The Opera's the Thing/Chapter 6

A month later, I was sitting in a booth at Dex’s Diner. I had just ordered my usual when Gando walked in. He tapped me on the shoulder.

“Gando! Good to see you! How’s crime-fighting treating you?” I asked, standing and shaking his hand.

“It’s good. I finally got a spare moment, so I thought I’d grab a bite to eat. I didn’t know you came here”, he said as we sat down.

“Yeah, I’m a regular. Between you and me, I think the waitress has the hots for me.”

Gando chuckled. “I think the two of you would make a great couple. I always tell WA-7 that she needs to settle down with a nice guy.”

I gave a sly half-smile. “Well, for your information, I was talking about Hermione. But now that you mention it, WA-7 does need to settle down. Are you available?”

Gando laughed. “No, not really”, he said, indicating the aurodium ring on his finger. I whistled appreciatively.

“Well, that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to let you know that Bjorn and Dala made full confessions. With those confessions, and all the evidence, both concrete and circumstantial, we shouldn’t need your testimony to send them away for a really long time. Of course, if you don’t testify, we can’t add kidnapping to their charges, but that’s just the icing on the cake. Are you going to testify?”

“You’re darn tootin’, I’m gonna testify! I never liked that guy. The look on his face will be the perfect ending to this whole thing.”