He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
He sensed more than heard the indrawn breath beside him and glanced round in time to see the flicker of hurt in Nick’s eyes. His heart fell. He had wanted a chance to make Nick think better of him and, instead, everything he said made things even worse.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“SO I’VE been asking round discreetly about Lors,” Stickler said, “and I’ve got some information you might be interested in, offered for the same price as before.”
She certainly didn’t miss any chances. Stickler had come aboard the ship looking for them at the same time as Poppy – still angry over Reese’s continued involvement in the case – left to convince Uxor to help them set a trap for Korloff. Stickler wasn’t wearing the bright outfit she had worn at the card game but instead blended in with mud-coloured overalls, although with her scaly skin and solid grey eyes she could never look nondescript.
Nick mentally shrugged: the more help they could get, the better by now and, as long as there was money in it for her, Stickler had no reason to betray them. He gestured for her to enter the canteen and fetched drinks of juice-substitute and coffee-substitute. When they were all seated round one of the long tables, he asked her, “What do you know?”
“Lors has gambling debts owed to the wrong kind of people and no way to pay them back. Folks say he made a big effort to get friendly with Larsha but she wasn’t interested. If he’s the one who took her, he’s never done anything this big or dangerous before and he’s not known for being brave.”
“So he’s scared and desperate.” Reese glanced from Stickler to Nick, once more a confident detective instead of the dejected man Nick had seen talking to Siglinde. Did he ever stop acting? “That’s not good for Larsha.”
“No,” Nick agreed. Lors could panic and kill her before going on the run. “Does Lors have any close friends on the station?”
“Lors is a bad gambler who doesn’t know how to quit.” Stickler took a sip of her fake coffee and put the mug down again, looking unimpressed. “People don’t want to get too friendly with him – particularly other gamblers – in case his bad luck rubs off.”
“What about places to hide?” he asked her. “If you wanted to lay low where would you go?”
“I’d just avoid the lower level for a while.”
Nick turned to Reese. “So he can’t go to the lower level because of his debts and he knows we’re searching in crew quarters and speaking to guests. That leaves the upper two levels and at least we can get better access to them than the guest areas.”
“Lors may be an idiot over gambling but he’s usually smart,” Stickler said. “He’ll have a plan.”
“He did have a plan,” Nick agreed, “but it fell apart when Uxor refused to pay the ransom.”
“If I was him I’d get off the station before I was caught,” Stickler said.
“Paul Ninety has security teams checking all ships that leave here,” Reese told her.
She snorted. “I could get around them in my sleep.”
Reese looked at Nick. “Then the only thing keeping him here is the promise of making money and, if he decides to give up on the idea, he can vanish any time, either with Larsha or more likely leaving her corpse behind. If he is intelligent then he knows he’s stayed far too long and that we could catch him at any time.”
“If we can get security people checking the upper levels...”
“It won’t work,” Stickler interrupted him. “There are access tunnels underneath the flooring, linking all the different parts of the station.”
Reese swore at length and Stickler looked at him with interest, perhaps seeing something contradictory in the persona he presented and the language he used. Her attention changed direction when Siglinde padded in on all fours before rising onto two legs. The two women exchanged assessing glances like two predators deciding whether or not to fight. Nick hoped they wouldn’t: there was too much going on with the case to deal with the potential bloodshed these two could cause.
Reese distracted Stickler: “Korloff knows every inch of the station. That’s why no one saw anything when Larsha went missing – he dragged her through the access tunnels.”
Nick thought about the situation, which was growing more bleak by the second. “So openly searching for them is useless and we’re dealing with a frightened man who might panic and kill Larsha at any time so as to escape.” It would be a miracle if they found her alive.
“I can snoop about if it’s worth my while.” Stickler watched Siglinde approach and Nick tensed, but his crewmate continued into the kitchen and the alien informer kept talking. “Even if Lors saw me, he wouldn’t have any reason to avoid me or be worried. To him, I’m just a bookie.”
“All right,” Reese agreed, “but be very careful and make sure you don’t say or do anything to spook him.”
He got out some money and Stickler took it with a razor-toothed smile.
Chapter Thirty
“IT WASN’T easy but I managed to persuade Uxor to help us trap Korloff,” Poppy said a little while later, when she returned to the ship. “After what you’ve found out about Korloff it seems certain that he’ll try to rob Uxor – if he goes for Larsha’s plan – either tonight or tomorrow night. He can’t afford to waste any more time.”
“So what have you agreed with Uxor?” Reese asked. Poppy had been trying to exclude him from the conversation, clearly not happy at having to continue working with a criminal, which he couldn’t entirely blame her for, but he was as desperate to save Larsha as they were. He was aware at every moment that time was running out for her.
“Uxor has money and various valuable items kept in the safe in his room. He hasn’t told anyone the password but he tends to use the same password all the time and he thinks that Larsha might be able to figure it out.”
“Then that was what she meant when she told Korloff they would be able to rob Uxor,” Nick said.
“Presumably,” Poppy agreed. “Uxor has agreed to leave his room with his wife and Kedos this evening and stay away for as long as necessary. We’ll watch the room, with a security team waiting nearby, and catch Korloff as soon as he appears.”
“It’s possible that Korloff could get into the room through the access tunnels instead of the corridor,” Reese said. “We’ll need to have someone hidden inside Uxor’s room too.”
“Okay. That shouldn’t be a problem,” Poppy said.
The idea sounded pretty foolproof but Nick knew that criminals seldom acted the way you expected them to. “I want to listen to some of the recordings Keith has found in the meantime, to try to get a better idea of who Korloff is and how he might react.”
“Go ahead. I need to have a private word with Reese,” Poppy said and Nick grimaced at her, not entirely sure what she intended to say but knowing it was nothing good. She made a shooing gesture to him and Reese gave him a nod.
Hoping they weren’t about to have a massive argument, Nick left them alone and headed to the control room. He paused outside, glancing backwards, but couldn’t hear any raised voices so he went inside. Keith had been watching another recording of Larsha and Korloff, which he paused, their doll-sized images suspended in the air in the middle of the room.
“How’s it going?” Nick asked a touch awkwardly. He and Keith had never liked each other, with him angry at Keith’s constant support of Prince, no matter what callous or outlandish thing their former captain had done. Keith had often belittled his and Poppy’s work with the captain too and it was likely that he had heard of Nick’s name for him: Sycophant Two. All in all, they were never likely to be comfortable around each other.
“Korloff has swapped Larsha to different locations at least four times now and he’s either discovered the cameras or he’s kept silent recently as there’s been no new footage since the one a few hours ago, where Larsha suggested robbing her father.”
“Can you tell me anything about Korloff, like his moods and actions?”
Keith he
sitated before speaking. “He’s definitely grown more nervous lately and he has a quick temper. His mood has got increasingly bad over time.”
“He thought he could make some big money quickly and it all fell apart,” Nick said. “Do you get the impression that the money is still his priority or might he try to run instead?”
“I don’t know. If I hear him speak to Larsha again, that should make it clear what he’s going to do.”
“If you do get another recording from him would you phone me at once?”
Keith didn’t look pleased at being told what to do by Nick, even to help the case. “I’ll tell the captain.”
“No,” Nick insisted. “Call me. Larsha might die if we don’t know right away what’s going on.”
“Fine,” Keith snapped.
Nick accepted the grudging agreement and was about to leave when Reese entered the room. Nick had been looking at Keith when the door opened so he couldn’t miss the way Keith’s expression brightened or the smile he aimed at Reese. The reaction surprised him – he had thought they barely knew each other – but then jealousy bloomed, sharp and painful in his gut, at the realisation that Reese might have shared a bed with both the captain and Keith while they were together. The idea of Keith of all people getting closer to Reese than Nick ever had was almost unbearable.
“Let’s go,” he said to Reese, who looked confused.
“Weren’t we going to watch some of the recordings?”
“No. Keith has told me more than enough.”
“Okay.”
Reese followed him out willingly and Nick was left wondering if his guess had any foundation. He wanted to ask about it but Reese owed him nothing and, if he did like to have a variety of sexual partners, then that was his private business. Despite Nick’s feelings and wishes, their relationship was no more than friendship mixed with the politeness of work colleagues.
He wanted to confess his feelings right now and find out how Reese felt but, even with everything that had come out so far, there was still so much that Reese was keeping hidden from him. Any happy future for them seemed beyond reach.
“So where are we going?” Reese asked.
Literally and metaphorically, Nick had no idea.
Chapter Thirty-One
THEY FOUND Poppy and went to Uxor’s room to decide on a plan for this evening. Standing in the corridor outside, Nick said, “Two of us can wait in Larsha’s room next door and one in Uxor’s room.”
“Whoever is in Uxor’s room will need to find a good place to hide,” Reese responded, looking around to study the surroundings. “This might be our only chance to catch Korloff and we don’t want to spook him.”
“We’ll need to communicate with each other instantly when Korloff appears too.” Poppy gestured to her hy-phone. “We can all stay on the line to each other.”
“Good idea.” If Reese was trying to win Poppy over then Nick could have told him it wouldn’t be that easy. Her eyes narrowed as he said, “I’ll wait in Uxor’s room.”
“No. Whoever’s there will need a weapon and there’s no way we can trust you not to harm us instead.”
Stung by the unfairness of this, Nick was about to speak but Reese beat him to it. “Aside from the fact that I’ve never hurt anyone – who wasn’t trying to harm me – in my life, why would I possibly do that? The two of you are my colleagues and attacking you would put me on the run.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” she said, “and the promise of gaining Uxor’s wealth might be too much of a temptation for you.”
Reese rolled his eyes and didn’t respond but his expression was slightly more shuttered than before and Nick could only guess how difficult this entire situation was for him.
Poppy turned away from him, focusing on Nick. She could hide her dislike of people when she wanted to – as she had with Prince – but she clearly saw no benefit in being polite to Reese. “I’ll be the one hidden in Uxor’s room. I’m the smallest so I can hide more easily and I’m better with guns than you are.”
“I can fire a gun accurately,” he objected.
“But you don’t. You’re too soft-hearted and you might hesitate and let him get away. I’ll do it.”
Nick glanced at Reese but he’d clearly decided to stay out of it, although he still didn’t look happy over Poppy’s character assessment of him. “In that situation, Korloff might easily become violent and, gun or not, I don’t want to risk you getting injured.”
“I’ll be expecting you to run in the moment you hear Korloff arrive,” she said. “I’m hardly fragile – I’ll be fine.”
“Make sure you tell the gun to only stun Korloff, in case Larsha isn’t with him,” Reese said to her, before Nick could object further. “We might need to convince him to say where she is.”
“Of course,” she said in a tone that made clear that she knew all this already. Smart weapons could choose their own ammunition, depending on the situation, and while – in theory – that should make them less likely to choose killing force unless absolutely necessary, it made sense not to take any chances.
“Let’s have a quick word with Uxor, find a hiding place for you and then get out of here,” Nick said to her, knowing she would never change her mind and let him stay instead. It still scared him to think of his sister being in danger but he knew she was a formidable fighter and at least he and Reese would be close by. “Korloff might have the same idea as us about checking out the area before returning to rob it and we don’t want to ruin everything now by scaring him off before we even spot him.”
“Okay,” Poppy agreed, amenable now that they were doing things her way, and knocked on Uxor’s door. The Hom alien let them in and they swiftly went over the plan once more. They moved two plants together near the bed so Poppy could hide behind them, entirely blocked from the sight of anyone coming into the room from the door. She would be checking the location of any access tunnel that came into the room and could change her hiding place if it was too close to where she would be.
Nick told himself that he and Reese would be listening over the phone, mere seconds away from getting here if Korloff came, but he remained on edge.
With every aspect of the plan agreed on, their group left Uxor alone with his own worries, to wait for this evening and to hopefully get Larsha back at last.
Chapter Thirty-Two
POPPY HAD gone to check with Paul Ninety about where the access tunnels were around Uxor’s room and to see a visual plan of them, if there was one. Reese wanted to check with Stickler one last time to see if she had any new information.
Nick had been quiet since they split up and Reese asked, “Are you all right?”
“Plans can go wrong. Maybe two of us should be in Uxor’s suite or we could all hide there. Including the bathroom, it has three rooms, so there’s no reason for us to be any further away.”
“We’ll see what the floor plans show and, if that’s feasible, I’ll help you convince Poppy. I know that your sister doesn’t trust me but I promise I’ll help you keep her safe. We won’t let anything happen to her.”
Nick gave him a grateful look, his frown fading. “Thanks.”
Reese turned a corner and his stomach plummeted at the sight of Iain approaching. That was the last thing he needed while Nick was with him. His companion may have heard the bare bones of Reese’s past but Iain could provide every painful detail.
“Hello, John.” Iain gave his usual smirk.
“That’s not my name.” Reese tried to pass him but Iain moved to block his way.
“No, that’s right. Your parents didn’t care enough to give you a name or anything else, or even acknowledge your existence, did they?”
The words were like cuts, striking him. At another time he might have responded that the same was true for Iain but not now, with Nick hearing every word and knowing how utterly worthless and unwanted Reese had been all his life. He had changed his name and assumed a more exciting persona to escape from the past but he’d failed
and now he looked all the more pathetic because of his lies. “What do you want from me?”
Iain shrugged. “Your misery is enough.”
Reese shoved him aside and strode away. He was still trying to get himself under control when Nick caught up with him and they entered the elevator together.
Nick nudged his arm. “He’s a real charmer, isn’t he?”
Braced for questions about his past, the words surprised a laugh out of him. “He always liked to upset people.” He winced at his own choice of words. He didn’t want Nick thinking him so weak that he couldn’t even cope with the odd insult but this was the situation he’d been dreading for most of his life. Even when he’d tried to isolate himself in the past, other people’s opinions of him had always mattered more than just about anything else. He’d wanted them to like him and maybe even admire him a bit. He had worked hard for Jolly, learning all about investigative work and risking his life to solve cases so as to gain more money and responsibility, so he could put the soul-destroying fear and poverty of his childhood behind him and be someone that others could respect. Nick must be hurt and angry to discover the way Reese had deceived him, even if he did hide it well.
They got out of the elevator on the lower deck where they had first met Stickler. With no way of getting in contact with her, this seemed their best chance of finding her.
“Your past is the reason you’ve been so determined to help Larsha, isn’t it?” Once again, Nick’s question wasn’t what he expected. “I mean, I know you’d wanna solve any case but this one has been personal to you from the start. Larsha grew up feeling unloved and so did you. She reminds you of yourself.”
The insight of the words was scary. Nick understood him even better than Reese had realised. “Yes. I suppose that’s true.”
As much as the idea made his belly go into knots, Nick was the one person who had the right to hear about Reese’s past. If Reese was honest with him, it might help their relationship and, not knowing exactly what Iain had been saying, he might be able to clear up any misleading comments or downright lies. “I was a baby when...”
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