by Watts Martin
“If you’ll testify against them, it’ll help the Guard cement their case, and it’ll certainly help you, too.”
“I never wanted to see anyone be hurt.” His voice broke. “Please believe me, Miss Swift.”
“I’d like to, Mr. Barash.” Annie patted his shoulder. “And if you tell the Guard the truth, and do it again at the trial, I will.”
TEN
~
ANNIE AND GIBSON SAT opposite one another at the Hotel Carmen’s restaurant. The opulence reminded her uncomfortably of how low her bank account remained after all this; she’d received Captain Snow’s sincere thanks, but no monetary reward. Gibson’s lunch at least took the edge off; a roast beef sandwich was a roast beef sandwich, even presented on fine porcelain.
“So that’s it.”
He nodded in reply. “That’s it.”
“All taken care of.”
“At least on this end. I haven’t heard word on what’s happened in Boran yet, but Sinvy’s testimony—not to mention his records—is enough to arrest two people at Eastern Shore, I believe. And if there are any buyers we get records of in Ranea, they’ll at least be questioned. I suspect most of the furs didn’t stay in country, though. We’d ask too many questions. Overseas, or better yet through the Gate.”
“I thought they checked everything that went through that in either direction.”
“They do, but you can’t very well go rifling through everyone’s cargo looking for contraband. That’s always been the Guard’s dilemma, right?” He took a big bite of the sandwich. “If you trust people not to be criminals you’re going to be disappointed a lot, but if you treat everyone like potential criminals they’re never going to trust you.”
“And you always take the first side.”
“We always try. I mean, really, what kind of place would take the second?”
She nodded, taking a bite of her own meal, a small—at least to her—steak, albeit a perfectly cooked one, crisped on the outside but barely over room temperature at its center. “How much time will Sinvy and Barash serve?”
“I don’t know, but I doubt even a year in Sinvy’s case. Mr. Barash, maybe just two years. Far less than Walbin and Runford, happily.”
“And your suspension is over?”
He took another bite of sandwich, then cleared his throat, leaning back. “Yes and no.”
“What does that mean? Either it’s over or it isn’t.”
“It means it’s over, but I’m leaving.”
“You’re leaving the Guard?”
“Leaving the Guard.”
“By choice?”
“By choice. Although I confess Captain Snow didn’t go out of her way to discourage me.”
“But isn’t this what you always wanted to do?”
“Being a detective?”
“Yes.”
“It is, but I don’t have to be with the Guard to do that, do I?” He leaned forward. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, Miss Swift. I’m not very good with authority.”
“I’d never have guessed.”
“So I’ve been thinking of starting a private investigation service. I’ve thought about it before this, even before I had the inheritance as a cushion, but I think the time might be right.”
“Scava Investigations?”
“Hmm. Not very catchy. I’ll come up with something. What about you? Any job leads right now?”
“No, but I haven’t had very much time to look recently.”
“And you’re still sticking just to accounting jobs?”
“Yes.”
“You wouldn’t consider something in another field you might have proven a very high aptitude for?”
She slowly set down her fork. “Are you offering me a job as an investigator?”
“I’m suggesting we could explore the possibility.”
“I’ve told you that what I like about accounting is that it’s very safe.”
“It hasn’t been for you, from what I’ve seen.”
“It usually is.”
“But is it usually exciting?”
“No. That’s one of its virtues.”
He grinned. “You can say that all you want, but you don’t believe it.”
She took another bite of the steak. “How much business background do you have?”
“None whatsoever. I have less business sense than this steak sandwich does, and you can see what trouble it’s gotten into.”
“So…you might need a business partner. Someone who does have that sense.”
He nodded. “Someone with a head for numbers.”
She brooded, then waved her fork at him. “And I mean partner. Not employee.”
Gibson’s ears came forward and he nodded slowly. “Of course.”
“And business partner. Nothing more.”
He grinned rakishly. “What else are you suggesting I’d want?”
“Could you stop flirting with me so much?”
“Could you stop being so attractive?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. Fortunately, she didn’t think he’d noticed her tail wag.
“Silly question.” He raised his hands in mock apology. “You can’t, of course. But I’ll try to behave.”
“Good.”
“There is one very important thing we need to settle, though.” He leaned forward.
“Yes?”
He smiled up, eyes meeting hers directly. “Can I call you Annie yet?”
She tilted her head down with a slight smile, looking at him over the top of her glasses. “We can explore the possibility.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
~
A NATIVE TEXAN WHO really never lived in Texas, Watts Martin grew up around Tampa Bay, Florida, and lived there for the better part of three decades. Despite a stated career goal at 20 of becoming a famous novelist by 30, Watts instead drifted into computer work, and now lives in Silicon Valley working as a technical writer.
Watts’s stories have appeared in small presses from the early ’90s onward. Publications include the short story collection Why Coyotes Howl and the Cóyotl-winning novella Indigo Rain (both available as $2.99 ebooks from your favorite retailer), as well as contributions to the anthologies Five Fortunes, Inhuman Acts, and The Furry Future. A full-length science fiction novel, Kismet, was published by Argyll Press in January 2017. Sequels to Going Concerns are also in the works!
Visit Watts online at https://coyotetracks.org/ and on Twitter at @chipotlecoyote.
