by John Peel
“Excuse me,” he said politely but firmly to Ms. O’Brien. “But I need to have a few words with your class.”
“Of course.” The teacher looked puzzled. “Is there something wrong, Odo?”
“Yes.” His eyes scanned the room and the silent students. “It appears that we have a thief in here.” His eyes fastened directly on Nog.
CHAPTER 4
Why are you looking at me?” demanded Nog defensively. “I’ve done nothing wrong!”
“Did I say you had?” asked Odo. “Perhaps you have a guilty conscience?” Before Nog could reply, Odo held up his hand. “Garak came to me this morning with a complaint, and I am investigating it. It seems that someone has stolen several items of clothing from his store.”
“I didn’t see who did it,” Garak put in, wringing his hands together uncomfortably. “Just a small shape in the darkness. By the time that I put on the shop lights, whoever it was had vanished.”
“If there was anybody,” Riv said, sneering. “We only have his word for it—and I’d trust a Cardassian about as far as I could spit one.”
Odo eyed the Bajoran boy. “Ah, yes—Riv Jakar, isn’t it? I’ve heard a lot about you. None of it good.”
“And I’ve heard a lot about you, too,” Riv replied. “You worked with the Cardassians while they ran this station, didn’t you? And now you’re helping one of the monsters to frame us for theft.”
“My job is to keep the peace and enforce justice,” Odo answered. “It doesn’t matter who is in charge of the station—I guarantee justice. And I didn’t simply take Garak’s word for his losses. I checked his computer logs, and the items are missing. Clothing for a girl—stolen by a small thief.”
“Don’t look at me!” protested Nog. “Hey! You said it was girl’s clothing that was stolen! Maybe one of them did it!” He pointed vaguely across the room.
“Gee, thanks a lot,” said Ashley sarcastically. “You think I’d go stealing clothes? No way!”
“And Vulcans do not steal,” added T’Ara, looking slightly smug, despite her supposed lack of emotions.
“Nor do they lie,” agreed Odo. Then he glared down at her. “But if a Vulcan were capable of one, then she could do the other, couldn’t she?” Without waiting for a reply, he turned to Marn Laren. “What about you?” he asked.
“What about me?” she replied, scowling hard. “You think I stole from that Cardassian? I wouldn’t be caught dead touching his things.”
Odo shook his head. “Well, I didn’t expect a confession from the thief. But whoever it was, I promise you that person will be caught. And punished.” He looked slowly about the room again. “So be warned. If there is another incident, I shall be very annoyed.” With a curt nod to Ms. O’Brien, he marched out of the room. Garak gave a helpless shrug and followed him out.
As soon as the door closed, Riv muttered, “I still think he’s lying. It’s the Cardassian national sport. He’s just trying to get us into trouble.”
“Why would he want to do that?” asked Jake, puzzled.
“Because he’s a Cardassian, you idiot,” snapped Riv. “They just love to cause trouble.”
“Then you must be a Cardassian in disguise,” Ashley said coldly. “Because that’s all you seem to do.”
Riv went pale: “Take that back,” he snarled. “Or I’ll break your neck.”
“Yeah?” Ashley wrinkled her nose. “I’m not scared of you.”
“That’s quite enough!” Ms. O’Brien broke in calmly but firmly. “Ashley, there is no need to trade insults with Riv. And there’s no need for you to start a fight, Riv. You have to learn to get along with other people. Even Cardassians,” she added.
“Oh, I get along with Cardassians,” Riv replied, settling down. He gave a smirk. “Dead ones. And I’ll fix that lying tailor, you wait and see.”
“Well,” the teacher said, “right now you’re going to get back to your lessons—all of you.”
Jake’s eyes returned to his computer screen, but his mind was still focused on Riv. There had been a look in the other boy’s eyes that seemed to say he meant business. Jake was convinced that Riv had already come up with an idea for getting back at Garak. His hatred of the Cardassians was not wearing away. If anything. it seemed to be getting stronger. And he appeared to have chosen Garak to suffer his anger.
Then there was this stealing thing. He didn’t like thinking that Nog was guilty, but … well, Nog could be guilty. He’d been talking about making money all last night. Or Riv could have done it, to strike back at a Cardassian. Still, why would either of them steal girl’s clothes? The more he thought about it, the more certain he became that Riv wouldn’t have done anything so minor. And as for Nog—he wanted to make money. If he had stolen the clothes, who could he possibly sell them to that wouldn’t know they were stolen? It didn’t make much sense. And he couldn’t imagine that any of the girls in the class would have done it. Ashley had the skill to bypass the alarms, but she wasn’t the sort of person who’d steal anything. As for T’Ara—she never did anything without a very good, logical reason. Marn disliked Garak too much to even approach his shop. And the other girls were really too young even to think about stealing anything from anywhere.
Eventually it was lunch break. Ms. O’Brien stared at the replicator rather nervously. “You did fix this thing, Ashley?” she asked.
“Oh, yes,” Ashley assured her. “T’Ara and I both did it.”
“Then it will work this time?” asked the teacher.
“I doubt it,” said Ashley cheerfully. “Unless you’re into stew and cheesecake.” She crossed over to the replicator before Ms. O’Brien could ask her what she meant. “Blueberry pie and chocolate ice cream,” she ordered.
There was a moment’s pause, and then a dish slowly materialized inside the chamber. Jake stared at it. Hot, steaming stew, with a slice of cheesecake melting into it….
Strangely enough, Ashley didn’t seem at all upset. Instead, she wrenched off the access panel at the side of the machine. With a probe, she snapped out one of the chip boards. “Just as I thought,” she said happily. She pointed to a small piece of wire wrapped across the contacts.
“But you removed that wire last night,” T’Ara said, struggling to keep her face straight.
“And somebody put it back,” Ashley finished. “This proves that the problems with the replicator aren’t an accident.”
“Pretty neat,” Jake said. “But it doesn’t help us find out who did it.”
“Yes it does,” said Ashley smugly. “You see, when I was sure the unit was being sabotaged, I set up a program. Whoever rewired this chip had to have touched it. I set it to scan the culprit.” She pulled a small tricorder from her belt. “I’ve accessed the files of everyone on the station, and all I have to do is cross-check them against the readings from this chip, and we’ll know who’s the stew-and-cheesecake maniac.”
“Clever,” Jake admitted, impressed with her thinking.
“I know I am,” agreed Ashley. She plugged the chip into the tricorder and hit the button to start the check. A moment later she frowned. “That’s odd.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Riv, smirking. “Screwed up, have you? Maybe you’re not as clever as you think you are.”
Ignoring this taunt, Ashley stared at the screen of the tricorder in disbelief. “There’s no match at all.”
Nog shrugged. “Maybe the chip didn’t get a sample, then?” he suggested.
“No, there’s definitely a sample,” Ashley said. She shook her head. “But the computer can’t match it against any of the files.”
“Maybe,” said Marn, “that’s because the files haven’t been updated for a little while.” She glared at Riv. “I’ll bet he’s not in them yet.”
Riv gave her a cold look. “Are you accusing me of fixing the machine?” he asked. “Why would I bother?”
“Besides,” added Jake, “the replicator wasn’t working before Riv arrived on the station.”
“But we do
n’t know that it was sabotaged back then,” Marn continued. “It may have been a genuine error before. And we’ve all seen how good Riv is with computers.”
“How would you like to see how good I am with my fists?” Riv snapped.
Ms. O’Brien moved between them. “That’s quite enough,” she said firmly. “I want you all to cool off. Meanwhile,” she added with a sigh, “it looks like we’ll be bringing lunch in again.”
After school was over, Jake pulled Nog aside. “Riv’s up to something,” he said. “I just don’t know what. Did you see his reaction to Garak?”
“Who cares?” asked Nog. “It’s either Ms. O’Brien’s or Odo’s problem, not ours. We should mind our own business. There’s no profit in minding theirs.”
“It could be something that would affect us,” Jake said. “He seems to have a grudge against us all. He could get us all into trouble.”
Nog was uncertain. “You’re just guessing,” he complained.
“But it’s a good guess.” Jake saw that he had his friend worried enough to act. “Look, let’s just keep our eyes open and see what he’s up to, okay? Nothing more than that.”
“Well, okay,” agreed Nog finally. He went along with Jake to the Promenade. “As long as it doesn’t take too much time.”
“Riv’s not very patient,” Jake pointed out. “Whatever he’s planning, he’s bound to do it soon.” He just wished he had some idea what it might be.
“Okay,” said Ashley when she was alone in the classroom with T’Ara. “My last plan didn’t work.” She grinned. “Time for Plan B.”
“And what is Plan B?” asked T’Ara.
Ashley showed her the computer chip pad. “I’ve removed the wire again, and this time I’ve added a small transmitter. When our culprit puts the wire back, it’ll sent a signal out.” She snapped the chip back into the replicator and closed the cover. “I’ve got my notepad computer set to warn me when that happens. All we have to do is to hang around until the alarm goes of. Then we jump whoever it is.”
T’Ara nodded solemnly. “It is a good plan,” she agreed. “And when we catch the culprit?”
“We turn him in to Odo,” Ashley said. “But first…” She gave a broad smile. “I’m going to make one last batch of stew and cheesecake—and rub his face in it!”
CHAPTER 5
This is really boring,” Nog said. He was sitting on the Upper Level of the Promenade, his feet hanging down, kicking them back and forth. His chin was pressed against the restraint bar that kept him from falling to the Main Level twenty feet below.
“You’ve said that seven times now,” Jake complained. He was sitting next to Nog and feeling just as bored himself.
“That’s because it’s really boring,” Nog grumbled.
“We’ve been here all evening, wasting our time watching Riv do nothing. We could have been making money, but no, you decided we have to watch that boring Bajoran. Now all the stores are closing, and we’ve got nothing to show for the whole time.”
“Riv’s up to something,” insisted Jake.
“Yeah,” agreed Nog. “He’s trying to bore us to death! Let’s just give up and go home.”
“No,” said Jake stubbornly. “He’s going to do something. I know it.” As he spoke, he grabbed Nog’s shoulder and pointed. “Look, there he is! He’s crossing the Promenade.”
There were only a dozen or so people moving about now, and it wasn’t hard to see the small Bajoran figure. Nog frowned. “So? He’s probably gonna buy another frozen yashi treat.” He licked his lips at the thought. “And it’s not a bad idea.”
“The booth is closed,” Jake answered. “Anyway, he’s sticking to the shadows.”
Riv was walking slowly and darting quick glances around. As Jake watched, he realized that the Bajoran boy had a small bundle of cloth in his hands.
“Look,” he said softly. “He’s carrying something. And he’s making for Garak’s shop.” An idea hit him. “Maybe that’s a bundle of the stolen clothing, and he’s aiming to put them back?”
“It’s a bit late now,” Nog objected. “They’ve already been reported as stolen.”
“Well, maybe he wants Garak to look stupid, then?” suggested Jake. “Like the stuff wasn’t stolen after all.” He rose to his feet. “Let’s follow him.”
Nog considered Jake’s suggestion as he followed his friend. He shook his head. “Odo would never fall for it,” he said in a quiet voice. “He checked the computer records, remember.”
“Yeah, we know Odo wouldn’t be taken in,” agreed Jake. He winced at the memory of a couple of pranks he and Nog had pulled that had brought Odo’s wrath down on them. “But Riv isn’t as smart as we are, is he?”
“Nobody’s as smart as we are,” Nog replied. Then he grimaced. “Except maybe Odo.”
Jake stopped Nog, and they hugged the wall. The Promenade was now empty, except for the two of them and Riv. The Bajoran boy had reached Garak’s closed shop, and he glanced around. When he saw nothing to alarm him, he tapped something into the small computer screen by the shop. The door hissed softly open, and Riv slid inside.
“He’s overridden the security codes,” said Nog. There was admiration in his voice. “I wonder if he’ll teach me that trick?”
“Come on,” Jake instructed. He led the way softly across the Promenade. They halted beside the open door, and Jake took a quick glance inside the shop. There was a nightlight inside that burned low. It gave just enough illumination to show the racks of clothing as shadows. He could see Riv at the far side of the room, close to the counter. With a jerk of his head Jake indicated to Nog that they should slip inside the store. Jake moved quickly and quietly, then crouched behind a rack of clothes. Through the gaps he saw Nog take up a similar position behind a different rack. Together they watched Riv.
The Bajoran boy was unwrapping the bundle he’d been carrying. In the low light it was hard for Jake to see what Riv was doing, but it looked as if he had a small machine or something he was tinkering with.
There was the click of a switch, then Riv jumped to his feet. With a wide grin on his face, he hurried back toward the entrance. He passed by Jake and Nog, who were virtually invisible in their hiding places. Riv paused long enough to tap another command into the security pad by the door, and then hurried off as the door hissed closed again.
Now that they were alone, Jake moved out into the aisle. Nog joined him and they both stared at the counter. In front of it was the cloak Riv had been carrying, and in the folds of the cloak Jake could make out a small box. Even in the dim light the glitter of metal was unmistakable.
“What could that be?” asked Jake.
“Let’s find out,” said Nog, grinning. He scuttled forward and bent over the device. As Jake joined him, Nog almost jumped out of his skin. “It’s a bomb!” he exclaimed.
Jake’s pulse raced. “A bomb?” he asked nervously. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” Nog pointed at the small box. There was a flat, dull package attached, and a contact running from it to a small, round dial on the box. “That’s vebrite—a Bajoran explosive. It’s not very powerful, but it burns like crazy. I definitely think it’s time we were out of here!”
Jake grabbed him before he could scamper away. Standing this close to the bomb made him sick in his stomach, but he couldn’t just run away. “We can’t just leave it to explode,” he said.
“Can’t we?” asked Nog. “You just watch.”
Jake wouldn’t let go, despite Nog’s struggles. “It must be safe for a few more minutes,” he argued. “Riv would have set it to give himself time.” He stared at the small dial. It was a clock of some kind, calibrated in Bajoran time. He did a rough calculation. “We’ve got loads of time—at least five minutes.”
“Great,” said Nog. “We can be back in my uncle’s place when it goes off.”
“We should call Odo,” Jake argued.
“You call Odo. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jake had an idea. He let go
of his grip on Nog. “Okay, off you go.” He managed a small smile, despite the sickly twitching in his stomach. “Riv locked the door as he left. You think you can override it in less than five minutes?”
The thought obviously hadn’t occurred to Nog. The small Ferengi froze, and his face went even paler. “Uh … no.” He chewed at his lip thoughtfully. “You got a better idea?”
Jake wished he had one of the small communicator badges that his father and the other Starfleet officers wore. “Is there a communicator or something in the store we could use to call for help?”
Nog shrugged. “How should I know? I don’t come in here much. I hate buying clothes.”
It was a feeling Jake shared—and wished he didn’t. There probably was a communicator somewhere in Garak’s shop, but where? “Maybe we could smash a window?” he suggested. “That’s bound to bring Odo or one of his officers. And we could get out of the hole.”
“No use,” said Nog with a sigh. “They replaced all the windows with shatterproof plasteel in the riots after the Cardassians left. The shopkeepers got tired of sweeping up all the mess. Nothing short of a phaser will break the windows now.”
There was a terrible pain in Jake’s stomach. He knew it was fear. Being trapped inside a store with a ticking bomb was definitely not high on a list of his favorite activities. “Uh … I’m open to suggestions,” he said.
“Oh, right,” muttered Nog. “Get me into this and expect me to get us out.” He rolled his eyes. “Okay, you take a look for a communicator. I’ll see if I can do anything with the bomb.”
“You mean like trying to defuse it?” asked Jake, shocked.
Nog scowled. “You think I’d try to explode it?” he snapped. “Of course I mean try to defuse it.”
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” asked Jake very nervously.