We have been down here for some time, Matthew," Miang said at length. "Is it possible that Shirley is in some sort of trouble?"
Matt reviewed the stories Bo had regaled him with of Shirley's many exploits, now wishing that the other boy had not been quite so vivid.
"Yeah, it's more than possible. It's kind of likely." he said, eyes fastened on the visible window of Miang's apartment.
"I should then go back inside," Miang said firmly, and took several steps toward the door before Matt caught hold of her arm, stopping her.
"No!" he said hastily. "No- you're the heir to the throne. You have to be safe. I can go, but you need to stay here."
"No," Miang said firmly. "You are a child. It would be wrong were you to go, and not I. And don't give me any of that sexist crap, do you hear?"
"Yes'm," Matt said hastily. "We- we'll give it another minute, then?"
Miang hesitated, but realizing they were at a standoff, nodded her head reluctantly.
"Yes." she nodded, unaware that inside his head, Matt was shouting:
"What's happened, City Girl? What went wrong?"
* * *
Everything, from Shirley's point of view.
Just before the owner of the voice appeared around the corner of the hallway, she punched in the last two digits of the distress call, and lowered the receiver to her side as it started to ring.
The speaker had not been bluffing when he spoke of shooting her- he held an antique handgun, that nonetheless looked sufficiently preserved to perform its natural function.
"Ambassador Rajhim," Shirley said faintly. Now she had an inkling of how Maya had felt when she saw the face of the man who had been attempting to kill her, and it had proved to be her father's dearest friend.
Ambassador Rajhim had, until a couple months ago, only been a diplomat, but he had been a diplomat at the British Embassy for eight years.
He had often greeted her with a smile or a joke when he saw her. Somewhat different, she thought absently, from the weapon he was holding now.
"Hello, Shirley," he said, "I'm very sorry that it has to be this way."
"Does it?" she asked plaintively. "Does it, really?"
"Yes," he sighed, "I'm afraid it does. I can't say I would enjoy returning to diplomat status, having now been an Ambassador." He glanced at the phone she still held, which had stopped ringing.
Shirley could now hear a man politely requesting details. When he received no reply he tried again, and then again.
Keeping the old revolver trained on her, Rajhim snatched the phone from Shirley's grasp, and spoke into it.
"Hello? Yes, I'm most terribly sorry about that- just my daughter fooling around. Yes, I understand. I'm very sorry- it won't happen again. Yes, you too. Goodbye.
He replaced it in the cradle carefully, and then motioned for Shirley to step over to the sofa, and sit down.
"Your friends Mr.Harris and Mr.Sawchuck have succeeded in getting hold of what, for the moment, at least, I want the most- the prince and the princess. Now, Shirley, we will contact your friends, and tell them that you would like to see them again, and that I am willing to make a trade. Understand?"
"Yep," Shirley groaned.
"Good," he held the cell phone to her ear. "If you would please dial the number . . ?"
* * *
"Matt?" Bo jumped out of Mr.Marany's car.
"Bo?"
"LIANI!" Mr.Marany shouted, running towards Miang, his arms outstretched.
"ARIANI!" she exclaimed, as he lifted her bodily from the ground and swung her about. She started to cry, as she chattered almost hysterically.
"Matthew says he bought Tashari before you could, and this is why you could not find me."
"It doesn't matter now," Prince Ariani promised, setting his older sister down gently. "Now we're back together, and we're going to take you home, and get you on the throne where you belong!"
" . . . And she said she'd meet you out here?" Bo asked Matt, who nodded.
"Almost ten minutes ago, now. I wouldn't let Miang go in, and she wouldn't let me go."
"So- she's the princess?" Bo asked, looking at Miang, who was now reuniting her brother with his hedgehog, and watching with delight as Ariani smothered the little animal with affection.
"Yes. Did Ariani tell you about her?"
"On the way here," Bo nodded. "Man, have they gone through Hell and back! But about Shirley . . ."
The cell phone in Matt's pocket cut him off. Matt hastily pulled it out, and flicked it open.
"Shirley?"
"Matt-" she was cut off abruptly, and a heavily accented voice came on the line.
"Mr.Harris. I should like to propose an exchange of valuables, so to speak. Do you catch my meaning?"
"Yes." Matt's voice wasn't even above a whisper.
"Good, good, very good. Your friend, here, in exchange for my own, dear friends, the Princess and her brother. Please tell them that I-"
"You can tell me yourself, Mikhail," Princess Liani, who had seen the look on Matt's face and snatched the phone from him, snapped bitterly into the mouthpiece, "I'm listening."
"Liani! How wonderful! You really had me fooled, you know- I hadn't seen you for eight years, and I must say I didn't recognize you at all.
"But this is no time for nostalgia- Miss Holmes's friends would probably like to see her again- alive. You do know what you must do to bring this about, I hope?"
"Yes." Liani's voice was even quieter than Matt's had been when he'd spoken the word.
"Good, good. I'll be hearing from you soon, then?"
Liani hung up on him.
* * *
Ambassador Rajhim smiled at Shirley as he broke the connection, and spoke to her.
"Well, it seems as if you'll see your two friends again very soon. Not much to do until then but wait, is there?"
Shirley, eyes focused on the floor, said nothing.
"What, you're not sulking, are you? I find it so aggravating when people sulk, just because not everything goes their way. I'd have thought you were above such a thing!"
"Yeah, well, life is just full of surprises, isn't it?" Shirley muttered.
"Capital, Shirley. capital!" Rajhim beamed at her benevolently, like a jolly old Pakistani Santa Claus. "Although it isn't your material, it's very true, and it really does suit your situation, doesn't it?"
"Not just mine," Shirley replied cryptically, "not just mine."
Seconds later, he found out what she meant, as four policemen, four firefighters, and two ambulance personnel all burst into the room.
Rajhim turned, and took a step towards the window. Shirley didn't know why, and didn't stop to find out. She took his legs out from under him with a roundhouse kick they'd taught her in karate. He dropped like a log, and two policemen approached, on to handcuff him, the other to red him his rights.
"It's the duty of 9-1-1 personnel," Shirley informed Rajhim, who lay on the floor, "to follow up on all calls."
"You city girls and your rules," said a voice from the doorway. Matt.
Shirley ran to him, threw her arms around him, and buried her face in his neck. He hugged her back.
"You cowboys," she whispered, "you always wait until the last minute,. don't you?"
"What about us loyal friends?" Bo wanted to know.
With a shaky laugh, Shirley hugged him, too.
Then she turned to face the prince and princess, who stood overseeing the arrests of Rajhim with a cold, impersonal approval.
She smiled slightly, and said "You'll make a wonderful Queen, Miang, I know it."
"Thank-you, Shirley," Miang smiled. "thank-you very much, indeed."
It took only a minute for the prince to arrange for himself and his sister to be flown home- and, when he saw how crazy she was about him, for Emily to stay with Matt.
On their way to the plane, they dropped the kids off at Shirley's house.
"Are you going to miss them?" Matt asked Bo and Shirley, as they waved good-bye.
"Yeah," Shirley smiled, "but it's not the last we'll be hearing of them, I'm sure."
* * *
It was two days later that Shirley and Bo stood in the Redington International Airport once more, this time saying good-bye to Matt and Emily.
"Catch you later," Bo said easily.
"Sure," Matt nodded.
"Excellent," Bo grinned. He caught the pointed looks that Shirley was sending in his direction, and hastily cleared his throat.
"Um, I think that I'll go and, uh, check out those magazines over there."
He walked off to inspect the rack, leaving Shirley and Matt alone together, except for Emily, whom Matt had tucked into his pocket.
"So, Cowboy," Shirley said softly, "I guess it's good-bye again, hmm?"
"Yeah," Matt smiled a small, half-smile. "I guess it is, City Girl. Time for me to ride off into the sunset."
Shirley looked momentarily upset, but then her expression relaxed.
"That's alright, then," she said contentedly, "because you can always ride back in on the sunrise, can't you?"
Matt laughed, making Shirley squint up her face in amusement.
When Matt at last stopped laughing, he reached over, and put a reassuring hand out to cup Shirley's cheek.
"You can bet I will," he promised.
"With a happy little sigh, she melted against him, tightening her grip around his waist as if she wanted to get right on the plane with him.
Maybe she did.
He hugged back for the longest time, until they started to call his flight for boarding.
With a reluctant sigh, he let go, and collected his baggage stubs, the lobster salad sandwich Joanna had made for him, and his little overnight bag, and headed up the boarding ramp.
Shirley watched him go with an aching heart, not wanting to lose sight of him.
"Matt!" she cried impulsively. He turned around. She was silent for a long moment. At last, with a slight catch in her voice, she asked him, "See you around, Cowboy?"
"Yeah, City Girl," he promised her affectionately, "you will." Then he turned around, and was slowly swallowed up in the crowd.
The End
