by Scott Moon
“How long?” Monnik asked.
“Until we take our hostage,” White Skull said, never looking away from the saloon.
“Monnik do not like,” Monnik said.
“I don’t care what you like. Now shut up.” White Skull leaned against the wall and watched from the shadows. He picked up a piece of glass from the alley floor and scratched a skull onto each lapel of his coat. Vandalizing the sheriff’s wardrobe made him smile.
About two hours later, Ruby Miranda Vandersun snuck out a side door.
White Skull whispered to himself, “You almost made it. I should have guessed you were sneaky.”
“What we do?” Monnik asked.
“Well, she won't expect anything right here. She’ll think she’s safe this close to the Mother Lode, where Thaddeus and everybody lives. Maybe she’ll know better, but she won’t. The thing is, no one is watching her or she wouldn’t have snuck out. Which means it’s a good time to grab her.”
“Stacy-Stan-Skull is devious human.” Monnik watched into the darkness.
“Thanks.”
They walked briskly forward. Ruby sensed them more quickly than he would’ve liked, but he was lucky. She hesitated when she saw the native, underestimating the giant's speed. She looked back right when White Skull and Monnik sprinted forward.
The Unglok grabbed her with both hands when she tried to dart into an alleyway.
“I have human girl. She wiggles.”
“Good job, Stan the Man Smash Face!” White Skull said.
“Don’t call me Stan!” Monnik snarled, squeezing as he glared at White Skull.
Ruby cried out.
“Easy, Monnik. I wasn’t making an insult. See how I’m starting to talk like you? For the love of John, Paul, and Ringo! Try not to kill her and let’s get out of here. Follow me,” White Skull said.
“She bit Monnik,” Monnik said without emotion. “Human girl try bend Monnik arm like Monnik human with hard joints.”
“Let me go,” she hissed.
White Skull laughed because the girl was still trying to be quiet. She could’ve cried out for help, but seemed more worried about Thaddeus and his friends ruining her escape. “Cover her mouth. When she realizes who I am, she’ll start screaming for real.”
Monnik’s huge hand covered most of her face as he tossed her over his shoulder and ran to catch up with White Skull. “Maybe Monnik like take hostages. Stacy-Stan teach well, for human.”
“Stick with me, Monnik, my man, and we will go places.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Partners
Thaddeus stared Pierre down like they were a couple of gunfighters at an impasse. "Pretend you're a doctor. Would you let a patient suffer?”
"Rules are rules, Sheriff. Look what we have here," Pierre said, looking toward the front door.
Thaddeus sighed and turned to see what the barkeep was staring at. The moment he saw Mast standing in the doorway, he popped off his barstool and strode toward his friend. It surprised him how much he had missed the mild-mannered Unglok. “Mast Jotham!"
Mast imitated his posture by spreading his arms wide, but he seemed unsure of what was about to happen. "I am muchly glad to see you, Thaddeus."
Thad gripped him in a hug and lifted him up onto his toes. When he let go and stepped back, the Unglok looked both embarrassed and amused. "I'm glad you're back. We have a lot to talk about and things to do. I hope your vision quest went well.”
Mass shifted from foot to foot but didn't answer for several heartbeats. “Every vision quest is different.”
Thad nodded emphatically and took his friend by the arm, walking him to the bar. "Pierre, whiskey for my friend and I.”
"Right away, Sheriff." He poured one glass and slid it to Mast.
Thaddeus intercepted the glass and lifted it to his nose. "That…smells horrible! I can't believe you're going to serve that to us.”
“I was serving that whiskey to Mast Jotham." Pierre gave the Unglok a large wink.
Mast gently removed the glass from Thaddeus's fingers and lifted it to his own nose. "That is very good…whiskey."
"That's not whiskey," Thad said.
"Yes, yes, yes. It is very muchly whiskey. We should talk of something else," Mast said. He leaned close to Thaddeus and whispered. "It is not whiskey but something special just for me. It is mostly muchly generous of Pierre to serve Tigi to me."
Thaddeus studied his friend with narrowed eyes and a great deal of suspicion. "All right, then. You can fill me in later, I guess. Since I can't seem to get any service, we need to go after Ruby Miranda as soon as you finish your drink. Your…whiskey.”
"Yes, yes," Mast said. "I am much enjoying my drink. Does she not stay in one of Dixie's apartments?"
"Sometimes, but good luck catching her. I'm worried she is scouting for a new place to hide. Haven't seen her climbing through her window for a while."
"It would have been muchly better to know we needed to catch her before now," Mast said.
"Tell me about it. I think Dixie has known who she is for longer than any of us," Thad said.
Pierre tried to serve him a glass of water. Thaddeus waved it away in annoyance. "Your water probably cost more than your whiskey. Thanks anyway.”
He was glad to have his deputy back, even if Darklanding was falling apart.
Mast sipped his special drink and studied Thaddeus. "I was away too long. But now I am back and it seems we have many fires to put out. Is that the phrase to use?”
Thad nodded. "The first thing I want you to do is watch and listen. I'll explain why your people are probably going to be very upset in the near future over pay and wages, but what I need you to do right now is listen to the rumors. The Unglok in the Mother Lode may have heard who stole my jail and where they put it.”
Mast sipped his drink, then put it down, staring at it as though it was the rarest thing in the spaceport. "I failed you. It seems the Monday morning back-quartering we shall engage in that I made an obvious mistake. My twenty-twenty hindsight is muchly clear. Ungloks placed your temporary jail facility where it was. It was easy for them to move it into place. Have you checked with the original contractors that might move it to a new place?”
Thaddeus had already done a basic investigation. He hadn't slept since the jail breakout, if that was what it was called when your entire building disappeared. "All the original contractors have solid alibis. They were assisting with the cleanup at Transport Canyon when the incident occurred.”
Mast nodded and listened attentively.
Thad talked with his hands as he worked through the details. "All of the cameras were on the missing jail so that's a dead end. None of the businesses in the area had surveillance systems. Darklanding is a simple town. Materials are brought in from the mines and loaded onto ships at the spaceport. Everything else is kind of an afterthought.”
He looked around for Sledge and Penny, wondering if they would help him. Asking his ex-wife for help was low on the list of things he wanted to do unless he really had to. As for Sledge, the big SagCon SI was an inconsistent ally. Sometimes he seemed to be more than willing to help Thaddeus. Other times, he acted as though he was on a secret mission.
“Who are those two SagCon investigators?” Mast asked. He pointed at Sledge and Penny as they descended the stairs and took their own table on the other side of the room.
Thaddeus let out a long sigh and explained the situation to his deputy. He kept the details on his ex-wife short and to the point. Surprisingly, the adventures in Transport Canyon with Ruby and Sledge took longer to describe than his life with Penelope Fry-Grigman.
"Do you think she knows something?" Mast asked.
Thaddeus listened to his deputy but watched his ex-wife, simultaneously wanting to relive better times while cursing himself for getting involved with her in the first place. "She knows something."
"Then perhaps it is time to ask her for help."
"You say that like it's going to be less painful than gouging my own eyes
out," Thad said.
"Gouging your own eyes out seems very painful," Mast said. His expression became distant for a moment.
"Are you okay, Mast?" Thaddeus asked. He wasn't sure how to ask about the vision quest. Should he ask at all? Was it a private religious matter? He shifted on his barstool and tried to be patient.
"I'm sorry," Mast said. "I was thinking of something else. Now I am back. I muchly believe that we need to ask for help from your wife-ex.” He coughed politely into his hand.
"You're right. And there's no time like the present." Thaddeus stood and made his way across the saloon. Penny and Sledge continued to work up to the last second. She stopped speaking mid-sentence and looked at him.
"Good afternoon, Thaddeus. Or should I say good morning. I'm not exactly clear on your work schedule. Are you having a nice vacation?” she asked.
Thaddeus hooked his thumbs into his belt. “I’d forgotten what kind of hardass you are. Where's Ruby? I thought you two were taking her in on some kind of charges.”
"That's classified," Penny said just as Sledge was opening his mouth to say something different.
Thaddeus spoke directly to Sledge. "I think I'd rather talk to you, Sledge."
The big man looked at his hands. "We had her. It's like fighting over a wet bar of soap."
Thad did a double-take. "I'm not going to pursue that one."
"I close my eyes for one second and she's out the window…" Sledge muttered, barely paying attention to anyone else in the room.
Penny jabbed a finger into the middle of the table. "I hold you responsible for Ruby's kidnapping. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire jailbreak was planned just to get to her.”
Thaddeus leaned on the table. "I thought that was classified information. Are you going to talk to me about the jailbreak and my prisoners, or not?" He realized, even as he spoke, that he was more interested in Ruby's welfare than the jailbreak and his job. He didn't know how long Shaunte would put up with his failure to keep prisoners locked up, especially prisoners like White Skull.
Penny stood, which prompted Sledge to stand a second later. She'd clearly gotten to him somehow. Apparently, she was the shot-caller in their partnership.
"I never thought you were incompetent, but now I'm beginning to wonder. Ruby was about to negotiate with us, if we could get you to mediate, but you're never where you're supposed to be. Too many girls at this place, I guess," Penny said.
"She took off last night—while we were watching all of the exits," Sledge said.
Penny glared at him, then bored her gaze into Thaddeus. "If you'd done your job when she arrived on Darklanding, we wouldn't have this problem."
"Let me worry about my job," he said. "Where is she now? And what do you know about the jailbreak?"
Penny didn't answer directly. "We are going to rescue the girl. As for your prisoners, that’s your problem. Sledge, let's get to work." Penny made for the front door.
Sledge paused in front of Thaddeus. "I'm sorry, Thad. I'll help you if I can. I'm sure Penny will too. Right now, we have to go without you.”
Thad didn't say anything. He watched the two SagCon Special Investigators leave the saloon.
"Well, that went well," Pierre said from behind his bar. He handed Thad two bags of kitchen scraps. "Whatever you do, Sheriff, take Maximus with you. I can't keep that filthy animal out of my food prep area."
Thaddeus whistled and Maximus came trotting out with a raw ham hock protruding from his mouth.
Mast took a step back, startled by the animal’s appearance. "You are still an ugly thing. Bigly ugly. What have you been eating to get so enormous?”
Thaddeus ignored his deputy and his dog, choosing to stare at the front door instead. He forced back emotions and tried to make good decisions, but it was no use. He stormed after Penny.
By the time he reached the front door, he was almost running. Ungenerous thoughts raced through his head. There was no reason for them to be adversaries. Her judgmental pettiness would get Ruby killed and allow a dangerous outlaw to escape justice. The door slammed as he went through it. He stood on the porch, looking at the street.
Penny turned back and raised one eyebrow questioningly.
“I never wanted to get divorced! That was all you!” he yelled.
Mast came up behind Thaddeus, looking confused. "What does that have to do with our current problem?"
Thaddeus ignored him.
Penny seemed amused, turning to face him and crossing her arms as though waiting for a show.
Now that the words were out and never to be pulled back, he wasn't sure what to say.
Penny shrugged and took the challenge. "Really? That's why you got married three, four, I don't know, how many times afterward? Doesn't seem like you have a problem with divorcing pretty much anyone.”
"That's none of your business. Forget I mentioned it.”
"I've got ignoring you down to an art," Penny said.
"I realize you have to do things by the book. Ruby must be taken in, I understand that. You don't know White Skull like I do. We need to work together,” Thad said.
"Amen and hallelujah," Sledge said. “We’d make a hell of a team.”
“No. We wouldn’t,” Penny said.
“Penny,” Thad said.
She held up a hand for silence.
Thad stepped back. The entire street seemed frozen with tension. Sledge and Mast watched in silent fascination. Maximus stretched out for a nap and started snoring.
“I’ll send you a message through channels if we find your missing prisoner. Can I expect the same courtesy if you find our fugitive?” Penny asked.
“Sure, Penny,” Thad said. “Watch your six.” He faced Sledge and thrust his chin toward the big man. “Take care of her.”
The SagCon partners walked away.
“Did you know that last statement would anger her muchly?” Mast asked. “All of the color left her face when you told the big human to take care of her and she clenched her teeth with greatly much force.”
Thad walked in the opposite direction. “We should follow her. I really think she has some mission-critical information, but she’s too vindictive and stubborn to share.”
“Yes. That is obvious. I assume that shared personality trait is what attracted the two of you to each other,” Mast said.
Thad cast him a cold look, then whistled for Maximus to follow. The big dog-thing rolled to its feet and imitated the whistle almost perfectly.
“Is it polite to ask about your vision quest?” Thad asked.
Mast shrugged and looked slightly alarmed. His eyes seemed too big and he trembled for an awkward moment. “No human has ever asked an Unglok about the spirit quest. Not that I know of, at least. Please do not ask where it is performed. That is a sacred secret.”
“Understood. A lot of cultures have similar rituals. Quests and tests. You were gone a long time. I’m glad you’re back.”
“I am also muchly glad to return.”
CHAPTER TWELVE: Spirit Quest - Part Three
Mast and Thaddeus canvassed Darklanding for two days, physically checking each street wide enough to move a building on a moving platform. Thad had already checked work orders and talked to human construction supervisors in person. Mast started making the rounds of the Ungloks who had the machinery or knowledge to do the job. They seemed embarrassed and confused by the questions.
“I have two more Unglok foremen to contact, then I will meet you at the Mother Lode for new orders,” he said.
Thad, tired and distracted, waved one hand. “Go home. Get some sleep. We will start again in the morning.”
“Yes. That is best,” Mast said.
“Mast?” Thad asked.
“You have a question?”
The sheriff seemed to be reconsidering his words for a moment. “Am I a good sheriff?”
“Muchly good, I think,” Mast replied.
“Based on what?”
Mast considered his answer for a heartbeat. His abi
lity of the human language was improving. He did not wish to offend his friend. “You have not been blown up.”
Thad laughed in surprise. “There is that. Come on, Maximus. Let’s go home and try not to get blown up.”
Mast watched them go and then spent the rest of the night talking to Ungloks he hoped would know which of his people had stolen the jail and freed the inmates. It was an hour before dawn before he was able to find a place to sleep.
* * *
Thaddeus moved through Darklanding as the sun set. There had been many times since his arrival on the planet when a solitary walk calmed his nerves and allowed him to think. He watched the doorways and windows of each building as he walked by, as though he might spot one of White Skull’s confederates.
Maximus bobbed his head side to side as he walked, snorting a rhythm that could have been a rambling lecture.
“How did I let this happen, Max?”
Snort. Snort, snort.
“Feeling a like a punk right now. Need to stop spending so much time in the Mother Lode. Yeah, I know. I live there. Not much of an excuse. Ruby was counting on me, I think.”
Maximus farted, then looked at him innocently. He looked over his shoulder as though searching for another two-hundred-pound pig-dog engaged in world-class flatulence.
They were almost at the Mother Lode when Thad felt his tablet vibrate in his fire coat—the patched-up original that was his favorite.
He pulled the tablet out and activated the screen. There weren’t a lot of messages. One from P. C. Dickles caught his eye and he skipped to it.
Sheriff Fry, there is a matter of importance at Raven’s Haven requiring your attention. I have not discussed this with Miss Shaunte Plastes or any of the Unglok leaders. Please come in person. There could be trouble soon.
Respectfully submitted, P. C. Dickles / Mining Supervisor on Temporary Assignment in Transport Canyon.
Thad pondered the message, then started walking again. Transport Canyon? Already? It made sense, almost. Ruby had fled in that direction the first time. Maybe there was something about Raven's Haven he missed during his misadventure there. Could Ruby have gone back? He had no other leads.