Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
My home—as shabby as it was—had been invaded!
The nerve of the thief, but the indignation soon turned to concern because, as we moved from room to room, one thing became quickly obvious.
Apollo murmured it first. “I think this was targeted. They took things Tigger might have come in contact with.”
My prison, AKA the aquarium, and all its contents, gone, as were Iolana’s sheets and pillow. Bath towels. Even the sofa cushions.
“How can you be so sure this is about the dragon? They also took the television and my record collection,” Keanu exclaimed.
“Probably to camouflage their actions.” Iolana pursed her lips. “Let’s be honest here, there’s no value in the other stuff they stole.”
“My shop!” A suddenly panicked Keanu heavy-footed it to the workshop, with Iolana following close behind, scooping me up on her way.
Apollo followed, still holding his gun. A true protector—with wealth.
I’d chosen well. But he worried needlessly.
The scent of the intruders, distinct and pungent from a lack of bathing, along with the fresher remains of a vehicle’s exhaust, indicated they’d departed. However, they could be watching.
I eyed the sky, aware that drones existed, flying machines that could watch from above. I didn’t spot any lights nor hear any hum of their whirring blades; however, there were more silent methods of spying. Someone with binoculars, for example.
“The shop is untouched!” Keanu declared with relief.
“A good thing, since he won’t pay for insurance,” Iolana murmured to Apollo.
As my servants congregated in the living room, with its sad sofa showing the diestrus once hidden by its missing cushions, a discussion occurred, more like an argument, about where they’d be sleeping that night.
“You can’t stay here,” Apollo insisted.
“I am not paying for a motel when I have a perfectly fine bed here,” Keanu huffed. “We have more bedding in the closet.”
“Listen, your cheapness,” Iolana snapped. “We might not be safe. Whoever broke into our house could return.”
“Hardly breaking in since we don’t lock the doors,” stated the old man.
“Because that makes it so much better,” Iolana drawled, pointing out the ridiculousness of his statement.
“You can stay with me,” Apollo tried to offer, only to have Keanu stiffen.
“I do not need your charity.” Humans and their pride.
“I’ve got a lot of empty rooms, so it’s not like I’d notice you staying there. It would only be for a few days until we can sort out what happened.”
Iolana pursed her lips. “What happened seems obvious. Someone came looking for Tigger, but who? It’s not as if anyone outside this room is aware of how special he is. So how did they know where to find him?”
“You didn’t send any messages to anyone about him? Post any pictures?” Apollo questioned.
Iolana started to shake her head but then blurted out, “These idiots were posting online on some forums.”
“Is that true?” a stern Apollo asked.
I cleared my throat. “We simply corrected some misassumptions.”
“There was a thread talking about how dragons couldn’t have existed and were most likely dinosaurs. But we didn’t give out our address or nothing,” Keanu hastened to add.
His granddaughter’s gaze narrowed. “And?”
“Our young friend took offense, so I might have replied only an idiot would mix up a dragon and a dinosaur.”
“Even if they didn’t mask their IP with a VPN, it doesn’t sound like they revealed anything that would lead to this,” Apollo murmured.
Keanu hung his head. “I might have gone on to mention that dinosaurs were dumb beasts who weren’t born talking like a dragon.”
Iolana groaned. “You idiot.”
“I’m sorry.”
Apollo tried to soothe things over. “Let’s be honest, most people would have ignored what Keanu claimed. I mean the internet is, after all, full of wild and unsubstantiated claims.”
“Does this look like someone ignored him?” She waved her hand.
“Good thing we weren’t home.” Keanu tried to offer a positive, but Iolana scowled.
“What about tomorrow, though, or the next day? Obviously, there’s someone nearby who suspects we’ve got a dragon. They’ll be back.”
“We can put a proper lock on the doors.” Keanu’s weak rebuttal.
“A good start, but it’s not enough,” Apollo said in a take-charge voice. “Here’s what I propose: you spend the next few days at my place. I’ve already got security cameras and motion sensors, but I’ll add a few guards to patrol the property as well. During that time, we’ll get this place secured.”
“At what cost?” Keanu visibly bristled at the thought of spending.
“None to you. I’ll cover it. And before you say anything, it’s not charity. Tigger did name me one of his servants, and as such, it’s my duty to protect him.”
“Indeed it is,” I agreed with a solemn nod, leading to Iolana snorting, but she didn’t refuse the offer.
“I’m also going to see if I can find out who broke into your place,” Apollo added.
“How?” Iolana canted her head. “Going to dust the place for fingerprints?”
“No. I’m going to contact a hacker friend of mine to trace the IP addresses of everyone who participated or viewed the thread Keanu responded to. I’m also going to get him to see which local bio labs might have received the sheets and other things stolen for analysis.”
“Assuming they didn’t send it off to a private lab,” she pointed out.
“I don’t get the impression whoever did the grab-and-run was sophisticated enough to own the necessary equipment. If I had to guess, they were hired by someone who saw the thread.”
“This hacker friend of yours—”
“Is discreet. We go back a long time and do business often. Now, rather than keep discussing this here, I think we should head back to my place, crack open some hot chocolate and marshmallows, maybe the whiskey, and call it a night.”
It turned out upon our return to my home—the one more befitting me—that the whiskey didn’t appeal. The fumes of it made my eyes water. Although I almost insisted on my own glass when Iolana shook her head and said, “No booze for the baby dragon.”
I would drink if I wanted to!
But I preferred the cocoa and quite enjoyed toasting the puffy sugar clouds on the fire outside. Delicious.
Despite how much I’d eaten that day, I didn’t molt that night. Nor did I fall easily asleep. Iolana tossed and turned. And flipped. And flopped.
I finally grumbled, “Would you go see Apollo already?”
“What? No. Why would I do that?”
Humans could be so dumb. “Because your sexual pheromones are keeping us both awake.”
“Oh.” A slight pause, then, “Sorry.”
“I don’t want an apology. Do something about it.”
“I can find another bed, but that would mean leaving you alone.”
“Did Apollo not mention setting an alarm against intruders? I’ll be fine until morning.”
“Are you sure?”
“Leave. Now. That’s an order.”
“If you insist,” she murmured, slipping from the bed. Whether or not she joined Apollo’s in his, I didn’t know or care because I finally fell asleep and dreamed I went fishing in the ocean and caught a whale.
Yum.