P. Fairy Wings - Part 6

"Don't worry Wal', I haven't nicked it."

Wallace started as Jim slapped him lightly on the back. He
judiciously stowed the brief case back into the locker and snapped the
padlock shut.

"Can't be too careful." He mumbled and, extremely conscious of Jim's
watchful gaze, dropped the keys into his trouser pocket.

"Listen," Jim continued eagerly, " I was talking to some guys up on
the launch decks."

"You didn't..."

"Don't worry, I was very subtle. I didn't mention the err, you
know."

Wallace raised his eyebrows and headed for the locker room door and
the canteen. Jim followed after, quickstepping to catch up.

"Anyway, they reckon that loads of these guys flying hooks are
looking for fairy wings."

"So?"

"So one of them might be interested in buying a set."

Wallace noticed the unmistakable figure of Adrielle loitering in the
corridor and immediately turned around and walked away in the other
direction.

"Don't you think?" Jim continued.

"Jim, hookers are either tourists or hippies. Some might be on the
lookout for fairy wings but not one of them would know what to do with
it if they found one and most would just take it home as a souvenir to
decorate their tepee and if any of them actually wanted to buy a pair
they can do that in a bloody jewellers."

"But what if they can't afford to buy them from a jewellers."

"Then they can't afford to buy them from me."

"Come on Wal, you're still looking at ten maybe even twenty grand.
It's still a lot of cash"

"Bollocks! None of them have that sort of money."

"Naw, my mate says loads of them are really keen to get hold of a
set."

"Probably all cops trying to catch a poacher."

"But you said it's legit Wal."

"It is, but I found it while trespassing didn't I and who's to say I
didn't snare or poison the bloody thing."

"But you said it was dead when you found it."

"It was! But I can't prove it."

"Look." Jim pleaded. "I'll do the deal, I'll take all the risk."

"Yeah, till they offer you five years off your sentence to reveal
your source."

"Now you're being melodramatic."

Wallace grumbled.

"Come on Wal. What else are you going to do with the bloody thing,
mount it on the wall. You know you need the money." Wallace stopped
walking and faced Jim. "I'm not that desperate." He snapped.

Jim looked hurt.

"Well not yet anyway." Wallace continued. "Look, Jim. Twenty grand
is a lot of money but if I do this right I could clear all my debts and
have that much in change, that's too good an opportunity to throw away.
I think I'm going to hold on to the thing for the time being, see if I
can't find another way to sell it." He smiled sheepishly at the other
gnome to show that there were no bad feelings. "I tell you what, if I'm
getting nowhere in a fortnight we'll see what we can do. Okay."

"Okay." Replied Jim, a little morose "Err, Wal?" He continued.

"Yeah."

"Where you going mate? Canteen's the other way."

*****

Back from lunch Adrielle watched the squat figure shuffle between
her weight compensation panel and its toolbox. She had barely said a
word and kept well out of its way the whole afternoon but it did not
seem to have cheered up any. The job must be nearly done now, the gnome
had already asked her to test the new button (and she had congratulated
it on how much better it was) and was now just reassembling the panel.
If she was going to say anything she had better do it soon.

She said "Gnome."

It grunted from under the machinery.

Adrielle swallowed and said "Wallace."

The gnome stopped whatever it was doing and said "Yes?" with a wary
caution.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"With what?"

"You reek of it you know."

"Reek of what?"

"Of fairy."

Wallace paused, said "I don't know what you're talking about." And
continued working.

"Of course you do."

"No I don't."

"It's obvious."

"Oh is it." He replied sarcastically.

"I don't know where you got it..."

"Shut up."

"Only if you wanted to sell it?" Adrielle continued.

"Shut up."

"There's no reason why you shouldn't get sixty, seventy thousand for
it."

Wallace stopped dead.

"I mean." she continued, "If it's in a good state, with a full set
of wings and that. Then there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to
get that much."

The gnome emerged from underneath the weight compensation panel and
looked across at her. Adrielle stared straight back at him.

"Keep talking." He said.

"Well it's legitimate, isn't it? Coming from a wood nymph."

"How come?"

She dropped down from her perch but remained standing across the
room from the gnome. "Dryads catch fairies all the time." She said,
"The wings help pay for private forests or rent arrangements or medical
care or whatever, a bit of money's always useful. Loads of people have
asked me if I'll help sell wing sets."

"They have?"

"It means that the buyers safe, doesn't it? If he buys them from a
Dryad then he can assume that they aren't dodgy and so he'll pay a bit
more. If you pay VAT then it's almost completely legal."

Walace looked at her cautiously. "You've done this before?"

"Oh no."

"No?"

"It's obviously stolen goods, I don't need any of that trouble."

"So why am I talking to you?"

"Because yours isn't stolen."

"What makes you think that?"

"It's whole and it's fresh."

"How do you..."

"I can smell it. I'm guessing it's whole, it's not just the wings is
it?"

Wallace said. "I could have poached it."

Adrielle said. "I assumed you had, it's not the same thing as
stealing."

"The police might disagree."

"But what could they prove?"

He conceded the point with a nod of his head. "And who would you
sell it to?"

"That's the easy part. Loads of people flying hooks are after a
set."

Wallace said "This is a waste of time." and climbed back under the
weight compensation panel. "I have to get this bloody thing working by
three o-clock."

"Wait." Adrielle exclaimed. She hopped over so she stood nearer him,
though she avoided getting too near in case it unnerved him.

"If I thought I could sell it to a flier I'd go up to the top level
bar and hawk it around there."

"And nobody would buy it because they would assume it would be
stolen, that's what I'm saying."

"That and none of the buggers could afford it."

"But there are less retarded ways to go about it." Adrielle said to
the empty air.

"Like?"

"Like." She took a breath. "Look at the client info." She picked up
the day roster and scanned it quickly. "Flying at dawn which is the
best time to spot them, out over the forest, human male, fifty six, two
hundred and five pounds."

"Bloody hell."

"Herr Manfred Bert Schmitt, he broke the button. Occupation, Chief
Executive." She threw the clipboard down at his feet triumphantly.

"Chief Executive? So why doesn't he just buy a set?"

"Because," said Adrielle, confident now. "There's a waiting list of
about three or four years."

Wallace stopped what he was doing and shuffled himself out from
under the panel, just far enough so that he could see Adrielle.
Adrielle smiled, sure now that the gnome was won over. "I can only ask
him." She said. "He could say no but its got to be worth a try."

"And what would you want out of this?" He asked, suspiciously.

"Oh, say ten percent."

"Five would be better."

"Okay." She said.

Wallace nodded, clearly regretting not bargaining harder. "When
could you see him?" He asked.

"I've only got a work address, so not till tomorrow."

"Do it." Said Wallace, still deep in thought. "I'd better give you
my home phone number."