Manhunt on Tau Ceti 4 (Nick Walker, U.F. Marshal Book 6)

by John Bowers

  She coughed. The effort was painful and she frowned, then her eyes fluttered open again.

  “Take it—easy, Walker. I’m not—dead yet.”

  He stared at her in astonishment, saw the faint curve of a smile on her lips, and began to breathe again.

  “Stay with me, Vic! Stay with me.”

  She nodded, a faint forward motion of her head.

  “This wasn’t…” She coughed again. “…in our contract.”

  He leaned closer. “What?”

  “Just wait…”

  He kissed her fingers again.

  “I’ll wait. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “No. You don’t…understand.”

  “What? I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Just wait…”

  He nodded. “Okay.”

  “…until you…get my bill.”

  Wednesday, September 19, 0447 (CC)

  Lago – Tau Ceti 4

  Victoria Cross was transported to the Lago District hospital that Kenneth Saracen had donated. A bullet was removed from her shoulder, bleeders repaired and/or cauterized, and whole blood administered to replace what she had lost. If treated in a timely manner, the injury might not have been life-threatening, but even with pressure on the wound, Victoria had bled internally; by the time Nick returned to her, it had been a close thing.

  Nick spent the night in the hospital, never far from where she was being treated. He paced during the surgery, paced during recovery, paced as she was moved to Intensive Care. He paced the night away, not daring to sleep. Self-recrimination is the most horrible of all punishments, and Nick put himself through an accelerated course. Endless “if-only” scenarios ran through his head. He scolded himself, cursed himself, condemned himself. Nothing anyone said, even when it became clear that Victoria was out of danger, could console him. He no longer cared about the castle, no longer cared about Saracen, no longer cared about anything. He had almost caused Victoria’s death, and that was his only reality.

  Shortly after daylight on Wednesday morning, with a heavy snow falling outside, three official cars pulled to a stop outside the hospital and three men, wearing heavy jackets and cumbersome gunbelts, waddled into the lobby. With them was Connie Ventura and a twelve year-old boy. After making inquiries, they found Nick in the waiting room outside Intensive Care. Nick turned red eyes on them as they approached, too weary to be surprised, even though their arrival should have been no surprise at all.

  “What news, Walker?” Sheriff Thomas asked.

  Nick rubbed a hand over his face.

  “She’s out of surgery. The doctor says she’s going to make it.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  Connie Ventura stepped forward and squeezed his arm, then kissed him on the cheek.

  “How are you doing?” she asked pointedly.

  Nick shrugged. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

  He turned to the lawmen again.

  “What’s happening at the castle?”

  Sheriff Buono looked a little sheepish.

  “I guess I owe you an apology, Walker. I thought you were crazy when you said that Tinker-Smith was a terrorist, but law-abiding people don’t shoot at the police for just driving up to the front door. My people are still sifting through the castle, but we’ve already found a lot of stuff in his bedroom, including video clips, that seem to confirm his activities in the Federation. Looks like you were right all along.”

  Nick should have felt vindicated. He didn’t. He just nodded.

  “We found a lot of bodies,” Thomas said. “We also arrested two more suspects.” He reached out and took Mijo by the shoulder. “We found this one running around in the rain, but we didn’t arrest him.”

  Nick stared at the boy with a fresh sense of guilt. In all the excitement, and with Victoria getting shot, he had completely forgotten the kid. Mijo stared up at him with an uncertain expression. Nick extended his arm, and with a burst of tears, the boy rushed forward to hug him. Nick pulled him close and rested his cheek on the boy’s still-damp hair.

  “Mijo. I’m sorry, kid. I should have come back for you.”

  Mijo squeezed him for a moment, then looked up, eyes still streaming, and smiled.

  “It’s okay. You had to catch the bad guy.”

  “Yeah, that’s right, but it wasn’t right to forget about you. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

  He looked at Thomas again.

  “Who did you arrest?”

  Buono consulted a notebook in his hand.

  “Some fellow name of Patrick Hammer. I think he was one of Tinker-Sm—I mean, Ken Saracen’s original people. He was involved in the YWL organization that I told you about. He was up in the northwest tower with a rifle. Luckily, he surrendered without a fight.”

  Nick nodded. “Who else?”

  “Trevor Müller. We found him cuffed to a passenger seat in Saracen’s rail coach.”

  Nick nodded again.

  “You can interrogate him, but I think he’s probably okay. I’m the one who cuffed him to that seat. As far as I could tell, he doesn’t fit the profile of the others. And Mijo can vouch for him.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Buono said. “I’ve known Trevor all his life, and he always seemed like a decent kid. What do you know about the bodies inside the castle?”

  “I killed the rifleman in the southeast tower, and another guy inside the castle. There was a dead girl in a closet, but I found her that way. I think maybe Victoria killed her.”

  “When can we talk to her?”

  “Victoria? You’ll have to ask the doctor. I haven’t even seen her yet.”

  “Okay.”

  Nick lifted his chin.

  “I just remembered—you’ll find another body under the bridge on the main highway just west of the castle. Some woman named Danube. I’m responsible for that one.”

  “It was self-defense!” Mijo said. “She shot first.”

  Buono eyed the boy with a narrow gaze. “You were there?”

  “He was.” Nick squeezed the boy again. “Mijo showed me how to get inside the castle, but before we even got close, the Danube woman tried to ambush us.”

  Buono’s eyebrows lifted and he shook his head.

  “You had yourself an eventful day.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Are all of Saracen’s people accounted for?” Thomas asked.

  “I dunno. I’m not sure exactly how many people he had.” Nick began ticking off on his fingers. “We know about Ginny—”

  “Who killed her, by the way?” Thomas asked. “And my deputy?”

  “That was Danube. So Ginny and Danube make two; Charlie Gaspar and his two friends make five; I killed two men at the castle, so that’s seven, and the girl in the closet—”

  “Brandy,” Mijo said.

  “Right, Brandy—she makes eight. The Hammer guy makes nine…Trevor told me Saracen had nine or ten people, but if there’s a tenth, then I don’t know who it is.”

  “We’ll keep our eyes open,” Buono said.

  “You might want to take a hard look at that YWL group that Saracen sponsored. Those kids had a year of indoctrination that probably didn’t do them any good. If it were me, I would interview every single kid in that group and find out all I could about what they were taught. It might prevent trouble down the road.”

  Buono nodded. “Maybe I’ll do that.”

  Chief Blankenship spoke up for the first time.

  “I’ll take a look at Bert Carter’s employees. It looks like he was tied to Saracen, so there may still be some of Saracen’s people in his employ.”

  “Good idea.”

  During the conversation, Connie Ventura had wandered away from the group. Now she returned with a kitchen tray loaded with coffee cups. Each man took one, and Mijo took the only one containing hot chocolate.

  Nick sipped the hot coffee, then turned to Buono again. “I’m going to want Patrick Hammer when I head back to Alpha Centauri.” He looke
d at Blankenship. “I’ll want your prisoners, too. They’re all wanted in the Federation on a variety of charges related to terrorism.”

  “You’re welcome to my prisoners,” Blankenship told him. “I hate to turn them loose, and I don’t really have anything to hold them on.”

  Buono looked skeptical, but after a moment’s thought, nodded.

  “Yeah, what the hell. Hammer didn’t shoot at my people and didn’t resist arrest, so any case I try to build against him will be weak at best. You can probably lock him up for life.”

  “Thanks.”

  “How will you get them home? For that matter, how the hell did you even get here? There’s no passenger service.”

  “Vic and I booked passage on a freighter, but I think the U.F. Marshal will be willing to send a gunship for the trip back. These people are on a Most Wanted list all their own.” He frowned. “Unless we can locate Saracen’s yacht. It should still be around here somewhere, either in orbit or on the ground.”

  Thomas spoke up. “I think it’s parked in a hangar up at the shuttleport. I remember seeing it when Saracen arrived, and I don’t think it ever left the planet.”

  Nick nodded. “If it’s still there, that will save us a lot of time.”

  “Can I get a lift on that yacht?” Connie Ventura smiled. “You blew my cover here, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be reassigned.”

  “Of course.”

  Roger Blankenship took on a pained expression. He made eye contact with Connie, but she only gave him a sad smile in return.

  “I’m sorry, Roger. It wasn’t going to last forever.”

  “Can I talk to you in private?”

  She nodded, and the two of them drifted off out of earshot.

  Nick sipped his coffee. Mijo wrapped an arm around his waist and stood close to him.

  Sheriff Buono glanced at his watch, then sipped coffee from his own cup.

  “I’m going to have a lot of fun explaining to this community why Ken Tink—uh, Saracen is dead. He dumped a lot of money into the local economy.”

  “Did he keep his money in a local bank?”

  “I assume so, but I don’t really know.”

  “Freeze his assets. Seize that money for the city treasury, or district treasury, or whatever you call it. No reason it should go to waste.”

  Buono looked surprised.

  “Walker, I don’t even know if that’s legal.”

  “Neither do I; the Federation might squawk, but what are they going to do? It’s your planet and Saracen had evil designs on it. Just do it before they try to send auditors out here. You aren’t bound by any laws but your own, and if your laws don’t specifically address a situation like this, then it isn’t illegal.”

  Buono’s eyes glistened as he thought about it.

  “Walker, I’m glad you didn’t decide to become a criminal. You have a devious mind.”

  “I guess it comes from so much contact with lawbreakers.”

  He took another sip of coffee.

  “Here’s another idea—confiscate that castle, use some of Saracen’s money to turn it into a tourist attraction, and sell tickets. I understand the original owner was going to do that anyway, so why not finish the job? You could even build an amusement park around it and advertise it off-world. That would bring a lot of tourist money to TC 4.”

  “Hm. That’s a thought, but it might also bring outside attention sooner than we want it.” Buono looked thoughtful for a moment, then waved a hand. “Never mind, that isn’t your problem. But it’s a good suggestion. I’ll take it up with the district council.”

  Buono looked at Thomas.

  “You have anything else?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Tell Miss Cross I’ll come back tomorrow to interview her,” Buono told Nick. “If she feels up to it.”

  “Will do.”

  “How long will you be on the planet?” Thomas asked.

  “Probably a week, at least. If we can’t find that yacht, maybe two weeks.”

  “You going to stay at the hotel in Hardwood?”

  “Yeah, most likely.”

  “Then we have time to talk again if we need to.” Thomas started to leave, then turned back. “I almost forgot—I sent Hugo Barnes back to Hardwood, but he said to tell you he hopes you’ll stick around long enough for him to buy you a beer.”

  Weary beyond belief, Nick nevertheless found the energy to grin.

  “Tell him I look forward to it. And the second beer is on me.”

  Thomas clapped him on the shoulder.

  “Okay. See you down the road.”

  *

  After the lawmen left, Nick and Mijo stood alone in the waiting room. Nick set his coffee cup down on a table near the wall and settled into a padded chair. It felt good to get off his feet.

  Mijo sat next to him.

  “You’re going home next week?’

  “I don’t know for sure, but probably.”

  The boy was silent for a moment, looking as if his world had ended. Nick wrapped an arm around him.

  “Mijo, tell me the truth, okay? No mentiras.”

  “About what?”

  “Do you have an abuela? Or parents?”

  Mijo shook his head.

  “They’re all dead. Mi abuela died two years ago.”

  “You’ve been on your own since then? How old were you?”

  “Nine. Almost ten.”

  “You have no other family on Tau Ceti 4?”

  “No.”

  “Is that the truth?”

  The kid nodded again. Silent tears streamed down his cheeks.

  “Can I go home with you, Nick? Can I be your hijo?”

  Nick stared at him for a moment, debating. Taking on a kid would be a giant responsibility, one he had never wanted, but…

  A lot of things had changed. He chewed his lip for a moment, then brushed a hand over Mijo’s bushy hair.

  “Let me think about that,” he said quietly. “I think we might be able to work something out.”

  Chapter 37

  It was early afternoon when Nick finally got in to see Victoria. Her hospital bed was elevated for comfort; she lay with her eyes closed, her arm in a sling, an IV dripping into her vein. Nick stopped a couple of feet away, twisting his hat in his hands. He stared at her, wanting to talk, afraid to wake her.

  She opened her eyes.

  “You need a shower, Walker. I smelled you all the way from the door.”

  He glanced down at himself. His rain-soaked clothing had dried on his body, looking wrinkled and disheveled. He smelled like diluted sweat and musty leather.

  “I haven’t had a chance to change.”

  Her eyes crinkled as she smiled. She looked tired, and maybe slightly drugged. Her left hand stretched toward him. He took it and clutched it in his fingers.

  “Vic, I’m so sorry—”

  “You already told me, Nick. I remember everything you said last night.”

  He frowned. “You do?”

  She pulled his hand toward her lips and kissed it.

  “I won’t hold you to any of it. You were under a lot of stress.”

  “What are you talking about? I meant every word—”

  “Shh. Don’t say anything you’ll regret. Don’t paint yourself into a corner.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You were stressed and you were scared. You said some things you may not have meant.”

  He shook his head and reached out to run his hand over her tousled yellow hair.

  “Vic—”

  “Stop, Nick. You haven’t slept all night, have you? You’re not thinking clearly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You saw me with a bullet in my shoulder and you flashed back. Suddenly you were looking at Suzanne, and you said everything to me that you wanted to say to her but never got the chance. I understand perfectly.”

  He stared at her with brimming eyes. His chest constricted, and for just a moment he thought
he would break down again. But he caught his breath and wiped his eyes.

  “I’m tired, Vic, yeah. I’ll admit that. But…”

  He pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat on the edge of it, still clutching her hand. He squeezed it again, kissed it again. He gazed into her blue eyes with his dark ones.

  “Suzanne is dead, Vic.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head.

  “We’re way past that. You told me that you would trade places with her if you could, that you would give her back to me.” A tear slid down his cheek. “I believe you. I know you would.”

  She didn’t reply.

  “Vic…I can’t keep doing this.”

  “Can’t keep doing what?”

  “You were right about me. I’m on self-destruct, and I have been for two years. But I can’t go back to that.”

  She blinked, but never took her eyes off him. Her left hand squeezed his just perceptibly.

  “I am so glad to hear that. It makes everything worthwhile.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment, then gazed at her again.

  “I’ll never forget Suzanne. I’ll never stop loving her.”

  “Nick, you’ll find someone else. Just give it time.”

  He shook his head.

  “No, I won’t.”

  “But you just said—”

  She stopped, her blue eyes widening slightly. She shook her head.

  “I won’t be a rebound lover, if that’s what you have in mind. As much as I love you, I have too much pride for that.”

  “You’re not listening, Cross. It isn’t a rebound thing. You were my first love, remember? I loved you years before I ever met Suzanne.”

  “Too many years.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I broke your heart. I cheated on you.”

  “And I should have forgiven you. That was my fault.”

  “You had every right.”

  “Having a right doesn’t make it right.”

  Victoria stared at him a moment, then turned her eyes across the room, where she studied the wall for long seconds. She turned back.

  “What are you saying?”

  He buried his lips in her fingers, fighting a fresh threat of tears. He pushed them back.

  “We’re not kids anymore. We don’t have to rush into anything. Let’s just take it slow, okay?”