Ganos hesitated. “I’m going to need more than that, sir. Sorry. I went in blind last time and it almost cost me. Almost cost us. I’m not doing that again.”
Fader started to speak, but I cut her off. Ganos was right. I owed her—and the other two— the truth. “That’s fair. In this case, I had a good idea of what he might be looking for because I met with him and I put him up to it. Farric has conflict with radical elements in his own organization, and he was willing to give me a name of someone who might have had something to do with the bombing. When he does, if he does, I’ll pass it on to you. But that person—if the name is valid—might be dangerous. They tried to bomb us. And if they also hacked the military or routed their network attack through the military . . . well, that might mean they’re a threat to you as well.”
Ganos thought about it for a minute. “Okay. I can deal with that. Terrorists . . . that’s a known quantity. Terrorist hacker . . . yep. That’s a worry. But that’s a worry I’m happy to face. Because fuck them. Faceless, multibillion-mark corporations? No thanks.”
“Well there’s still Caliber.”
“And I’m being careful as shit around them,” she said. “Fool me once.”
I had to admit, the new Ganos—the cautious, calculating Ganos—I liked her. She’d grown up. And I felt like an asshole for liking this new version, because she wouldn’t have had to grow up if I hadn’t put her in danger a couple years back. “I’ll keep you as fully in the loop as I can. And you do the same, okay? No taking big risks without talking them through with us, first.”
“Deal,” she said. “Now about that drink.”
After everyone left, I couldn’t sleep. I had too many loose ends and no way to tie up most of them. I needed help. I didn’t hold out much hope, but Serata had given me a liaison, and he was worth a try. I sent him a message.
Flak Jacket,
It’s been a while. Do they still call you that? Probably not. Congrats on making colonel. The mission is going well, but I’ve hit a couple of dead ends and I thought maybe you could help. I’m sure you got the report on the bombing, but did you hear that the suspect got moved off planet to another jurisdiction? I’ve attached his information. Thing is, this guy is small time, and apparently some high-priced attorneys got involved. I want to know why. Can you look into that back there on Talca?
One other thing. A guy named Schultz (File attached) disappeared from here about a month ago. I need to talk to him in order to get this thing done, but nobody knows where he went. Can you have someone track him down and make him available to talk? I don’t have to talk to him personally, but I’d like to feed some questions to a trained interrogator. There’s a chance he was involved in the incident that led to Xyla Redstone’s death.
Thanks,
Butler
Chapter Twelve
I went early to talk to Oxendine about getting Ganos access to the vehicle. I worried a little about what Ganos would try to do once she got inside the military system, but if we’d been hacked, I wanted to know. I’d had Fader call ahead, so Oxendine was expecting me.
“You here to wrap this up?” she asked.
That caught me a bit off guard, and I waited while an aide brought us coffee, which gave me time to mask my confusion. Was she being sarcastic? I decided to answer it straight. “Still have a way to go.”
“You’ve got your answer: It was a territorial incursion, and the alpha predators didn’t like it. Write it up and send it in with a bow on it.”
I paused, unsure where her attitude came from. “I’m not sure it’s that simple.”
“Sending in the report?”
“What goes in the report.”
“Of course it’s not that simple,” said Oxendine. “But it can be. If you say that’s what happened, that’s what happened. The government can close it out and tell the rich man that you did your due diligence and that’s that. Everybody’s happy.”
“Except the dead people.”
“Maybe,” she said. “But even for them, the situation gets closure. This is about Zentas, and he already got what he wanted. Carl Fucking Butler looked into his daughter’s disappearance. He can brag about it at cocktail parties. It’s over.”
“There was an assassination attempt and the chief subject got shipped off planet. I’d think you’d want to get to the bottom of that.” I couldn’t separate the bombing from my case, even though I couldn’t prove any connection.
“I do. But that’s my job, not yours. And it’s not even mine anymore now that the governor gave away the suspect. They’ll have to figure it out back on Talca once the guy gets there in a month or two.”
The sudden change in Oxendine’s attitude didn’t make sense, and the only reason I could surmise was that she got orders from somewhere to let it go. “Who got to you?”
She looked away for a split second. “It doesn’t matter.”
I almost said something mean, but I caught myself. Oxendine was an honorable officer, and she wouldn’t have backed off if she had any other choice. In the end, if she didn’t do what her bosses told her to, they’d find someone who would. Some officers would say that out loud, but she was too professional. “I just want to finish—”
She cut me off. “Look, Carl. I know you can do more. You know you can do more. But is there anything you can do that ends with that girl coming back alive? No. Whatever you do, whatever you find, that doesn’t change. She’s dead, and that’s not in question.”
Except . . . what if she wasn’t?
Five years ago, on Cappa, everyone believed that Mallot was dead. And I found him. Then I killed him. But that’s not the point. When I found him, he was alive. Oxendine wouldn’t know that, of course. We buried that deep, and it was supposed to stay that way. I needed her help, though, and in my mind, that constituted a need to know. “I’m going to tell you something, but it’s so classified that if anyone finds out I told you, I’m probably going to jail, and you might be there with me.”
“Hold on.” She reached under her desk and flipped a switch, and the telltale hum of an electronic disrupter filled the room, feeling almost like it increased the air pressure slightly. Nothing could eavesdrop through that.
“You know why I was on Cappa.”
“Of course. Everyone knows that.”
“You also know that it started as a missing-person mission. That’s why I was there.”
“Right. And the body never turned up.”
“Except it did.”
She paused. Good to know I could surprise her, even if it took a galactic conspiracy to do it. “You found him?”
“I did. Alive.”
She stared at me.
“Then he died under circumstances that couldn’t get out. I covered it up.” Even with my swearing her to secrecy, I couldn’t tell her any more than that.
Oxendine considered my story for a moment. “Okay. That explains your reluctance to close this one. But it doesn’t make you right. The two missions are unrelated. You need to take the win here and move on.”
“You’re getting pressure,” I said. She didn’t respond, which told me what I needed to know. She’d have denied it if she could have done it honestly. “I can’t quit.” I wanted to—I really did—but I couldn’t. I’m not wired that way.
She pursed her lips. “Okay. Understand, though, that I’m not putting people in undue danger. I’ll meet my requirements to the letter of the order, but that’s it.”
I held back a chuckle. “About that. I need a favor. It doesn’t put anyone in even the slightest danger.”
“I’m listening.”
“I need access to the vehicle for one of my associates. She thinks the vehicle might have been hacked, causing the sensor outage. With access to the system, she can track it.”
Oxendine crossed her arms. “Absolutely not.”
I started to respond but hesitated. I hadn’t expected her to answer so quickly and without at least thinking about it. Even if she wanted me out of her hair, she
’d been reasonable to that point. If I’d been her subordinate, I’d have had to accept the answer without explanation. But while I respected her rank, I didn’t work for her. “Why not?”
“Two reasons. First, you were in the middle of the jungle. Who hacked you? The hominiverts? I’m not an anthropologist, or whatever the scientist is who studies these things, but I’m certain that they don’t have that capability. Second—and more important—in what world is it a good idea for a commander to give access to military networks to a known hacker?”
Of course she knew about Ganos. Oxendine had done her homework. I should have seen that coming. “Fair point. How about instead of access to the system she explains her suspicion and how she’d go about investigating it to someone from your team?”
“I have people who can do that,” she said. “After all, where do you think Ganos got her training?”
I didn’t know the answer to that for sure, but I suspected that she’d learned a lot of what she knew outside the military. “Can I get a copy of the report when they’ve checked?”
“If there’s anything that applies to you, I will ensure that you are informed.” Her tone said that she was done being questioned. It also made me doubt that I’d ever hear anything. She’d left herself a wide path out by saying I’d be informed of things that apply to me, since she could define that criteria.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” I didn’t, but she’d clearly made up her mind, and uncooperative beat openly hostile. I’d have to find another way.
I’d messaged Ganos to meet me at my apartment, but she hadn’t made it yet. Fader was waiting though, pacing. Not a good sign.
“We’ve been evicted, sir.”
I stood there, confused, for several seconds. Even then, all I managed was, “Huh?”
“The governor’s people want us out today. They need the rooms. They’re moving us to a different location. I’ve lodged a protest. I’m sure the governor doesn’t know that his people are doing this.”
“Withdraw the protest. We’ll move.” I didn’t need the room. Didn’t really want it.
“Sir, it’s not appropriate for them to make you move.”
“Sure it is. If someone outranks you, you give up your spot. I’m sure whatever they have for me will be fine. If there’s a toilet and a way to get coffee, I’m happy.” I did wonder a little bit if I’d done something to cause the action. It could be Davidson getting even.
“Roger, sir.” Fader’s tone said she didn’t agree, but she let it go.
“When you call to tell them it’s fine, ask who the new VIP is. They can at least give us that.”
“Roger, sir.” She already had her device out as she moved away. Just then, Ganos buzzed, and Mac let her in. I hated that she traveled alone. We needed to do something about that, but when I’d mentioned a security detail to her before, she gave me a death glare, and I was still sensitive about our previous conversation, so I didn’t want to push it.
She bounced into the room. “Tell me something good.”
“Wish I could,” I said. “The general knew who you were and when I asked to get you access, she didn’t say no, she said hell no.”
“Smart woman.” Ganos smiled. “I think I’m going to break in.”
“I thought yesterday you told me you didn’t want to get involved with things that might be dangerous or where you could get caught.”
“No . . . I said that I didn’t want you putting me in those situations without me knowing about it. This I’m doing myself. That’s different. Eyes wide open and all that.”
I understood. And for selfish reasons, I was happy to have the cocky Ganos back. “I thought you had to be inside their network to do what you need to do.”
“Probably,” said Ganos. “It would definitely be easier. But don’t worry about it. I’ll find a way. In more pressing news, I ran those pictures that Mac sent me from yesterday to see if I could find matches for the faces. I’m not done yet, but I already got some interesting hits.”
“Excellent.” I meant it. We needed a win.
“At least three of the people from the Humans First side—the counterprotestors—work for Caliber.”
“That’s . . . interesting. That means the counterprotest to the protest that happened outside Caliber was by Caliber employees.” I was being repetitive, but I needed to say it out loud. “I don’t suppose the big guy who led the counterprotestors was an employee?”
“He wasn’t. But I ran him first. His name is Jan Karlsson. Ex-military. Infantry. Put out of the army for insubordination and assault. He took a plea bargain to avoid jail time. Spent some time in the contract-security business, mostly in bad places that smart people avoid. He appears to be unemployed now, which shouldn’t be possible on a colony like this. There’s more, if you want it.”
“More on Karlsson? Yes, please. He may be a guy I can lean on a little.”
“Just remember he can snap you in half like a twig,” Mac said from across the room.
“He’s a big boy, that’s for sure,” I said. “I’ll try not to make him mad.”
Mac laughed. “Not sure that’s your strong suit, sir.”
“What else do you have on him, Ganos?” I said, ignoring the dig.
“The guy has no job, but he spends money like he’s got it to spare. Food, liquor, high-tech toys, streaming entertainment. He’s also got some weird tastes in porn, but that’s not really important.”
“Okay—I definitely need to talk to Mr. Karlsson. Any hints on where he hangs out?”
“Not from memory, but I can pull up where he’s spent money when I get back on my system.”
“We could try the gym,” said Mac.
“Good call. Maybe if you meet him there, you can set something up,” I said.
Mac nodded. “An excuse to go to the gym? I’m on it. But that means you can’t go out, sir. I don’t need to remind you what happened on Cappa when you decided to ditch me, do I?”
“No, I remember that ass kicking as if it were yesterday. I can stay put for a couple hours. After that we need to move to our new quarters.”
“Hold on, Mac,” Fader was still on her device, and by the look on her face, she’d heard something important. “Okay, thanks,” she said, and disconnected. “The VIP . . . it’s Drake Zentas. I trust we’ve all heard of him.”
“Fuuuuck.”
My first thought after the expletive was incongruent—I wondered if Oxendine knew. When she told me I should close the case and leave, I wonder if she knew he’d be arriving. It seemed unlikely that she wouldn’t know. She made it a point to know things, even if the governor didn’t share. Maybe that was why she got orders to have me shut things down.
My second thought was about the mission. How did it change with the father of the missing person and the guy who sent me here showing up colonyside? If nothing else, it would clear up the hurdles I’d had with Stroud. She’d wanted to talk to the man before helping me—looked like she’d get her chance. Zentas would have the governor’s ear, for sure. Me being evicted showed that. If the others had thoughts, they held them, waiting for mine. Before I could share them, my device buzzed.
It was Farric. Well shit. When things start to happen, they all happen at once. I answered. “Butler.”
“Marko Hubic.” He hung up.
Just a name. But that’s all I’d asked of him. “Let’s regroup,” I told the team. In the span of a few minutes, I’d gone from having almost no leads to having too many. “That was Dante Farric. He just gave me a name. Marko Hubic. The implication is that he’s someone from the more radical wing of EPV who might have connections to the bombing.” I paused to let the others absorb the information. “Let’s do this: Mac, you escort Ganos back to her place, then go to the gym and see if you can find Karlsson. Try to get him to agree to meet. Ganos, if you would, get me everything you can on Hubic as quickly as you can. After that, if Mac hasn’t found Karlsson, see if you can track him down through the network. Captain Fader, let’s you and
I go over to the governor’s and see what we can find out about Zentas. We should at least be able to get an itinerary.”
Mac looked at me like he was about to object. They’d released the protection detail the previous evening when Oxendine’s Intel shop determined that there were no continuing threats that warranted it.
“I will stay with Fader and we’ll both carry weapons. We’ll be okay.” Mac couldn’t stop a bomb any better than I could, though I didn’t know if he’d agree with that.
“Sir—” Mac began.
“Okay, you win. Captain Fader, call up Ops and tell them we need part of the detail back. Ask them to send two soldiers over to escort me.” I looked to Mac. “Okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
He was right, but the delay still frustrated me. Things were finally happening, and it was time to get shit done.
The army didn’t give much pushback on sending the soldiers we needed, but we had to wait on them. Fader was flipping through the news feeds on her device when something passed over her face that I hadn’t seen before. She usually kept her emotions in check, but not this time. I couldn’t read it, though. Was it sadness? Fear? Anger? Maybe some combination. I don’t think she trusted herself to speak.
“What happened?” I asked.
She showed me her device, where she had frozen a live feed. A dark-skinned local newscaster sat at a generic desk in a generic studio, but that wasn’t what mattered. The words framed at the bottom of the screen told the whole story.
Dante Farric found dead.
I sat down hard on the sofa. I’d done it again. I’d gotten another person—presumably an innocent one—killed. I’d pressed him for a name, and he’d got it for me, and thirty minutes later he was dead. Wherever I went, people died. That was what I saw on Fader’s face. Revulsion. Shit, I’d probably get her killed too. Maybe it was fear I saw in her eyes.
“Call ops. Cancel the soldiers,” I said. While Fader did that, I got the bottle and filled a glass, not even bothering with ice. Things got a little blurry after that, but I think Fader drank too. By the time Mac got back, I was barely functional and drinking out of the bottle. I think maybe he got it away from me and got me to bed, but I couldn’t say for sure. I woke up there in the middle of the night, and the first thing I thought of through my splitting headache was that we were supposed to have been evicted. Fader had probably taken care of that. She was efficient.
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