“But no one will know that you’re responsible for creating it,” said Ro.
“I’ll know,” responded Quark, patting his chest.
“You won’t gain any profit from it,” Odo said, turning toward the office’s door. “You’re getting soft, Quark.”
Quark looked horribly offended. “You just don’t appreciate art for art’s sake!” he said. “This is a work of genius—and that’s what all of Ferenginar will say when they experience it firsthand.”
“Hmmmmph,” said Odo, exiting the office.
Ro remained behind, smiling at Quark.
Quark looked at her suspiciously. “What?” he said.
She put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure Frin’s wives will appreciate it,” she said softly. “Even if they never know about your contribution.” She leaned forward to give him a brief peck on the lobe, then quietly walked away.
Grunting, Quark studied the padd. Then he went back to entering information into his console. A minute later he stopped and glanced at the closed office door.
“Maybe I am getting soft,” he said to the empty room.
Then he shook his head in disgust at the very thought—and went back to work.
Chapter 28
My dear Nerys,
I have returned to Deep Space 9. Yes—with Quark. And things here are quickly returning to normal. Or perhaps a step beyond normal. If pressed, I might describe the atmosphere in the bar as jovial.
Perhaps that’s stretching things a bit. But by and large, most of the regulars seem quite happy.
Interestingly, that observation doesn’t seem to include Quark. Oh, he’s certainly happy to be home, particularly in one piece. But he’s not quite himself. You may find this hard to believe, but I suspect his recent experience has made Quark a slightly better man—if not a better Ferengi. And I don’t think he’s comfortable with that change, incremental as it may be. Time will tell whether or not it sticks.
I must confess—I did enjoy my brief journey to the noir side. It was good to employ some of my old instincts again. It would seem that Ro was right when she said I was the right man for the job. As you no doubt already knew.
Perhaps I’m not so different from one of those fictional detectives after all. Unfortunately, I live in a more complicated universe than Mike Hammer, or Philip Marlowe, or Sam Spade. And in a way, that’s a pity.
As for you and me, I am very happy to hear that you have returned from your retreat, and even happier to hear that you would welcome a visit. I relish the thought of spending a quiet day in the Bajoran countryside with you.
Farewell, my lovely. I will be with you soon.
Odo
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Once again we owe thanks and warm gratitude to editor Margaret Clark for her inspired suggestions and unflagging support, as well as the intrepid Ed Schlesinger at Pocket Books.
Thanks also to our hardworking friends down south, who are always there in a pinch: John Van Citters, Marian Cordry, and Holly Amos.
Finally, a tip of the fedora to the masterful writers who served to inspire Constable Odo (and the two of us), particularly Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler, and Dashiell Hammett, who taught us that a good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann have jointly written two previous Star Trek: Deep Space Nine e-book novellas: Rules of Accusation and Lust’s Latinum Lost (And Found). Their most recent nonfiction work, Labyrinth: The Ultimate Visual History, was the recipient of the Independent Publisher Book Awards’ 2017 bronze medal for best coffee table book. They also are the co-authors of the nonfiction titles Star Trek Costumes: Five Decades of Fashion from the Final Frontier, Star Trek The Original Topps Trading Card Series, Star Trek The Next Generation 365, Star Trek The Original Series 365, Star Trek 101, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, The Secrets of Star Trek Insurrection, The Magic of Tribbles, and Star Trek: Action! Their additional titles include Monk: The Official Episode Guide and The 4400 Companion. While director of licensed publishing for Paramount Pictures, Paula was co-editor of Pocket Books’ short story series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. During his lengthy career in film publicity, Terry authored The Last Samurai Official Companion. They live in Southern Oregon with their two collies, Shadow and Mandy.
FOR MORE ON THESE AUTHORS:
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Paula-M-Block
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Terry-J-Erdmann
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ISBN 978-1-5011-6974-8
I, the Constable Page 13