by John Zakour
“OK, so which of you have had your brains enhanced?” I ask.
“Tezza, my PR person, has had her brain enhanced so she can make calculations quicker.” She paused to think for a moment. “Only my personal consultant, HAL50, doesn’t actually have bionics since he has an android body.”
“But he has a human brain,” HARV says. “So that has not been enhanced?”
Merinda shakes her head. “No, that would be an overkill. We on Mars are subtle.”
“What about you?” I ask. “What are your enhancements, Merinda?”
“Certain areas of my brain have been tweaked to allow me to tap into my body’s energies,” Merinda tells us.
“Oh?”
Merinda touches me gently on the shoulder. My shoulder warms. “But this simply allows me to make people feel comfort. It’s important that leaders be comforting.”
“So it’s possible that you or Tezza could detect Carol poking around in your brains?”
Merinda looks at me directly in the eyes. “Frankly, Zach, I have no idea.”
“Tió, I can be a help to you there,” Carol says in my head. “Besides, I’ve always wanted to go to Mars.”
“It’s worth the risk,” HARV tells me.
“OK, Carol and I can be ready in two hours,” I tell Merinda. “How long is the trip to Mars?”
“Roughly thirty Earth hours,” Merinda says.
“Thirty hours and thirty-one minutes,” HARV informs us.
“Like I said, roughly thirty hours,” Merinda says. “Of course, we have 3-D printers onboard, so we can make you fresh clothing or personal items, if needed.”
“My suit and underarmor have the latest in nanocleaning bots, so I am always fresh and clean,” I tell her. “So I’m good. At least for two or three days.”
I turn my attention to Carol. “But I take it you need a change of clothing?”
Carol nods. “Yeah, I am not wearing the same outfit for an entire trip.”
Merinda smiles. “Carol, you will be happy to know we have a complete wardrobe bot on our ship. We can make you the finest of outfits.”
Carol’s face lights up. “I’m good to go then, I guess.”
“OK, Carol, unfreeze Alicia.” Turning my attention to HARV, I say, “Have you gotten any more information from the ship on Merinda’s companions?”
HARV nods. “Yes, after Merinda prodded her ship some, SRIP did give me more data, but nothing beyond the basics: their favorite foods, their favorite colors, their favorite music…”
“SRIP likes to make sure we are all comfortable,” Merinda says. “SRIP really does treat us well.”
HARV’s eyes start to blink quickly, a sign he’s processing something. “Zach, the rest of Merinda’s team is in the lobby. They look anxious. They will be here in three minutes.”
Turning my attention to Carol, I say, “OK, unfreeze Alicia, and let’s get this show on the road. I want to see if any of Merinda’s people act more guarded around you.”
“So do you want me to poke their brains?” Carol asks.
I shake my head. “Not yet. Just in case Tezza—with her bionic brain—is the potential killer, I don’t want to tip her off.” I smile. “Still, just seeing how they each react knowing you are a psi can be a help.” Pointing at Alicia, I tell Carol, “Unfreeze her. We want everything normal when the rest get here.”
“Wait!” Merinda says, finger raised. “How do you want Saturn and me to act?”
I shrug. “Business as usual. Saturn is safe, and all is good with the worlds.”
Merinda takes a deep breath. “I can do that.”
“Merinda’s team is in the hallway,” HARV informs us. “It is time, as they say, to get the show on the road.”
I give Carol a nod.
“You can move, and everything is fine,” she tells Alicia. “We are about to greet the rest of your crew. Everything is great.”
Alicia snaps back to life. She gives a wide smile. “I am so happy our crew is back.” Heading out of Merinda’s room, she calls to us, “Come. Let’s give them a proper greeting.”
We all follow Alicia into the suite’s living area. Maxxx, Tezza, and HAL50 are already in the room. Maxxx is a short, thick man with brown hair and a solid chin. He’s the type of guy you can just tell is comfortable in a brawl. Tezza is a tall, slim woman with dark-brown hair and radiant blue eyes. A quick look and you know she’s the type of woman who could sell snow to an Eskimo. HAL50 looks like a life-size Ken doll. He has just a hint of orange in his complexion to inform observers that he is an android. Of course, his plastic perfection should let even the daftest observer realize he’s not human. Still, I guess his makers didn’t want to take any chances.
The three of them smile when they see Merinda holding Saturn. Man, that woman is strong!
Tezza approaches Merinda and Saturn first. “Glad you are back safely,” she says, petting a very content-looking Saturn.
“Yes, I am so happy I called Zachary and his team to help my team,” Merinda says. She smiles widely as she addresses her people. “I am so pleased with Zach’s performance, I have invited him and his aide, Carol, to go back to Mars with us for a reward.”
Now, this was going to prove interesting, to see how the others would react to the news. History has taught me that security folks usually hate it when I am around. They don’t appreciate me stomping on their territory.
Maxxx walks up to me, his face one giant grin. Patting me firmly on the back, he says, “It will be so great to have you on the trip! We can swap stories!”
Of course, history doesn’t always repeat itself.
Looking over at Tezza, I see her eyes are wide open, her fist is clenched, and her hair is on edge. “So it’s true you are canceling your appointment with the World Council over this man!” Tezza gasps and shouts at the same time.
There are a couple of ways I can handle this…
“Merinda, my leader, how could you cancel such an important meeting with the World Council?” Tezza asks, though from her tone, it is easy to tell this is more of a statement than a question.
If I were one of those macho PIs from the old days, I would have stepped in and offered some sort of reason, but as my old mentor used to say, a smart PI knows when to step back and let others do the work. And smart PIs live longer. I decide to let Merinda handle this. I would just watch Tezza, and also Alicia, Maxxx, and HAL50. By watching, I may gain valuable clues about which one of them might want Merinda dead.
Merinda put her hand on Tezza’s shoulder to comfort her. “TZ, my trusted advisor, Zach did such a brave and kind thing, I feel we need to reward him quickly. This way, we show the people of Earth how generous the people of Mars are—how we are good to our friends. I am sure the average Earth person relates much more to Zach than he or she does to a council member.”
“True,” I tell her. “I am just a regular working Joe.” OK, yeah, that wasn’t actually totally true. A lot of people don’t really relate to what I do or how I relish things from the past, but still, I do have my fans.
Tezza’s head and eyes shoot back and forth from Merinda to me, back to Merinda, back to me, and then settle on Merinda. She smiles. “Yes, yes—we can use this during our trip to Mars. I’ll be able to get to know Zach better so I can present him in the best possible way. If we get the people of Earth on our side, we know the politicians will follow.”
I figured it was in my best interest to let the comment pass. Looking at Carol, I think, “Any vibes from any of them?”
“No, but that might not mean anything because their brains are slightly different than the brains of people on Earth. I may have to adapt some to read them.”
Turning my attention to Alicia, I ask, “How long until we are ready to roll?”
“Roll what?” she asks.
“He means, how long until we are ready for the trip to Mars?” HARV says, and then notes, “I am fluent in Zach-speak.”
“Oh,” Alicia says. “I’ve been in communication wit
h our ship. He says it will be ready in ninety Earth minutes.”
Since I have a little more time, I think maybe I can crack the case open, and therefore save a trip to Mars. I can poke a few egos and rattle a couple of mental cages to see what, if anything, shakes out. Yeah, not the subtlest PI work, for sure, but sometimes the hard play is the right play. Not only that, if it works, it would save me from having to explain to Electra that I was going to Mars.
I decide it would be best to shake Merinda’s employee applecart a bit to see if anything falls out that I might be able to use against that employee. There is the direct, hard-poke approach and the subtler-poke approach. Since I didn’t want to tip my hand too much, I go with the subtle touch.
“I’m glad I will be accompanying you all back to Mars,” I say with a big waste-eating grin on my face. “I’ve never been to Mars. I hear it’s amazing what you’ve done with the place.” This is a classic PI trick of softening up a target before hitting it with a hard shot. I smile. “Of course, a lot of people would be uneasy traveling in an enclosed area for a couple of days with the world’s last PI.” I scan the faces in the room. I don’t detect any noticeable ticks. “I hope none of you have anything to hide,” I add.
Scanning again, I notice that Alicia is slightly hunched over and turning from my gaze. Hm, could the doting-personal-aide act be only an act? Heading over toward Alicia, I mention, “Alicia, you seem to have something on your mind.”
“Zach, where are you going with this?” HARV asks in my mind.
“Yeah, tió.” Carol mentally agrees. “I don’t get any evil vibe from her at all.”
I walk past HAL50 and Maxxx. I note that HAL50 readily moves to the side to let me pass. Maxxx hesitates for a moment, like he thinks he wants to say or do something, but he doesn’t.
Reaching Alicia, who is now standing behind Merinda, I start my line of questioning. “What’s going on, Alicia?”
Looking at her feet, she says, “Ah, nothing—business as usual. As you here on Earth used to say, everything is A-OK.”
I smile. The history buff in me really appreciates the A-OK. Of course, she may have known I like history. She may have done that to intentionally get on my good side, to get me to let down my guard. Yeah, I do have a thing for the old days. They were simpler times when everybody wasn’t wired to everything, but still you don’t stay alive in this business for as long as I have if you get easily distracted.
“What are you hiding, Alicia?” I press.
“Nothing, nothing, nothing,” she insists, still looking away from me.
“That’s a lot of nothing,” I tell her. “I kind of think that much nothing leads to something.”
“I know you think that sounds cool, but don’t push too hard,” Carol warns.
I glance over quickly at Merinda, who is petting Saturn. I need to gauge her reaction. She seems content in letting this play out. Saturn has his ears perked up.
“You are hiding something, Alicia!” I insist.
Alicia turns and takes a step away from me. Yeah, she is definitely hiding something. She may not have been the one to threaten Merinda’s life, but something isn’t kosher with her. I have to find out what.
Lunging forward, I put my hand on her shoulder. “Talk to me,” I order, as I try to spin her toward me with a tug.
Alicia resists my initial tug. That was a friendly warning tug. If she wants to play rougher, I am more than game. Grabbing her by the shoulder, I spin her firmly toward me. We are face-to-face. The kicker is, she has a knife with a shining fifteen-centimeter blade pressed against my throat.
“You want answers? I’ll give you answers!” she screams.
I never would have pegged Alicia as the keep-a-knife-up-the-sleeve type. Now this was an interesting development.
“Alicia, what are you doing?” Merinda asks, her voice strong and unwavering.
Alicia presses the knife a bit closer to my throat. Her hand is shaking. Sweat beads on her brow. “I’m sorry, Merinda!” Alicia says, never taking her eyes off me.
I take a deep breath. I act relaxed and calm, hoping it will rub off on Alicia. “So, Alicia, what’s on your mind?” I say slowly and calmly.
“Ah, ah—nothing,” she stammers, knife still to my throat.
“Your mouth says nothing, but your knife says something else,” I tell her.
“Smooth,” HARV says cynically in my head.
“Agreed,” Carol chimes in.
“Hey, you two. It’s hard being extra witty with a knife to your jugular,” I think back.
“You should be accustomed to situations like this,” HARV says. “Jobs and Gates know you are attacked enough.”
“Agreed,” Carol chimes in again.
Yeah, I know it’s probably not the best practice to be ignoring the angry lady with a knife to my throat. But something tells me that even though Alicia is worried and scared, she isn’t a killer. It’s a lot easier to draw a knife than to end a life.
“HARV, look at Alicia’s salary and expenses, and see if anything doesn’t add up.”
“Curious, she makes a modest three thousand credits a pay cycle, yet she has well over a million credits in her accounts. She’s not even hiding it all that well,” HARV replies.
I need to play this right. Just because Alicia’s not the type of lady who is used to stabbing people in the neck, that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t do it, especially if pushed too hard. I slide my left hand up slowly near Alicia’s right arm. If she reacts violently to my next question, I need to be able to deflect her knife away from my body.
“So, Alicia, how does a low-paid personal aide get over a million credits saved up?” I ask.
“Oh, you probably should have left out the low-paid,” Carol thinks to me.
“Agreed,” HARV says in my mind.
Alicia drops her head and lets the knife fall. She turns to Merinda, sobbing. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” she cries, tossing herself at Merinda’s feet.
“See, guys? That’s why I am the professional PI and you guys work for me!” I think back to HARV and Carol.
“I don’t get paid, so technically, I don’t work for you,” HARV says. “But I do find you entertaining.”
“I work with you,” Carol says.
Bringing my attention back to the lady that had a knife at my throat and the other lady whom I am here to protect, I tell Merinda bluntly, “My PI gut tells me Alicia has been e-embezzling cash from you.”
Merinda looks down at Alicia sobbing at her feet. “Alicia, is this true?”
Alicia nods, eyes welling, tears streaming down her face. “Yes, the budget allocates a hundred thousand credits a month for flowers. Since I am so efficient, I am able to purchase lovely arrangements for a fraction of that cost.”
“What are you planning with the extra cash?” I ask, walking up next to Alicia. (I thought about saying dough instead of cash, but figured that would confuse her.)
Alicia looks up at Merinda, her eyes swollen and pleading. “I’ve been saving for a dark market bionics implant. I want my arms to be bionic so I can be strong for you—to protect you as well as to serve you.”
“I have confirmed that Alicia has had two appointments with a doctor Ferguson from Orbital City,” HARV says. “He specializes in bionic implants in the arms, butt, and lips.”
Merinda kneels down and rubs Alicia gently on the shoulder. “Oh, my dear Alicia. You don’t need to do that for me.”
Maxxx and Tezza head over toward us. I can’t help but notice Maxxx is flexing his muscles some.
“Don’t worry. I would never let any harm come to Merinda.” Maxxx assures Alicia.
“Neither would I,” Tezza says. “That would be terrible PR.”
Merinda smiles at Alicia. “See, Alicia. I am perfectly safe. You don’t need to augment yourself for me.”
OK, was that it? Was that really all Alicia was guilty of—caring too much? Or could this all be an act?
I give Alicia the once over a couple of times.
I’m still not 100 percent sure she is as innocent as she claims. Well, DOS—hardly anybody is as innocent as he or she claims. I just need to be as sure as I can be that she isn’t the one Saturn heard thinking about harming Merinda.
“Carol, do you or Saturn pick up any bad vibes from Alicia?” I think.
“She’s scared and ashamed,” Carol thinks back to me. “But neither Saturn nor I feel she would be a danger to Merinda.”
“Well, let’s give her one more test. Concentrate on her. See if her thoughts give her away,” I think.
Looking at Alicia, I bark, “Why does an innocent aide need to keep a knife up her sleeve?”
Alicia takes a defensive step backward. “I am an aide to Merinda, one of Mars’s council members. We are on a potentially hostile planet. It is only natural I would be prepared to protect her.”
“She seems sincere to Saturn and me,” Carol thinks to me.
“Zach, I am not picking up any noticeable signs of lying,” HARV says out loud. It was a good move on his part. Knowing we are watching her closely could coax another reaction out of Alicia. I like to believe HARV has picked up a thing or three from me.
Alicia takes another step back. With her hand over her heart, she says, “I would do anything to protect my Merinda.” Looking me directly in the eyes, she says, “Yes, I would even kill for her if needed.” Directing her glance at Merinda, “That is why I wanted to make myself stronger for you.”
“I believe you,” Merinda says, taking Alicia’s hand.
“I believe her, too,” HARV says.
“Me too,” Carol says.
“Woof!” Saturn barks, which I take as a bark of confidence.
I’m still not quite ready to cross Alicia off the potential-killer list. After all, she was pretty darn quick to whip out that knife.
“You’re good with a knife,” I say, pointing at Alicia. “Not only did you draw it quickly, but you put it against my jugular like a person who knows how to wield a bladed weapon.”