Chiaru Starchild, her wife, sat on the board of another corporation, Abyss Associates. They built stuff, a lot of it, some of the top architectural wonders in the Imperialate. She and Inna had married two years ago. Today the head of Security from Abyss had shown up, Patrik Laj, a lanky fellow with red hair. I wondered how he felt about being one of the few people on the planet without dark hair. I didn’t get the sense anything ruffled him. He presented the picture of cool efficiency.
“She went to the kitchen,” Inna said. “Just to get a glass of wine.”
“How long was she gone before you looked for her?” Patrik asked.
Inna twisted the ends of her cloth belt around her hand. “Maybe ten minutes? We were watching the holo of a news show. When it ended, I wondered why she hadn’t come back.”
Detective Talon, the head of Scorpio Security, stood near the sofa, watching Inna Starchild intently. Given the similarities of this case with the Quida disappearance, I could see why Talon was here. What I didn’t understand was why Lavinda Majda had also showed up. Sure, the Majdas kept watch on any significant event in Cries. Keeping track, however, and sending a royal heir were two very different things. Lavinda stayed back, an imposing but discreet figure in her army uniform with her black hair swept up onto her head. A tendril of hair had escaped, though, and hung by her cheek. Interesting. Usually every aspect of her appearance was in perfect place.
Talon grilled Starchild with curt intensity. Although Patrik had a gentler approach, his questions were essentially the same. Inna’s story never changed. She’d gone to the kitchen and found the place in shambles. I’d seen the room; it looked as bad as Mara Quida’s bedroom. Inna claimed she hadn’t heard any noise. The kitchen was far from the living room, and she’d had the holo-vid going, so it could be true. I didn’t know if I believed her, though. It looked like a rubble smasher had blasted through the place. No trace of Chiaru remained, nor could we find any security footage for those moments she vanished, just like what happened with Mara Quida.
Lavinda joined me while Talon and Patrik talked with Starchild. “Major, my greetings. I’m sorry we had to meet again under these circumstances.”
I nodded to her. “My greetings.”
“How are you feeling?” She pushed back her wayward strand of hair. “I hope you’re recovering.”
“Yes, I’m good,” I answered, pretending my injuries didn’t hurt like hell. My meds were doing repairs, but I didn’t let them give me pain relievers, which dulled my brain. I just smiled at Lavinda. It wasn’t a real smile, because in the Undercity we never smiled at people we didn’t trust. I had nothing against Lavinda. In fact, I rather liked her. But I had no intention of trusting her.
“Does your family have connections to Abyss Associates?” I asked.
“No. I’m just here to follow up in case this relates to the Scorpio case.”
I still didn’t see why she needed to come in person, instead of sending an aide or security officer. I motioned toward the staircase to the second story. “Think we can look up there?” Maybe I could get her talking if we had more privacy.
“I’ll check.” She went over to Inna Starchild. “Do you mind if we look upstairs?”
Inna nodded, her dark hair rustling. “Yes, please feel free.” Although she seemed upset, her concern didn’t have the intensity I felt from Lukas. If I’d had to define the difference, I’d have said Lukas lost the love of his life and Inna lost a valued lover and friend. Unlike Lukas, she had no obvious motive for murder; she was the one who had brought the wealth into the relationship.
As Lavinda and I headed to the stairs, she asked, “What’s happening with the Quida case?”
“No ransom demand.” To Max, I thought, Give me a fact on the Quida investigation that relates to the Majdas. Something it would make sense for me to ask her about.
“It’s odd.” Lavinda climbed the stairs with me. “If it’s not a kidnapping, then what?”
“Malice? Maybe some sociopath is blowing up execs.”
“Then why no trace of either Quida or Chiaru.” She took a ragged breath. “No blood, no tissues, nothing. What happened to them?”
Gods. Her voice was shaking. Although I’d known her long enough to realize she has a great emotional depth beneath her controlled exterior, I’d never seen her like this, vulnerable and raw, traits no one associated with the Majdas.
I said only, “It does seem unusual.”
“It’s better to find nothing rather than—than their remains.”
“That’s true.” Why did these cases matter so much to her? Maybe it linked to her being an empath. Although members of the noble Houses let the rest of the universe believe they were all great psions, most had only traces of the abilities or none at all. Lavinda was the only full psion among the three Majda sisters. I’d learned to guard my mind in her presence. I needed no Kyle abilities, though, to see that this case had hit her much harder than the Quida disappearance.
I found a useful fact, Max thought as we reached the top of the stairs. Exec Tallmount was at the gala. She’s one of the Scorpio execs that Mara Quida pushed out of consideration for the Metropoli contract. A few tendays ago, Tallmount spoke about the Majdas, saying they wielded too much control in Cries. It was controversial.
Thanks, Max. To Lavinda, I said, “I’m looking into the background of the people at the Quida gala.” I paused at a rail on the landing of the stairs and looked down at the living room where the investigators were talking with Inna Starchild. “I’m checking everyone.”
Lavinda stood with me at the rail. “Anyone stand out in particular?”
“Maybe. A Scorpio exec named Tallmount. She was passed over as a manager for the Metropoli contract.”
“That sounds familiar.” She paused. “Ah, yes, I remember. A critic of my family.”
“I’m sure she meant no offense.” I actually wasn’t sure at all, but it seemed the tactful response. Anyone who criticized the Majdas risked her career. Tallmount was right, though; the Majdas did wield too much influence. Although they took industry here to a higher level, which benefited Cries, their control amounted to a monopoly over the entire city.
Lavinda smiled wryly. “She has guts. I rather liked that.”
Ho! I hadn’t expected that reaction. “She may have resented Mara Quida.”
“Let me know if you find out more.” Lavinda watched as Talon grilled Inna Starchild below. “This house has a different feel than the Quida mansion.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure how to explain.” She spoke with compassion. “Lukas was dying inside. Inna is worried, yes, but more like someone in the verge of a divorce.”
Where had that come from? “You think Inna wanted to get rid of her wife?”
Lavinda glanced at me. “I don’t mean it like that. I’d heard rumors they were in the midst of an amicable breakup.” She actually looked sheepish. “I suppose we all succumb to a bit of gossip.”
Hah! Even a Majda heir. I smiled. “Yah, me too.” Immediately I felt embarrassed at using Undercity slang for the word yes. As much as I tried never to drop my defenses with the Cries elite, I tended to relax with Lavinda.
If she noticed, she gave no sign. “Shall we take a look around up here?”
“Sounds good.”
We exited the landing into a hallway with tiles cut from red desert stone. I liked that Starchild used native materials rather than importing wood from offworld.
“Do you have any reason to think Tallmount might want trouble for your family?” I asked.
Lavinda’s face took on an inwardly directed expression, a look many of us got while we talked with our EIs. I waited.
“My family holds shares in Scorpio.” She focused on me again. “One of my cousins sits on the board of directors, in fact. Anything that hurts Scorpio could hurt my family.”
No wonder they’d wanted me at the gala. They had a lot invested in Scorpio. “I’ll let you know if I find anything else.”
/>
“My EI can’t find any link between Mara Quida and Chiaru Starchild.” Lavinda walked with me into a suite at the end of the hallway with two bedrooms, a sitting room, and a library. “Except the obvious, that they’re both execs.”
Max, did you find anything? I asked.
They belonged to the same private club in the city. The Desert Winds.
I knew little about the club, except that they’d never allow a lowly PI like me past their esteemed doors. “I’ve dug up one connection. They both belonged to the Desert Winds.”
“That place?” Lavinda shrugged. “My sister Vaj is a member.”
Ho! That placed the Winds among the elite of the elite. “It might be a good idea for your sister to take extra precautions with her safety, in case Winds membership connects with these cases.” Gods only knew what would happen if the General of the Pharaoh’s Army disappeared.
“That’s a good idea. I’ll have an aide from the palace contact you to talk about your recommendations.”
“Sure, no problem.”
We continued to look around, walking past antique tables under sparkling chandeliers. We found nothing out of place, not even a crystal knob. Max recorded while I examined everything. If Chiaru and Inna Starchild were having marital problems, maybe Chiaru had just deserted her spouse and the explosion in the kitchen had no connection to her absence. I doubted it, though. The two cases were too similar and the crime scenes too violent.
Someone was making the elite of Cries disappear.
I lay on my back in my bed at the penthouse with the room darkened.
Are you ready? Max asked.
No, I thought.
Max waited.
I tried to feel empathic, whatever that meant. It didn’t work. I’d never wanted to be an empath, but this case had me stymied. Anything that would help me read the people involved would help. Do you have the files from Adept Sanva? I mean the exercises for, uh, being empathic.
Yes, all of them, Max said. Which would you like to start with?
I have no clue. Until two days ago, I hadn’t even known you could do empath exercises. Does she recommend any?
Meditation. When you reach a relaxed state, try to sense how you feel, physically and emotionally.
Oh, Max. It sounded like the freely-feely nonsense currently trending with people who had too much money and went to hot-goop spas. I’d feel stupid.
It’s not like you have anything to lose. Meditation is healthy. And you could use the rest.
I supposed he had a point. I closed my eyes. How do I meditate?
Center your mind.
I have no idea what that means.
Visualize a place that relaxes you. Breathe evenly. Imagine each part of your body relaxing, starting from your toes and moving to the top of your head. Keep your mind smooth. Don’t think about solving problems.
All right. I imagined Mirror Lake at the Majda palace, one of the most tranquil sights on the planet. It didn’t work. My thoughts on the Majdas were anything but tranquil, given the mixed signs they were giving about whether or not they wanted my sorry ass dead. So instead I thought of a grotto where Jak and I had often made love in our youth. Its crystals sparkled in torchlight, covering the lacy stone formations that had formed around the small lake over the eons. The water was poisonous but the grotto breathtaking, an apt metaphor for the aqueducts, both deadly and beautiful.
I tensed and relaxed my toes. Then the balls of my feet. Soles . . . heels . . .
I opened my eyes. Jak was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching me. Light from the living room trickled around him.
“Eh.” I sat up and slid my arms around him, laying my head against his shoulder. “Mmm.”
He held me. “You’re in a good mood.”
“Yah. Guess I was tired.” I drew back from him. “How long have you been here?”
“About ten minutes. Max didn’t want me to wake you up.”
Max spoke from my gauntlet comm. “She needs rest.” He sounded annoyed.
I stretched, feeling better. “How long did I sleep?”
“Four hours,” Max said. “Do you feel more empathic?”
I laughed. “No, not one bit.”
Jak tilted his head. “More what?”
I told him about Doctor Sanva and her exercises, which made him smile, and then I told him about what happened at the palace, which he found less amusing.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” he demanded. “No one spies on the Majdas.”
“I had to know.”
“You already know.” He gripped my arms as if that could stop me from doing stupid shit. “If they wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”
“I’m not so easy to kill.”
“That knife attack was too public. It isn’t their style.”
I swung my legs off the bed and he moved so we were sitting side by side. “Jak, have you heard of the Desert Winds?”
“Sure. Why?”
“Do any of their members go to the Black Mark?” He always checked out the glitz before he let them into his casino. His customers probably had no idea how much he knew about them.
He spoke to the air. “Royal, who do we have from the Desert Winds?”
The sensually deep voice of Royal Flush, Jak’s infamous EI, came out his gauntlet comm. Jak had named Royal after the legendary poker hand that had netted him enough winnings to start his casino. “Several members of the Winds patronize the Black Mark.” Royal gave two names I didn’t recognize, then said, “Chiaru Starchild, Daan Bialo, and Mara Quida.”
“Holy shit,” I said. “That’s the connection.”
“What connection?” Jak asked.
I told him about Chiaru’s disappearance. “Daan Bialo is another Scorpio exec. He was in line for the Metropoli contract and got passed over in favor of Mara Quida.” I spoke to the air. “Max, send a message to Detective Talon at Scorpio. Tell her they need to protect these execs: Jen Oja, Daan Bialo, Zeddia Vixer, and Tallmount. One of them might be the next to vanish.”
“Max, stop!” Jak turned to me. I’d never given credence to the phrase “blazing eyes,” which sounded dumb to me, but if a gaze could burn, Jak’s was on fire. “Your EI isn’t sending anyone shit about my casino.”
“I’d never reveal anything about the Black Mark,” I said. “We need to protect Daan Bialo. If this connection is real, Bialo is the only one in danger. I gave the other names as a cover, so it looks like I singled them out because they all got passed over for the Metropoli deal. That has nothing to do with the Black Mark. It’s a logical precaution.” I regarded him steadily. “If I do nothing and Bialo vanishes, that’s on me.”
“You’ll keep the Black Mark out of it?”
“You have my word.”
After a moment, he said, “All right.” With those words, he gave me a trust I’d never seen him show any other living soul.
“Shall I send the message?” Max asked.
I glanced at Jak and he nodded.
“Go ahead,” I said.
“You have to be careful,” Jak told me. “You’re the only person with the connections to see the link between these cases and the casino. It’s no wonder someone is trying to whack you.”
“And you should close up the Black Mark.” The entire casino was designed from an illegal composite. Doped with designer nanobots, the place could take itself apart faster than a desert whirlwind and rebuild wherever else he wanted.
“I can’t close up,” he said. “People will wonder why.”
He had a good point. “You be careful, too, yah?”
“You worried for me, Bhaajo?” he murmured.
Damn, he was using that voice, a sensual rumble that could make me forget any other man existed. Seeing his body limned in sunlight from the front room was erotic in a way that people who’d always lived aboveground would never know. I lay down on the bed, pulling him with me in the bronzed light of Raylicon.
Daan Bialo, Zeddia Vixer, and Tallmount met
me at a café on the Concourse. I chose the place to see how they reacted to being on the edge of the Undercity. Of course we were nowhere near the true aqueducts, but I doubted even Bialo knew that, despite his visits to the Black Mark. Although I wanted to talk to all three of them, his reactions were the ones I most needed to gauge.
We sat at a round table on a balcony. The Concourse lay below, a wide boulevard with boutiques, jewelry stores, and cafés. Although night had fallen in the desert above, the avenue remained bright from street lamps and overhead lighting. Across the boulevard, a bridge arched over the only canal in the Concourse. This aqueduct was better kept than those in the true Undercity, at least “better” according to people in Cries. It had no dust. The city kept it so clean, it no longer looked like part of the ancient ruins. They also paved it with flagstones cut from stone in the Vanished Sea, which would never happen in the true aqueducts. Clubs and party plazas lay beyond it, their lights dimmed for atmosphere but still glittering with people stroll-lolling at their leisure.
“All these kids.” Daan Bialo watched the clubbers. “They think they’re slumming it.”
Zeddia Vixer snorted. “Well, then, so are we.” Her nasal voice grated on my ears.
“I used to like the clubs when I was younger.” Daan took a swallow of his whisker-run, a blend of whiskey and cacao. “I know this Undercity. It makes you feel alive.”
Yah, right, I thought. You have no idea.
I don’t think they realize you come from the Undercity, Max thought.
Tallmount sipped her water, then set down her emerald-hued glass. She looked stronger and more fit than the others. Her file said she ran marathons. She spoke to me in a resonant voice, much easier to listen to than the others. “You wanted to ask about Mara Quida.”
The Vanished Seas (Major Bhaajan series Book 3) Page 12