by John Zakour
I was ready though. Just as I started to bend, I reapplied my strength, catching him totally off guard. I not only stopped his advance, I started pushing his arm backward.
I looked at his face. It was blood-red. Sweat was rolling down his forehead like Costa Rica in the rainy season.
I smiled. I had him.
‘‘You better let him win,’’ Lea said in my mind.
‘‘Let him win,’’ echoed the thoughts of about a dozen other women in the room. In fact, only Melda and Carol didn’t send me those thoughts.
I pushed forward, driving his hand back. I wasn’t going to let him beat me. He wanted to prove to his ladies he was the alpha male. I wanted to let him know that I don’t give ground to any man. Problem was, if I did beat him, I’m not sure if he’d be good for much information. Bigger problem was, I didn’t care. There are times when my ego can get in the way of my quest for knowledge. As my mentor liked to preach, ‘‘the problem with men is their egos are always bigger than they think, and their penises are always smaller.’’ Not sure I totally agreed with that one, but I did need to work on the ego thing. Just not right now. There are times you gotta do what you gotta do and hope for the best.
I slammed his arm to the table. Pulling my arm away, I smiled. He frowned. I let go of his hand. Now that I’d salvaged my manhood, it was time to get the case back on track. I could use the win to my advantage, see how Sputnik reacts when things don’t go his way. Of course, I needed to give Sputnik a graceful way out. I didn’t want to beat his ego down to a silence.
I started rubbing my shoulder, ‘‘Wow, if that’s your weak arm . . .’’
Bo slammed his right elbow down on the table, hand extended. ‘‘Please, my left arm is pitiful. Now, I will show you true power.’’
I backed my chair away from the table, ever so slightly. I continued rubbing my left shoulder with my right hand, shaking my head. I tried to look as worried as possible. Truthfully, I knew I couldn’t beat him right-handed without cheating with HARV. I wasn’t going to give him the total satisfaction of knowing that for sure though. I was going to give him his win, but not his peace of mind.
‘‘No way,’’ I said, feigning a really stiff left arm, moving it cautiously as if any sudden move would cause excruciating pain. ‘‘I need one good arm,’’ I told him.
Bo sat there, motionless, taking in my words.
‘‘I think you broke him,’’ HARV said in my head.
‘‘I forfeit to you,’’ I said. ‘‘That makes it a draw.’’
I wasn’t sure if that would be good enough for Sputnik but it would have to be.
‘‘Fine, I graciously accept your defeat,’’ he said.
‘‘Let it go,’’ HARV said.
I listened to HARV. I extended my hand to him. He gripped my hand, hard. I ignored it. We shook. I heard a collective mental sigh from every woman in the place.
Before things were able to get any more awkward, serving apes and bots started hopping and rolling out of the door on the far wall with food. Saved by the food plate.
As we all ate, Sputnik and I did most of the talking. It struck me as strange since each of the women in the room could quite likely wipe the floor with both Sputnik and me. That didn’t stop us.
To hear Sputnik ramble on and on, one would have thought that he single-handedly built the Moon colony. He was able to talk endlessly about all the wonders of the Moon, a set populace of nothing but hand-pickedscientists, workers, the best bots and trained apes. How they are totally self-supporting and that the Earth could disappear tomorrow and the Moon would go on like nothing happened.
I let the main course flow for a while before causing any rifts. I wanted him to get comfortable again before I drilled him. I was doing a solo good cop/bad cop act.
After the bots and apes started to clear away the plates I asked, ‘‘So how is Elena doing?’’
All the polite back and forth chatter in the room stopped. Every eye focused on Bo.
Sputnik sipped on his after dinner drink, pretending not to hear the question. ‘‘Excuse me?’’ he said.
‘‘She’s in excellent hands,’’ Melda answered. ‘‘My sister does a wonderful job with all her students.’’
‘‘Especially her daughter?’’ I said.
Melda gave me a nice smile. ‘‘They, like all mothers and daughters, have had their issues.’’
‘‘Issues? She refuses to admit her mother is alive.’’
Melda shrugged. ‘‘Some issues are bigger than others. Elena is young and headstrong. I’m sure Shara will figure out a way to get through to Elena.’’
I looked around the table. ‘‘So Shara isn’t here?’’
Now it was Lea’s turn to speak for her dad. ‘‘No, she has her hands full with Elena.’’ There was a slight pause. ‘‘She’s quite dedicated.’’
‘‘And she is still in mourning,’’ Melda added. ‘‘She loved Mo very much.’’
‘‘We all did,’’ Bo said, breaking his silence. ‘‘He was a great scholar and a gentleman.’’
‘‘So you two got along?’’ I prompted.
‘‘His research helped push psis to new highs,’’ Bo said.
Everybody in the room nodded gently in agreement. There were some muffled assents.
‘‘Of course, Daddy, all his research was made possible by your funding and encouragement,’’ Lea said.
Everybody in the room nodded openly in agreement. Many people even added ‘‘Hear! Hear!’’
By not answering my question, Bo inadvertently answered it. I decided to go with the million credit question. ‘‘So, how do you expect this vote to go tomorrow?’’
‘‘I expect Earth to see the light,’’ Bo answered.
‘‘Our polls show that the vast majority, 50.5 percent of the Earth’s population, would like to see the Moon free,’’ Melda said.
‘‘Ah, that’s not exactly a VAST majority,’’ I said.
Melda smiled every so slightly. ‘‘It is when 40.76 percent of the population is totally indifferent.’’
‘‘Good point,’’ I said. ‘‘Too bad the World Council sees things differently. They are hardly your average Earth citizens.’’ Especially now with the Thompson girls onboard.
I turned back to Bo, ‘‘The World Council has never been one to bow to the demands of the people, or logic for that matter.’’
‘‘True,’’ Sputnik conceded. ‘‘This time I am hoping logic will prevail. I’ve made my views clear to the council.’’
‘‘We all have,’’ Melda added.
All the ladies around the table bobbed their heads in agreement.
Now was my time to strike and to ask the question I had been waiting all night to ask.
‘‘What do you do if they refuse?’’
A bot placed a dessert dish in front of me. It was a chocolate torte with a slice of green cheesecake on the side. It looked delicious. I took a bit of the torte. It was good. I focused on Sputnik.
‘‘The cheesecake, it’s divine?’’ Bo said.
‘‘I’m sure,’’ I said, taking another bite of the torte. ‘‘Doesn’t answer my question though.’’
Sputnik took another sample of the tort. He licked his lips. He smiled at me. It was his best political smile. ‘‘Let’s not talk about such ugly matters.’’
I pressed on. I had to. I wanted to see how he would react.
‘‘I guess there’s not much you can do except accept your fate and hope for the best.’’
Sputnik curled his hands into fists and pounded them on the table.
‘‘I am not one to put much faith in fate and hope,’’ he said, nearly spitting.
‘‘So you have no faith in faith,’’ I prodded.
‘‘Carefully, big guy, you’re on his home turf, playing on his home court, surrounded by his rabid fans,’’ HARV cautioned.
‘‘I have faith in myself and this world I built,’’ Bo said.
A wise man would have eased up on the
gas, maybe even hit the breaks. I pushed down the throttle and went for it. The trick was to take my foot off the pedal before I drove him over the edge.
‘‘So what happens if the WC votes down freedom again?’’ I asked.
A cold stare and colder silence.
I needed to force a reaction, any reaction.
‘‘I guess there is nothing you can do. Must be tough. A true doer wouldn’t sit by helplessly.’’
Bo leaped up from his chair, dove over the table and grabbed me. ‘‘I am never helpless!’’ he shouted. ‘‘Never!’’ His face turned redder than the old Russian flag. ‘‘And I never have been helpless!’’ he asserted.
My first reaction was to slap him down. Sure he was a stalwart and stocky guy. (HARV said he used to box.) That was years ago. He had become a desk jockey, still fit for a guy who pushed electrons around all day, but not nearly ready to tangle with me, a guy who brawls on a regular basis.
I wanted a reaction and I got one. Any good P.I. knows there’s a time to fight back and a time to lay back and let matters take care of themselves. A great P.I. can tell those things apart. This was the latter.
‘‘Emotional, aren’t you?’’ I said.
Sputnik let go of my shirt. He straightened himself up, composing himself mentally and physically. He lowered his eyes. ‘‘I’m sorry. That’s no way to treat a guest.’’
‘‘He had it coming,’’ Carol said, glaring across the table at me.
‘‘No, no he didn’t,’’ Melda said.
‘‘I agree,’’ Lea said.
‘‘With who?’’ I asked Lea.
‘‘Everybody,’’ she answered.
‘‘My number one wife is right,’’ Bo said. ‘‘I am such a terrible host.’’
He dusted off my shoulder. Not really sure why. I guess it was his way of trying to show kindness and be belittling at the same time. I found it strange and a bit disturbing on some levels. Still, I was interested to see that the calm, cool politician in him could overrule the angry tyrant.
‘‘I guess I pressed a nano too hard,’’ I conceded.
Across the table, I saw Carol roll her eyes.
‘‘It’s just I believe so much in what we do here on the Moon and how we need to be free,’’ Sputnik said. ‘‘Sometimes I get excited.’’
‘‘That’s okay,’’ I told him. My gut was churning. That gave me all the information I needed. Sputnik may not have been the one to kill the World Council members, but I’d bet credits to soy donuts that he certainly condoned and probably ordered the attack.
He looked at me, his black pupils dominating his eyes. ‘‘If they don’t grant us our freedom, I fear for us all.’’
Yep, definitely the one.
I stood up. ‘‘I think Carol and I should be going now.’’
Bo’s head dipped. In fact, his entire body kind of dipped. ‘‘Ah, must you go? The night is young.’’
‘‘It’s been a long day, being attacked by apes and a crazed psi, touring the Moon, being attacked by the crazed psi again.’’
‘‘Truthfully though, the second psi attack was aimed at me,’’ Bo said.
‘‘I still got tossed around and nearly smothered by vats of toxic waste.’’
‘‘Actually, they were more barrels than vats,’’ Bo corrected, showing my trained mind what a truly anal politician he was.
Lea grabbed my arm. She looked up at me, eyelashes batting. ‘‘Can’t you stay a few more minutes and relax?’’ She took a deep breath, expanding her breasts. She exhaled slowly. ‘‘The vote is tomorrow. Who knows what will happen after that?’’
It truly was a tempting offer. Lea was an interesting character, part sex kitten, part hungry man-eating lion; you never knew which one was the dominant part. I kind of liked it.
Bo on the other hand wasn’t so thrilled. He wanted to be the only apple of his daughter’s eye.
‘‘I might be able to stay a few more minutes,’’ I said.
Bo looked frazzled. ‘‘How rude of us, Mr. Johnson. You must be so so very tired and we are forcing you to stay against your wishes. Tomorrow is a big day. The Moon becomes independent. You get to see your,’’ he turned to Lea as he stressed, ‘‘girlfriend, the lovely Electra.’’ He turned back to me. ‘‘I’ve summoned transport. You should go home and rest.’’
I decided I’d pushed the envelope enough for tonight. The smart P.I. knows when to pack it in.
‘‘You’re right. Carol and I should be heading back to our suite.’’
Bo positioned his body between myself, the table and the women. ‘‘That’s okay. Ms. Gevada can stay longer if she wishes.’’
Before I had a chance to answer, Carol shouted in my brain, ‘‘I’ll talk for myself.’’
Carol pushed herself up from her chair. She had a regal way about her. I liked it but it scared me. Not sure if I was scared by her manner or that I liked it.
‘‘I’ll go with my uncle,’’ Carol said.
Carol walked over and took my hand. ‘‘Come on, Tió, let’s go. Tomorrow will be a big day.’’
I turned to Bo, ‘‘Thanks for everything. I hope our paths will cross again this trip.’’
Bo got a twinkle in his eye. ‘‘Yes, of course. Tomorrow you will join us in celebrating the Moon’s independence.’’
‘‘We’d like that,’’ Carol answered.
I turned to the ladies, giving them a polite bow. ‘‘Until we meet again,’’ I said in my most suave voice.
‘‘Gross,’’ Carol said in my head.
‘‘Gross squared then cubed,’’ HARV said.
A butlerbot rolled up with my coat and hat. I put them on. Carol and I left the building.
We got into the bubble car and headed toward our hotel. We rode in silence, but that didn’t mean we didn’t communicate.
‘‘I was wrong. Melda did it,’’ Carol said in my head.
‘‘Excuse me?’’
‘‘When Lea stood up asking you to stay, that really angered Boris,’’ Carol thought.
‘‘So? How does this lead to Melda?’’ I asked. I wouldn’t have been flabbergasted if Melda was the killer. I had never removed her from the list of possibilities. She just wasn’t that high up on the list.
‘‘She shot Lea a mental message, ‘Let’s not have to kill more Earthers.’ Right after that Lea backed down.’’
Now that was something different.
‘‘Why would Melda think that so openly?’’ I asked Carol mentally.
‘‘All the Moon psis are so sure of their power, they don’t think anybody else can read or control them,’’ she answered out loud.
‘‘Or maybe she wanted you to hear that,’’ I thought to Carol. ‘‘Its scary and cryptic enough to keep us guessing.’’
‘‘I never considered that,’’ Carol said.
‘‘That’s why I get the big bucks,’’ I grinned.
I may have been smiling and calm on the outside, but inside I was grimacing and my nerves were tangled in square knots.
Chapter 28
That night, I sat awake in my bed, pondering. Every case can be broken down to who, why, and how? Here I had the who narrowed down. I could make a good guess on the how. The why was the biggest stumper.
For the who, I was pretty certain that Shannon Cannon was innocent. Problem was, I was just as certain nobody who mattered cared. The bigger dilemma was who was the killer? It might have been Melda. It might have been Lea. It could have been both. Were they acting alone? Were they acting under orders? Or was it the wild card (in more ways than one), Elena?
For the how, Melda, Lea, and Elena were all extremely powerful and well-connected psis. They certainly had the means to use their connections to override the council’s security codes. Catching the bodyguards off guard, either of these three ladies could decimate the room. The how I had covered.
My big hang-up was the why? What did they hope to accomplish by this? Was it a threat? ‘‘Do what we want or else more will die.’’
Why send an anonymous warning threat? Did they really hope to change the vote? Maybe it was just Elena out for revenge. That didn’t sit right with me though. Elena wasn’t the subtle, quiet type. If she had done it she would have been open and in your face about it.
I fell asleep thinking that I had no idea what these people were thinking.
‘‘Wake up!’’ HARV shouted in my head. Bells, whistles, and fireworks were also going off.
I sat up. ‘‘I’m awake. I’m awake. What’s going on?’’
‘‘The vote came down,’’ HARV said.
‘‘What time is it?’’
‘‘It’s 6:30 A.M., Earth Standard Time.’’
‘‘Isn’t that early for the vote?’’
‘‘Yes,’’ HARV said.
‘‘That can’t be a good sign.’’
‘‘No,’’ HARV said.
‘‘No, I’m wrong, or no, I’m right?’’
‘‘The vote was ten to two, against,’’ HARV said.
I rolled out of bed and stood up. I had been sleeping in my armor and suit. It was time to find my woman then get off this rock.
‘‘Who voted for it?’’
‘‘Only Ona and Threa,’’ HARV said.
‘‘Well, at least my little chat had some effect on them,’’ I said dressing.
‘‘The others say they refused to be bullied by a Moonie, the most vocal of the protractors being Twoa.’’
I wasn’t surprised by this. Twoa would rather fight than think any day. This is a lady who once rendered an entire city block unconscious while stopping one jaywalker.
‘‘So they are still blaming Shannon?’’
‘‘Yes, but there is talk that she was doing it under orders from somebody else,’’ HARV said.
‘‘Oh, that’s not good.’’
‘‘Yep. The council is meeting now to decide how to respond.’’
‘‘HARV, we need to contact Electra and fast,’’ I said. My gun and knife were on the nightstand. I grabbed them and slipped them each into their respective ankle holster.
