Epilogue

And so it came to pass that the Bombays were out of the assassination business. This was big news, but there was no one we could really tell. Mum’s visit to Greenland with the others went well. The previous council members had had enough of pureed food and the sullen staff. They all retired to Santa Muerta to live out the rest of their days in peace. I think they even liked it.

My cousins were thrilled with their early retirement. No one really had to work ever again, due to our trust funds. But I did hear a rumor about Paris and Dak opening a marketing consulting firm. We all visit our island from time to time, for real vacations now. Missi took down the ropes course in what she called “a ritualistic cleansing with fire.” I’m not sure what that was all about.

Mum and Dad took a trip around the world to celebrate. By the time they came back one year later, Veronica and I presented them with their first grandson, named Theodore. He was the first Bombay without a place-name. My parents bought an RV so they could travel with us wherever we went. This was annoying at first, until we realized how difficult it was to find sitters when you didn’t know where you were.

Sartre appeared to like the new addition to the family. She seemed a bit honored, if guinea pigs could be honored, that we gave the baby her name for his middle name. As for Veronica and me, we decided that we were just going to travel around the country, checking things out here at home. We figured we had five years to find the place we would want to settle down before Theodore had to start school. My mother is rooting for New Mexico, but I kind of like San Francisco. Dad is still trying to convince us to move to Australia, and, according to Veronica, no matter where we go, Iowa is the best place to be.

Who knows where we will end up? I’m not making any plans yet. I am looking forward to settling down with my family…someday. And for a retired carney/assassin with a guinea pig and a Ph.D., the future looks pretty good.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A huge, overdue, and much-deserved “thank you” to Cheryl Smith. This woman dragged me up to meet my future editor at RWA in Atlanta and forced me to pitch this series to her. Without Cheryl, who knows if the Bombays would exist in print?

Thanks, Cheryl!

Leslie Langtry