Sins of the Father by Mitchel Scanlon Page A

stick with me and you won't go wrong."
    Now, Freddie was no longer smiling.
    "Lenny?" Freddie said, a scowl on his face as he looked up at Leonard. "Where in hell have you been?"
    "Uh... I been in the storeroom, Freddie," Leonard said, pointing a finger towards the stairway. He didn't like it when people called him "Lenny", but right then it didn't seem the best time to mention it. "You know, to fetch the sacks of synthi-caf, like you told me..."
    "I don't mean where have you just been, Lenny," the scowl on Freddie's face deepened. "I meant, where were you earlier? An hour ago? I looked around the entire place and I couldn't find you!"
    "Oh that..." Flummoxed, Leonard looked to Daniel for inspiration, but the boy had lost interest in what they were saying and had turned to watch the men working on the grinder. Meanwhile, in common with most people, Freddie did not seem to notice Daniel was even there. It was like the little boy was invisible to him. "I... uh... My head started to hurt and I thought some air might help... I went outside for a walk."
    "You went out for a walk!" Freddie looked horrified, his voice rising high enough above the din of the grinder that the men there lifted their heads from the machine and glanced at them. "Are you crazy? You're a mutie, Lenny! What if somebody had seen you?"
    "Oh, I was careful, Freddie." Leonard lifted his hand to his face. "I know what I look like. I know I can't let anybody see me. I stayed out of sight-"
    "That ain't the point, Lenny." For a second, it looked like Freddie was about to start shouting. Then, regaining his temper, he leaned closer and gazed at Leonard like he was explaining something to child. "Listen, the stuff we do here, it's illegal. You understand that, right?"
    "Oh sure, Freddie," Leonard nodded his head. "I understand that. Right."
    "Good. Now, because of that, we can't go taking any dumb chances, Lenny. It ain't just the Judges we've got to be worried about - though, Grud knows, they're bad enough. There's also the people we work for. We got a sweet gig going here, and they wouldn't be happy if something happened to ruin it. And we don't want to get them angry. You understand me, Lenny? You get any more headaches, it's better if you just take five and wait until it goes away. Don't go walking off on your own. Okay? Are we clear on that?"
    "Sure, we're clear, Freddie." Leonard nodded his head more vigorously. "I won't go walking off no more. If I get a headache, I'll just wait until it goes away."
    "All right, then," Freddie said, drawing in a deep breath in relief. Abruptly, his face softened. "Listen, the reason I was looking for you is we're ready to make a shipment. Go up to the cutting room and haul the product from there down to the loading bay. Jensen will tell you what needs to come downstairs. You got that, Lenny?"
    "I got it, Freddie."
    "Good. And no more walks, Lenny. This is the Big Meg. Walk into the wrong place here, and a body could get killed."
     
    Really, when Leonard thought about it, it was strange that Freddie never seemed to notice Daniel. It was the same with most other people as well. Daniel followed Leonard everywhere, hanging around with him and keeping him company, but it was like Leonard was the only one who saw him. Freddie, the other mutants, the warehouse guards: none of them ever spoke to the boy, or even glanced in his direction. Not that the fact of it particularly bothered Leonard. If he had a special friend that only he could see, then so much the better. At least this way, he didn't have to worry about anybody trying to take Daniel away from him. While the boy travelled beside him, he always had someone to talk with and someone to make his decisions for him. As for Daniel himself, it did not seem to worry the boy in any way that no one seemed able to see him. Far from it, if Daniel even registered the fact at all, he gave no sign of it.
    Still, it was strange. Leonard had pondered the whole thing, off and on, ever since