by Allynn Riggs
“Didn’t you say it was illegal?”
“Just because a weapon is illegal does not mean no one has them or uses them, Ani. Many illegal things are still present in most societies, no matter what planet you are on. And there are many positive uses for lasers.”
“What does it mean if this Doctor Treyder even had access to a laser weapon?”
Renloret’s voice was soft. “Let’s not conclude anything until we talk to the doctor or Taryn … or both. We can only pick up one stone at a time.”
Ani smiled at his metaphor, though she would have referred to sharpening one blade edge at a time. “Agreed. Let’s get to the hospital and find Doctor Treyder. I knew there was something not quite right about him, but I didn’t imagine it would be this. Hells, what if he kills Taryn?” She felt her chin tremble at the thought of losing Taryn. This was not the time for her to start crying.
Renloret pulled her into a quick embrace. “One stone at a time, Ani.”
She nodded against his chest.
When she pulled back and they turned to leave the office, he took her hand. The physical contact was reassuring and comforting. Whatever they encountered at the hospital, at least she was not alone. It was a relief to have Renloret with her.
Ani acknowledged the curious look from Daneeha. “We have what we need. When we find Taryn, we’ll let you know. If he contacts you, let us know.”
“Will do,” she said, waving them toward the door. “By the way, I couldn’t reach Dr. Treyder.”
They might have needed to take it one stone at a time, as Renloret had put it, but Ani was apprehensive about this particular stone. They hurried to the hospital. Once there, she glanced at the attendance board in the hospital’s front lobby. “Doctor Treyder has not checked in for today. I suppose that explains why Daneeha couldn’t reach him.”
Renloret took her hand and dragged her down the hall. “Let us hope he just forgot and he’s in his office or lab.”
The office was dark and the door was locked. Ani removed the stylus from her handheld tel-com unit and inserted it into the lock. In less than three breaths she smiled up at him and opened the door.
“Another talent I didn’t know you possessed,” Renloret said, smiling at her. “Does Taryn know you can pick locks?”
“No and don’t tell him. I’ve a few secrets I’d like to keep to myself.”
They entered cautiously, easing the door closed. Keeping the light off, they visually scanned the room before separating to check the perimeter. Ani pushed a button on her tel-com and a dim light appeared.
In the low light, Renloret opened all the cabinets. “Nothing,” he announced in a whisper.
From behind the desk Ani said, “I think I have something.”
Renloret joined her as she rubbed the flat edge of a writing implement across a pad on the desk. Words made their appearance in white relief under the spot of light and she read them aloud. “‘Distance firing design needs work on explosive sound. Implantation was successful. 45-9004-87.’”
Renloret pointed at the series of numbers. “What are those?”
“Tel-com connection. Let’s see who it goes to.” She pushed the series of numbers.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Too late.” Ani started at the sound of the message. She repeated it to Renloret. “It’s the Military and Space Protection Department, Senator Nelham’s office.” She closed the connection. “Hells, I’m going to have to get rid of this now. They’ll be able to track it to me by the end of the day if they bother to check contacts.”
“You had better destroy it then.”
“Not yet.”
He pointed at her tel-com. “Wait, does Taryn carry one of these?”
“Yes, why?”
“If they can track you, can Daneeha or one of the deputies track him?”
Ani’s mouth formed a circle in surprise. “I didn’t think of that. Back to the sheriff’s office. Daneeha is very good with stuff like that and she’ll be delighted to be involved.”
They started to leave when the ball of light from her tel-com passed over a piece of fabric stuck to the corner of the counter. Renloret pulled on Ani’s sleeve and pointed to it.
Leaning close she examined it. “That’s from a sheriff’s department jacket. At least, it is the same color and fabric type.”
Renloret worked it back and forth until he could pull it free and pocketed it. “Let’s go.”
Ani was beginning to feel that they were going in circles with every circuit more troublesome than the last. Apart from the bit of clothing, there was no concrete reason for her to be worried, but her earlier apprehension had given way to deep concern for Taryn’s safety. Fortunately, she was right about Daneeha. Once back at Taryn’s office, the diminutive secretary needed only the barest of requests before jumping in to help.
When the longitude and latitude lit up on the screen, Daneeha jumped up and shouted, “What’s he doing in the capital?”
“Perhaps the doctor took him to see someone else about what he witnessed,” Renloret offered in response. “A lawyer, maybe?”
The secretary’s response sounded skeptical. “Why didn’t he leave me a message to that effect? He didn’t tell either Melli or Gelwood. Oh, on his way back from getting Mroz’s report, Deputy Yantel checked Taryn’s house. Nothing’s been disturbed and his personal hover-car is still there. No lights on. The bed’s not been slept in either. Oh, and the sheriff’s vehicle was still in the research center’s parking lot, so Taryn and this doctor must have left together last eve after their meeting.”
“That would time out correctly. Can you tell when he arrived in the capital?” Renloret asked.
“We’re not that sophisticated yet. Can you Southerner’s do that?”
Renloret smiled. “No, but it’s a nice idea.”
Ani was entering the coordinates of Taryn’s tel-com into hers. “All right, we can locate him or at least his tel-com. Again, Daneeha, keep us informed. Tell his parents we’ve gone to the capital and that everything’s okay. I don’t want them to worry. Oh, and if Melli asks, tell her the journal was interesting and I’ll talk to her about it when we return.”
“Will do. Now go.” Daneeha made shooing actions with her hands.
As they were stopped at an intersection, Renloret looked out the open window and up at the glass-sided buildings of Saedi City that reminded him of Awarna’s business district. Though the buildings were not as tall, they reflected the same cold and sterile feel onto the streets and walks they loomed over. There was a similar lack of character in the architectural details.
Ani checked the geographic location again. “It should be around here, within the next block or two.”
Ani turned left into an opening marked with a symbolic hover-car. She pulled up to the ticket kiosk, snatched the mechanically offered token, and pulled into the first available slot.
“Now where?” Renloret asked.
“Fifth floor or thereabout since the tel-com appears to be hanging at around sixty to seventy feet above us. It’s probably in someone’s office. Let’s see if Senator Nelham works there.”
Five flights of stairs left Renloret slightly winded while Ani seemed unaffected. He needed to work on his fitness level. A double door on the landing opened to a large well-appointed lobby with a semicircular desk at its center. Three attendants manned screens and keyboards. When Ani approached the oldest attendant, Renloret assumed her choice was based on previous experience. She was less likely to be seen as an adversary by a more mature woman. He pasted on a smile.
“We’d like to see Senator Nelham,” Ani said.
The woman looked up from her screen and perused the pair. A second, longer look made Renloret think the woman might have recognized Ani as the only female blade ring champion on Northern until he realized the woman was actually admiring him. He offered the woman an acknowledging smile.
“He’s in the council offices today.” The woman continued to hold Renloret’s gaze.
“As in this morn?” The woman took her eyes off Renloret just long enough to glance at the screen in front of her. She shook her head and directed a sultry smile back at Renloret.
Renloret decided to use her obvious interest and leaned over the screen and put all he could into his voice. “What about last eve, miss. We were supposed to join them, but the traffic from the western districts was impossible. He wasn’t answering his tel-com and he has yet to respond to our personal message.” He knew he was bluffing but it wouldn’t hurt to insinuate that the senator had a private tel-com she did not have access to.
Ani turned away from the woman and, after rolling her eyes, glared at him. She was going to hit him very hard for flirting so outrageously. He hoped it would be worth the pain.
The woman blinked at his intensity and her skin flushed. “Last eve? Yes, he met with a Doctor Isul Treyder.”
Renloret continued, dropping his voice into the throaty range of his baritone. “Excellent. They did get together. Did the doctor mention where he was staying? We might be able to connect with him instead.” The woman frowned and shook her head, seeming unable to take her eyes off him.
Ani covered her mouth and coughed. Renloret was confident she wanted to smash him into the wall. He hoped she would wait until they were out of sight.
The woman graciously answered, “I’m sorry. My shift ended before their meeting did. But the senator is at the committee meeting as we speak. They’ll be breaking for the midday meal soon. I can alert him of your arrival.”
“Oh, you don’t need to bother him during the meeting. We will wait for him to conclude his business. Then we can take him to his favorite restaurant and conduct our meeting there. It will be a disappointment for me that you will be unable to join us, though I know you are dedicated to your position here. Can you remind me of which committee room he’s in again? I didn’t write it down.” Renloret let honey drip from each word and was amazed the woman didn’t see through the farce.
The woman checked her screen again, wrote a few things on a piece of paper, and then handed the paper to Renloret. He took it from her slowly, letting his hand linger on her skin.
The woman turned her head away and giggled.
He straightened and grabbed Ani by the elbow. “We can see ourselves out.” He pushed Ani through the door into the hallway, and as soon as the door closed, Ani’s fist landed on his shoulder.
“I can’t believe you!”
He staggered. This would bruise.
“But I got the meeting room number.” He showed her the paper and she snatched it from him.
“Oh, and hers too.” Disgusted, she shoved it back into his hand. “Here. You might need this later. Come on.” She jogged to the lift.
He glanced at the paper and noticed the second set of numbers. It was probably the secretary’s personal tel-com. He grinned at Ani’s obvious jealousy and followed.
It didn’t take them long to find the room.
“Can you identify this Senator Nelham?” Renloret asked as they peered through the pair of windows on the door.
“Third from the left, on the dais.”
Renloret studied the man. He sat forward, mouth almost touching the microphone, arms extended, waving to emphasize each of his words. Was he angry or explaining his position on the current topic? Renloret looked at the reaction Senator Nelham’s speech was getting from the rest of the men in the room. There were no women visible. “Are all your politicians and leaders male?”
“On Northern, yes. But women are making inroads faster than some of them want. It will take a few more elections before we reach numbers comparable to those we know about on Southern. My championship in the blade ring rubbed salts in many eyes. And they couldn’t do anything about it.” Her tone was smug.
Politics was one thing he couldn’t do anything about, so he changed the subject to something he thought he could. “Do you have a plan for how we’re going to find the doctor or Taryn?”
“Working on it.” She continued to stare into the conference room. “Hopefully, the senator can tell us where the doctor went after their meeting.”
Renloret rejoined her at the window. “Looks like a team blade ring contest where the weapons are words.”
Ani gave a short laugh. “Never thought of it that way, but it’s a good analogy.”
The man at the central seat stood up and hit the desk surface with a small hammer, stopping the discussion. In unison, they all rose, executed a semblance of a blade salute, and then bent to close up notebooks and straighten stacks of papers. While several exited through a door behind the platform of desks, others gathered in groups of two or three in apparent conversations.
Renloret watched Nelham as he moved methodically off the platform and worked his way towards the doorway. He greeted several of the observers with a smile or a nod of his head, the image of a practiced politician. As such, Renloret decided he couldn’t be trusted. One of the observers pulled on the senator’s sleeve and whispered something in his ear. The senator frowned and indicated that the observer could accompany him. The pair pushed through the remaining crowd. Pulling Ani with him, Renloret backed out of the way as the door swung open. The two men paused just outside the door, unaware of Renloret and Ani.
“Are you sure the sheriff is alive?” the senator asked. He seemed so focused on the man who had whispered in his ear, he didn’t check to see if anyone was listening. Renloret and Ani were invisible.
“Oh, yes. His body seems to be functioning as if he was in a deep sleep, but he doesn’t move. No eye movement either. Even coma patients have some eye movement. Is Doctor Treyder still here? I want to be sure this is what he expected.”
The senator shook his head. “He left early this morning after delivering the patient. He should be back at the research center by now. Here’s the tel-com number he can be reached at.” He scribbled on the bottom of a notepad and tore the corner off.
“My thanks, sir. I wish to serve you to the best of my abilities. This experiment will not be a waste.” The man saluted and hurried off down the hall.
The senator watched after him, then muttered, “It better not. I won’t be able to hide the expenses much longer.” There was a bitter undertone to his statement.
Renloret glanced at Ani. If her look had been a blade, the senator would have died on the spot. He whispered, “Leave the senator, Ani. We should follow him.” He tipped his head after the unknown lackey as he disappeared around the corner.
She grabbed his arm and pasted on a too-wide smile. “Come, darling. Enough of this waiting. He’ll be in there for hours yet. I’m hungry. There’s a café on the roof. It has the perfect view of the city and it serves vishon.” Her voice was shrill and whiney.
“Vishon? Oh, that’s wonderful,” Renloret replied as he allowed himself to be pulled past the senator, offering the man an apologetic grin as he brushed by him. The man acknowledged him absently and turned in the other direction to call after someone leaving the conference room.
Renloret contained a chortle. Ani’s improvisation had been priceless. He tucked her arm through his and rounded the corner to the lifts as the bio-teacher inside his head extolled the culinary virtues of the freshwater animal that was supposedly being served at the rooftop café.
The lift doors slid open and they could see their target moving forward.
“Sir, please hold it,” Ani said, using the falsetto voice. She hurried toward the lift, pulling Renloret with her.
A hand waved and held the door so Renloret and Ani could enter. Renloret raised his eyebrows at Ani, wanting to ask why they had used the stairs to climb to the fifth floor instead of this lift. She shrugged and gave him a tense smile, then turned to the man they had followed.
“What level?” The man had already pressed one of the symbols.
“That’ll do nicely,” Ani replied. “Are you headed for a café? It’s our first time in the capital and we�
��ve no idea which one offers a quick and reasonable meal. Could you suggest some place nearby? Garrend and I have about two hours before the lawyers are finished with my father’s estate. Then it’s a long drive north back to Doven.”
Working to keep a straight face, Renloret merely nodded.
The man gave a noncommittal greeting. “There are numerous options. Several buy ’n carries are within strolling distance along the plaza. If you want to sit for a while, I’d suggest Wither’s. It’s on the other side of the street from the east side of this building.”
“Our thanks for your kindness.” Ani had softened the shrillness in her voice but kept it in the soprano range. She leaned closer. The man almost shivered in delight when she placed her hand on his sleeve.
Who was flirting with the unsuspecting now? He didn’t trust himself to speak, fearing he would laugh. Fortunately, the lift bumped to a stop. All three stepped out, and after he gave Ani a direct smile, the man headed to a phalanx of doors whooshing back and forth as people exited and entered the building. Ani held Renloret back for about two breaths, then released him to follow.
The man’s green jacket was visible amongst the crowd on the walkway, making it easy for Renloret and Ani to tail him. They followed him discreetly for several blocks until he crossed the street to a park. Ani jogged across the mowed grasses at wide angles while directing Renloret to pause behind a tree, then waved him to run to a small structure near an area with play equipment. He was momentarily enthralled by the laughter and hijinks of the children on the playground, then glanced toward Ani’s last location to find her frantically pointing at a fountain surrounded by small groups eating the midday meal off their laps or out of bags. As he approached the fountain pool’s edge, Renloret caught sight of the jacket on the opposite side. The man was walking with purpose toward an exit gate.
Ani arrived at his side. “I don’t know who is the bigger idiot, him for not being aware of his surroundings or me for thinking he’d be looking in every direction to see if he was being followed. Come on.” She tugged at his sleeve.
Once out of the park, they followed him into an older business area where the streets were narrow and the rough-textured stone buildings with flat roofs reached two to five stories. Unsavory individuals lurked about the doorways. Renloret mentally checked where each of his blades was strapped.