The Good Doctor's Tales Folio Six Read Online Free PDF Page A

said.  Tonya turned and left Marty kneeling, and adjusted his juice to one day’s use above the low juice state.  Uncomfortable for Marty, but not absurdly so.  Enough to remind him of his errors while he worked through his daily chores before going out to his real-world job.  At least he hadn’t managed to mess that up yet – he still had a job, and still brought in money for the household.
     
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    “We’re going to be meeting at the usual place, in Norrie State Park,” Focus Polly Keistermann said.  “Be there by noon on Saturday.”
    “We’ll be there,” Tonya said, and hung up the phone.  Damn.  She moved the phone to the corner of her desk and put her head in her hands.  She hadn’t been able to weasel out of Polly why the executive council of the Northeast Region needed an emergency meeting.  Machinations like this made her head hurt.
    If Tonya and her entourage left well before dawn, they could use the freeway system, cut through the New York City area, and reach the State Park – ten miles north of Poughkeepsie – early.  Keep the trip down to a few hours.  If they left at six, it would take them until noon to make it, because of traffic.
     
    On Saturday, Tonya and her people, two cars worth, bodyguards and aides, took off at four in the morning.  She wasn’t able to sleep in the car – as a Focus, she needed less than half the sleep each night as she had once needed, and could get by with less.  Instead, she closed her eyes and thought, not lulled by the hum of the engine or the warmth of the rising sun.  The visit by Poe bothered her more than it ought to.  In addition, Tonya couldn’t figure out why Shirley had told her to not talk about those sort of visits over the phone.  Even more annoying, her last Monster hunt had been a bust: she and her people had been unable to find the Monster, and she still got the shakes thinking about the fruitless hunt, always sure the Monster was about to jump them from surprise and kill more of her people.
    When her entourage pulled into the State Park hours later, Tonya found Polly already there.  She had already chased off a cul-de-sac worth of campers from their campsites, enough for the executive committee.  Tonya directed her driver to take the campsite beside Polly’s, and after the car stopped, Tonya waited until Tommy opened the car door for her and handed her out of the car.
    “Good morning, Polly,” Tonya said, looking over the area Polly had chosen .  Four campsites, each with a picnic table and fire pit, secluded, well wooded, with a distant view of the Hudson through the trees.  She walked over to where her peer and former friend was directing traffic among her people.  “Who’s going to make it?”  She knew better than to ask the topic of the meeting.
    Polly smiled one of her fake smiles, and led Tonya away from where Polly’s catering crew set up food and defenses in preparation for the meeting.  They were from Polly’s own household.  Polly’s household business was Mercury Catering, a viable catering concern, and as usual Polly had them running like clockwork.  “Shirley’s too busy to attend,” Polly said, and Tonya nodded.  Shirley Patterson, one of the first Focuses and one of Tonya’s important backers, rarely attended any of the business meetings these days, even though she was officially in charge of all the Focuses, the political power behind the Focus Council.  “Suzie’s expected – she’s the one who called the meeting.”  Focus Susan Schrum was the President of the Northeast Region, and a politically powerful first Focus.  Tonya was surprised to discover Suzie had called the meeting. Suzie wasn’t known for her skill at delegation, and Polly was doing the meeting organization.  “Anne is going to make it.”  Anne Trail, also a member of the first Focus generation, was little more than a follower of Suzie Schrum.  It surprised Tonya that Focus Trail was even invited – she was just