In the Black

by Sheryl Nantus

  He shifted in his seat, mind wandering into forbidden territory. Specifically, Sam Keller’s.

  Kendra nodded as if she knew what he was thinking. “Exactly. Halley offered financial services, which were her particular niche. I have no doubt that the men enjoyed her ability to make them money, make proper investments to allow them to live comfortably after their retirement. Her ability to choose good stocks, strong stocks and work the market made her quite the prize.” She waved a hand at the door. “Most of those men can’t see further than their next paycheck. She provided a service to give them some security, provide for their families if things went wrong.”

  Her low, sultry voice was mesmerizing. “Halley supplied a service, same as the rest of us.”

  He snapped back into lawman mode. “Think she ripped anyone off? Pointed them toward unstable investments and scooped her cut off the top while they lost money?”

  Kendra’s response was slow, each word carefully measured for full impact. “The Guild wouldn’t allow it. They oversee all financial transactions and have final approval. If she tried to con someone and increase her fee they’d catch it.”

  “And if they lost money legitimately? Maybe a bad investment, a bad call on her part?”

  Kendra shook her head. “You don’t get certified for a financial advisor status by the Guild if you lose money on a regular basis, Marshal. She may not have made everyone a millionaire but a substantial loss would trigger an investigation and if it showed a major lapse in judgment or worse, embezzlement, the Guild would take her license. To start with.” She gestured at the wall dividing her quarters from Halley’s. “Takes a lot of nerve to kill a woman in her home like that. Not for the faint of heart.” Her attention flashed back to Daniel. “As you may have figured out, there’s not a whole lot of suspects here.”

  Daniel smiled. “I’ve got your partners and a whole base full of angry miners. Not exactly a short list.”

  Kendra twisted a long strand of blond hair between her fingers. “At least half, if not more of those men didn’t have an appointment with Halley.” She tilted her head to one side. “Not everyone wants to play with numbers.”

  He rubbed the tip of his nose, enjoying the verbal jousting. “But everyone likes to play. Did Halley have a favorite among the crew, a friend?”

  “Yes,” Kendra replied without missing a beat. “Bianca. No big secret there. They hooked up right after she transferred in. I believe Bianca got into a catfight on her last ship and had to be transferred out.” The left side of her mouth twisted up. “I can guess the reason.”

  “Anyone upset at that?” Daniel probed. “Anyone not happy with the arrangements, her having a girlfriend?”

  Kendra made a dismissive noise. “Marshal, we’re women and men of the world. The last thing we can afford is jealousy, other than the professional type.” She smiled. “Besides, I like driving stick.” Her tongue flicked out and wet her lips. “We had a bit of a to-do a few weeks ago. Bianca wanted to move next to Halley, maybe put in a door between their suites so they could have their conjugal visits without going outside and being seen. As if any of us gave a damn.”

  “And?”

  Kendra snorted. “Not even a close call for Sam. The Belle can’t be modified, not even for a pair of young lovebirds. It’d not only mean cutting a hole in the wall but also make it difficult for us to change suites. She told the pair to suck it up and keep walking across the corridor if they wanted to be together.”

  “That must have annoyed them.”

  “Bianca, not so much. But Halley was hysterical, yelling and screaming at the captain until Bianca pulled her away.” Kendra studied her nails. “Guess it was more of a big deal for her than for Bianca.”

  Daniel filed the information away.

  “So none of the crew had a reason to kill her, in your opinion?”

  She pressed her lips into a tight line before responding. “I can only speak for myself, Marshal. I can’t pretend to know the inner thoughts of everyone on board the Belle.”

  He studied her for a minute before deciding to up the ante. “That doesn’t mean someone couldn’t have gone into her quarters after finishing up a visit. Like, say, yourself.”

  The flash of anger in her brown eyes was there and gone like a cobra’s strike. “Except there’s no reason I would want to kill her.” She got to her feet. “The simple truth is I have nothing to gain by her death. I have years to go on my current contract and my financial status is, well—” she winked, “—very secure. In fact, her death’s going to create more work for us in the short-term as we wait for a replacement to join us. Some of her clients won’t want to switch, obviously, but many of them will be swinging their appointments to the other men and women here.”

  “You’ll make more money.” It was stating the obvious but he felt it had to be said out loud.

  “Of course.” She gestured at the go board. “Do you play, Marshal?”

  Daniel shook his head. “Not my game.”

  “It’s an ancient game, goes back hundreds of years. Simple to learn, impossible to fully master.” She stood up and walked over to the board.

  Her tiny hands moved across the board, barely above the surface. The white-and-black stones stayed in place, large amounts of empty space between the outlined territories.

  “Go is a game of—well, let’s just say it’s about claiming as much space as you can with as few stones as possible. There’s a whole philosophical aspect there but I don’t want to bore you.”

  “I see.” He wasn’t sure if he did or not.

  “There’s a saying in go. ‘Strange things happen at the one-two point.’” Her index finger reached up and tapped the black stone occupying the location. “That’s this spot on the board.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that at times the usual rules will not apply.”

  Daniel frowned. “What are you referring to?”

  “If you think I’m here only for the money, you’re not as good a detective as you think you are.” Kendra bowed her head a fraction, locking eyes with him. “Good luck.”

  The interview was over. He stood up and clipped Etts to his belt, terminating the recording. “Thank you for your time.” He offered his hand.

  Kendra’s fingers tightened around his. “Please find the killer fast, Marshal. I won’t go through the usual ‘it’s bad for business’ mantra, but I can tell you it’s bad for a ship’s rep when things like this go unresolved for any length of time. I don’t want the Belle to become known as a cursed ship.” She paused for a second before speaking again, a different tone to her words. “Sam doesn’t need any more bad luck.”

  She had maneuvered him to the door and out into the corridor before he could ask her what she knew about the captain. The soft snick of the door locks snapped him out of his reverie.

  He turned to the closed door, a grin spreading across his face.

  “Damn, she’s good.”

  * * *

  Sean Harrison opened the door on the first knock. The middle-aged man smiled and lifted a cream-colored mug.

  “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  A half hour later Daniel left, fortified with tea and shortbread cookies along with Sean’s thoughts on the crew. The medic hadn’t held back his dislike of Bianca and Halley—he wasn’t a big fan of lovers working together.

  “Complicates things.” He’d eyed Daniel over the delicate teacup in his hands. “You’re banging some woman and at the back of your mind you’re wondering if she’s doing the same and if she’s comparing you to her.”

  “It’s her job. She should be able to emotionally detach herself, right?” Daniel never thought in a thousand years he’d be defending a courtesan’s actions. “As you all do.”

  “Ah, now.” Sean picked up a piece of shortbread. “We’re
not robots, Marshal. If all people needed was a sexual release there’d be plenty of business in machines and lubricant.” He studied the light brown buttery square. “We are human beings and we want to be with other human beings. It’s our nature. And no matter how much we may tell ourselves it’s never personal, it always is. Emotions always come into play and emotions make things complicated.” He nibbled on the edge. “Now Halley, she was always the emotional type. Loved to throw a fit, if you get my drift. Loved to show off.”

  “In what way?”

  Sean broke the cookie in half. “She was always wanting attention, showing off her newest outfits. As if we were in competition.”

  “Weren’t you?”

  The medic pointed at himself with the uneaten shortbread. “If you had to choose between Halley and me, who would you go with?”

  Daniel smiled. “My choices are not the issue here.”

  “But still, there it is. She saw competition where there was none and lived her life in constant conflict.”

  Daniel took a bite of his own cookie. “You’re quite a philosopher, Mr. Harrison.”

  His blue eyes twinkled. “Well, I am Irish. Not by birth but by blood.”

  “You’re also the medic on board. You treated April after she found the body.”

  “I did.” Sean gave him a sly look. “Ah. Now you’re wondering if I’m a drug pusher and Halley fell into my evil clutches? I’m some sort of evil genius scientist mastermind plying my secret drug trade on the Belle?”

  Daniel couldn’t help chuckling at the wording.

  “Marshal, I’m a hack. I only have the cheapest of supplies provided by the Guild. I’m not allowed to add to it and whatever I use I have to account for. The strongest we have is a mild tranq, something the ladies use when they get muscle aches and pains, maybe cramps—that’s what I gave April. Belle’s got the best stuff on board with that knock-out gas.” He nodded toward the wall. “Halley never came to me with so much as a headache. She tried to stay away from any medication from what I knew of her.”

  “And your equipment?”

  Sean laughed. “Personal? Well, I like to think—”

  “Your medical equipment,” Daniel quickly said. “Scalpels, needles, that sort of thing.”

  “Oh.” Sean frowned. “Not much there, I’m sorry to say. Plenty of bandages and nothing else, nothing with an edge. Standard Guild supplies, as I said. We do land at a base every two weeks so the Guild assumes we’ll survive with what we have until then.”

  “And if there’s an emergency?”

  “In theory Sam could call for assistance from any ship nearby and they’d be compelled to respond for a medical emergency,” Sean said. “Same as it’s always been.”

  “I see.” Daniel mentally struck a line through Sean’s name. “Do you have any idea who would want to kill her?”

  Sean drank the last of his tea. “No idea, Marshal. No idea.”

  * * *

  Dane Morris’s quarters were decorated in a sports theme, with a miniature boxing ring set around the bed in the client’s room. The sports posters dotting the walls bragged of his victories before he’d joined the Guild.

  He’d taken Daniel on the grand tour before returning to the negotiation table with two tubes of energy water, the orange liquid almost glowing with the additional minerals and vitamins.

  He didn’t turn the gravity on.

  “Why do this?” Daniel couldn’t hold back the obvious question. “You had a good start, if I recall correctly. Came on the circuit, burst out and grabbed a few belts, and then you disappeared off the charts.”

  “You’re a fan?” Dane couldn’t hold back the wide smile.

  “I followed your career.” Daniel chose his words carefully. “It wasn’t hard. You came out of nowhere and rocked the boat, took a few lumps but handed out more.” He waved at the front hatch. “So what brought you here?”

  “Manager stole all my money and spent it on whores and drugs. Same old story, never changes.” He growled. “Son of a bitch was my uncle. I figured if you couldn’t trust family, who can you trust? Guess what—can’t trust family. Or mine, at least.” The blond muscleman scratched the back of his head. “Bastard got us audited when the books looked a little funny to the taxman, and I found out I had nothing. Not even enough to pay to stay registered for the games and try to make the money back. They tossed his ass in prison and cut me loose.” He spread his hands and smiled, showing off perfect white teeth. “Decided to make my money without risking my pretty face.”

  Daniel didn’t offer his opinion on Dane’s appearance. “What did you think of Halley?”

  “She was a stupid c—” He stopped, seeing the disapproving expression on Daniel’s face. “The woman was trouble. Bad enough she was screwing one of our own—she kept stealing my customers too. Offered them threesomes with Bianca off the books.” Dane waved his hands. “Off the books as in not on the official listing of what we offer on the sheet they fill out when they make reservations.”

  “Is that illegal?”

  “Not if you clear it with the Guild first. They’ll take anything you’re willing to do as long as they get their cut. They just don’t want that sort of thing going public, get some of those tight-assed folks all riled up. They don’t need more ammo to hate us, you know?” He glanced toward the hatch. “Damned shame she got herself killed but I ain’t going to shed more tears for her than she deserved. And that wasn’t a lot.”

  * * *

  Daniel rubbed his eyes as he exited Morris’s cabin. Three interviews down. He had a better idea of what the crew of the Belle was all about, but not much else.

  He reached down and tapped the sides of his boots. Without the magnets activated he floated upward, just enough to take the pressure off his knees. There was something to be said for zero-g, especially when it came to aching joints. He needed more workout time at the portable gym on the Razor’s Edge.

  “Hey.”

  Daniel’s hand flew down toward his sidearm. The young blonde woman staring down at him from an overhead vent smiled and waved.

  “Hey,” he replied. “Let me guess. Jenny Bonaventure?”

  She nodded. “How’s it going?”

  “Fine.” Daniel glanced around the empty corridor. “You get around, don’t you?”

  “It’s my job to.” The mechanic stayed in the square opening, only her head and shoulders visible. “Got to keep things running.”

  “You got a moment to chat?” He hadn’t intended to interview the mechanic so soon but he wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity.

  “Sure. Come on up.” Jenny waved him toward the ceiling. “We can get to my room from here easy. Just don’t get stuck.” She laughed and backed into the darkness.

  He took hold of one of the straps and pulled himself up into the vent. Etts gave a cautionary beep as the narrow walls closed around him.

  “Go down at the first intersection. Head for the light,” Jenny called from somewhere to his right. “One turn and you’re there.”

  He wasn’t one for claustrophobia but Daniel gained a new appreciation for ship mechanics as he floated and crawled along the vent, using metal handholds to pull himself along.

  “Here.” Jenny’s hand poked up through a lit square.

  Daniel pulled himself down into a small room, slightly smaller than his own back on the Razor. He was somewhere under the courtesans’ quarters in the Belle’s undercarriage.

  Jenny smiled at him. “Welcome to my home.”

  Images of spaceships plastered the walls—luxurious liners carrying tourists out to the Rim and back, small scout ships not unlike his own darting over the white panels, expensive private yachts and tiny racing crafts.

  “Can I get you anything to drink?” she asked.

  “Oh, no.” He patted his sto
mach. “Any more courtesy and I’ll burst. You’re quite the fan, hmm?” He waved at the walls.

  She nodded. “I love good ships. I’d like to work on one of those liners, get my hands on those huge engines.” She pulled an oil-stained rag from a pocket and wiped her hands. “Get me some more experience on the Belle and then I’ll apply. Only the best get to work on those ships.”

  “Not searching for Prince Charming?”

  “Only if he drives one of these.” Jenny pointed at the pictures and then laughed. “And then it’ll depend on his horsepower.”

  Daniel settled himself against a wall, trying not to press against the taped pictures. “So you can get around this ship pretty easily.”

  “The Belle’s a complicated craft.” Jenny sat on an imaginary chair. “Every inch, every foot’s got stuff packed into her. One thing goes wrong and it dominoes all over the place. I need to get there fast and fix ’er up before it gets serious.”

  “These tunnels—any of them go into the private quarters?”

  She frowned. “No way. The Guild built these ships. No way they’d want people like me sneaking in and watching.”

  “Would you?”

  “Not a chance.” Jenny laughed. “I’m an old-fashioned girl, Marshal. I like my sex sweet and romantic, not paid by the hour. Don’t get me wrong, I love the crew, but it’s not for me.”

  “How about Halley? How did you feel about her?”

  Jenny rolled her head from side to side before answering. “Marshal, all the women here got their good sides and bad sides. I usually only see their bad sides, when they need something fixed right away and I have to explain to them they gotta wait in line.” She pointed at the wall. “Halley wasn’t so bad. I’ve seen worse on the Belle over the years.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “No.” Jenny shook her head, surprising Daniel. “You can’t. This ship is a living, breathing thing and she takes priority over clogged toilets or lube stains on dresses or shoe heels being glued back on. Most of them don’t get that.” A soft smile appeared. “Kendra’s pretty good about things, though. And Sam. She helps me out when she can, more than the last captain did.”