by Ward Wagher
“Please, be seated. Could we bring you something to drink? A snack, perhaps?”
“Nothing for now,” Frank said.
Wendy nodded to the negative as did Daphne. Smith & Jones remained standing and moved to positions where they could cover the room.
Blakely nodded to the maid who had followed them into the room. “You may go Margaretha.”
Frank spoke, “My brother mentioned you as well as Eden Prary as his most trusted confidents. Where is Mr. Prary.”
“Eden is up at the hydro-plant trying to salvage the generator. I sent a runner to fetch him.”
“Can you explain how my brother and his wife were the only casualties of the attack.”
The seneschal wrung his hands together. “To be honest, Sir, it is all my fault. If I had posted proper guard, we might have stopped the assault. This had been such a quiet place.”
“How did they get in?”
“They came over the walls. They popped sleepy-gas before we knew what was going on. I was talking to Eden when we were overcome by the gas.”
“It sounds like there was nothing you could have done,” Frank said. “Overwhelming and unexpected force.”
Blakely just shook his head. “They were my best friends. And I let them be killed.”
An enormous man walked into the room. Smith & Jones stiffened.
“I am Eden Prary,” the big man said in a sub-bass tone. “I apologize for not meeting you here. I was at the hydro-plant and I did not hear the aircraft over the noise of the water.”
“Eden, this is Frank Nyman, his wife Wendy,” Blakely said. “Mr. Nyman is the new margrave.”
“Are you, Sir?” Prary said. “I am delighted to see you here.”
Frank stood up and shook hands with Prary. “Sit down, gentlemen, both of you. I need some answers about the situation here. I have some critical decisions pending and unfortunately I am way short of information.”
Chapter Seven
The short, slight oriental man marched up the access road and crossed the drawbridge. When he arrived at the portcullis, he rotated his hand so his ring finger was outermost, and tapped on the door. The metallic tapping carried into the courtyard.
A voice called down from above him. “Who goes there?”
“Commander Ciera to see the margrave.”
“Please wait, Sir.”
Ciera turned to face the drawbridge and looked out over the village and beyond it the landing pad where the shuttle and his aircar sat. The scenery was anchored in a bowl surrounded by mountains and capped by a clear blue sky.
He turned back around at the sound of a key in the lock. The door in the portcullis opened. “Welcome back, Commander. Please come in. I will escort you to Margrave Nyman.”
“Thank you, Mr. Blakely. Nice view from the castle.”
“Yes, yes it is. From a distance, the seamier side of the village is not apparent. The margrave was just sitting down to lunch when you arrived. He invited you to join him.”
“I thank you for the kind invitation,” Ciera said.
“You are welcome.”
The two men walked through the large double doors into the entry foyer of the keep, and then turned down a hallway and into a small dining room.
“Already getting settled in, I see,” Ciera said when he saw Nyman.
“You certainly got here quickly,” Frank said. “Did you set down on the landing pad?”
“Next to the shuttle, yes. I saw the damage. Any injuries to your party?”
“Not other than being shaken up. But, both pilots are dead, as I’m sure Smith told you,” Frank said.
Ciera grimaced and shook his head. “Yes, he did and, that is bad, Frank. I’ve done a lot of business with the FBO. Both those men had families. I will need to leave soon to let the owner know.”
“Sorry to drop you into such a mess, Hai,” Frank said.
“What happened, anyway?”
“Something passed through the cockpit when we were at altitude. I don’t know if it was a missile or a projectile. I didn’t see it coming and did not see another aircraft. Things happened fast. Smith & Jones were able to grab the controls and get us on the ground, but it was exciting there for a while. Smith thought it was a missile.”
“I took a quick look at the exterior of the shuttle,” Ciera said. “My guess is was a shell of some type. A missile would have torn things up a lot more, even if it didn’t detonate. You are lucky to be alive.”
“Believe me, I know that.”
“What are you going to do about the shuttle?” Wendy said.
“Once I notify the FBO, I imagine they will want to come out here.”
“I need to come back with you, Sir,” Daphne said. “You will need help.”
“No, Daphne,” Ciera said. “I don’t have resources to watch out for you in Cambridge.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Nonetheless, I need you here, anyway.” He looked at Frank. “I suppose I should be on my way.”
“Sit down and eat first,” Wendy said. “The kitchen prepared enough for an army.”
“I don’t feel I should tarry, considering the news I am carrying.”
“At least fix a sandwich to carry with you, Commander,” Wendy said. “I have a feeling this is going to be long day for everyone.”
“Thank you, Wendy. I believe I’ll take a sandwich with me.”
“I should send someone out to the pad with you,” Frank said. “Eden, can you accompany him?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Then stop in the village and pick up some muscle to bring down the luggage when you come back to the keep.”
“Of course, Sir.”
“Smith, give the commander the keycard to the shuttle.”
Smith pulled the small square of white plastic from his pocket and handed it to Ciera.
“Do I need to go with you to the FBO?” Frank asked.
“No, I hired the shuttle in my name. Besides, you really kicked over a bees nest this morning in Cambridge. I think you would be wise to stay up here for a while.”
Frank leaned forward. “I take it they weren’t expecting me to show up and claim the inheritance.”
“You could say that. One of my sources told me the duke was apoplectic.”
“So you think he instigated the murders of Jack and Sharon?”
“I have found no evidence to support that so far. It is clear, though, from my sources; the duke was planning to move in on the property once things quieted down. You got there first and whether or not he was responsible for the murders, he will blame you for depriving him of Montora.”
“I somehow do not feel sympathetic,” Frank said.
Daphne had been preparing a sandwich as the conversation went on. “Sir, I could pump my contacts in the city.”
“Lieutenant! No. Do I need to give you a direct order? I want you here.”
Daphne blushed. “I’m sorry, Sir. I just think someone needs to watch your back.”
“I know and I appreciate your dedication. Nevertheless, here is where you need to be. Our highest priority is the safety of the margrave and his wife.”
He took the sandwich from Daphne. “Are we ready, Eden? Frank, I plan to be back out here tomorrow sometime, is there anything you need?”
“The only thing I am immediately aware of is a comm with enough power to clear the mountains. The accumulators are dead on the one here at the castle. I expect we will have a more complete list by the end of the day today.”
“Fine. I’ll dig something up for you to use in the short term. Are you ready, Mr. Prary?”
“I am ready.”
The two men walked out of the dining room. “I can’t believe somebody can pitch his voice that low,” Wendy said, referring to Eden.
“I certainly cannot,” Blakely said. “The closest I could come, would be to drag the edge of my shoe across the carpet.”
“I really wish I could have gone with them,” Frank said. “I feel responsib
le for what happened to the pilots.” He looked at Daphne. “I do realize I cannot return to Cambridge right now for much the same reasons you cannot.”
“I understand, Sir,” Daphne said. “I don’t like it, but I understand.”
“And this is the room where your brother was killed,” Blakely said as he stepped into the third flour room with Frank, Wendy, and Daphne.
“Their suite was across the hall, right?” Frank said.
“Correct.”
“How did they get over to this side?”
Blakely said nothing, but walked over to the wall. He slipped a hidden catch and a portion of the wall swung out, revealing the secret passage. “The keep is riddled with these passageways, along with secret rooms.”
“I wonder why they didn’t just wait out the attackers in there.”
“We think the attackers found a way into the passageways and Jack was trying to get back to his suite. There is a secret room in there.”
Frank walked the perimeter of the room. “Where were they killed?”
“I think they were at the door. Jack caught a shotgun blast through the door. We found Sharon in the passage down one level. I think she was trying to escape after Jack got hit. It looks like she was killed by gun fire.”
Wendy slipped a knuckle into her mouth as they looked around the room. “I need to leave,” she said suddenly. Her fast walk turned into a run as she left the room.
“I think I need to go with her,” Daphne said as she turned to follow.
“I’m glad you cleaned up the room,” Frank said. “The entire keep seems to be in excellent condition.”
“Your brother insisted on it being this way. He was hoping to develop a tourist industry in Montora, you know.”
“He did not get very far, now did he, Mr. Blakely?”
“Please, Sir. Call me Gerry. And no, we just barely got started. I cannot tell you how sorry I am.”
“How long did you know my brother?”
“About twenty-years – Earth years.”
“And you were a fleet logistics officer?”
“Oh, no, Sir,” Blakley chuckled. “I was his Steward. When he retired to come out here he asked me to come with him.”
“Pardon my asking,” Frank said, “but did you have some other management experience?”
“You mean to be seneschal. No, Sir. I told Jack I was not qualified, but he insisted.”
“And what was the result.?”
“I seemed to move from one disaster to the next. But Jack told me he was happy with what I was doing.”
“Thanks, Gerry. Let’s take a look at the margrave’s suite.”
The Margrave’s Suite was a large three room area. In addition to the bedroom, a sitting room and office completed it.
“My brother believed in living comfortably.”
“Yes, Sir,” Blakely said. “Will you and the Lady Wendy be moving in here?”
“Eventually. For now, please put us in one of the guest rooms. Wendy is having difficulty dealing with this.”
“I understand, Sir. Do you have any instructions pertaining to the personal effects in here?”
“Not right now,” Frank said. “We’ll have to come back to it eventually, but there are too many other things demanding attention.”
“Of course, Sir.”
“Have we covered the highlights of the castle?” Frank said.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Okay, then. Let’s go back to the main floor office and review accounts. I need to know exactly where we stand.”
A white faced Wendy rejoined them in the Margrave’s Office. “I am sorry about that. I thought I was dealing okay with this.” Daphne walked in with her.
“Come here,” Frank said. He put his arm around her when she came to his side. “You are doing fine. I would be concerned if you weren’t grieving. I’m sad too.”
“Thanks, Frank. I love you.”
“And I love you too, Precious. Gerry was going to review the books with us. I’d like you looking over our shoulders.”
“That would be a good idea, I think.”
Blakely looked at them. “The books are the one area where I could never achieve success. Jack had to fix them for me periodically.”
“We cannot be competent in all areas. I generally leave the bookkeeping to my wife here.”
“And a wise man he is,” Wendy said.
Frank looked up at Daphne. “Gerry, do you think you could find someone to escort Daphne? I’d like to have her do a security review of the keep.”
“Of, course, Sir. That is a very good idea. If you would come with me, please, Daphne; we’ll get you started.”
Blakely left the room with Daphne in tow.
“A good idea,” Wendy said.
“Plus I didn’t think she needed to hear the details of our finances.”
“That’s what I meant,” she grinned. “She is extremely curious about us. I think she must have grown up dirt poor and sees us as very wealthy.”
Frank gave her a crooked smile. “I’m sure it looks glittery from the outside.”
Blakely walked back in. “A good idea to send her off for a bit. I thought maybe you didn’t want her seeing the details here.”
Frank and Wendy laughed. Blakely raised his eyebrows, but said nothing further. He slid behind the desk and pushed a button. The desktop lit up and displayed what looked like pieces of paper on the desk.
“Nice machine, Gerry,” Frank said.
“This was one of Jack’s treasured toys. Besides the magnificent display, it is actually quite powerful.”
“Does it have an AI in it?”
“It’s like a class C intelligence. Plenty smart, but not really self-aware.”
“Well, there haven't been any Class A's around in what, three hundred years?” Frank asked.
Blakely tittered nervously. “If we had a Class A up here, I certainly wouldn't be telling anybody.”
“Too right,” Frank said. “The whole village would be up here with clubs and pitchforks.”
Wendy shivered. “If we ran into a Class A, I would be out of here.”
“Stories about them are probably myths, anyway, my Dear,” Frank said. “We've long since lost the knowledge of how to build the things.”
“With everything else going on, nothing would surprise me, though,” Wendy said.
“I gather it has its own power supply,” Frank said.
“Yes indeedy,” Blakely said. “Accumulator powered as a backup. It can go several months before needing a recharge.”
Blakely used his hands to move some images around on the desktop. “This is the most recent balance sheet – the most concise view of Jack’s assets. The profit and loss report is depressing.”
Frank reached out and tapped part of the balance sheet. A detailed asset listing popped to the top of the stack. “Okay, Montora is held fee-simple. Any liens on it?”
“No, Jack was funding most everything out of his own pocket. The tax revenues are negligible and most of that went to the duke.”
“Smart of him not to get the banks involved when the revenue is so low. Where are the liquid assets held?”
“Jack was unsure of the reliability of the bankers on Hepplewhite,” Blakely said. “He kept most of his cash with the UBS branch on Harcourt. He kept what he called his kleingeld in the strong room here.”
“And that was looted right?” Wendy said.
“Yes. About 150,000 in gold coinage; Centaurans actually.”
Frank grimaced. “I wish I had known about the UBS account. We came here from Harcourt’s World. We brought enough cash to manage an extended vacation, but there’s not enough to meet the payroll for very long.”
“Eden and I can work for room and board until you are in a position to handle the payroll. However, the rest of the staff have a hand-to-mouth existence, so we cannot afford to wait long to pay them. It has already been several weeks.”
“Thanks for the advice, Gerry,” Frank said. “I supp
ose we are going to have to present our financial letter to one of the banks in Cambridge, so we can get some working cash. But, after this morning, I am not anxious to go back there. But it looks like there are a lot of other things we are going to need to purchase. Is this system connected to the planetary net?”