“With all due respect,” Meredith said, “I must protest to being treated—”
“You’re going to stay,” he interjected firmly. “If you and your assistant are cleared, I will pay all of your bills. If not, that will be the least of your worries.”
With a sinking sensation, Meredith nodded. She and Riggio exchanged uneasy glances.
“But Ms. Lamour has a business appointment on Earth,” Riggio said. “She has a client, Sam Howe, and she’s scheduled to inspect one of his new facilities in two days, one that’s under construction. It’s called Sun Under, and—”
“Appointments can be changed,” Neron said. “That appointment will be changed.”
She frowned, said, “As you wish, sir. We’ll send word to Earth and report our delay.”
The General nodded solemnly, and Meredith and Riggio were escorted out by a guard. As they were leaving, she heard Neron speaking with another pair of visitors.
Meredith didn’t like this General at all, and wasn’t sure if she wanted to be his agent, even if Riggio’s papers were cleared and they were allowed to continue on their way. Still, she didn’t like a lot of the Johansen Agency’s clients, and if she had to like everyone with whom she did business, she would not make very much money.
~~~
Millions of miles away, on the west coast of the United States, it was early afternoon. Ever since Meredith left on her inspection trip to the Saturn moonlet, Zack had been worried about her. He’d decided to do some sniffing around on his own, to see what he could find out about Riggio Tarizy, if that was even his real name.
The day before, he’d gone to Nolan Hagel, a homicide detective in the Seattle Police department, who had once served with him in the Army Special Forces. So far, nothing had turned up.
But Zack did have a lead on which to follow up, having learned from another source that Meredith had arranged for a room for Riggio to rent, in the home of Mrs. Doris Monroe. Zack knew her, remembered visiting her several times during his marriage to Meredith. His former wife had grown up down the street from Mrs. Monroe, who used to watch her when she was a child, while her parents worked. Meredith called her “Auntie Doris,” and they had been very close.
So he played detective himself and knocked on the old woman’s door. She opened it, and smiled in recognition, before looking worried. “Zack,” she said, “is everything all right? Is Meredith all right? I mean I heard about the divorce, and everything else. It’s sad, so sad.” She took a nervous puff on a cigarette.
“As far as I know she’s all right, but she works with a young man who worries me. He rents a room from you, I understand.”
“You must mean Riggio Tarizy.”
He nodded.
“Haven’t seen him in awhile,” she said, tapping her cigarette with a forefinger to knock the ashes onto the porch. “Very nice young man, though, always polite and respectful toward me, and so sympathetic when my dog was killed.”
Zack had not heard of this, and listened while she said, “A neighbor didn’t like Juju, my wonderful pet and companion. Stabbed him to death.” She tossed the cigarette into her garden, and began to cry. “I found him on my front lawn. Never found out who did it. Poor Juju. Riggio was so sympathetic to me, helped bury him.”
Zack was beginning to feel some relief. “So, everything about Riggio is good, as far as you’re concerned?”
“That’s right. Nice young fellow, or Meredith wouldn’t have sent him over to me.” She thought for a moment, then added, “Odd thing, though, Juju always growled at him, didn’t warm up to Riggio, not like other roomers I’ve had. Juju has always been protective of me when strangers come around, but eventually he eases up. After a few days he always wagged his tail whenever he saw the other roomers. Maybe it was because Riggio didn’t give him snacks, could be that’s all it was.”
“Or Juju sensed something about him? Something bad?”
“I don’t think so. I’m sure Riggio didn’t have anything to do with Juju getting hurt... He could never hurt my dog.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“Well, you’re making me think about it for the first time, but yes, I’m sure.” She smiled softly. “I’ve been on this planet for more than seventy-five years, and I know a little something about human nature. Riggio is a good boy.”
“I hope you’re right,” Zack said. “For Meredith’s sake, I hope you’re right.”
She stared at him inquisitively.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t mean to upset you. I’m just checking, because the two of them are working so closely together. They’re on a moonlet of Saturn now, on a business trip. And, well, I just worry about her. Too much, I’m sure, but Mrs. Monroe, I’ve never stopped caring about her.”
She looked closely at him. “You’ve never stopped loving her, have you?”
He shook his head. “No, I haven’t. We know what a special person she is, don’t we?”
“Yes, we do. Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?”
“No thanks,” Zack said. “I’m sorry to bother you. I just thought I should ask about him. Don’t worry. I’m sure Meredith is fine.” He started to leave, then turned back and asked, “Could you please not mention this to her? I mean, there’s a possibility we might get back together... a remote possibility, but it’s there nonetheless. I just don’t want her to think I’m jealous. It’s not that at all.”
“I understand. I know you care deeply about her. You kids never should have gotten a divorce; I could tell how much you loved each other. That terrible thing with Travis never should have happened.” She shook her head sadly. “Such a tragedy. Such a terrible tragedy.”
Zack thanked her, and left. The dog had sensed something bad about Riggio Tarizy, just as he had. Something dark and hidden.
He hoped he was wrong, but knew he wasn’t.
CHAPTER 23
They could not leave the newly-christened Neron 3 for awhile, so that evening Meredith and Riggio ate dinner at the finest restaurant on the moon, assuming it would be on the general’s tab. Afterward they intended to go to Montaña Rusa, a cocktail lounge on the top floor, following the advice of their dinner waiter. He said it was a unique experience, and offered the best enhanced nighttime view of Saturn’s rings, sections of which were illuminated by mining crews working on them around the clock, extracting important minerals. But the spectacular view was not the only feature of the lounge, he said. It would hold a big surprise for them.
When Meredith and Riggio asked him what he meant, he giggled a little, and said, “You will have to find out for yourself. But I think you will like it.”
“A pleasant surprise, you mean?” Meredith asked.
“Of course, of course!”
This intrigued them, and made the evening more interesting, more of a little adventure that might take their minds off the unpleasantry with General Neron. They were far from Earth, and with the time they were forced to spend here, they decided to make it entertaining.
But as they were leaving the restaurant to take the elevator up to the top floor, Riggio took her to one side said, “I’ll go up there, but this is not a date, you know. We’re on a business trip, and we’re only here because there’s not much else to do on this moon.”
“Of course,” Meredith said, taken aback. “No one ever said it was a date.”
“I just don’t want any misunderstandings.”
She stiffened. “Nor do I.” He was, as usual, keeping his distance from her, but this time she thought he was being rude about it. Even so, he intrigued her. She’d been trying to figure him out, not to develop a romantic relationship with him, but for another reason. Meredith had set aside her Victorian murder mystery story, which she’d been having trouble with. Instead, she had made notes about writing something entirely different, with a character based upon Riggio. She found herself intrigued by certain elements of his personality, the memory gaps, the mysteries of his background, the way he was trying to move on with his
life, despite not knowing who he was.
Meredith also liked the potential romantic element in the story, because Riggio—the basis of her protagonist—was so physically attractive to women. To other women, that is, not her. She still thought constantly about her former husband, Zack, and other men did not really hold any appeal for her. He had been so thoughtful in giving her his special painting of their dead child Travis, and she looked forward to seeing him again when she returned to Earth... as she had promised in her office.
The entrance to Montaña Rusa had a Mexican motif, with wide terra cotta tiles on the floor and colorful papier mache animals hanging from the ceiling... donkeys, chickens, pigs and brightly-plumed birds.
Their table, however, was unlike anything Meredith had ever seen. It was inside a large clearplaz compartment, the size of a household dining room, entered through sliding doors that opened and closed when their waitress touched a wall button. Was this the pleasant surprise the dinner waiter was talking about?
She and Riggio sat on opposite sides of the table.
The waitress, a pretty Hispanic woman with black hair, wore a white blouse and a skirt with images of tropical flowers on it. She spoke with an accent, and said, “What can I bring you, Señorita? This is a special occasion?”
“No,” Riggio said, answering for her. He was in a surly mood, having told her at dinner it was a carryover from their encounter with General Neron. Meredith had considered not coming up here with him, but had changed her mind, wanting to cheer him up if she could... and pick his brain a little, to see what made him tick.
Looking at the e-menu at the center the table, Meredith said, “We’ve never been here before. I’m considering the Chapala Sunrise. Is that a good choice?”
“Oh, you’ve picked a good one,” the waitress said. “And you, Señor?”
He ordered a beer, a Carta Negra.
The waitress smiled, and said, “Neither one of you have been here before?”
They shook their heads.
“You’ve heard about us, of course?”
“Only a little while ago,” Meredith said.
The waitress looked at Riggio and said, “You’d better order something stronger than a beer, Señor. You’re going on a thrill-ride in a few minutes, and eets going to scare the tamales out of you. Montaña Rusa, that means roller coaster. After you order what you want to drink, and it is all delivered to your table, the ride will begin.”
“Make it two beers, then,” Riggio said, finally coming up with a small smile. Then Meredith saw him make a face, as if he was feeling a sudden pain.
~~~
Hidden in Riggio’s consciousness, his twin sister Tatsy did not want to go on the ride. The very thought of a roller coaster frightened her because of how high it was, and she had always been thankful that Riggio had never shown any interest in going on one before, or any other amusement park rides.
But now he was treating it casually, and was ready to go. He seemed unafraid of the risk, and this was troubling to her.
She made his head hurt. She wished she could communicate with him in words, transferring her thoughts to his, making him aware of her, and of her concerns.
Tatsy always worried about Riggio getting killed, because it would mean the end of her along with him, and she needed more time to take control of him entirely, instead of only on occasion, when she compelled him to kill women when he was in sleeptrance.
Lately, with his urges to kill Meredith that bothered him so much, he’d been feeling despondent, so low that she worried he would try to kill himself. So far, she had detected no suicidal thoughts, but she worried about them. For Tatsy, his death would be a disaster, and she had to prevent it.
She wanted to scream out at him to stop his dangerous foolishness, that she didn’t want to go on the thrill ride because she had a terrible fear of heights. But she felt her hold on him slipping, and she could not keep his headache going.
~~~
“Are you all right?” Meredith asked him.
“A sharp pain across my forehead, but it’s feeling better. Maybe something I ate.”
She smiled. “Or maybe you’re afraid of the ride?”
He laughed. “Not at all!”
After the waitress went away, a waiterbot rolled up and said, in a mechanical voice, “I’m here to explain the ride.” The ‘bot was squat and round, with lights designating a face, large eyes and a dark mustache. An oversized Mexican sombrero sat on top of its head.
“Your booth is on maglev wheels,” the ‘bot said. “And the table is gimbaled, to prevent food and drinks from flying around.”
“Are we going to do a loopity-loop?” Riggio asked, not looking concerned.
“Of course. Every roller coaster worth its salt does that.”
“And the drinks don’t spill?”
“Not a drop. Centrifugal force and gimbals haven’t failed us yet.”
“But don’t people get sick?” Meredith asked. “I mean, all that movement after we’ve just had dinner?”
The lights on the waiterbot’s face formed a perplexed expression. “Gee, we never thought of that.” Then the eyes twinkled. “I joke a little with you. Don’t worry. Eet will all be fine.” He formed an impish grin. “And if not, little bags are available.” He pointed to a button on the table, and said if they pressed it, sickness bags would pop out for them.
“Shall we try the ride anyway?” Meredith asked, looking at Riggio.
Riggio finally laughed, and said, “Sure, I’ve got nothing to lose.”
She stared at him, wondering how to take that comment. Was he depressed, and no longer valuing his life?
But he laughed again and said, “I’m sorry that I haven’t been more cheerful. I’ll do better!”
“That’s good. I was beginning to worry about you.”
Other patrons were entering nearby compartments, escorted by waiters and waitresses in colorful Mexican costumes.
Essentially, the drinks Meredith and Riggio ordered were “to go,” because of the circumstances of the restaurant. Smiling, the waitress served the drinks in massive glasses, fishbowls on slender stems. Meredith’s was filled to the top with icy green mixture, and the two beers were huge as well, with oversized slices of lime secured to the lips of the glasses. A plate of hors d’oeuvres arrived with the drinks, little pastries molded into the shapes of brightly colored exotic birds.
Moments later the waitress was outside the compartment peering in, smiling and waving a little red, white, and green Mexican flag. She had explained that the compartment, which she called a “cápsula,” would rise almost straight up at first, onto the top of the roof, and then would engage with the tracks of the roller coaster.
“Here we go,” Riggio said. He did not appear to be worried at all.
It happened quickly, in a matter of seconds, before Meredith could think about sipping her drink. This cápsula, dimly illuminated from an unknown light source, reached the roof and then howled along a maglev track toward the edge of the roof, with the buildings of the domed moon brightly illuminated in the distance.
Meredith screamed and gasped, and just when it appeared that the cápsula would plunge over the edge it veered right and skirted the edge of the roof, then went down at high speed onto a long track that passed a shimmering silvery pond, all without upsetting Meredith’s stomach. On the other side of the pond they entered a tunnel, and the air in the tunnel was filled with sparks, bright little bits of silver that floated from the top of the tunnel to the bottom, casting brilliant, ephemeral bursts of light.
Across from her, Riggio was calmly sampling the hors d’oeuvres.
In the low light of the cápsula Meredith noticed that their plate of appetizers and drinks had not been disturbed. As she watched Riggio stuffing appetizers into his mouth and drinking beer it struck her that this was the most unusual cocktail lounge she’d ever seen.
“We’d better drink quickly,” Meredith said, with a nervous giggle. “It could be the last time
we get the chance.”
Riggio drank several beers, and had eaten quite a bit of food.
The cápsula was still inside the tunnel, gathering speed. It rounded a bend, and the sparks of light outside changed color to red and green, like bursts from a fireworks display.
Meredith oohed in appreciation. Riggio looked pleased and unafraid, and drank his beer. Meredith felt no fear, either. She had never worried about rides that others considered dangerous. Nothing could be worse than losing her child more than two years ago. The pain had never left, and never would.
Soon they were through the tunnel and the cápsula was climbing slowly and steeply. Their booth seats and table remained level, from the built-in technology. The cocktail car emerged from the tunnel a good ways from the building where they had begun, which Meredith saw in the distance, with bright lights on it. Beyond that, the rings of Saturn were illuminated in an ethereal display. She had never seen anything so beautiful, and knew it wasn’t real because from this close the rings would not be definable like that—she should only be seeing some of the orbital debris, rocks and moons. This was an enhanced view.
The cápsula headed straight toward Saturn, and for a few moments of optical illusion it seemed as if they were going to rocket off the roof into space and slam into the rings of the great planet. But this didn’t happen, and the track took them in a different direction.
The cápsula climbed steeply, heading for a huge roller coaster framework that nearly took Meredith’s breath away. She saw a series of loops high above her on the track work, and realized she had not even had one sip of her drink, while Riggio had consumed several beers, along with most of the appetizers.
Meredith took her first sip of Chapala Sunrise, but had difficulty swallowing the sweet drink. Her eyes were fixed on the loops. At least seven, she counted. Ahead, a cápsula of diners seemed to come directly toward them, then abruptly disappeared from view. Had their car gone off the track? Of course not. It was just an optical illusion. Her stomach felt queasy, but she forced herself to drink more. Now she wished they weren’t climbing so slowly. It gave her too much time to think.
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