He came back carrying his .38 and headed for the door.
“What are you up to?” she demanded, knowing very well.
“I’m going to blast that iron monkey off Fay’s back if it’s the last thing I do!”
She threw her arms around him.
“Now lemme go,” Gusterson growled. “I gotta be a man one time anyway.”
As they struggled for the gun, the door opened noiselessly, Davidson slipped in and deftly snatched the weapon out of their hands before they realized he was there. He said nothing, only smiled at them and shook his head in sad reproof as he went out.
Gusterson slumped. “I knew they were all psionic,” he said softly. “I just got out of control now—that last look Fay gave us.” He touched Daisy’s arm. “Thanks, kid.”
He walked to the glass wall and looked out desultorily. After a while he turned and said, “Maybe you better be with the kids, hey? I imagine the guards’ll let you through.”
Daisy shook her head. “The kids never come home until supper. For the next few hours they’ll be safer without me.”
Gusterson nodded vaguely, sat down on the couch and propped his chin on the base of his palm. After a while his brow smoothed and Daisy knew that the wheels had started to turn inside and the electrons to jump around—except that she reminded herself to permanently cross out those particular figures of speech from her vocabulary.