The hearing, or “Grand Hearing” as it was known because it combined multiple sessions at once, finally let out at noon for lunch.

While most wandered off to the pubs, Rip begged off by saying he needed to do some shopping. Blair had other things to do, so they split up.

When he made it outside, Rip fetched some fish and chips out of his interspatial wallet, still hot and fresh. He snacked on them while wandering down the aisles of the marketplace, trying to ignore all the stares he received.

He heard the constrained notes of someone about to lose their temper, and glanced over at Evander Greenstone’s booth where the proprietor spoke with a red-faced woman who looked ready to fight.

Rip recognized her and decided to head over and see what the fuss was about.

“Mr. Greenstone, I have most recently had an extraordinary influx of income. Did you not hear about my girls and how they assisted in the capturing of two intact black airships last night? Do you not realize the crown gives bounties for the capture or destruction of such ships? We brought in two, intact. The first time such a feat has been performed. The two previous ones brought in by Sergeant Coulter were destroyed. No offense, Sergeant. I assure you, Mr. Greenstone, that I have more than enough funds.”

“I do not mean to offend, Lady . . . ah . . .”

“Lady Fisher, third cousin to the king and proprietress of Lady Fisher’s Preparatory Venture Academy for Girls. I have ample funds necessary to buy one of these wallets. If you were not the only person selling them, I assure you I would be taking my business elsewhere.”

“I understand, and I beg your forgiveness, Lady Fisher, but I am understaffed at the moment. The wallets are quite expensive, and I simply have no one at the ready to run check with the accounting window in order to determine your balance. If it were any other item in my inventory, I would be more than willing to accommodate you immediately, but as it stands I am facing quite the dilemma. Good day, Sergeant Coulter. I will be with you shortly.”

“Oh, no need. I was with Lady Fisher in the hearing just moments ago. It seems to me you need a handy little thing the department stores on my world had, about 150 years ago.”

Both Marissa and Greenstone stopped talking and looked at him. Several other bystanders crowded in, trying to eavesdrop.

“You see, the stores faced a similar dilemma. Did a customer have sufficient credit to make a purchase? Or were they behind on their bill? Some enterprising person dreamed up the idea of putting a phone on the cash register. Then the clerk could lift up the headset, actually I think they were candlestick phones back then, and they could ask the person at the charge desk to look up the account. That person could tell the clerk right away whether or not the customer had the credit. I think they called it the ‘Okay Charge Phone,’ or some such. I don’t remember. My dad had one.”

Greenstone blinked in confusion.

“Your . . . father had one?”

“Yeah, he was quite the collector of antique electronics. He loved old radios. He also had phones, cash registers and other things. He rewired an old candlestick phone to work with modern lines when I was a kid, and they still had a landline. Of course, you couldn’t dial out with it, but if someone called, you could pick it up and join in on the conversation. It acted as an extension.”

No one uttered a word for a moment.

Finally Marissa said, “Sergeant, I understand the words you are saying, but very little of it makes sense.”

His ears reddened.

“I tell you what. You know me, Mr. Greenstone. Sell Lady Fisher the wallet, and if it turns out she does not have enough in her RVS account to cover it, use mine to make up the difference. You know I’m good for it.”

Neither Marissa nor Greenstone seemed overly happy with the idea, but it did solve the problem at hand.

“I assure you I have sufficient funds.”

“I am quite sure you do, Lady Fisher. And I apologize for all of this. I did not realize you were a friend of Sergeant Coulter’s. Of course you may have the wallet, and at the same price I sold one to him.”

He handed the item over and she took it, still looking peeved.

She turned to go and Rip accompanied her, ignoring all the stares.

“I’m sorry about the student you lost last night. Her name was Jane?”

Marissa stopped and her face smoothed.

“Thank you. I have had a rather rough time of it lately. I spoke with her parents, and they are retrieving the body. There will be a funeral soon. I feel . . .”

She trailed off.

He nodded sympathetically.

“You feel responsible, because you were in charge. I’ve been there, when I’ve lost people in battle. I know what you’re going through.”

She took a deep breath and her face showed resolve.

“Thank you, Sergeant. That means a lot. I would like to invite you to visit the school sometime, and perhaps pass along some of your wisdom to my students. Not to mention fighting techniques from your world.”

“Sure. I suppose. I’m not big on talking to groups, but I can handle maybe spending a little time with your kids.”

The corner of her lip quirked up and she raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. Now, if you will excuse me, I have an appointment with Sir Garrison O’Reilly, an MP from Ireland, and his wife and daughters. Duty calls.”

“Of course.”

He made a half bow and stopped walking beside her. She hurried back inside the building.

As he stood there, a couple merchants rushed past him.

One of them said, “It’s called an ‘Oh Kay Charge Phone.’ All it is, is a telephone attached to a cash register. If we hurry, we can secure the rights for it. I know a man down at the patent office, and another fellow who can fill out the bill and draw a diagram for us. Now, if we hurry . . .”

They walked out of hearing range, and Rip smiled.

“I’ve got to be more careful what I say around here.”