Once Upon a Pet Show (A Redpoint One Romance)

by Marlow, J. A.

  "What is the distance range on this display?" Officer Redsong asked.

  "Each dot is ten meters."

  That answer set the room talking again, with Mr. Beel nearly shouting, "Have they been doing this each and every night?"

  "Well, obviously they haven't bothered the other animals." Vallory pointed to the map. "They moved away from the pet show fast." She paused, looking back at the map. "I was worried being around so many people would bother them. I wonder if they were finding quiet places to sleep?"

  The image shifted, and the next thing she knew, the map changed to have a layer put under it. A three dimensional map that shifted and slowly spun.

  Damien moved to the side of the holographic screen, spinning it again with a finger. He stopped and then turned to give her a rueful shake of his head. "Do you have any idea the distance they traveled? On such small legs?"

  Vallory suppressed a groan. "I've seen more than that in their native habitat in one night. Don't ask me how they do it. I haven't been able to record them actually doing it."

  Another mark against her in Mr. Beel's eyes, she was sure.

  Officer Redsong moved to the front of the room and moved the map around herself. A slow smile appeared on her face. "Yes, a good deal of movement to investigate, but for the first time since the pet-nappings have started, it gives us a direction."

  "One of those lines is the creature that found my Stanford?" Mr. Wilby demanded. "Find the others fast, before the thieves smuggle them off the station. My cats are worth a small fortune."

  "Yes, small cats. All of the animals taken so far have been smaller. Perfect for smuggling," Damien raised his eyebrows at Mr. Beel. "You may be angry at Ms. Schist for not revealing everything to you, but I have not known her to outright lie to anyone. And right now, she can help solve this mystery."

  "Agreed," Officer Redsong said. Her eyes glinted as she turned back to the room. "And we now have a plan. One that depends on everything revealed in this room right now to remain a secret..."

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  VALLORY WATCHED THE daubpups play with the ball, hoping their fun would help her. It didn't.

  It was a good plan, she told herself over and over. And, she didn't have to do anything special. Just let her daubpups be themselves, no matter how Mr. Beel didn't like it.

  "Worrying again?"

  She smiled at the sound of the familiar voice. Like a warm fog, his presence enveloped her. How she wished those strong arms would warp around her from behind to complete the feeling.

  Instead, Damien stepped by her on the right. He grinned down at the daubpups playing before giving her a softer smile. One she hoped she wasn't imagining.

  "I see the building has calmed down," he said.

  "Yes, but I'm getting plenty of glares and other interesting expressions." Not that she was here to make friends, but it still hurt. Too many of them thought her guilty of stealing pets. "I thought you would be busy in the other building."

  He shrugged. "Repair made. I'm about to head out for the rest of day. Wanted to check on you first."

  "That's sweet. I'm fine. The show seems to be back to normal." She didn't miss the glare Mr. Pyman sent her his way. His face cleared and became friendly again when he turned back to the people he was talking to in front of his enclosure. So far he hadn't come up to her. Someone must have talked to him.

  "Two more days to go. You'll make it."

  Two more days. Only two more days with him? The very thought hurt.

  She'd been told to not hover around the daubpups after the show ended. Pretend everything was normal. She'd never been good at pretending. A diversion from the long evening would be nice. "Are you doing anything tonight?"

  "Sounds like I'm working late. The stink is showing up in more areas." He sounded as disappointed as she felt. "Maybe Velda can steer you towards something to do on the ring. Are you still enjoying your stay there?"

  "Oh, it's great. Very comfortable and quiet," Vallory said automatically. One night of her valuable time on the station, and she couldn't spend it with him. The hurt inside increased. "I'll sleep better knowing all of this will soon be solved…"

  He frowned at her. "What's wrong?"

  Leave it to him to see it.

  "I'll soon be gone, and…" she gave a helpless gesture towards him.

  He smiled ruefully, turning his attention to the daubpups. The smile turned into a frown, his own face mirroring his emotions. Why hadn't she noticed how expressive his face could be when they first met? Probably because she'd been focused only on her daubpups overheating.

  "Perhaps it's for the best."

  She visibly jerked. What did he say? She searched his face, horrified. He didn't want to be around her anymore?

  No emotion escaped as he stepped back away from the enclosure. "You will soon be gone, and I will remain here. Have you found a place for them yet?"

  "No. I have two more meetings today," she said through numb lips.

  "Good. I hope one of them works out for you." Damien turned and walked away, quickly disappearing in the dense crowds.

  His bot whined at her. She motioned after Damien with one finger. "You best go after him. He's made his feelings clear."

  The bot sounded unhappy, but not as unhappy as Vallory. It spun in a circle, looking first at her, then after Damien. With one last plaintive whistle, it moved through the crowds after him.

  She'd dated before. At university, had even thought herself in love.

  It had been nothing like the intensity of what she felt now. The needing to have him nearby. To see his face, hear his voice, revel in his laughter. To walk side-by-side with her hand tucked safely on his forearm. She would miss everything about him.

  With a stunned realization, she realized the full truth of it.

  She was in love with Damien Lysander.

  And, he didn't want her.

  ***

  He'd hated seeing the horrified expression on her face. The shear hurt and betrayal. It had taken every bit of willpower to turn and walk away. He burned to take her into his arms and hold her close, telling her the real truth.

  And what was the real truth? He didn't allow his thoughts to go that far. He couldn't. There was a reason he must walk away. The sad truth of it was that they didn't have a future together, and he wasn't holiday romance material.

  No matter how much he enjoyed her company. No matter how much he wanted her in his life. No matter how she set his heart in motion with a simple smile.

  He might have had the willpower to turn away and leave, but he didn't have enough to get to sleep. He gave up at two in the morning and decided the best thing he could do was keep busy. The night crew at the maintenance platform were surprised to see him, but no one bothered him about it.

  "Besides, we're behind on our repairs," he grumbled as he finished replacing the decontamination array on a section of the life-support systems of a ring. His bot voiced a muted chirp.

  Poor bot. Hardly a peep from it since he'd walked away from Vallory. As if it knew what it meant.

  "It's just as well. She's not staying. No point in pretending anything else," he said to it, the bot remaining silent.

  No point spending more time becoming more attached. It already hurt. He didn't need more of that kind of pain.

  He worked right through the start of the morning shift. If Arthur wanted him, he could call. No point in going back to his small apartment. Tired as he was, he knew no sleep would soon come. In the meantime, best he keep his mind and body busy. Not that it seemed to quiet his mind much.

  No call came from Arthur or Zane, so he kept on working, stopping only for snack breaks and a light lunch. At lunch he did himself the favor of returning to his quarters long enough to shower and shaving. The familiar motions soothed him for only a few minutes. Then the thoughts came back, driving him back out for the second half of the day.

  "Damien, can I talk to you?" Arthur's voice said through his ID band.

  "Why couldn't you t
alk to me?" Damien demanded harsher than he intended.

  "The night crew said you looked like you wanted to be left alone."

  Damien stopped his work to rest a hand against a pipe, leaning his full weight against it. Great. He apparently hadn't hidden anything. "Go ahead. Is there a problem?"

  "Pet show, and you don't have to go into Vallory's building. They are having an issue with smoke from the incinerator leaking into the rare animal building."

  Apparently, even more obvious with everyone than he intended, if Arthur guessed the name of his torment. "I'm on my way."

  If he knew Vallory, she would be hovering over her daubpups like a worried mother. Even though knowing the Police had quietly installed more security in the buildings. Even though the daubpups could escape any thief with ease, no matter what sort of cage the thieves used.

  That thought made him smile. Yeah, let them try it.

  But, that wasn't their job in this investigation. Alice Redsong was pursuing multiple avenues, including analyzing the paths of her daubpups the other night.

  As Mr. Beel showed him the problem incinerator, he casually asked, "Any events last night?"

  Mr. Beel's jaw firmed. He took out his ID badge and opened the security gate into the small room holding the utilities for the building. "Nothing."

  No disappearing pets, then, but it also meant no more that had reappeared. Good news and bad news there.

  Bringing his mind back to business, Damien asked, "How bad is the smoke?"

  "Not bad, but it's getting worse with each cycle." Mr. Beel held open the gate as Damien and his bot entered. Definitely smoke, filling the room and spilling out into the main building. "I'm concerned about the afternoon cage cleanings. The incinerator will be in constant use."

  "Understood. I'll find the problem."

  It didn't take long at all to do so. As he thought, it was a combination of a clogged exhaust filter combined with a leak along a pipe seam. No wonder the smoke poured out into the building. Not scrubbed from the air, and coming out raw into the building.

  It also didn't take long to fix, especially with the way his bot was able to contact others to bring the larger parts they needed. The small freight pad in one corner of the enclosure provided a way to lift the parts from the level below, and get rid of the bad ones, without having to go through the crowds in the rest of the building.

  He watched the last one disappear as the pad lowered into the floor. "Done. Time to head for the next job."

  His bot emitted a long sad beep. Probably wishing he'd said it was time to go visit Vallory. How he wanted to. His skin tingled from how close he was to her. In another building, yet he knew exactly what direction would take him straight to her.

  Without a further word, they packed up and left the utility room. He paused outside the door of the building, unable to stop himself from looking in the direction. Despite the crowds moving around him, he found himself unable to turn and walk away. All he could do was stay rooted to the spot while his mind and heart warred with each other.

  His bot gave a hopeful chirp.

  "No, we should get back to work." His voice sounded dead even to him. His heart wasn't in it. His heart knew where he should go.

  The sharp series of beeps from the direction of his belt set his heart pounding. His breathing fast, he realized what it was.

  He laughed darkly at himself as he reached for the offending pocket computer in one of the pouches. "Much more of this and I won't be fit for work, either."

  He flipped open the protective cover of the small computer. And frowned, his heart beating even harder, but this time for Vallory's sake.

  "Looks like you get your wish," Damien told his bot as he closed the cover and shoved the computer back in its pouch. "Come on. Vallory is in trouble."

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  AFTER A NIGHT of fitful sleep, Vallory was in no condition to be around people.

  People, or the daubpups. She had a feeling they were humoring her, trying to purposely act cute and cloy. To cheer her up. To try to make her laugh.

  It only managed to make her feel even more miserable.

  He'd turned away from her. He hadn't said it, but she knew what it meant. Whatever they had together was now at an end.

  She didn't want it to end. She still had time on the station, even if for only a few days. She even had good news about a potential new habitat. A habitat that was open to the idea of the daubpups coming in, along with a lead on a good grant to help her fund the investigation. If it was how the woman described, it would amount to enough money to house the daubpups while she traveled to the world to make sure.

  No, she better take them with her and set them up in a containment area on the planet while she checked it out. They didn't do well unless out in the wild or with her. This was good news. If she could get them settled, then she could move on in a new direction herself.

  Neon pattered by the front of the enclosure, her tail up high, gazing at Vallory as she went by.

  "Yes, I know. You think you are such a beauty," Vallory said, despite knowing they couldn't hear her. Somehow, she thought they might be able to. All through the show they'd reacted as if they did.

  Vallory hefted the bag of spent grass. Time to get it to the incinerator before other exhibitors started their cleaning before the evening part of the show started. From what she heard, tonight would be busy with people from all over the station coming in to see what animals won what awards.

  The crowds were already starting. It was hard enough walking through normally, but all the harder while carrying a big bag. A crowd she'd only seen regular show security in. No police officers, but then they said they would be watching in other ways. She knew what that could mean, having set up such types of systems in the field to surreptitiously watch animals in their habitat and uninfluenced by human presence.

  A life she hoped to change to include someone else. If he would allow it. If he felt the same in a small way.

  She thought he might, pondering over it all night. Going over the way he'd held her hand. The one meal they'd managed to eat together. The way he'd held her when they'd gone back to the malfunctioning part of the station. Too many clues. He liked her, of that she was sure. Maybe more than that?

  She needed to talk to him. She'd never lacked the courage to just jump in before. She'd cowed seasoned professors before when they'd tried to flaunt their academic superiority. Her and arrogance didn't mix well, and she didn't even try to hide it. Why was she hesitating with something her entire being cried out for?

  Vallory froze, the skin on her arms tingling. Somehow, she just knew. Every fiber of her knew.

  She forced herself to turn. There he was. The dark-haired man stood out from the crowd. He wasn't taller than the rest. A few even rivaled him in muscles, but none appealed to her like him. None commanded all her attention. All sound from the milling crowd receded until she heard only the fast beat of her own heart.

  Her breath caught as he neared. Please, don't let him pass by her again. She wasn't sure she could take that kind of rejection again. To watch his back as he disappeared into the crowds.

  No smile on his face. No sign of welcome, and yet, he stopped in front of her. She tried to smile, but found she couldn't make the muscles on her face work right.

  "We have a problem."

  Of course they had a problem. One they needed to talk a lot about. "Yes, I know. When do you have a free moment? It's very important."

  "Of course it's important. Your daubpups don't like heat." He moved around her, leaving her in shock.

  Heat? What was this about her daubpups and heat?

  Daubpups. Heat. Heading towards her enclosure.

  Oh no!

  Vallory pushed through the crowd after him and his bot with the bag in hand. The daubpups didn't act distressed when she left.

  Damien disappeared into the aisle between hers and Mr. Pyman's enclosure by the time she arrived. The miniature dogs in Mr. Pyman's enclosure acted like her dau
bpups, determined to look cute. He would surely sell a lot of them today.

  Meanwhile, her enclosure sat empty. Not a single animal lurking inside, not even the baby.

  Vallory rushed to the service aisle running behind the two rows of enclosures, letting the bag fall from her aching arm. "What is it? What happened?"

  He stood up and stepped back from the rear environmental controls. "I want Redsong's people to look into this. Don't touch anything."

  She stared at the temperature setting as he started talking with someone through his ID band. The display ticked higher every few seconds. Growing substantially hotter each and every second.

  Oh yes, no wonder her group abandoned ship. Did anyone see them walking through a wall or floor as they did? That particular secret to their behavior may no longer be a secret.

  Damien's left hand dropped. He took her right hand, startling her with its sudden warmth, and pulled her further down the aisle. "They are on their way. Did you see anything suspicious?"

  She shook her head, pointing down one of the other side aisles. "In this crowd? No one is going to be able to see anything."

  "That's what I'm worried about. How far away are they?"

  Vallory fumbled for her pocket computer, finding her fingers not working right. He was back, but now her daubpups were missing. Couldn't things go right for a change?

  The map of the daubpup movements made her smile. "Apparently they are making their displeasure of the heat known. They are all over the place, and not one of them near."

  Officer Redsong agreed when she arrived with a small group of people. "Will you be able to round them up?"

  "Oh yes. If I find one of them and take them to a safe location, the others will follow. They are very social animals." The ones who were more independent she might have to trace down, but most of them she wouldn't. "I would like to go after them sooner rather than later. I'm sure they are upset."

  "Agreed. There are dangerous areas on this station I don't want them accidentally walking into," Arthur Getty said. Between Damien, Damien's bosses, and now the police, the small service aisle was getting crowded.