Minali skimmed the rest of Rhiannon's file, looking for any further references to her brother or Humans First.
She found neither, but what she did find intrigued her. During the treaty negotiations, there had been numerous peace rallies in all the major cities. Not everyone wanted peace, though, and some of the rallies had turned violent when pro-war advocates had waded into the rally, throwing punches and tearing up banners. Rhiannon had been one of those arrested at such a rally, though the profile never said what side she'd been on. Merely that she'd broken a man's nose and been responsible for soft tissue damage to several others. Rhiannon liked to kick men in the balls, Minali translated. She liked the woman already.
When Minali arrived at the pub, she had to take a deep breath before stepping inside. The smell of alcohol made her nauseous – it always had – but this had to be done. At the bar, she asked to speak to Rhiannon.
"You're out of luck. You just missed her. She's not working today, but she came in to pick up her knives from the kitchen. Cooks and their knives. I dunno. She said something about cooking up a seafood feast for her new boyfriend, though, so you'll likely find her at home," the bartender said.
Knives and fish. Something shifted uneasily in Minali's stomach, and she couldn't blame it on the beer the barman was pouring, either.
"Did she mention anything to you about what she was doing last Friday night?" Minali asked.
The bartender frowned. "Friday nights she's usually in here, cooking, so she can leave early to meet up with that boyfriend of hers. She talks about him a lot, but he never comes to see her at work."
Rhiannon wouldn't be the first girl to invent an imaginary boyfriend to keep other suitors at bay, Minali knew, but this raised her hackles further. Rhiannon had left the bar alone on that fateful Friday, something no conscientious boyfriend should have allowed, and she'd returned home unaccompanied, too. Most women didn't do that without some sort of death wish. Not something Minali wanted in a potential witness. She liked her witnesses alive, thank you.
She thanked the bartender and climbed back onto her flyer for the short ride to Uni Fish Supply.
Twenty-Four
Sven dropped the crab on the counter, where it decided the woman was the bigger threat and went for her face. She shrank back, and only then did Sven see the glint of a knife in her hand. His blood ran cold. Had she been about to stab him?
Saved by a crab, he reflected, failing to hide his grin.
"You think it's funny, creature?" the woman hissed. "Funny that things like you killed my brother, or seduced my boyfriend away from me? You'll stop laughing when I'm done with you. I'll cut up your colour-changing skin so badly you'll only be red for the rest of your life."
She rounded the counter and thrust the knife at him again. Sven backed away, but he didn't have far to go. Behind him was a floor to ceiling display tank, and on his right was a wall. Whichever way he went, she'd have him cornered.
He might not know who she was, but he recognised the fierce look in her eyes. It was the same one Allie had worn when she told the Mer council she was going to war. Not even the council had dared opposed her. So what use was Sven, just one man against that sort of feminine fury? If she was a Mer, he'd be dead already.
"Make it quick," he muttered, closing his eyes. His last thought was a desperate hope that Minali wouldn't be the one to deal with the investigation into his death when it was all over. She had that other murder to solve. Not some merman who…
"Wait, stop!" he implored, holding his hands up. "If you kill me, my people will hunt you down. Don't do this."
The woman barked out a laugh, slashing the knife through the air as though she liked to see the light glint off the blade. "There's a bad movie line if ever I heard one. You're not a person. None of your kind are. You're just pretending to be people."
Sven slowly lowered his hands. "I'm not pretending. I'm only being me. I sell fish. I've never killed anyone, or seduced anyone…" He swallowed, thinking of Minali. The only time he'd ever succeeded at seducing anyone, and he'd done such a good job of it that she hadn't even bothered to call him afterward. At least they'd had one perfect day together. "I'm harmless, really," he finished lamely.
The door hissed open, and the voice Sven had dreamed of hearing for the last three days made him forget everything else. "Sven, I was wondering if – " Minali began.
The woman moved more quickly than Sven would have believed possible. She shoved her body behind his, reaching under his arm to set the sharp blade to his throat. Her other hand gripped his shoulder. "One move and I'll kill him," she hissed.
Twenty-Five
Minali hesitated outside Uni Fish Supply. She'd never asked a guy on a date before, and during the short drive she'd grown increasingly nervous about it. Perhaps she should wait until after she was done with the interviews. Because if Sven rejected her, she wouldn't be able to keep her mind on the job. Instead, she'd be wondering why, instead of using all her skills of observation to decide whether she had a potential witness, and what they weren't telling her.
She wavered, but somehow she'd come close enough to the shop door to trigger the sensor, so the doors hissed open. Now she had no choice. Dreading Sven's response, she made herself walk inside. Forcing her voice to sound casual, she began, "Sven, I was wondering if…"
A strange sound made her lift her eyes to her face, instead of staring at her boots. A flash of fire as someone dived behind Sven before a distinctly female voice said, "One move and I'll kill him."
A flash of silver just above Sven's collarbone drew Minali's eyes to a knife. A kitchen knife, the sort you'd use to carve a roast. Not the normal weapon of an armed robber.
In Sven's place, Minali would have brought her elbow down, dragging the woman's arm away from her throat, and she'd have grabbed the woman's hand with both of hers in order to make her drop her weapon. Disarmed, it would have been the work of barely a moment to pin the woman against the wall or the floor and handcuff her. Easy.
But Sven just stood there, horror widening his eyes as the blade scraped against his skin, drawing blood. "You should leave, Detective. I don't want you to see this."
Minali saw the defeat in his eyes. He believed he was about to die.
She pulled out her segif, looking for some way to aim it at the woman, but Sven's size made him an amazing Human shield. Meta shield. Whatever.
"Sven, move away from her," Minali ordered, tightening her grip on her weapon.
"Either of you move and I'll kill him!" the woman screeched.
Minali glimpsed fire again and realisation dawned. "It doesn't have to be this way, Rhiannon. Just because the girl's body was found here, doesn't make Sven here the murderer. I can assure you he's a kind, upstanding citizen who would never hurt – "
"Why would this thing hurt its own kind? She was the same as him – a creature pretending to be a person. She deserved to die. It was so easy, like she knew it, too. Killing this thing will be even easier. Metas don't bleed red like us Humans. Killing this one will be a mercy." She pressed the blade harder against Sven's neck, and a trickle of blood flowed down into his shirt. Despite the woman's words, the blood was as red as any Human's. But from where she stood, she couldn’t see it.
Minali's eyes gazed into Sven's, and she fancied she could read his mind.
For all his size and strength, Sven wasn't going to fight back. Like every battered woman Minali had ever known, he would submit to the abuse. And Minali couldn't allow it.
"No, please, don't do this," Minali begged. "Don't you see? If he was going to hurt you, he would have by now. Any other man would grab the knife off you and turn it on you. It doesn't matter what he is. Just because he's a Meta doesn't change that he's a good man!"
Sven closed his eyes. "Killing is always easier after the first time. My people know this. That's why we don't – "
"Shut up, creature!" Rhiannon shouted.
The first time…even easier.
Rhiannon had killed Boli
na.
The thought hit Minali like a jetter at full speed.
"Why did you kill the girl?" Minali asked softly.
"She wasn't a girl. She was a thing pretending to be a girl so she could steal my boyfriend. I pushed her into the tank, and held her down. She didn't even fight me. Like she knew she deserved to die."
No bruises. No defensive wounds. No signs of rape.
A woman walking alone at night, because she thought she was untouchable after she'd killed.
And if Minali didn't do something, Sven would be her next victim.
Her eyes met his, begging him to fight. He was the only good man in the Seldova system, perhaps even the universe. Who cared if he wasn't Human?
Minali didn't. She only cared that she loved him. The rest of the universe could go space themselves.
"If you kill him, you won't walk out of here alive. I promise you that," Minali said. "Put down the knife." She edged to the side, hoping to put Rhiannon in range of her segif. Inch by inch, she could almost see the woman's face.
"Not before this thing is dead."
Twenty-Six
The door to the shop hissed open, and the strains of someone singing drifted through from the street. It was such an incongruously cheerful tune, Minali tried to turn her head to snap at the singer to shut up, but she couldn't move. Somehow, she'd frozen in place. From the looks on Sven and Rhiannon's faces, Minali judged that they were similarly affected.
Her thoughts whirled. Nothing a Meta could do should be able to get through her implant to incapacitate her like this. Was this some new kind of weapon, or a Meta ability no one knew about?
To Minali's horror, someone stepped into the shop. Allie's bright smile and clinking toolbag were even more out of place than the song she stopped singing the moment the door slid shut behind her.
"This doesn't look good," she remarked, as if surveying nothing more worrying than a blocked toilet. "I got an alert from the Building Management System that there might be a bit of trouble here. Beems said it was the sort of trouble that required my services." She set her bag down on the floor, freeing up her hands. To kill, Minali was sure of it.
Minali wanted to scream at her to stop and leave this case to the professionals, but not even the muscles in her throat worked to allow her to speak.
"Sven, step away from her," Allie said calmly.
Sven twisted out of Rhiannon's grasp, wincing as the blade of the knife scaped against his skin. He moved to Minali's side, facing Rhiannon.
Now Minali could see the woman, but she was unable to take the shot that would save her life.
"Have you taken a life in this place before?" Allie asked Rhiannon. "You may nod or shake your head."
With considerable effort, the woman nodded once, her red curls bobbing.
"Did you threaten his life, too?" Allie continued.
She nodded again.
"Allie, please – " Sven began.
Sven knew what Allie was. What she would do. He didn't want this, either. Even as blood flowed down his neck from the shallow cut, he still wanted to save her. He was a genuine saint. If he and Minali survived this, she intended to marry the man.
Allie ignored him. "You don't deserve to live," she told Rhiannon.
Rhiannon's eyes widened as the blade that was still coated with Sven's blood began inexorably to move toward her own breast. Her hand twisted, angling down with infinite slowness as only Rhiannon's eyes revealed her horror. Then the knife punched expertly between her ribs and a wordless cry left her lips before she withdrew the knife and tossed it on the floor at her feet.
Seconds ticked by, though it felt like an eternity. Finally, Rhiannon fell, lifeless, to the tiles.
Twenty-Seven
Minali's heart sank as the door hissed open again.
"Hello, hello, hello. What's going on here, then?" Violet's familiar voice drawled as she strolled into the shop.
"An attempted murder, which fortunately didn't succeed, and a suicide, which did," Allie said. "I think you'll find she's killed before, too. She confessed to being the Fish Killer before she took her own life."
"Is that so?" Violet mused.
Sven rubbed his neck. "Yes. Strange woman. Very sad."
Minali looked from one Mer to the other, then to Violet. All Metas, not a Human among them. If she disagreed, would they make her kill herself, too?
As if reading her mind, Violet asked, "Is that the way it happened, partner?"
Minali attempted to moisten her mouth. To her surprise, she could move again. Several swallows later, she managed to say, "I came in to the shop and found her threatening Sven with a knife. I drew my segif, but she used this civilian as a shield, so I couldn't fire. She confessed, like Allie said, and then…turned the knife on herself." Minali gritted her teeth. She wouldn't let the Mer get away with murder without tipping off Violet somehow. "Overcome by – "
"Grief, and guilt, most likely," Violet finished for her with a warning tone. "Killing one person, and then trying to kill a Mer. Not many can overcome their guilt. She wasn't the first, and probably won't be the last." Violet knelt down and touched Rhiannon's neck, then placed a hand in front of her lips. "No pulse, no breath. Dead. I'll comm an ambulance to come get the body. Better scan her ID, too, so I get the name right in my report." She leaned over Rhiannon's chip for a moment before straightening. "I'll write this one up. You're off-duty, as of five minutes ago," Violet said to Minali. "And overdue for a few days off. Time you took them."
Minali wanted to protest, but Sven's hand closed around her arm in warning, so she subsided. Violet wrote notes and Allie left before anyone else arrived. While other Intra and medical personnel came and went, Minali stood silently by, watching and waiting until finally she stood alone with Sven.
The man she loved, who'd almost died.
She took a deep breath. "This is all your fault!"
Twenty-Eight
Sven's heart sank. She was right, and he knew it. "I'm a poor leader, and I didn't catch her until she almost struck again. I should have saved her, done something, but – "
"Why didn't you fight back?" Minali shouted. "You're twice her size! You could have knocked her out with one blow and I'd be taking a live suspect to the holding cells, instead of a corpse to the morgue!"
Sven hung his head. "I couldn't hurt her," he whispered. "Even though I knew what would happen, I couldn't bring myself to strike her. To strike either of them. It's not in my nature."
Minali stared at him for a long, long time. Finally, she let out what sounded like a forced laugh. "You're the last good man left, Sven, you know that? The only one I've ever met who wouldn't hit a woman even to save his own life, or someone else's. And I almost lost you because of it, you noble idiot. I'm going to teach you some basic self defence moves, starting tomorrow, so if this ever happens again, you'll know how to pin someone without having to hurt anyone. I can't believe you nearly died. And I couldn't take a shot without hitting you because she was half your size!"
"Whatever you want," Sven said. She'd saved his life, walking in when she did. If Minali hadn't distracted the woman, Allie would have been avenging his death, and not just an attempt to kill him. "You saved my life, so I owe you…everything. Anything. Name it. If I had my way, I'd take you to a private pool and show you all the pleasures a body can take, though it will take me all night and day to do it. The only thing going through my mind the whole time was you, and how I wished I could tell you I loved you before she killed me."
Minali's eyes grew round, and Sven regretted his words. Too much truth, too fast. He'd never understand Humans. He'd screwed up again, and she wouldn't forgive him this time.
"A pool," Minali said finally. "You want to take me halfway across the Complex before we can have thank-fuck-we-didn't-die sex when there's a perfectly good counter here? And walls aplenty? There must be a dozen beds closer than a bloody pool!"
"The counter?" Sven stared at it like he'd never seen one before. Well, he'd never imagi
ned having sex on one, but now she mentioned it… "Humans have sex on counters?" Minali just got more perfect every moment he was with her.
Twenty-Nine
Sven lifted her effortlessly onto the shop counter, his mouth glued to Minali's. She squirmed out of her uniform pants and underwear, then yanked her top off to add it to the pile. Her bra took only a moment longer, leaving her free to tackle Sven's clothing.
Sven wasn't having it, though – he kissed his way down her neck, her breasts and her belly until he knelt between her dangling feet. His eyes met hers for a moment before he flashed her a cheeky grin and buried his face between her thighs.
"Stars, Sven!" she cried, arching her back as he licked and sucked her into a frenzy of desire. Her orgasm burst over her like a sky full of shooting stars, and she didn't care who heard her scream.
"I could spend all night watching you come like this," Sven said dreamily.
And not satisfy himself at all? The thought stayed in Minali's mind for only a moment, before she reminded herself that this was Sven. He meant every word.
"If you want, then one night, we will," she said instead, then smiled as an idea struck her. "And afterwards, at dawn, I'll give you the best blowjob you ever had."
His eyes lit up. "Really?"
Anyone would think the man had never received a blowjob before. Minali almost laughed, then remembered the comment he'd made about why mermaids didn't kiss. If they rarely kissed because it kept their mouth busy, blowjobs must be rare indeed.
"Yes. Tomorrow night," she promised. She was due some time off, by the stars, and she was going to spend it with Sven. Naked. "You're wearing too many clothes," she grumbled, sliding off the counter.
Fishtail (The Complex Book 0) Page 7
