She went up to the girl and they started talking and then she was arguing with the young woman, i saw her pointing at me and then it started to rain. ...he woman went in the house and Nikki came back to the car."Listen, thats my old babysitter.I told her I was too old to be babysat but she said Momma told her she had to stay with me. She asked me who you were and I lied and said you were a friend of my step dad. I have some money in my room, can you come in? I dont want to be alone with Alison,. ’ All three of them sat there in silence. Hansen got up and walked to a bank of screens. He scanned them and saw one that was permanently on the entrance to Mrs. Chan’s shop and also one was on what used to be the entrance to the pub Carl was hiding in. Correction, used to hide in. Now, the entrance was mainly rubble after the SPF operative had carried Carl’s bomb out in his underwear. His nuts were somewhere in South America now. It gave Hansen an idea, but for now these two had to sort things. ”“Gretchen? What sort of name is Gretchen?”“A German name, Dominus.”“A German name? Serva, Gretchen, are you always so literal?”“Dominus?” She had not the least idea what she had done wrong -- or done right, for that matter. He seemed to be amused.“Never mind. I like you literal. Have you eaten?”“No, Dominus.” No slaves ate before the family left the table. “Something will be in the kitchen.” The cooks always ate well, much better than the other slaves.“Anything I have left, you may eat before. He was none too gentle about it. She didn't expecthim to be. She wobbled a bit on her feet but managed to hold her balance. Herexpanded mouth ached horribly and would continue to ache more as the journeycontinued. He secured it tightly to her head with a strap and then patted heron the head as if he were patting a dog. "All done," he said, satisfied withhis work. "You should have let me do it," groused the younger man. "Maybe next time," said the older one with a wink, "She travels back.