of the stress of the past days. She cried for Ben, she cried for Tike, and she cried for Mesmo, who hadn’t given a sign of life since their escape from the mountain. She wished she could go back in time and do things differently.

  By the time she stepped out of the bedroom wearing the cocktail dress, she had resolved that, from now on, she would do whatever necessary to let things end well.

  “Ooh, look at you!” Pearl quipped when Laura stepped onto the balcony. She took Laura’s hands and extended her arms so she could see the dress better. “It suits you perfectly.” She placed her arm through Laura’s own and directed her into the crowd. “Come on, I’ll present you.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  An Honest Conversation

  Laura sagged into the living room couch as soon as the last guests entered the elevator. She had put on a false smile and made polite conversation well into the night, thankful that her years working as a server in bars and restaurants had taught her the appropriate social manners to survive through the evening.

  “Bye, honey,” Pearl said as she kissed Bob on the cheek. The young woman waved at Laura, who returned the gesture. Then the elevator swallowed her up, and Laura was left alone with Bob Manfield.

  He removed his dark jacket, threw it to a chair, then sagged into the couch opposite her with a plastic water bottle in his hand. He crossed his ankle over his knee and rested his arm on the back of the couch in a relaxed stance. “So,” he said after drinking a sip of water. “Here we are.”

  Laura noticed an unruly mesh of hair sticking out from the back of the man’s head, and felt a pang of recognition. She cleared her throat and gestured to the apartment. “Is this yours?” she asked, her mind still in a polite-conversation mode.

  Bob nodded with a gleam in his eye. “Yup. It’s all mine. I bought it a year ago. I still have unpacked boxes in storage, though. It’s been too busy, what with my business expanding and everything…”

  Laura wasn’t really listening. Facing Bob in flesh and bone after so many years destabilized her. Sure, his brown beard and nice outfit were new, but for the rest, he hadn’t changed a bit, which didn’t help the pile of unresolved emotions she felt for him.

  She realized he had stopped talking and was staring at her, so she said hastily, “You’ve done well for yourself. I’m happy for you.”

  “Are you, really?” he replied with a touch of scorn.

  I don’t need this right now, Laura thought. Out loud, she said, “Yes, I am. Really.”

  She rested her elbows on her knees and rubbed her arms. “I’m sorry I called you out of the blue like that. I didn’t mean to crash in on you, but things didn’t work out the way I had planned.”

  Bob placed the bottle of water on the table and shrugged. “It’s ok,” he said. “I already knew you were coming.”

  Laura stiffened. “You did?” Her voice rose in alarm.

  He waved a hand at her. “Calm down, baby. There’s nothing to worry about.” He locked eyes with her. “Your dad warned me you’d come.”

  “My dad?”

  Bob grinned. “Yeah, I know, right? I’m sure I pulled the same face as you right now.” He leant back on the couch and crossed his knees again.

  “He came here about six months ago. He was waiting for me in the lobby.” Bob chuckled. “I thought he’d come to give me a good beating, I’ll tell you! But no, it turns out your old man wanted to have a chat, face-to-face. I invited him up, and he sat right where you are now. He told me, basically, that you and Ben were going to need help and that I wasn’t to ask any questions but that I was to give you any assistance you needed. And boy, did he make it clear that I was to accept.” Bob laughed out loud.

  Laura burst into tears. She pressed her hands to her face hurriedly. This was the last person she wanted to show weakness to, but the mention of her dad hit her hard. It was as if Bob had pointed out that her dad was sitting right next to her and she hadn’t even noticed.

  Bob fell silent for a second, then said, “Hey, baby! What’s the matter? I didn’t mean to…” he broke off, his voice thick.


  When she finally felt calm enough to peek through her fingers, he was holding a box of Kleenex in front of her. She plucked a couple of tissues and blew her nose. “I’m not your baby,” she said gruffly, trying to recover some dignity.

  Bob plopped on the couch with his arms resting on his knees, the box of Kleenex hanging loosely in his hands. “Right. Sure, bab…er…” He sighed and shook his head, then said. “How is the old man, anyway?”

  Laura pressed the tissues to her face and hiccupped. “He passed away, not long ago,” she managed. “Heart attack.”

  Bob gasped. “Oh, baby, I’m sorry,” he exclaimed. He seemed genuinely crestfallen. “I don’t believe it! The old oak, gone? Jeez’! No wonder you’re so upset.” He pushed the tissues over the table to her side.

  They both stared at it for a long moment.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked gently.

  Laura shook her head. “No.” She spoke in a final tone, then straightened. “We won’t be staying long, Bob. We just needed a place to land on our feet, then we’ll be off again.”

  “Now wait a minute. I agreed to take you in. And on your own terms at that. But now that you’re here–and that Ben is here–you can’t go disappearing on me. We have an opportunity here...”

  “Stop it, Bob!” Laura snapped. “You promised over the phone you wouldn’t go there.”

  “No, you listen here, little lady.” He pointed his index finger at her. “Come now, Uncle Bob? Are you serious?” He snorted. “Ben looks like a smart kid. How long before he realizes Robert and Bob are not brothers, but one and the same? Jeez’, baby, everybody knows Bob is a diminutive for Robert.” He slapped his leg. “Uncle Bob! How did you come up with such a stupid thing?”

  Laura glanced in the direction of the room where Ben was sleeping. “Sh! Ok, ok,” she whispered through gritted teeth. “It was a dumb idea. I was desperate. But Ben can’t handle the truth right now, Bob. Please, trust me! You promised you’d go along with it.”