That would include Picka’tor, Tettar, and myself.
#
When I received the email from Alena addressed to my old name, my shoulders sagged. I had not told the ambassador about me yet.
Might as well get this over with too.
I tagged Vincent to meet me at the parking lot of Harper Hotel on Shoreline Drive.
Then I sent an email directly to the ambassador.
“We need to meet. We’ll come from Harper today.”
My hacker friend arrived in a totally brown suit, white dress shirt, and black shoes. I briefed him on the mercons I knew.
We walked into the hotel, went to the basement, and entered room 43.
I pulled the corner of the rug aside and Vincent held it while I entered the code on the keypad. When the door clicked open, we both entered the dark room which soon lit up from light in the walls.
There sat Tettar.
Vincent’s eyes were wide open. He’d never seen a mercon in person.
Tettar pressed a button on a device he wore around his neckless head and a door slid open. There sat a car with four seats.
We got in the car and journeyed through the maze. The car came to a stop and we got out under the watchful eyes of more mercons.
As we walked down the hall toward the ambassador’s office, a mercon of five foot three inches walked the other way. I noted this was tall for a mercon so maybe he had been born on Rossa.
Twenty minutes later, we sat in the tall-backed chairs in the office of the ambassador. Gliituk himself sat in his iridescent orange cape with Tettar on his left. I had been there before as Jake but Vincent couldn’t help but look around at his surroundings, including the many portraits on the walls.
“Do I know you?” asked Gliituk.
I raised and lowered my head. “I’ve been here before. You knew me as Jake Dani.”
With that news, the ambassador sat more upright and his eyebrows rose.
I explained how I had returned from Earth to Rossa after being rebuilt from the template of Jake Dani. Vincent continued his study of his surroundings.
Then I explained I had no memories of the last five months.
Gliituk said, “This has never happened in my species.”
I replied, “Welcome to the twenty-second century. Change is normal. Ask me some questions that only Jake would know the answers to.”
Gliituk was silent for a moment.
“By the way,” I commented to break the silence, “who was the tall mercon I passed coming from your office?”
Gliituk sighed. “That must have been my son Ziirtuk. He grew up on Rossa and with lighter gravity he grew taller than me.”
He added. “Do you know of secret society of mercons?”
“Ah, you mean the Mattons? Yes, they have records of many cycles of development, war, and peace among the mercons.”
Gliituk stared in my eyes.
“What did Jake say about going to Ensam?”
For that one, I had to think, so I stared at the floor for five seconds.
“I asked you for permission to go there.”
“And what did I say?
“You agreed to set it up.”
He nodded slowly and uttered, “I’ve seen lot of change. More is coming.”
Something told me this was important.
“What do you mean?”
“Bemanders on Ensam are close to starting another civil war.”
Oh shit.
Chapter 31
Emily Mastar sat in Deek’s chair and pawed through his inbox. She paused to read the third item, a warrant for the arrest of Gancha Morentoss for murder. Signed by someone from Unipol, the European and North American joint police department.
Why hadn’t the captain acted on this before?
Then she noticed the warrant was directed to the York Federal Police, not the Zor Metro Police. The copy she read was sent to Deek Tanny as a courtesy, so the Metro cops would know of an ongoing federal investigation.
Not my problem.
She placed the warrant back in the inbox.
#
Deek took the tag in his private office in his home.
“Malcolm Patton here. Mastar had filed charges against you and Cho Listor. I thought you’d like to know what I’ve learned in the Discovery about evidence against you.”
Deek added, “What does Mastar have?”
Patton replied, “A deposit of eight thousand sols in cash to your checking account, followed by a check to your investment account. Also, she has a record of a deposit made by Cho Listor of four thousand sols a day later.”
Patton added, “Deek, never leave a trail of large deposits. Break the amount into smaller pieces and spread them out over several days. Absorb what you can in the way of personal expenses.”
“Oh, cripe,” Deek said.
“Who’s Cho Listor?”
“Listor is head of the forensics lab,” replied Deek.
“Why would he be involved?”
Deek hesitated.
Patton added, “Deek, you must tell me everything if I’m to help you. We can’t afford to be blindsided.”
Deek said, “I gave Cho Listor some money to lose the blood sample of Leanna Stone.”
“Who’s Leanna Stone?”
“An employee of Jake Dani. Jake gave me the money.”
It was hard to say Jake’s name. Deek felt he was betraying a trust.
Patton added, “Cho Listor was also suspended. I caution you not to worry about this. We have yet to get to the Hearing Phase, where I’ll challenge the evidence.”
#
I received a tag from Deek Tanny. Deek told me what Patton had said and Deek’s replies.
“Don’t worry too much, Deek. You can tell Patton that I, or rather Jake, gave you the money in return for other services.”
“Like what?”
He had me there. I scrambled my brain.
“Like checking license plates, tag numbers, past arrest records, current warrants, comm numbers, etc.”
“Eight thousand sols worth?” asked the cop. “Sounds fishy to me.”
“Deek, try not to worry. I have yet to play some cards.”
Where that phrase came from I couldn’t say.
We disconnected.
One thing at a time.
I focused my brain on Nguyen.
I sat in the ops center dining room after lunch of vegetable soup, crackers, and cinnamon toast with butter.
The more I pondered what happened at Nguyen’s house, the more I thought he was key to the entire problem. Not only of who killed Jake but also of Getner’s plan. Nguyen would be Getner’s man to arrange the rough stuff.
Which meant I had to have the information in Nguyen’s head. The real question was how to get it.
Chapter 32
Three months earlier, Gancha entered the house of Vincent Stone dressed in all black. She came to attend the memorial for Jake Dani.
Black tight dress, black hose, and black shoes. And a black purse, which contained the smaller of her Snaps. She never went out anywhere without protection.
A stranger greeted her at the door.
“Hi, I’m Deek Tanny, a friend of Jake’s. You are?”
The hairs on the back of her neck raised. The look of his clothes and his whole demeanor yelled “cop”.
“Gancha Morentoss. I knew Jake.”
“He spoke of you.”
Deek stood aside.
“Welcome. Do come in.”
She entered and walked into the living room. Everyone wore black. For a second, Gancha wondered if she had stumbled on a meeting of the Amish, like the ones in the movie she had seen.
Customs die hard.
Being a tall woman, she looked over the heads of the people around her and recognized the other team members. Vincent, Andy, and Zetto.
Photos of Jake and Ron rested on many tables. Sometimes they stood together. In them, sometimes Jake smiled for the camera next to his ex-wife Leanna, most re
cently the wife of Vincent. In one photo, Gancha saw Jake with his daughter playing ping pong.
Being dark-skinned, she felt alone in this all-white crowd.
A waiter came up to her with a tray full of glasses, some empty while others were half-full with a yellowish or a dark red liquid. She took a glass of white wine.
“Thank you,” she said.
He answered with a nod as he walked into the crowd.
Gancha made her way to the large photo of Jake in the center.
That was him, all right.
She thought of the many times she had spent the night with him.
Never again.
That lump in her throat swelled. Next to the larger-than-life photo rested a box of facial tissues. Gancha pulled one out and blew her nose.
A tap on her right elbow got her attention. She turned and saw a woman taller than herself, carrying a glass of red wine and dressed in a black skirt, white blouse, and black sweater. For a moment Gancha thought her face looked familiar.
“Are you Gancha?” asked the woman.
She nodded.
“I’m Alena. Jake was my father.”
So that’s where I saw her. In one of the photos.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Gancha replied as she wiped her nose.
The pair of women stared at the large photo of Jake.
“He was a good man,” said Alena.
“You got that right,” added Gancha.
After two minutes of staring at the photo, both women wiped their noses and sipped from their glasses.
Alena turned to her. “Shall we reminisce outside?”
“Lead the way,” Gancha replied.
The two women walked through the crowd while being careful to not spill what was left of their wine. Once outside on the patio, they talked about the man who shared their lives. Then Gancha got an inspiration.
“Where are you staying?”
Alena responded, “At the mercon embassy. It’s temporary though.”
“My house is kinda empty. I live alone except for the housekeeper and the guards. It would be nice if someone stayed in one of the guest rooms.”
“Really?” asked the younger woman.
Gancha turned to the daughter of the man she had come to love.
“Alena, would you like to stay with me?”
Alena’s eyes sparkled as she sipped from her glass. “I’d love to. Maybe we could talk more about my dad.”
#
Nikki Su walked by the single military male guard at the double doors to her office and opened the right door.
As she passed the gold-plated globe of Rossa, she pushed on the edge of the globe and got a slow rotation. The dang hollow ball was made of one inch of gold with the continents painted on, so it was heavy and took an effort to get it rotating. The globe was a gift from Ranute Fallow, son of the late Chester Fallow, a former prime minister. The Fallows owned lots of land north of Zor. Chester had given it to the government when he was the prime minister.
Su sat and rested her elbows on her ornate desk and buried her face in her palms.
How the hell am I supposed to balance a budget during this damned recession?
Tax revenues were two-thirds of what she had worked with when she took office a few weeks ago.
How can anyone manage like this?
Just a month ago, she had sold the golden globe to the independent Museum of Rossa and borrowed it back for display in her office. That resulted in a few million needed credits to the government's accounts. The globe was now on indefinite loan from the museum.
In just thirty minutes, she had an appointment with Ash Getner, head of the York Security Agency, or YSA for short. So she spent the time researching the man, but without much success. She even had to use her security code and password to access his photo image.
Yep, the rumors were true. Ash Getner had artificial legs. He had a motorcycle accident and lost both legs. It annoyed her that she had to work so hard to get information about a man who officially worked for her office.
When Charlotte, Nikki Su’s executive assistant, announced Getner's arrival, she let him in. Su felt intimidated by the man as he stood in front of her desk. That just drew out the bulldog in her.
“Have a seat, Mr. Getner.”
“I prefer to stand, Madam Prime Minister.”
She shrugged as she expected this to be a battle of wills like it was with most men in her government. Might as well get this over with.
“I said, ‘Sit!’”
He sighed and sat in the upholstered chair facing her desk.
“I don't have a report on the efforts of the YSA to catch whoever was behind the assassination.” She looked up directly in his eyes. “Why not?”
“I wasn't aware you needed one, Madam Prime Minister.”
“You can stop calling me Madam Prime Minister.”
“As you wish.”
“I'll expect a report from you daily until this madness is over,” she said. “And I want you to promise to catch this bastard as soon as possible.”
“I'll see what I can do, Madam Prim….”
“That's not good enough, Mr. Getner. I want a promise that you'll find this madman who shot the man who assassinated Klava.”
“I can do only so much with my limited staff and resources. All I can do is try my best. Surely you have other people looking for him.”
“Yes, of course. But don't change the subject. I want a promise from you.”
“Madam Prime Minister…excuse me…I want this monster as much as you do.”
Both of them stared at each other for several seconds.
Finally, Su said, “Get onto it then. Dismissed.”
She waved her hand and turned away from him.
“As you wish, madam.”
The man stood, turned on his two artificial legs, and left.
I notice you didn't promise.
After Getner left, Nikki Su got the distinct impression he couldn't be trusted. Despite his being head of her spook agency, she decided the challenge of their relationship just got personal.
Chapter 33
After lunch, I reclined on my bunk bed, bored as hell. Same walls, same rooms, same bed. And nothing much to do except pet Monk.
Thank heavens the little critter was in my life now.
I barely dozed off in a mid-afternoon nap with Monk under my covers when my comm vibrated with a tag from Gancha.
“Hi Mike. How’d you like to eat at my place tonight? You can meet my roommate.”
Hmm, it might be interesting to see who Gancha invited to stay in her home.
Besides, I was probably going to meet her roommate sooner or later if I slept overnight in her place.
“Sure. What’s a good time?”
Monk popped his head out and took off for somewhere. Maybe the bathroom.
“Say six?” answered Gancha.
“Got it. I’ll be there.”
That was interesting. It seemed almost like Gancha wanted me to meet her roommate. I wondered what was going on there. Was Gancha bi and had a female lover? Something told me that was not the case. Gancha was too straight.
I shut my eyes to get more shuteye so I’d be awake for this evening.
When I woke, Monk was nestled in the crook of my left arm. I took a shower and put on my best blue suit and black shoes.
Alone in the planning room, I turned on the telly to catch the news. Wars and violent protests continued on Earth, but that was normal so I turned off the telly until the time came for the local weather.
Rain might come tonight. Rats. That meant I’d have to carry an umbrella. No man could be called a sissy on Rossa for using one. A couple years ago, a tourist thought he could brave it and a hailstone cracked his skull. He died before the ER people could get to him.
When the time came, I put on my two Snaps. The heavy one for my chest holster and the light one for my right ankle. On the way out the dorm room, I picked up a sturdy black umbrella.
“Ru
ta, I’m going to Gancha’s.”
This time I took my own car to Gancha’s. Vincent had modified it to include his special software and he and I had installed several cameras on both the inside and outside. I had chosen the name Christina for my car’s AI. I gave her Gancha’s address in Corey, a suburb southeast of central Zor.
“Christina, can you make a loop to check on possible tailing vehicles?”
“Affirmative.”
Like most cars these days, the steering wheel, gas, and brake pedals were initially recessed, to come out only on the command of manual control from the driver.
I studied the sky. Dark clouds. In minutes, small droplets of rain landed on my windshield.
“Christina, can we stop at a convenience store on the way?”
“Affirmative.”
I wasn’t sure I liked the way Vincent had modified her. At least his old coding had class.
After the car parked, I picked up my umbrella, walked into the convenience store, and picked up a bottle of red Bordonnay. It came with its own cooler. By now, the rain came steady. I opened the umbrella as I exited the store. The image of that poor man dying from a cracked skull prompted me.
Soon after my car got to Gancha’s, the water from the clouds came even heavier. It could now be called a downpour.
I opened the door and opened my umbrella to a crack from above. The tat-tat-tat of rain hit the umbrella. Only it sounded more like a machine gun.
It took only fifteen minutes or less to get to Gancha’s house. She held the door open for me on the side door, dressed in a green tight dress.
Once inside, I collapsed my umbrella and left it on a hook by her door.
We exchanged brief kisses and made our way into the dining room.
There I saw the big surprise.
Alena stood from the table and extended her right hand.
“I’m Alena Dani, Gancha’s roommate. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Shapeck.”
I looked over to Gancha. She had a smirk on her face and was obviously enjoying this.
“Aren’t you going to shake hands?” Gancha asked.
“Uh, okay.”
I put my hand out and shook with my daughter.
#
Later that night, Gancha and I retired to her bedroom.
Rebuilt: A Jake Dani/Mike Shapeck Novel (Jake Dani / Mike Shapeck) Page 12