“You tryin’ to tell me the law, young man?” Detective Rayes grabbed Lexil firmly by the shoulder and growled out the words, but the twinkle in his eye gave him away. “I know you people got these new laws pushed through, but I’m the enforcer around here, and you’d do well to remember it.”
Lexil grinned. “Okay, Mr. Detective, sir! I should never have doubted you.”
He sniffed. “Put you in handcuffs if I need to.”
“You won’t need to. I’ll make sure to behave myself.”
The detective looked over at Althea and back at Lexil. “See that you do.”
“I’ve got it set up for you,” Dani said. “Do you want help getting hooked up?”
The detective nodded. He stepped into the box and allowed Dani to connect the neurolinks for him. She cued the selected intervals. “Swipe here to start when you’re ready.”
While he watched the replay, Dani kept her eye on Lexil and Althea. How could she have ever felt sorry for her? And the way Lexil was entranced by this raven-haired vamp was unbelievable. Maybe there was something to this disorientation thing after all. It sure felt like she’d stepped into another world.
By the time the detective stepped out of the observation box, Dani was eager for him—and his guest—to be on their way.
“Do you need anything else today?”
He looked around. He wasn’t missing anything, she was sure, but she didn’t care.
“No, I think that’ll do it. Althea, shall we go to the bank to see about meeting that ransom demand?” He took her by the elbow and gently steered her down the hall. “I think we’ve done enough damage for today.”
“Good luck with your negotiations,” Dani called after them. “I hope this situation doesn’t cost you too much.”
As the two walked out of sight, Lexil turned and stared at Dani, eyes wide. “That’s not like you. Where’d that come from?”
“What? Wishing her financial success? It’s obviously a big concern for her.”
“Not at all, Dani. Her father is a victim here, and she’s suffering too.” His tone of voice was sympathetic, urging her to understand. “She told me she was really worried about him. She’s had a hard time sleeping. She said she really needed a distraction, to take her mind off of it all.”
Dani snorted. “She needs a distraction like a fish needs a helicar.”
He shook his head. “I used to think you were one of the kindest people I knew, but that was downright mean. Guess I was mistaken.”
Still shaking his head, he left with long, deliberate strides. The door swung shut behind him.
When Dani got back to her workstation, she was fuming. Anders came over to drop off a list of open investigations, and she barely acknowledged him. How could Lexil be so stupid?
As soon as she could find an excuse, she went up to the roof to call Kat.
“I need to talk to you.”
“Dani?…that you?…can barely hear...bad signal out…the sound. Jored…are out…the boat.”
Dani got the gist of that, she thought. “When will you be back? I really need to talk to you.”
“Later…afternoon…do you…me to…you a call when…near enough…good connexion?”
“Yes, please call me. It’s pretty important.”
“Okay…promise.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Proximity
PUGET SOUND, Seattle, WA. 1430, Wednesday, September 13, 2215.
“Who was that, Mom? Was that Dani? I want to talk to her!”
“We’ll have to call her back. I couldn’t really understand what she was saying.” And that was strange, Kat thought. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a broken call.
“It’s because of the island.”
She looked over at Jored. “What’s because of the island?”
“You said you couldn’t hear her. Remember what Uncle Royce said about the island?” He pointed off their bow. A wooded island loomed in the distance. “Are we getting too close?”
Now it was coming back to her. What a thing to forget. She steered away, thankful the motor was still running.
She realized Jored had mentioned it earlier, the big Mystery Island. Uncle Royce had told them it was owned by a group of wealthy families for private purposes. They’d surrounded it by some kind of variable field that emitted directional pulses when intruders came too close. EMPs, he had said. They’d kill a motor in no time.
“I know what EMP means, Mom. Do you?”
She smiled. “Why don’t you tell me?”
“Electro. Magnetic. Pulse. That’s what Uncle Royce said. He said never get too close to the island, unless you want to swim a long way back. Good thing we have our life jackets, huh, Mom?”
“It’s a very good thing. Shall we go back to shore and see what Dani wanted to talk about?”
“Aw.” His face fell. “I wanted to explore islands.”
“Tell you what. I’ll let you steer the boat for a while on our way back. Think you can handle that?”
“Yeah!”
“Can you be responsible, and steer us straight?”
“Promise!”
She reduced the speed of the boat to three knots and locked the throttle. He had a very serious expression on his face as he took the wheel. She watched him for a while until she was satisfied that he was on course and steering safely. It wasn’t his first time, and he’d memorized all the safety rules as soon as Royce had asked them on the boat.
He’d do fine steering. And while he was doing that, she’d see if she could get a call through to Dani. And then she’d get out that oilskin bag and see what was in it.
Dani answered quickly.
“Hang on. I’m back in the office. I need to step outside so we can talk.”
Kat waited, relaxing against the railing and enjoying the breeze as the boat puttered toward shore. Jored was in clear view. If he needed her, she’d know it right away.
“Okay. I’m outside.”
“How’s the connexion now?”
“I can hear you.”
“So what’s got you so upset?”
The words came in a rush, with hardly a pause between sentences. “I asked for a transfer because Lexil kissed me. Well, not because he kissed me, but because I can’t deal with him kissing me, even though I dreamed about it too. And then Althea came to town and she’s got her claws in him, and I’m furious that he can’t see it.”
“Whoa! That’s a whole bunch of juicy story, girl. Slow down and tell me the details.”
“Sorry. I’ve been having these dreams, and they seem so real. Last night, I was walking through the woods with Lexil and, Kat, it was so romantic. There was a waterfall or stream or something in the background, and it felt like early summer, and he was so sweet. We were looking at each other and my heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it. He was talking about something that I can’t remember, and then suddenly in the middle of his sentence, he interrupted himself and asked if he could kiss me. It was so easy to say yes.”
“Now that’s what I call a dream. Go on. Did he do it?”
“He leaned down and brushed my hair away from my cheek, so gently, and put his hands around my face, and it was as if all we wanted to live for was each other.” Dani stopped. “Kat, I’d be with him in a second if I really felt that way.”
“You don’t feel that way?”
“No, not in real life. He’s not the same person in real life. Anyway, we kissed, and that’s where my dream ended. I wish it could have gone on.”
“So what happened today?”
“First I have to tell you about yesterday.”
“Yesterday, then.”
“We were headed down to the police station in the tube car. We started talking about our parents. His passed away when he was a teenager from that helicar accident, and mine, well, you know what happened with mine. I still talk to my mom—in fact, I called her yesterday, and that was kind of strange too—but I haven’t heard from my dad in almos
t eight years, and we were all alone in the car, so it was easy to just talk. You know?”
“Yeah. So what happened? You’re killing me.”
“After he listened to me, he told me some of the things he felt when his parents died. I put my hand on his—I know what you’re thinking, but it wasn’t like that. One thing led to another, though. He kissed my hand—who does that?—and pretty soon he leaned over to me and I could tell he was going to kiss me.”
“Like in the dream!”
“Except he didn’t ask first.”
“Dani, when they pause long enough to let you know it’s coming, that’s the same thing as asking. All you have to do is lean in to say yes or step back to say no.”
“Well, if that’s the code, I said yes. I leaned up to let him. And I liked it, Kat, and now—I can’t believe I was so stupid. What a stupid thing to do.”
“Why? What aren’t you telling me?”
“Oh, I panicked. My brain was screaming that it was too fast and I just couldn’t help it. But now I’m glad.”
“What? Why?”
“I pushed him away, and then he stopped talking to me, except super polite, you know.”
“So you’re upset ‘cause you blew it?”
“No! I’m upset because I got so close to accepting it. Because of what happened this afternoon.”
“Jored, steer around that patch of kelp. That means there’s shallow water there. No, go around on the starboard side. That’s better.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. I’m just watching to make sure Jored doesn’t get us stuck out here.”
“What are you doing out there anyway?”
“Uncle Royce told me to take the boat out for a family trip. Marak was busy, so I took Jored.”
“That was nice of him.”
“Yeah, but he had another reason, I’m pretty sure. He hinted around about a storage cabinet down in the galley, and when I looked, I found a bag in it. I think there’s something in there I need, but I haven’t had a chance to look yet.”
“How can you not have looked?”
“Well, I’ve been talking to you, you goose.”
“Not for the whole day, you haven’t.”
“I’ll get to it. Don’t you dare leave me hanging. What happened this afternoon?”
“First I have to tell you about this morning.”
Kat gave an exasperated sigh. “Can you please tell your story straight?”
“Do you want the whole thing, or not?”
“Yes, I want the whole thing.”
“I made up my mind last night—and I was even more sure this morning—that I couldn’t work with him any more. Doc was really nice about it, suggested I work for Dr. Brant, which is what I ended up doing. They put the transfer in right away.”
“How did Lexil take it?”
“Oh, he said I didn’t have to, and he wanted me to stay. Nope. Too awkward. So I moved up to the second floor. And hey, Anders was there. You remember him?”
“The financial whiz kid? He was nice too.” Kat sat forward. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all.
“Yeah. So that’s where I was when that Althea woman came to the office with Detective Rayes.”
“Now who’s she again?”
“She’s the daughter of this rich guy who got kidnapped, and we—Lexil and I—were helping with the investigation. Hasn’t Marak told you?”
“No, but he said there was a case he couldn’t talk about yet. Is that the one?”
“Probably.”
“Should you be telling me this?”
“Just don’t tell anyone else, okay? There was a ransom demand, and Althea has power of attorney to get to his money, or something. I wish I’d never laid eyes on her.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Kat, she’s astoundingly gorgeous. She’s absolutely perfect.”
“But what’s she like? What kind of person is she?”
“From what I saw today, she and Lexil are made for each other. And I don’t mean that in a good way. Do you know what she told me?”
“Tell me.”
“I said it must be horrible to not know what’s happening with her father, and she said I was sweet for caring.”
“She sounds nice.”
“Oh, no, she meant it was cute that I thought she cared about her father. He was out of her life, and she was just there to make sure they didn’t spend too much money trying to get him back. For all she cared, he could die.”
“Oh wow. And you say she’s perfect for Lexil?”
“I guess he’s not that bad. But he was comforting her and she was lapping it up. He thinks he’s just cheering her up, but she has her hooks in him so bad.”
“I don’t know, Dani, that doesn’t sound like him.”
“Well, he sure gave up on me quick.”
“And you’re happy about that?” Kat was willing to bet not.
“No, you’re right. No one wants to be abandoned that easily. He was just…gone. And it was so sudden. I never got to say goodbye.”
“Wait, are we still talking about Lexil? You have me so confused. Do you want him to stay or to go away?”
Silence. Kat decided to just wait her out. The girl had to make up her own mind. She could hear her breathing.
“I don’t want him to stay if he doesn’t think I’m worth it.”
“But you don’t really want him to go?”
Small voice. “No. What should I do?”
“I think you need to make a choice. You can either let this thing take its course, and let Lexil suffer the natural consequences, because—I have to be honest, Dani—I think she’ll be nothing but trouble for him, and she’s probably just wanting someone to entertain her for a few days.”
“Or what? What’s my other choice?”
“Well, you can confront her. Take her down to get coffee or something and just give her a piece of your mind. You’ve obviously got a lot to say.”
“She’s a client!”
“Well, do it nicely. It’s almost impossible for you to be mean anyway.”
“I’ll think about it. Thanks for talking. You’d better get back to that thing you wanted to look at.”
Kat wondered if she had set her friend up for disaster. She thought about calling her back, but Jored was beginning to fidget from his long stint at the wheel. She wouldn’t have much time to go through the bag. She headed down to the galley to get it, wondering what secrets it held.
One last check on her son. She’d be able to see him from below decks, but she wanted to make sure he wasn’t getting tired. “You doing okay with that?”
Jored nodded. He had his hands firmly on the steering wheel, and the boat was making steady headway toward shore. They’d be back soon. She needed to find out whether to bring any of the contents of the oilskin bag home with her.
The oilskin bag was hard to get out of the cabinet. Might be easier to unfasten it first, just to take a peek at what was inside. But she couldn’t really stay down here that long. She worked the corners of the bag out from behind the cabinet edge, and finally, it came loose. She dragged it up top to the deck.
When she got back on deck, Jored was trying to pull over a cooler to use as a chair. He spotted her. “I’m getting kind of tired. Can you take over?”
Kat checked the time on her eyescreen. It was probably best to turn up the throttle anyway and get back to the Marina. Marak would be getting home soon. The bag and its contents would just have to come with her to the house.
She took over the wheel, and soon they were speeding along at a good 15 knots.
“Faster, Mom. Faster!”
“Ha! I thought you were tired.”
He grinned.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Sociability
RIACH LABORATORIES, Alki Beach, Seattle, WA. 1515, Wednesday, September 13, 2215.
When Althea came back, it was without Detective Rayes. Dani was on her way to her desk from a short assignment in the o
bservation lab when she saw her in the lobby. She thought about inviting her out for coffee to talk things out, but she wasn’t sure she could say it nicely yet.
“Hello, sweetie. I’m so glad you happened by. I’m afraid I’m lost. Could you show me how to get back to where that hunk of a research scientist is? You know him, right?
“Is he expecting you?”
“Oh, no. But I’m sure he won’t mind. He was very interested in getting together again. I have so many plans for the afternoon. And this evening! Be a dear and show me where he does his special little jobs, will you?”
Dani almost gagged. She’s a client. “I’ll check with him.”
She called Lexil. “You have a visitor down here. Althea Morgan? Do you want me to bring her to you?”
“Althea? She’s done? Yes, bring her back. I don’t have anything important to do right now. Or if I do, I can put it off a bit. Thanks!”
She nodded toward Althea. “He says it’s okay.”
“Of course it is. I don’t think the call was necessary, do you?”
Dani bit her lip and led her to the Special Projects lab. Lexil was waiting at the door, a bright look on his face.
Althea simpered. “You are so sweet, to help me out when I’m feeling so horrible. I do hope you can spend a little more time with me.” She held out her hand, palm down, fingers curved.
What did she want him to do, kiss it?
He took it and gave a hint of a bow. “I’m at your service. What can I do to make you feel better?”
He pulled her inside the lab. Dani suddenly felt like an outsider. The best thing to do would be to get back and get another assignment. Keep busy.
Doc wasn’t kidding about the backlog here, she thought, as she checked the priority rankings on the list. She selected a recent theft that would take a little research before doing the required scans. She’d need to narrow down the time frames first.
She soon became absorbed in the interview transcripts and evidence logs of the robbery. A photo frame from a table. A hair clip that had been left behind when other jewelry was taken. No fingerprints. She hoped the scans would be helpful. A neighbor heard the dog barking at 1415 that day, possibly at an intruder. No helicars arrived during the time period in question, but public transportation might have brought the thief. Was there a way of checking into the tube car cams? She might have to call Detective Rayes about that.
A Chronetic Perspective (The Chronography Records Book 2) Page 11
