“Thanks,” Ninan said automatically, still distracted with Bryon’s comment about Petre. He decided he should try to get some information out of Frasnia about her conversation with Bryon by innocently asking, “Did I hear Bryon mention Petre MacVeen when we walked in?”
“Yes,” she replied and then leaned forward to continue, “Bryon just hates that man. He was just asking me if I knew anything about his whereabouts. I was just about to tell him I hadn’t heard anything when you guys walked in.”
“Boy, I can sure understand about not liking Petre. I don’t like him much myself. When I worked for Captain Issyn, I heard more than one tale about Petre working outside of the proper channels to move his cargo. Those kinds of activities give honest shippers a bad name.” He paused to consider how he would present his knowledge of Petre’s whereabouts without sounding suspicious.
He finally decided to say, “You know, I just spoke with Captain Issyn and I recall he mentioned Petre being at the Port of Cerid this weekend. You could let Bryon know that you heard through shipping channels where Petre is now located without mentioning that I told you, couldn’t you? I really don’t want any association with him.”
“Sure thing,” Frasnia said with some excitement. “Bryon will be thrilled to get any update whatsoever. He probably won’t even ask me where I heard, he’ll be so relieved to get any news. I’ll wait a few minutes after you leave to let him know.”
“Thanks,” Ninan said as the front office door opened and more people filed in to retrieve their paychecks. Ninan took this distraction as the perfect opportunity to take his leave. To keep from thinking about Petre for a few moments, Ninan opened his pay envelope, which was still clutched in his hand, to see how much better this job was going to pay. He was pleasantly surprised to find it contained five taj and six shills. The money hardly seemed worth it when he realized, with dragging footsteps as he walked to the marketplace, that he was now going to have to betray the good people he worked for to write his second letter to Petre.
Tammuz 26, 3443
Petre,
I have less to report this week than last. I went to the marketplace often and looked for Jesisca but did not see her or even anyone who might resemble her. I’ll spend some time this weekend walking the neighborhoods again.
Until next week,
Ninan
He sealed the envelope and addressed it in the care of the Harbor Master at the Port of Cerid. There was nothing more to do than put the letter in the courier box and feel as though another piece of his integrity just left him. His mood darkened while he thought about Petre and his story about Jesisca as he walked back to his dinner at the boarding house.
The one good thing about today was that I got to let Bryon know where Petre is currently, he thought as he walked home. I wonder why Bryon even cares, he thought and then another idea struck him. I wonder if Bryon knows where Jesisca is and is helping to hide her from Petre. That thought brought a little life back into his step. If it were true, which of course could not possibly be, Jesisca could not be in better hands than Bryon’s.
Chapter Four
NINAN DID WALK through the districts that weekend. On Sabtu, the first day of the weekend, he walked every neighborhood on the side of the city closest to the warehouse district. He was exhausted by the end of the day and yet not a little bit discouraged.
One benefit to walking by himself was the ability to spend a lot of time thinking. The more he thought about the idea that Jesisca was actually staying with Bryon the more convinced he became. I wish there were some way to ask Bryon without making him suspicious, he thought. I really would like to just get to know Jesisca and find out her side of the story.
On the second day of the weekend, Minggu, Ninan continued his community search on the other end of the city. He got an earlier start than he had the previous day, it was around nine o’clock in the morning, and most people were still in their homes. Ninan figured people would get out of their houses today considering the sunny skies.
Within a half an hour he spotted a telepod in front of someone’s house. It was the first one he had seen the entire weekend. Ninan slowed his steps to see if he would be able to make out anyone either already in the telepod or, if it were empty, maybe delay until the passengers came out to get in it. People did not generally have their telepods out unless they planned on using them within a short period of time.
Just a few minutes later, Ninan was astonished to see his manager, Bryon, walk out of the house laden with a large basket and hurriedly get into the waiting telepod. When the telepod did not leave right away, Ninan wondered if Bryon was waiting for someone still in the house to join him.
Ninan stepped behind the neighbor’s shrub to continue his surveillance. Seconds later, Ninan gasped out loud as the woman, whose picture he had looked at every day for the past two weeks, skipped out of the house and into the waiting telepod. He did not have any time to react before the telepod blinked out of the front yard.
He could not believe that his outrageous suspicion about Jesisca staying with Bryon’s family had actually been true. He chuckled as he turned around to walk back to the boarding house. I don’t have any reason to continue looking for her when I know where she lives, he thought as he continued to chuckle and shake his head in wonder.
Back in his room, Ninan conceived of various ways to be able to talk to Jesisca. First, Ninan wondered if there were any way he might be able to get invited over to Bryon’s house for dinner so he could have a valid reason to talk to her. Then, he thought maybe he could talk to Bryon about his telepod and maybe even go for a ride with him in it until he realized this train of thought would not get him any closer to talking with Jesisca.
Abandoning that thought, he moved on to maybe needing an excuse to see a wise-woman. He had heard that Bryon’s wife was a newly appointed wise-woman with a rising reputation for her successes. Ninan had to give up on this idea, too, since he was in obvious good health and without any reason to hang around their house to talk to Jesisca. Maybe my only option is dinner, he thought in frustration. He decided to talk to Bryon about it the next day at work.
During his first break, Ninan decided to go see if Bryon wanted to have lunch with him that day. He entered the lobby and walked over to where Frasnia was seated at her desk and asked, “Is Bryon in today?”
“Sorry, he sent in a sick message today on the patil.”
“Do you think he’ll be back tomorrow?” Ninan asked with concern. Bryon had seemed fine the day before, he wondered what could have happened to make him miss work.
“I imagine he’ll be in. All the time I’ve worked here, he’s never missed a single day.”
“Okay then. I’ll check back in tomorrow,” he said and waved goodbye to Frasnia as he left the office.
The next day, Ninan received the same answer from Frasnia about Bryon being out sick as well as every subsequent day that week. On Jumat, Ninan took his time going to the office to pick up his pay. He hoped to be able to talk to Frasnia without anyone interrupting. His timing was perfect. The last employee was leaving the office just as Ninan entered. Frasnia looked as though she had been crying although she was valiantly trying to hide it.
“What’s wrong, Frasnia? Has something happened to Bryon?”
“Bryon’s physically fine,” Frasnia began. “I just found out why Bryon’s been out of the office.”
When she did not continue, Ninan prompted, “What happened?”
“He and a friend of his went hiking up in the foothills of Cresdon. There was a sudden rainstorm which caused a mudslide. His friend got caught in it and died. Bryon is beside himself with grief and guilt. As I understood it, it was Bryon’s idea that they go hiking. Can you even imagine? I feel so badly for him!” Frasnia started to sob again even as she pulled out the pay box and retrieved Ninan’s money for the week.
Ninan felt as though someone had punched him in the gut. He had the sickening feeling he knew that this friend of Bryon’s was Jesisca. He
just could not believe that she was dead. Ninan decided to ask, “Who was this friend? Was it a man or a woman?”
“That’s what makes it even worse,” she began, “it’s the woman who’s been staying at their house for the past few mesans taking care of Bryon’s children while his wife went to be trained as a wise-woman.”
“Wow, that’s rough,” Ninan said absently as his worst fear was confirmed. Jesisca was dead. He was going to have to report this to Petre. Thoughts began to race through Ninan’s mind. Will Petre believe me? Will Petre still pay me even though she’s dead? Maybe I should keep the dying part to myself for a few more weeks, he thought, then I can get the rest of the money Petre promised me; there’s no reason why something good shouldn’t come out of this bad situation. “Try to have a good weekend, Frasnia,” Ninan said as he pocketed his pay envelope and walked out the office door.
He sat down at one of the marketplace tables and pulled out his writing supplies to compose his weekly letter to Petre.
Ab 3, 3443
Petre,
I have good news: I saw Jesisca earlier this week. I did not have an opportunity to talk to her as she got into a telepod and ‘ported away before I could make my move. I never saw her return, but I will keep my eyes open to see if she does.
Until next week,
Ninan
He read through the letter to make sure it did not contain anything that was not true. Satisfied with his report, he sealed the envelope and addressed it to Petre. With a bounce in his step, he deposited it into the courier’s box and went to eat dinner at the boarding house.
With his new job, Ninan was able to start saving some money. He had decided he would like to try to find a house to buy so he could stay in Kirma permanently. From what he had seen on his tours of the neighborhoods, the housing was reasonably priced. He was also impressed by the people, employment opportunities, diversity, and vitality which the city offered.
He spent the next two days walking the neighborhoods with an eye to purchasing a house instead of searching for Jesisca. Ninan found several houses available which would be perfect starter homes. At the home which was closest to his job, and incidentally his favorite, he approached the front door and knocked. A few moments later a young woman answered the door.
“I saw you have your house for sale. I was wondering if I could schedule a time to walk through it,” he said.
“How about right now?” she inquired with some excitement.
“Really? It won’t put you to any trouble?”
“No trouble at all,” she replied. “We just put the sign in the yard this morning, and we’re quite anxious to sell quickly. You see, my husband just had his match day, and his new job is at the Old Soul Engineering Facility starting in just two weeks, on the twentieth of Ab.” She stepped to the side of the doorway and gestured for Ninan to enter the house.
Ninan stepped forward, hand outstretched, and said, “My name’s Ninan.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, Ninan. My name’s Kanekoa,” she replied and shook his hand. She proceeded to give him a tour of the entire house.
Impressed with the layout and cleanliness; Ninan especially appreciated the back yard with the immaculate landscaping and the wide variety of fruit trees. He could easily see himself living here and enjoying a simple laid back life. Before the tour was over, he made up his mind. He wanted this house.
“Would you like something to drink?” she asked as they finished the tour.
“Sure, that’d be wonderful.”
“Would pika juice be alright?”
“Perfect.”
“Why don’t you take a seat in the living room while I get the refreshments,” she said as she walked away toward the kitchen.
Ninan already felt at home as he walked down the bright hallway back toward the living room. He paused at the doorway and smiled as he envisioned making this his own home. He picked a chair which faced the windows so he could appreciate the view of the neighborhood while he waited for the owner to return.
Kanekoa entered the room with their drinks and passed one to Ninan. She inquired politely, “Do you have any questions about the house?”
He took a sip of the pika juice and nodded his head, “How much are you asking for it?”
“We had thought to ask thirty-five hundred taj,” she began but then added hastily, “but we’re willing to entertain offers.”
Ninan visibly gulped at the asking price. He had expected it to be high, but not that high. Inspiration struck, and he asked, “Would you be willing to carry the contract?”
Kanekoa thought about his idea for a moment and then replied, “We might be able to do that. Our housing will be paid for through my husband’s new job so we won’t have to buy a house for several anons. How long of a contract were you thinking?”
“Well if we could negotiate the purchase price to three thousand taj, and you could carry a two anon contract, I could pay you twenty taj each mesan with the lump sum at the end of the two anons,” he replied more confidently than he felt. He could see her wavering with a counteroffer so he added, “You see, I just started a new job here in Kirma and I haven’t had a chance to build my reputation with the lenders.”
“I see,” she replied as she continued to consider his offer.
“You don’t have to decide right now,” he supplied hastily. “Talk it over with your husband and let me know whatever you choose. You can send a message to me at my work at the distribution facility. The receptionist, Frasnia, can hold on to your message for me.”
Kanekoa smiled at Ninan’s idea of talking to her husband. “That sounds good.”
Ninan downed the rest of the pika juice and set the glass down on the table in front of him. He rested his hands on his knees and looked around the room once more. He pushed his hands against his knees as he stood up from the chair and said, “I should get going. Thank you for showing me the house. I look forward to hearing from you soon.”
Kanekoa jumped to her feet and replied, “Thanks for stopping by. I’ll talk to my husband tonight and hopefully have an answer for you tomorrow. Will that be okay?”
“That’d be perfect,” he replied as he once again held out his hand to formally say goodbye. “Have a wonderful day,” he said as he walked to the front door and let himself out.
Ninan sat down to breakfast before work on Senin. He was excited about his prospects for the day. The waiter had just handed him a letter from Petre, and he was hoping to hear whether or not his offer on the house had been accepted. First things first, he thought as he opened Petre’s letter and read:
Ab 5, 3443
Ninan,
Excellent news! I knew she was still there. When you do get to talk to her, make arrangements to meet her somewhere, and I can go with you.
I’ve included your five shills with this letter leaving a total of 7½ taj left owing.
I’m anxious to receive your next letter. Send your next update to me at the Maiden’s House at the Port of Cresdon.
Petre MacVeen
Once again, Ninan thought Petre’s fascination with the brothel houses deeply conflicted with his desire to get back together with his wife. If I were with a woman as beautiful as Jesisca, I definitely would not be frequenting the houses of ill repute, he thought to himself. I guess this really does confirm my beliefs that Petre is not a very honorable man. He carefully folded the letter and tucked it away into his jacket pocket just as the waiter brought his breakfast.
When Ninan arrived at work, he stopped by the office. “Good morning, Frasnia,” he said as he approached her desk.
“Good morning, Ninan. Did you have a good weekend?”
“I had a wonderful weekend, but I need to ask a favor of you.”
“Really? What’s up?”
“I made an offer on a house yesterday,” he said with a broad grin of accomplishment.
“That’s wonderful, Ninan. I guess this means you plan to stay for a while then?”
“I sure do. I think
this city is great,” he began and then remembered the favor he needed from Frasnia. “Anyway, the couple who own the house needed some time to consider my offer. I suggested they let me know their decision by sending you a message to get to me when I check in during my breaks. I hope I wasn’t being too presumptuous by making that arrangement.”
“Oh, no, Ninan. Not at all,” she responded immediately and smiled enthusiastically, “A new house! How exciting! And to think, I’ll have my part in it, too.”
Just then the front door opened, and Ninan turned to see an extremely dejected and downtrodden Bryon enter the building. “Hello, Bryon,” Ninan said softly, not really expecting a reply.
Bryon looked up from the floor and spotted the two people in the room. He seemed startled that he was in the office and belatedly replied, “Oh! Hello, Ninan, Frasnia.” He nodded his head to each as he continued his journey across the lobby and into his office, shutting the door quietly behind him.
“Wow, he looks terrible,” Frasnia whispered conspiratorially to Ninan.
“You’re telling me,” he replied. “I guess I better head to my workstation. I’ll check back in at first break to see if you’ve heard anything. Keep your fingers crossed. Oh, and, good luck with you know who,” he said as he nodded his head toward Bryon’s office and then took his leave of the lobby.
“Thanks,” Frasnia said out loud to a now empty room. “I think today will be very different.” She looked toward Bryon’s office and wondered whether or not she should go check on him and see if he needed anything, like a cup of java. Then she remembered the distracted look on his face and thought he might appreciate some alone time to get adjusted to being back at work. Maybe later, she easily convinced herself.
Chapter Five
AFTER A PLANE change in Dallas, Texas, Amanda’s family arrived in Roswell, New Mexico, five hours and thirty minutes after leaving Miami, Florida. They collected their luggage from the baggage return and then hailed a shuttle to take them to the car rental facility near the airport. Once they had their luggage in the back of the plush Toyota 4-Runner SUV, Chris handed the travel agent’s paperwork to Diane in the passenger seat.
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