“Pure gold,” the man said, sounding a little more interested now. “All right, I can give you eleven thousand dollars for that.”
“Eleven? It’s worth thirty at least!” Elizabeth replied angrily.
“If you think that, take it somewhere else and see what you get. You’ll be lucky if they offer you eleven. Take it or leave it.”
Elizabeth stood for a moment, clearly fighting to keep calm. Finally she spoke in a tightly controlled voice.
“Fine. I’ll take it.”
“Good. Do you want it all on a card?”
“One thousand cash, the rest on a card.”
“One moment then…”
The man did a number of things that Sal could hear but not see, then the hatch door slid up again. The gold was gone and replacing it were a bundle of notes and a small white card. Elizabeth quickly picked up both, stowing them away in her bag.
Without a word Elizabeth turned and stalked towards the door. Caught flat footed, Sal had to rush to catch up.
“Have a lovely day and do come back soon,” called out the man.
Elizabeth stiffened for a moment but then seemed to regain control. She opened the door and stamped out. Sal followed.
The two men remained by the door, but now the heavy was standing slightly bent, holding his stomach and breathing in short bursts. Blood was pouring from his nose, but he didn’t seem to even have noticed that yet.
“Don’t mind him,” the man in the suit said pleasantly. “We had a slight disagreement about manners. All settled now.”
Sal nodded and hurried past. She’d been right, the one in the suit was by far the most dangerous of the two, something the heavy appeared to have just learnt.
Sal hurried to catch up with Elizabeth.
“Hey, slow down a bit. I understand you’re upset but why didn’t you just refuse to deal with him?”
“I’m not upset,” replied Elizabeth with a bright smile.
“What? But… you said…”
“Just an act. I knew we’d get a poor rate, and we have plenty of reserves left at the moment. If I’d let on that it wasn’t a problem then he would have been suspicious immediately, and he might have got the idea we had plenty more gold. He’d then pass that information to some less than savoury friends of his and we’d soon have a whole heap of trouble.”
“Oh… Yes. I can see that.”
“Come on, let’s get a drink,” Elizabeth said, changing the topic quickly, if not subtly.
“A drink?”
“Yes, a drink. Bars are always the best place to start when you need this type of information.”
Bars were also exceptionally easy to find, Sal noted. The corridor they walked down had shops and bars on both sides, but more bars than shops. As she trailed after Elizabeth it soon became clear that Elizabeth was looking for something in particular, not just any bar. They passed fifteen or twenty bars ranging from what tried to appear as high-class to those where loud music and arguments spilled out into the corridor.
Finally Elizabeth stopped before a bar, then went in. To Sal it seemed on the seedier side. Music blasted out and the bar area was packed with hard looking men and women, many with an impressive array of empty glasses before them.
Elizabeth headed for the bar, elbowing her way through to the front. Sal followed in her wake, trying hard to ignore the muttered comments and glares from those Elizabeth had shoved past. Once she reached the bar next to Elizabeth she felt sure most of those behind were watching her. She took a surreptitious glance and found that in fact no one was. The drinkers had apparently forgotten the intrusion already.
“Two beers,” Elizabeth called out to the young barman as he passed.
“Sure.”
He soon returned with their drinks, two chilled bottles of beer.
“Eight dollars,” he said.
Elizabeth passed some notes over. Sal couldn’t see properly but she was pretty certain there was a lot more than eight dollars there.
“Maybe you can help me,” she said. “I’m looking for a friend. Unfortunately I don’t know the name he’s using here. You see, he’s an artist, and he likes to work without too much… attention.”
“An artist, you say? Produces real works of art? Digital and physical?”
“Yes! Do you know him?”
“Not personally, but I think I know who you mean. Speak to Dennison at the Blind Spot. He owns the bar. I think he’ll be able to help you.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“No problem. I hope you find your friend.”
As the barman walked away Sal raised her eyebrows.
“That’s it?” she asked. “It’s that easy?”
“Not really. If you’d tried that you would have got a blank look and your ‘change’ returned to you. You wouldn’t give off the right vibe.”
“And you do?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “You can’t be a successful trader without sometimes bending the rules. Now enjoy your beer, it might be the first of many. We’ve got a lead but it could be a long day.”
Chapter 14
The Blind Spot turned out to be another bar, though a much more pleasant one. It was busy, but far from packed. Once again Elizabeth made a beeline for the bar, though this time she was able to pick an area several feet away from any other customers. Only two young barmaids were behind the bar. It took several minutes for one to wander over.
“What can I getcha?” she asked in a bored tone.
“Dennison. I need to discuss some business with him.”
The girl paused for a moment then shrugged. “He’s not around at the moment. If you want to wait you’ll have to order some drinks.”
“When is he likely to be back?” asked Elizabeth.
Again there was a pause before the girl replied. Sal wondered if she was high on something.
“Dunno. Later today, maybe. Maybe not. He doesn’t come in every day.”
Elizabeth smiled and leaned across the bar towards the girl. Sal leant in too to hear what was said.
“Bullshit,” Elizabeth hissed. “He’s watching us right now and listening to every word we say, then he’s feeding you your answers through that earpiece you’ve tried to pass off as an earring. Now, Mister Dennison, I’d appreciate having a quiet word with you.”
The girl’s eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. For a few moments she simply stared at Elizabeth, then she jumped slightly.
“He’ll be right down,” she said in a subdued voice. “I’ll get you two beers now, on the house.”
“Thank you,” Elizabeth said sweetly, pulling back from the girl.
Their beers arrived very soon after, and were closely followed by the bar’s owner. Dennison appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties but something about him made Sal sure he was actually older. He wore a sharply pressed navy blue suit and his dark hair was slicked back.
“It’s not every day I have two such beautiful women demanding to see me,” Dennison said. His voice was deep but smooth. Like his look, it made Sal want to get as far away from him as possible.
“This is business, not pleasure,” Elizabeth said bluntly. “We were told you might be able to help.”
Dennison studied Elizabeth for a moment, then turned his attention to Sal. Whatever he saw in the two of them made him drop some of the charm.
“All right, straight talking. I can appreciate that. I doubt very much I can help you ladies…”
“But you don’t even know…” Sal started to interrupt. Elizabeth squeezed her hand firmly, shaking her head.
“Interesting…” Dennison said. “As I was saying, I doubt very much I can help you but I may well know someone who can. What exactly is it you ladies require? And you can be honest. I have this place swept for bugs regularly. It’s clean, as are you. I wouldn’t be speaking to you if the scans hadn’t come up clear.”
“Through some exceptional bad luck, not to mention a significant amount of treachery, all documentation for our sh
ip has been destroyed,” Elizabeth said. “We could go to an Imperial office, but you know as well as I do how much effort that would take… and they would be as likely to take our ship as to give us replacement documentation.”
“Ah… I see. So you are looking for a slightly less… shall we say cumbersome route to getting the paperwork?”
“Exactly.”
“Then you are in luck. I can’t help, but I can arrange an introduction.” He leaned forward, eyes boring into Elizabeth’s. “It won’t be cheap, though. You need to cover my costs and those of the intermediary I will pass you onto. That’ll be eight hundred in total. Then there will be the cost of the documentation… that will be much higher.”
“I know. We can pay. In precious metals, if that will be acceptable.”
“Acceptable and, in fact, preferable. So much harder to trace. Well ladies, enjoy your drinks. Then I believe one of you will feel the need for some relief in a few minutes. The toilets are through that door, down the stairs and along the corridor. Have the money for myself and the contact with you. In return I will give you details of when to meet the contact tomorrow.
“It would probably be best if you stayed for a few more drinks, then. Rushing off would seem… unusual. Relax. Enjoy the atmosphere. Have some food. If you like I could keep you company.”
“Thanks, but we’ll stick to drinking,” Elizabeth replied firmly.
Dennison mock saluted then walked off, disappearing through a door.
“Interesting fellow,” Sal said.
“Complete prick,” Elizabeth replied. “But he has what we need, and he wants our money. Not just ours, he’ll get a big kickback from whoever he’s arranging for us to meet.”
“Can we trust him?”
“Yes, I think so. If I don’t come back from the toilets in five minutes, though, you need to get out of here and back to the ship.”
“Should I go instead?”
“No. I’m more likely to spot if anything feels wrong, and be able to fight my way out if it is. And, no offence, but… you’d look far too guilty and furtive doing it. We don’t want to attract anyone else's attention.”
“OK, if you’re sure.”
“I’ll go now. Might as well get it out the way. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
Elizabeth gave Sal a bright smile. Sal managed a sickly one in return. Then Elizabeth was up and moving. Sal returned her attention to her drink, or seemed to. She watched Elizabeth from the corner of her eye, until Elizabeth disappeared through the doors.
Sal immediately started to worry. To try to calm her nerves she picked up one of the beers and sipped it. The sip became a full blown swallow, and she had to fight herself to put the bottle back on the table. She would quite happily have downed it all.
Sal looked up again, watching the two barmaids. Neither seemed to be paying her any attention, and neither seemed on edge.
How long had it been now? Thirty seconds? A minute? Sal wasn’t sure. It felt a lot longer, but she didn’t think it was. So Elizabeth was probably only just meeting Dennison. She took another swig from the bottle, then another. Time seemed to be crawling by. Surely Elizabeth must have reached the toilet by now. Would she actually go? She would have to at least spend long enough in there to be realistic, wouldn’t she?
Sal sat nervously, trying not to be too obvious in watching the door Elizabeth had left by. She took another swig from the bottle but was surprised to find it empty. She’d finished the beer without realising.
It must have been too long. Should she leave? Probably, but she couldn’t go without being sure. Head fuzzy from drinking the beer so quickly, Sal made up her mind. She stood, slightly unsteadily, and started to move. Not towards the exit. Towards the toilets.
Pushing open the door she started down the stairs. Still no sign of either Elizabeth or Dennison. Sal reached the bottom of the stairs. The corridor ahead was clear, but there were several side doors. If Elizabeth had been grabbed, or worse, then she could be in any of those. The toilets were at the end of the corridor, women’s to the left and men’s to the right.
Sal paused for a moment, uncertain what to do. Should she look into the side doors? No, not yet. She needed to prove that Elizabeth wasn’t in the toilet first. Slowly she moved down the corridor, heart hammering and chest tight. Tensed and ready to run at the slightest sound.
She paused by the first door but could hear nothing beyond. The door was solid so she couldn’t peek in. The second door was the same, as was the third. Heart in her mouth Sal crept forward.
She reached the toilets then carefully and very slowly pushed the door open. She crept through, adrenaline pumping through her system.
“Hey!”
Sal jumped at the loud shout, spinning to face the threat with her arms raised.
“Bloody hell, Sal. What are you doing down here?” Elizabeth asked. Then she took in the way Sal was standing and the way her hands were shaking. She laughed, shaking her head.
“Damn. You got spooked, right? Thought something had happened?”
Sal nodded, unable to speak. Elizabeth had been bent over a sink, washing her hands. Now she dried them.
“Well, no harm done. You’d better give your face a wipe while you’re down here, you look white as a sheet at the moment. Then we can saunter back upstairs and order some more drinks.”
“I… I… I finished mine… but yours is still there,” Sal managed to say, pulse and breathing starting to slow.
“First rule of visiting bars, never drink anything that’s been out of your sight,” Elizabeth said. “God alone knows what might have been dropped into it while we were down here. Now, wash up and let’s get back to getting drunk.”
“Is everything…”
Elizabeth cut her off with a gesture, then nodded.
“Yes, everything is fine. We can drink here for a few hours without the captain getting upset. I checked before we left.”
Sal stared in puzzlement for a few seconds, then realised that Elizabeth thought they might be being overheard. She nodded in return.
“Great. Just let me splash some water on my face, then we can get back to drinking.”
“That’s my girl,” said Elizabeth approvingly.
* * *
Sal lost track of how many beers they’d had at around four or five. The barmaids quickly cleared any empty bottles from their table so she couldn’t even estimate how many she’d had. Elizabeth had switched to paying for the drinks using the card so Sal thought they’d probably spent all the cash.
Sal knew she was well and truly drunk. Elizabeth had knocked back just as many but seemed to be in a much better state.
“Won’t the others be worrying about us?” Sal asked.
“Nah. Teeko is quite happy to spend large chunks of his day sleeping in the bath, and as for Ali and Jess… I think we both know what they’ll be getting up to with the ship to themselves.”
Sal grinned.
“Seriously though,” she said. “I don’t think I can drink much more and still make it back to the ship.”
Elizabeth laughed at that.
“We need to build up your tolerance! I could drink as much again.”
Sal’s face fell at that.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to,” Elizabeth said. “I really don’t fancy having to carry you all the way back. Let’s finish these, then get going.”
Sal smiled gratefully, then set to work finishing the rest of her beer. Elizabeth grabbed her own half full bottle and downed it in one. Determined not to be outdone, Sal did the same. She managed it, but her head was spinning from the sudden influx of more alcohol.
“Let’s go then,” Elizabeth said, standing.
Sal carefully followed suit. The room seemed to spin slowly for a few seconds before everything returned to normal.
“Wow… you don’t look too steady,” Elizabeth said. “We’ll cut back through a market and get some coffee to straighten you out. Or maybe something stronger.”
Sal just nodded. She followed Elizabeth from the bar and onto the crowded street outside.
“Right,” Elizabeth said. “Stay close and whatever you do, don’t wander off.”
Sal just nodded again. As Elizabeth set off Sal concentrated on staying close behind, letting Elizabeth force a path through the crowds that she could follow.
When they reached the market area the crowds were everything Elizabeth had said they might be. There seemed to be thousands of people jostling each other in the narrow walkways between stalls. In her detached state Sal simply took the sights in, not worrying about them at all. She felt relaxed, incredibly relaxed. All she had to do was stay close to Elizabeth.
They plunged into the crowds. Within a minute Sal had lost her bearings. Even through her relaxed haze she felt a niggling worry that she’d lose sight of Elizabeth, a worry that made her stick even closer to the older woman.
Suddenly Sal stopped dead in her tracks, shock freezing her in place. Standing not four feet away was an impossibility, something that just could not be.
“Markus?” Sal asked quietly. Then she shouted, heart pounding with excitement. “Markus! It’s me, Sal! Markus!”
Chapter 15
Emotions churned inside Sal. Disbelief at what she was seeing. Excitement at seeing Markus. She felt nervous too, would he still feel the same way as she did?
Markus had turned towards her. She stepped closer and grabbed his arms.
“Markus! I don’t believe it. How are you here? How did you get away? Did you escape somehow? How are you? I’ve thought about you every single day! I missed you so much. I…”
Something in his face brought Sal stumbling to a halt. Confusion and surprise. After a few moments he spoke. It was the same voice that Sal remembered.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are. Have we met? And my name isn’t Markus.”
“But… but… what…”
Sal struggled for a few moments, then found her voice again. She could feel a dark pit opening below her. Desperately she spoke.
Wanderer's Odyssey - Books 1 to 3: The Epic Space Opera Series Begins Page 33
