Appendix 40-II: The Cheshire Cat (Part 3

Appendix 40-II: The Cheshire Cat (Part 3)

(Robert Quick, September 6th, 2011)

The woman laughed and stuck out a slender hand. I found it to be surprisingly firm.

“I’m Carmen, an international and temporal thief.”63 Her smile was dazzling. “With this baby here I guess I’ll have to add multidimensional to the list.”

Her laugh was so full and hearty I was compelled to join in. Her, a thief? Ha ha. A secretary late to work, more likely. I liked her. She had a fine sense of humor. Carmen stroked the wall and I was astonished to see purple fur sprouting wherever she touched.

“What floor was it you wanted?” she asked. “You can try again. I think Cheshire’s done playing for the moment, aren’t you?” The purring intensified.

I swallowed the knot in my throat and made to stab the button before Cheshire changed its mind but the doors slid open to admit a nervous youth.

The kid twitched. A bag filled with a leafy substance fell to the floor. Carmen went to her knees.

“Catnip.” Carmen looked up at me. “I believe we’re in a world of trouble now.”

I instantly regretted waking up this morning.

63

Lady thief Carmen, with her red coat and hat and her dark hair, is instantly identifiable as a variation on Carmen Sandiego, the central protagonist of the video game series of the same name and its adaptations. Though starting out as a conventional lady thief and head of the generic criminal organisation V.I.L.E., she was depicted as having time-travel capabilities in Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego? (1989) and its TV series spin-off of the same name.