***
Francesca was staring at the monitor like Ran-Del might stare at a lace palm, waiting for a tree bear to move. Ran-Del wished he understood what all the columns of numbers meant. Clearly Francesca was elated by them, but Ran-Del had no idea why.
“Well, Baroness?” Marina Quinn asked.
Francesca smiled. “You’ve done very well, Marina. We’ve got all the pieces now. We know where the money came from, and how he gave it to Alyssa, and we can show Leong-Norwalk that we’re doing them a favor.”
“I doubt if Baroness Leong will see it that way,” Quinn said dryly.
“She might,” Francesca said, “if I work it right.”
“What are you going to do?” Ran-Del asked, after Quinn had left.
Francesca raised her eyebrows. “Can’t you tell without my saying anything?”
“I don’t like to do that with you—not at that level,” Ran-Del said. “It’s one thing to see just what you’re thinking at the moment and another to go burrowing around in your mind as if I were on a treasure hunt.”
“Would I notice if you did?” Francesca asked.
“I doubt it. Most people aren’t that self-aware. I wasn’t, before my gift grew.”
She lifted her brows. “The thing is, I have to make Hans pay for his crimes in a way that shows the whole city it’s not safe to kill a Hayden. At the same time, I have to make sure that Leong-Norwalk accepts my verdict and won’t come after me.”
It seemed like a difficult task to Ran-Del. “How are you going to do all that?”
Francesca shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet.”
He got to his feet. “Well, I have a session with a student this afternoon.”
Her expression didn’t change, but he could sense her distaste. Still, she didn’t try to dissuade him, but merely glanced over at the row of bookcases against the wall. “Are you going to leave from here? Or do you need to go back to our suite for anything before you go out?”
Ran-Del shook his head. “I don’t need anything. I’ll try this exit this time. I’d like to see what the passage looks like at this end.”
“It isn’t just another way to the same passage,” Francesca said. “Great-great-granddad was much too paranoid to have two escape passages with the same exit. This one comes out from a vacant house just beyond the walls. Did you have any trouble last time?”
“No. Not at all.” The doors had opened for him with satisfying ease. “I figured out where I was once I came outside by the park.” Ran-Del came over and embraced her gently. “Thank you for giving me a way out.”
She sighed. “Please be careful.”
“I will.” He pulled her out of her chair and held her close. “I don’t want my child to grow up without me,” he said, laying a hand across her stomach protectively.
“I don’t either,” Francesca said, putting her hand over his.
Ran-Del grinned. “It was so quick. I’ve only been back a few weeks.”
“It only takes a few minutes,” Francesca said dryly.
Ran-Del laughed and kissed her, and then he stepped over to the last set of shelves. He reached past the figurine of a unicorn on the top shelf to press his hand against the access panel that looked just like the wall round it. The shelf swung away from the wall silently, revealing a steel door.
The door slid open when Ran-Del put his hand on the second access panel. He stepped through it with a cheerful wave over his shoulder to Francesca. She looked glum, but he couldn’t help smiling. He finally had work to do that was worth the doing.
The Sixth Discipline Page 93