Worlds Apart (ThreeCon)

by Carmen Webster Buxton

  Hari described waking up to the sound of the alarm, grabbing a robe and his boots, running to the main house to find out what was wrong.

  “So by the time you got here, your staff had already found the body of the victim and Praxiteles Mercouri, the wounded guard?”

  Rishi bristled at the word victim.

  Hari frowned. “They had found an intruder, dead on the floor, and one of my staff was severely wounded, yes.”

  “The two guards who were first on the scene were Jomo Tinibu and Sidney Ogilvy, followed almost immediately by Ingrid Nakamura and Joshi Chio?”

  “I believe so, yes,” Hari said. “All of them were there when I arrived except Ogilvy, and he had been sent to check on Rishi. Tinibu and Ogilvy would have been first on the scene because they were just coming on duty. They had early watch this morning.”

  “The wounded man, Mercouri—he wasn’t on duty?” Arnuchh asked.

  Rishi was glad she had found that fact out ahead of time instead of learning it in front of Captain Arnuchh.

  “No,” Hari said. “He was coming off night shift. He and Wollongong had just finished their last rounds. Praxiteles was off duty, and Wollongong was on call.” Hari glanced at Rishi. “Rurhahn told me he sent Wollongong and Ogilvy to check on Rishi because, unlike most of the other staff, they were fully dressed.”

  Arnuchh consulted a small hand-held terminal for her notes. “Is it correct to say that, although the routes and actual departure times vary, the shift change is always at the same time? In other words, at the exact time of the incident, one could count on the night shift being back in the security wing and the early shift not having started quite yet?”

  Hari considered. “That’s probably true. Of course, sometimes the early watch would start by touring the interior of the house, so it could be a very narrow window of opportunity.”

  Arnuchh consulted her notes again. “Are you familiar with the method used to gain access to the estate, Citizen Ijeomah?”

  Hari looked grim. “Yes. Rurhahn told me about it this morning when I called from the hospital to check in. Someone set up a pair of interrupt beacons right in the force field path. Because they were tuned to our unique resonator frequency, the alarm didn’t go off, and then they walked right in between the beacons. They breached the wall of the house—right at its weakest point—with silenced implosion devices.”

  “How do you explain the fact that the intruders knew the correct resonator frequency?”

  “I can only assume they had access to inside information,” Hari said.

  “How long has Mercouri been employed by the House of Trahn?” Arnuchh asked.

  Rishi set her mouth in a straight line.

  “Almost a year,” Hari said. “A Subidaran year, that is.”

  “When you found him this morning he was unconscious,” Arnuchh said, “but your guard Tinibu was able to bring him around and you questioned him?”

  “Yes,” Hari said.

  “He told you he had killed the man in the hallway with a knife he kept in his boot?” Arnuchh asked, looking up from her notes.

  “Yes. He had tried to stun him, but it didn’t work because of the energy shield. When the man fired at him, Prax threw his knife.”

  She checked her notes again. “Your staff use enhanced stun guns, correct? Their standard weapons include darts in case they ever have to face a Miloran intruder?”

  Rishi was surprised to hear this, as no one had ever mentioned it in front of her.

  Hari nodded. “Yes.”

  “Mercouri had switched his gun to fire darts. Why did he use the knife instead?”

  Hari shrugged. “I don’t know. It might be because he was more familiar with the knife. Or perhaps he didn’t realize darts would also penetrate the shield?”

  Arnuchh pursed her lips. “And after the first man was dead, he went into the office to see if there was another intruder?”

  “First he pulled the alarm,” Hari said. “All our staff wear a remote switch to activate the main alarm in the security wing.”

  “And the alarm monitor shows the location of the switch that was activated?”

  “Yes,” Hari said. “It shows on the monitors in my house, my office, and in the common room”

  “Did Mercouri ever say what he was doing in that wing of the house in the first place?” Arnuchh asked.

  Rishi spoke before Hari could answer. “Hari didn’t ask because he knew. I expect everyone in the house knew, but they’re probably being very discreet and no one’s told you. Praxiteles was on his way to my bedroom, which is at the end of this hallway.”

  Arnuchh turned her sapphire eyes to Rishi. “And why would he be going there at that hour, Mistress Trahn?”

  “Because we’re lovers,” Rishi said. “I had asked him to come to my room as soon as his shift was over.”

  Arnuchh made a notation on the terminal with her stylus. She looked up at Rishi again. “And was Mercouri employed in this house as a member of the security staff or as your lover?”

  Rishi returned Arnuchh’s gaze without flinching. “I don’t pay him to go to bed with me if that’s what you’re asking. He’s worked for Hari as a security guard for almost a year. He’s been my lover for less than one month.”

  “But he continued to work in that capacity, after you started an intimate relationship with him?” Arnuchh pressed her.

  Rishi seethed at having to answer the woman’s questions but kept her temper. “Yes.”

  “And would everyone on the security staff have known he would be in that place at that time?”

  Had someone intended to attack Praxiteles? It was a scary thought. “I don’t know,” Rishi said. “I suppose anyone who took the trouble to check Praxiteles’ schedule and who thought about it would have known that he could have been there. I don’t think anyone but me would have known for sure.”

  “But the relationship was common knowledge among the staff?”

  “Yes,” Rishi said. “As of yesterday, anyway. Before that only a very limited number of people knew.”

  “Who precisely?” Arnuchh said.

  Annoyed, Rishi put a sharp edge in her voice when she answered. “Is it really necessary for you to know that?”

  “Mistress Trahn,” Arnuchh said with asperity, “a man has been killed in your house. The man who killed him was apparently at that place at that time because of his personal relationship with you. It’s crucial for us to know who’d be likely to know of that relationship.”

  Phrased that way, it did sound reasonable. “Very well,” Rishi said. “To the best of my knowledge, until yesterday morning, the only people who knew about it besides Praxiteles and myself were my maid Lidiya Cherchefski, and Hari.”

  “Thank you,” Arnuchh said. “To continue, I’d like to review the possible motives for the break-in. Why would anyone attempt to enter this office?”

  Rishi hadn’t thought about motive before, but she considered it now. Two possibilities seemed obvious. “There could be a couple of motives. For one thing, Hari won’t let me keep my jewelry in my room. He makes me put it in the safe in here—or rather through that door, in my inner office.

  “Secondly, a lot of valuable information is stored in the computers at Trahn headquarters downtown. Headquarters has truly daunting security, and round-the-clock workers, too. The terminals here have access to the computers at Headquarters—access that’s not available anywhere else on Subidar. If someone knew how to access the systems, they could find out a lot of marketable information from in here.”

  “So it could be a form of industrial espionage or it could be a simple jewel heist?”

  “Yes,” Rishi said, nodding her head.

  “What value would you place on the jewelry in the safe?” Arnuchh asked.

  Rishi named a figure that Arnuchh noted on her terminal.

 
“That would certainly make it worth someone’s while to carry illegal weapons,” the Shuratanian said. “Whether it was worth getting killed for is another question.”

  The captain looked down at her terminal and flipped through several screens. “About the knife,” she said to Hari. She put the terminal down, reached into a large case on the desk and took out a small knife in an evidence bag. The tiny blade couldn’t have been any longer than Rishi’s ring finger. Arnuchh held it up for Hari’s inspection. “Do you issue knives to all the staff as a matter of course?”

  “No,” Hari said. “We don’t normally issue them at all. That knife is Praxiteles’ personal property. He grew up using knives as everyday tools.”

  “So you were aware he carried it with him?”

  “I knew he sometimes carried a knife,” Hari said. “I didn’t know he had one last night.”

  Rishi decided it wouldn’t hurt to let her indignation show. “Why all these questions about the knife? Praxiteles was defending himself. What does it matter what weapon he used? If he had only had a stun gun, he could well be dead, and we’d be insisting that you find out who killed him. Instead, he saved himself and you’re acting like he committed a crime.”

  The Shuratanian looked imperturbable. “Please, Mistress Trahn, I’m just trying to determine all the facts.”

  “The facts are that Praxiteles surprised an intruder who almost killed him,” Rishi said, getting genuinely angry. “I suggest you concentrate on finding out how they got into my house in the first place.”

  “I’m trying to do that, Mistress Trahn,” Arnuchh said.

  Rishi stood up. She had to get out before her control slipped entirely. “I certainly hope so! I’m going to call my counsel now.”

  She stalked into her inner office. As soon as the door had closed behind her, she rushed to the desk and turned on the video so she could watch what was going on in the outer office.

  Arnuchh had put away the knife and was looking at her portable terminal again.

  “Are we through?” Hari asked politely.

  “Not quite,” the Shuratanian said. “Precisely when did Mercouri begin working for you?”

  Hari gave her the starting date for Praxiteles’ contract.

  “And where had he worked before that?” Arnuchh asked.

  “Celadon,” Hari said. “It’s not a ThreeCon world so you might have trouble getting information from there.”

  Arnuchh looked inscrutable. “How did you feel about Mistress Trahn starting an intimate relationship with one of your staff?”

  Hari shrugged. “That was their business. I was happy she had found someone.”

  “Had she ever done that before?”

  “No, not to my knowledge.”

  Rishi had to smile at that answer. The chances of her having a lover without Hari knowing bordered on nil.

  “And you didn’t find it difficult to have someone who worked for you in a position to complain about you to your employer?” Arnuchh asked.

  And how would Hari answer that one?

  He smiled. “Rishi and I have known each other a long time. Besides, I can’t think of anyone less likely to try to take advantage of the relationship than Praxiteles.”

  “He was conscientious about his work?”

  “Extremely.”

  “How well did he know your systems?” Arnuchh asked. “Was he in a position to determine at what frequency the resonators in the force field were set?”

  “Praxiteles wouldn’t know how to determine resonator frequency to save his life,” Hari said with conviction.

  Rishi studied Arnuchh’s face. The Shuratanian didn’t look convinced. “I’ll need to question Mercouri personally.”

  Hari told her the name of the hospital. “I don’t know the room,” he added. “When we left him a little while ago, he was still groggy from the anesthetic. He should be okay in an hour or two.”

  Arnuchh closed her terminal with a snap. “Very well, citizen. That’s all for now. I may have more questions for you later.”

  “You know where to find me,” Hari said, as affable as the host at a party.

  He waited until the captain had gone to look right at the monitor on Merschachh’s desk. “Well?”

  Rishi put the video on two-way. “How did you know I was listening?”

  He grinned. “The operating light came on almost as soon as you went in there. Luckily, Arnuchh couldn’t see it from where she was sitting.”

  Rishi sighed. “Can you come here for a moment?”

  He nodded, got up, and disappeared from the monitor. In a few seconds, he came through to her office.

  “You were getting pretty hot,” he said, taking a seat across from her.

  Rishi nodded. “I know. That’s why I left. I was afraid I’d lose my temper and say something stupid.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Is Praxiteles in danger?”

  Hari looked inscrutable. “I don’t know. It’s possible.”

  Rishi scowled. “That chupachho—” she used a Shuratanian word that implied that Arnuchh was a lower life form—“is trying to make it look like Praxiteles was in on the break-in—like he was one of them and they had a fight or something!”

  “I don’t think she’d do that. She’s just looking for the obvious answers first.”

  Rishi swelled with indignation. “Obvious?”

  “Obvious to someone on the outside,” Hari said, his tone placating. “You always look at who’s new on the staff, especially if they’re first on the scene.”

  This answer failed to appease Rishi. Praxiteles was in trouble, and the police were on their way to the hospital where he lay helpless. She got to her feet, suddenly restless. “I’ll call my lawyers and have them send someone to stay with Praxiteles, in case the police try to question him.”

  Hari frowned. “Are you sure you want to do that? It makes him look guilty of something.”

  She glared at him. “He’s an innocent, Hari. He’s totally unprepared for the kind of traps they might lay for him.”

  “Not necessarily. For one thing, he’ll know if they lie to him.”

  This reminder of Praxiteles’ talent gave Rishi pause. “I’d forgotten that. I wish I knew whether that chupachho was lying when she said she was just trying to determine the facts. I wish I knew whether she really wants to find out what happened, or she’s just looking for a scapegoat.”

  Hari stood up and put one arm around her. “It’ll be okay. Praxiteles is innocent, and the facts will prove it.”

  Rishi sighed, taking comfort from the warmth of his nearness. “I was so happy, Hari. I’d finally found what I was missing—a friend and a lover—and now they want to take him away from me.”

  “You’re worrying prematurely.” Hari patted her on the shoulder like she was twelve again. “No one’s tried to lock Praxiteles up as yet. Worry about it when it happens.”

  Rishi leaned her head against Hari’s chest, thankful she still had him to rely on. “You’re right. It’s just that I love Praxiteles so much, the thought of losing him terrifies me. I’d even begun to think about marriage if everything continued to go so well.”

  “What?” Hari said the one word in a sharp tone that mixed incredulity with dismay.

  Rishi pulled away from him in surprise. “Have I shocked you? I didn’t think you were a snob about these things. Are you going to tell me I shouldn’t marry someone with no money?”

  “No,” Hari said, frowning as he looked her in the face. “It’s not that at all, girl. It’s just that I think you’re jumping the gun here. For one thing, Praxiteles told me he couldn’t marry anyone.”

  “He told you what?” Rishi said, startled.

  “Because of Zoë,” Hari said. “He said he told you about her.”

  Rishi opened her eyes wide. “He did. I’m amazed that he told you. It�
��s very personal stuff.”

  A sudden guilty look crossed Hari’s face for just a second.

  Rishi frowned. “How did you find out about this?”

  “It was the nempathenol. It was just too tempting.”

  “What?”

  “He’s so damn stubborn, girl,” Hari said, a pleading note in his voice. “And there were things I wanted to ask him, like who hit him that first time. I started asking him a few questions and it all came out.”

  “Hari!” Rishi said, anger and indignation rising. “That’s not fair. You took advantage of Praxiteles.”

  “I know I did.” Hari had the grace to look ashamed. “I’m not proud of it. The thing is, it was quite a shock to hear him say he had committed incest. I had to find out the details after that.”

  Rishi flinched at the word. “She was only a second cousin. It wasn’t really incest.”

  “Incest was his word. That’s how he saw it, and that’s why he’s felt so bad all these years. To his people, it was incest. That’s why they punished him. That and because the girl died.”

  Rishi shivered. “They sounded so brutal, the way they punished him for it.”

  Hari nodded. “I guess beating him senseless and depriving him of food and water for three days was brutal. But telling him he couldn’t marry is even harsher in the long run.”

  Rishi frowned as she considered the implications. “He told me that. But I never thought he meant he would still abide by their rules here. Besides, the Elliniká owe me a debt.”

  “Rishi, if Praxiteles made a promise, you’re going to have a hard time making him break it.”

  That was true. If Praxiteles still felt bound by his punishment, changing his mind would be difficult. “I know.” She shrugged fatalistically. “I’m not going to worry about it now. I’ll leave it for the future. We have to get Praxiteles home safe and find out who helped those two slime balls break into my house.”

  Hari laughed. “Such an inelegant expression for Mistress Trahn to use! You’ve obviously been spending too much time with the security staff.”