Kris Longknife Audacious

by Mike Shepherd

  “If you buy that level,” Abby said, “I suspect the folks who buy the sixth level will know about it in five minutes or less.”

  “Right, you’re from here,” Kris said. “Bronc, hit them for the fourth level.”

  The boy did, though it was clear that he had trouble typing in that many zeros after the five. The girl beside him whistled.

  “Even momma don’t spend money like that.”

  “Momma don’t have as much trouble staying alive as this woman,” Abby said.

  The girl’s eyes were wide as she watched Kris.

  “I have an address to match the phone number,” Bronc said, a moment later. “At least it was active yesterday.”

  “Somebody’s running,” Captain DeVar muttered. “Let’s see if they run into us on the way out.” He passed along the address to his drivers.

  The rig accelerated fast enough to force Kris back into her seat.

  Five minutes later, it was easy spotting the building they were interested in. It had a moving van out front.

  Captain DeVar issued crisp orders. “Block in the van. I want to talk to its crew.”

  That turned out to be easy. A burley fellow was screaming the moment they screeched to a halt in front of his van.

  “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”

  With hardly a groan for her pain, Kris was first out of the rig. “Just need to ask you some questions,” she said.

  “You and what army, pretty lady” was answered quickly as the Marines formed a circle around him.

  The guy suddenly looked very chastened. “What do you want to know?” His tone was much more cooperative.

  “Who are you moving?” Kris asked.

  “Not moving anyone. Just taking back the rented furniture somebody just canceled his lease on. Guy in Suite 401.”

  Which just happened to be where Kris was headed next.

  “Van’s empty,” a Marine reported.

  “Let’s see what 401 has to offer,” Kris said.

  Without an order, a Marine took the driver aside. The civilian didn’t seem too happy, but a “What do you think of the Dodgers this year?” got him talking and they left him happy.

  In the tiled foyer, there was a creaky elevator and stairs. While sergeants led Marines up the stairs, Kris waited with Jack and the rest.

  “So you’re learning caution,” her security nanny said.

  “I am not climbing those stairs. Not the way I feel.”

  “Thank you,” was all Jack said.

  “We’re holding just below deck four,” came from Captain DeVar’s commlink.

  An elderly couple hobbled out of the elevator, eyed Kris and company, and quickly shuffled away. Inside, the elevator had room for just six. Chief Beni did his usual safety check, then happily held his techs for the next trip. Abby stayed with the kids though this was one time Kris would gladly have had the maid at her elbow.

  Kris punched the elevator for the fourth floor. Noisily, it obeyed. The ride was interrupted at two. The young office worker took one look at them and backed away. “I’ll wait.”

  On four, they stepped out into a hallway, the Marines from the stairs at their elbows. Captain DeVar silently signaled his team and they advanced before them to Suite 401.

  Guns out, they slammed open the door and rushed the room.

  To find themselves facing three very startled men in shirts identifying them as workers for George’s Careful Movers. Facing guns, their hands just naturally reached for the ceiling.

  “What the…” came from the one that seemed to lead.

  “I am Princess Kristine of Wardhaven,” Kris said, to cut him off. “The former occupants of this office may have been involved in murder and kidnapping. Please stand aside while our Marines search for evidence.”

  “If this fellow wasn’t on the up-and-up, where are the cops?” the boss demanded.

  “No doubt, they will be along shortly. Now, if you don’t mind, Chief Beni, this is your crime scene.”

  He and the Marine techs began to search the room.

  “Hey, Princess Whoever, me and my guys is paid by the hour. How much money is this going to cost us?”

  “Who asked you to remove this furniture?” Jack asked.

  “The guy that leased it. Quan Tre’s Best Office Rentals.”

  “You have a phone number for this Quan Tre?”

  “I don’t. Maybe the office.”

  “Let’s you and me go out into the hall and call him,” Jack offered. The milk of human kindness flowing over the carpet.

  The boss and his two men left.

  “Chief, is this place bug infested?” Kris asked.

  “I don’t know, Lieutenant. You kind of emphasized doing a crime walk-through.”

  “Tell me about the bug situation first. I want to know what you find here. No need to let anyone listening know.”

  “Yes, ma’am, Your Highness, boss lady.”

  The Marines snickered, but the air began to sparkle as bugs died. Abby did her bit.

  The boy at her elbow just shook his head. “I thought the place was clean.”

  “It’s high-end stuff, Bronc,” Abby said. “We’re playing in the big leagues. Before you got hauled off, I suggested the chief add some stuff to your computer. Now it’s past time.”

  “It is so time, Auntie Abby,” the girl said, holding on tight to the boy’s arm.

  Fifteen minutes later, the room had given up absolutely nothing. “Not a thing, ma’am,” Chief Beni said.

  “So go hit the trash cans out back,” Kris snapped.

  “Had a Marine doing that, ma’am. Found three fresh trash bags. Media was wiped and fried. Flimsies were degaussed, blacked, and degaussed again. Not so much as a static charge left on them. Ma’am, whoever this fellow was, he bought the best security and he used it.”

  “Blast it,” Kris snapped. “The bad guys are supposed to be dumb. Make mistakes. Haven’t these fellows read the rules?”

  “Suspect not, Kris,” Jack said, now back from his talk with the movers. “Maybe they don’t think of themselves as the bad guys, so they don’t feel any need to be dumb.”

  “You find anything?”

  “The movers got their orders about an hour ago. They’d just got here. Quan got a quick call canceling the lease on this gear about two hours ago.”

  “Who was that call from?”

  “John Smith, Associates. I already checked. There’s about a million John Smith, Associates in the phone directory. This guy’s phone number wasn’t one of them.”

  “And Johnny paid for this how?”

  “From a limited bank account, now closed. I guess we could chase that end of it, but I doubt we’d get far on Eden.”

  “Chase what?” came from Inspector Johnson.

  Penny followed him into the room. “He called and asked where you were. Then offered me a ride,” she said.

  “What exactly do you think you’re doing, Rim Princess?”

  “Looking for things,” Kris said vaguely.

  “That’s my job on Eden, you know,” he shot back.

  “I hadn’t noticed,” Kris said, putting a solid bite into it.

  “I am doing my job. Or at least I was before I was inundated with complaints about you. We’ve got a formal complaint from this moving company, and several complaints from private security firms about your burning their alarm systems.”

  Somebody was moving fast.

  “As I said, I’m looking for things.”

  “And finding a lot of dead ends. And making me come out here to tell you to get your nose back to the embassy so real cops can do what we do best. Find criminals and free hostages.”

  There were several million comebacks at the tip of Kris’s tongue…all explosive. She swallowed them all and chose honey…for the moment.

  “I’m sorry we’ve caused these men trouble. Why don’t my Marines help them.”

  The inspector frowned at Kris, but the moving boss was already issuing orders. A nod from Capta
in DeVar sent Marines to collect up the chairs. And with only slightly puzzled looks they headed for the elevator. Some helped the two workers push the desk toward the freight elevator. Others helped the boss get the credenza up on a dolly.

  Inspector Johnson turned toward the door, encouraged on his way by Penny’s promise of keeping Kris on a tighter leash.

  And Cara stooped to pick up a piece of trash revealed when the credenza was moved. She palmed it, but winked at Kris.

  Kris winked back. No dumb bunnies in Abby’s family.

  And that may be what I was looking for. Kris had so wanted to throw a royal-size hissy fit. But she’d seen the treasures often found when furniture was moved around Nuu House. She’d once found a draft of one of Grampa Ray’s first speeches.

  No, Kris was not leaving here until this room was down to the bare walls.

  Well, maybe Kris was, now that she knew she could trust Cara…and her boy, Bronc, was prowling the place as well.

  So Kris hurried to catch up with the inspector and made nice noises about being good. And doing anything that she could to help the inspector find Gramma Ruth.

  Which he quickly declined.

  His big mistake.

  32

  Kris held her tongue—and acted like a good little princess—all the way back to the embassy.

  The Marine transports had picked up all sorts of bugs while parked in front of the office building. Kris refrained from burning them lest the inspector have to peel more of his time away from the hunt for Gramma Ruth to chide her for destroying private property.

  “Burn those bugs,” was her first order the moment they crossed onto the Embassy driveway.

  “Ooo-Rah” answered that order.

  “The ambassador wants to see you” greeted Kris the moment the rig’s door was opened.

  “I’ll see him later,” Kris snapped. “Captain DeVar, do you have a Tac Center?”

  “A small one.” He led her to it.

  It was tiny. The next room down was the huge conference room Kris had whiled away many a negotiating hour. “Take over that room. I’ll clear it with the ambassador.”

  “Ooh-Rah” was the captain’s reply.

  Kris quick marched for the ambassador’s office. She found him sitting at a long table in his huge office, holding a budget meeting with his key staff.

  “We need this room. Wait outside,” Kris ordered.

  The ambassador started to say something but flinched when Kris snapped at the others, “You. Out!”

  They went.

  Door closed, the ambassador tried to seize the initiative. “What do you think you are doing, young lady?”

  Kris stood at the opposite end of the table. Leaning forcefully on it, she corrected him. “I am not a ‘young lady.’ I am a serving Lieutenant in the Wardhaven Navy. I am a princess of the blood and a Longknife. I am presently conducting a search for Ruth Tordon. You have two choices.”

  At the other end of the table, the little man began to fidget. If there was a question of which end of the table was the head—and which the foot—it was now resolved.

  “When next I meet with General Trouble and his good friend King Raymond, I can tell them that you rendered all assistance to the search for Ruth. And you will still have a career.”

  Kris paused to let that sink in. “Alternately, you can attempt to interfere, and I will send a priority message to both king and prime minister. You will receive your recall in the next priority mail.”

  That might or might not be true. While there was no doubt that Grampa Ray would do anything for his old war buddies, both Trouble and Ruth, Father might not like getting a demand from his daughter concerning his Foreign Service.

  Kris tossed the bluff out and waited.

  Sammy folded. “Yes, yes, of course, you may have anything the embassy can provide.”

  “Thank you very much,” Kris said. She did a quick about-face and quick marched from the office. In the outer office, the staff members were waiting. “You may continue your meeting,” she said, and did not look back.

  So, she could have anything the embassy had, Kris thought. I could get to like this.

  If only Gramma Ruth’s life didn’t hang in the balance.

  “What have you got for me?” Kris asked as she stepped into the conference room that was now a Tac Center.

  “Cara’s scrap of paper has a phone number on it,” Jack said.

  “A phone number. Isn’t that a bit slipshod for this bunch?”

  “Not so much a phone number,” Chief Beni replied, “as the impression of the number written on the paper above it.”

  “And the number is…?” Kris asked.

  “Not on the list I bought,” Bronc said.

  “What are the chances it will be in the level five?”

  That got Kris shrugs.

  She took a moment to familiarize herself with the Tac Center. Across from the door, one wall was already sprouting photos relevant to the case. Front and center was a picture of Grampa Trouble and Gramma Ruth: he in full military splendor, she in a golden gown. They were lovely together.

  Beside that photo was a recent portrait of her that might have been from her passport. Next were pictures of the Marines, one showing each facedown and dead. Then their ID pictures. If anyone wondered why they were here, the photos answered that.

  “Let’s go for level-five access,” Kris decided.

  “Ah, Kris, there may be a problem with that,” Abby said.

  “How so?” Kris asked, turning to her maid…and the two kids that now seemed permanently attached to her.

  The boy had a major case of the fidgets. “Every computer has a permanent ID branded into it. Anything you do on net can get back to you. Even Micky hasn’t been able to figure out a way to change that.” Micky apparently was quite a whiz at this.

  “If I buy level five,” Bronc said, “someone will be checking back on me in like, five minutes ago.”

  “You’re safe with us,” Kris said.

  “But my mom. I had to give my home address when I registered the computer. My mom.” It was almost a plea.

  “Is a problem,” Kris finished. Without knowing it, she was endangering the most precious thing this poor young fellow had. But then, everyone knew Longknifes used up people. What say we get Gramma Ruth back without using up anyone this time.

  She turned. “Captain DeVar, can we solve this before it becomes a problem?”

  “Certainly, Your Highness. Gunny.”

  “Yes, sir,” Gunny said, and turned to two Marines. “You just volunteered for detached duty.”

  The two, a man and woman snapped to attention. “Yes, sir.”

  “Draw a credit chit and see that this man’s mother is out of the line of fire. Try to avoid hurting anyone if you can.”

  “Yes, Gunny.” The woman Marine grinned. The guy scowled.

  “Should they be using one of my credit chits?” Kris asked.

  Captain DeVar shook his head. “This is official Corps business,” he said, glancing at the photos.

  Kris didn’t argue.

  “You folks will need a car that doesn’t scream Marine in that burg,” Captain DeVar said, pulling keys from his pocket. “Try not to dent it in too many places.”

  “Ooh-Rah.” Now it was the Marine’s turn to grin as he caught the keys. The woman Marine muttered something about extra, extra hazardous duty pay as they trotted out the door.

  “Nelly, call this place and charge the fifth level?”

  “I can’t, ma’am. If I am not a computer registered to this planet, much of the web is invisible to me.”

  The captain nodded. “One of my Marines’ local girlfriend hooked him on a computer game. He had to buy a local computer to play. Several of my troopers have them. Gunny, get a couple of those local ’puters in here.”

  “Belay that order” came from Kris’s collarbone.

  “And why might that be, Nelly,” Kris said, rolling her eyes at the ceiling as her décolletage, or lack of
it, became the center of attention. I got to figure a way to wear Nelly on my head, my wrist.

  BE HONEST, YOU REALLY LIKE THE ATTENTION, Nelly told her, before going on out loud. “I just ordered a top-of-the-line computer from Ryes. In the process, I acquired both the ID codes of the new computer and am organizing a tiny portion of myself to be that computer. I’ll even download basic software from the net to look like a real local computer.”

  “Yes,” shouted Bronc, who with Cara had been jumping up and down and shouting, “Go, girl,” at Nelly’s announcement.

  “I am tired of this planet giving me the runaround. It is time I start showing it why I am the one and only Nelly.”

  For a computer, Nelly sounded in full huff. This looked to get interesting.

  “Whose name you going to register it in?” Kris asked.

  “Oh, I thought I might put it in the chief’s name.”

  “Why me?” Chief Beni demanded.

  “You need something interesting in your life,” Nelly shot back. Clearly, the relationship between Nelly and the chief was changing. Kris hoped she could survive whatever came next.

  “You buffering this new computer?” Kris asked. “If the downloaded software from Eden is half as obnoxious as this planet’s people…”

  “It is triple buffered,” Nelly said. “Eew, that was not nice. Bother, Kris! This software is very controlling. I begin to see why this planet is so messed up.”

  “Something we are just starting to tackle,” Kris said. “Let me know when you are ready to start buying stuff.”

  “I am good to go. That is what you Marines say. Right?”

  “Good to go, girl. Let’s get this show on the road. Abby, give Nelly a credit.”

  “No need, Kris. I have set up a line of credit myself. That was what I have been using. They will not be able to trace anything back to here.”

  That got raised eyebrows between Kris and Abby. Jack tried to cover a grin. The Marines, including the captain, looked ready to roll on the floor, laughing. Except Marines don’t do that. Not with a princess present.

  “I have loaded the fifth level. I will pass it to Bronc. Kris, there is an option to buy the archives for a somewhat larger fee.”