That brought a dry chuckle from Sandfire.
''Oh, I almost forgot,'' Kris said, raising a dramatic hand to her forehead. ''Mother would slap me silly if I didn't have my security detail review the ballroom beforehand.'' Mother, of course, would never say such a thing. Kris stole that from a girl in high school devotedly understudying for Mother's job.
''I don't see how that could be a problem,'' Sandfire said with a slight twitch of his left hand. ''I will have the head of Ballroom Security meet with him. Say one this afternoon?''
''Certainly. See you tonight.''
''I would not miss this for the world.'' OFF, NELLY.
''That is one lying son of a bitch,'' Kris growled as she stomped back to the table.
''See what I was up against?'' Tommy said.
''A real pro.'' Jack nodded. ''You notice how he converted your security team into just ‘him'?''
''Didn't miss it. Penny, I want you and Jack to be there at one along with as large a detail of those trusted cops as you can shanghai fast. I want to flood that place.''
Penny chuckled. ''Clear signal not to underestimate you?''
''Something like that. Also, Penny, could you get a dress uniform for Tom? Tommy, me boy, you are escorting the Princess Royal to the ball tonight.'' Kris was all grin.
Tommy wasn't. ''You sure you want me?''
Kris swallowed; she was starting to enjoy this, and once again she'd volunteer Tommy to be right next to the target. ''I'm sorry, Tom. I can understand if you don't want to be closer than fifty klicks to the nearest Longknife.''
''That's not it.'' The usually unsinkable Santa Marian couldn't raise his eyes from the table. ''You were the one who dug me out last night. I owe you. I just thought, after all I said about wanting to be far away from you, that you might want to be far away from me.''
Three steps, and Kris was at Tommy's chair. Kneeling beside him, she lifted his chin until he was looking her in the eyes. ''Tom, I need your help.'' She glanced around at the tiny group she'd dragooned into whatever it was she was doing. ''You may have noticed, we are a rather eclectic lot. You were a good man at my back when the darts started flying on Olympia. At Paris, you were my one backup when I faced down our Captain and took on a Fast Attack Squadron. I need your help again because, you may have noticed, there are not a lot of people available just now.''
The Lieutenant looked at her for a long second, then took in a deep breath and let out a sigh that would have been the pride of his Irish grandmother. ''And what else would I be doing with meself if I wasn't galloping along right behind you into whatever mess you're wanting to get into?''
''Thank you,'' Kris said, then got to her feet. ''What else do we need to figure out?''
''Why would this Mr. Sandfire be inviting you to the ball tonight?'' Abby mused.
''I'm a great decoration,'' Kris said, fluffing her hair.
''To rub your nose in the trap you're in,'' Jack grumbled.
''To get a better idea of what he's up against.'' Penny said.
''All of the above,'' Kris decided. ''Let's see that he gets his money's worth.''
At 12: 50, six plainclothesmen, lead by an Inspector Klaggath, presented themselves. Abby ushered them in to stand before Kris while she, in her best noble fashion, thanked them for coming to her aid on such short notice.
''Least we could do, ma'am,'' Klaggath said, not buying into the royal fiction. ''Seems that a certain kidnapping that we all were assigned to was resolved rather interestingly last night.''
KRIS, I HAVE ISOLATED SEVERAL CARRIER WAVES. IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY THAT ALL THESE MEN ARE COVERED WITH BUGS.
ABOUT WHAT I EXPECTED, NELLY. ''I hope no one was hurt,'' Kris said, doing her best to feign real concern.
''No one that mattered,'' Klaggath assured her. ''And we understand the victim was recovered with little harm done. A good end all around.''
''Then I look forward to dancing the night away.''
Her knights errant off on their quest, Kris let Abby pamper her through a bath while the two of them discussed Heidelburg's prospective social calendar for the next week. Any and all listening bugs heard a lot of social chitchat, but none of them tracked Kris's thinking as she cycled her thoughts through what she'd gotten herself into, what might come of it, and what she wanted to do to Mr. Sandfire.
Jack and Penny returned, along with a pack of bugs. Abby and Tommy did the debugging. Was it just coincidence they got matched girl-boy, boy-girl, and the exhausting search went over every inch of their bodies? Kris cringed as the jokes, funny on several levels, began to fly, and she only wished she'd gone out so Jack and Tommy could give her as thorough a pat down.
KRIS, THERE IS STILL ONE ACTIVE BUG.
ON JACK OR PENNY?
NEITHER. IT IS A ROVING NANO GUARD.
MOBILE NANO GUARD! Kris almost said out loud. I THOUGHT ONLY AUNT TRU WAS WORKING ON THOSE.
APPARENTLY NOT. FROM THE BANDWIDTH, IT IS ONLY AUDIO.
CAN YOU KILL IT?
PLEASE GET YOUR BERET FROM LAST NIGHT. I NEED ITS ANTENNA.
Kris started to say something to her maid, thought better of it, and ordered Nelly to open a window on the wall.
ABBY, GET ME LAST NIGHT'S BERET. THERE IS A ROVING NANO GUARD IN THE ROOM, appeared in a small window. Kris waved her maid to it.
With one eye on the screen, Jack began a full briefing. Abby returned, adjusted the beret on Kris, and merged its lead into Nelly's wire. While Jack continued, leading them through a map of the facilities, the location of all the security sensors, and even the remotely controlled weapons, Kris waited for Nelly to report. Jack finished and glanced around the room, not at his listeners, but at the air above their heads. ''That's what we found, Kris. Things should be fine.''
NELLY, IT WOULD BE NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU.
I THINK I HAVE SEIZED CONTROL OF THE NANO. A MOMENT MORE.
Kris smiled at Jack. ''It sounds like you had a very successful afternoon.''
''I'm glad you like that,'' Jack said, sounding like a bad actor reading from an even worse script.
''I've got it,'' Nelly said. ''It's doing what I tell it and sending what I want it to hear.''
''Land it on the table so I can have a look at it,'' Jack said, producing all three bug chasers. He waited a moment, activated them… and got no response. ''Nelly?''
''It is down. Your gear is not rigged for its signal.''
''I've got full frequency range.'' Jack almost pouted.
''Yes, but this is hopping bands faster than you can follow,'' Nelly said. ''Trudy designed something like this, so she included programs to look out for it in my last exchange with Sam, but she didn't expect to see them for at least another six months. I must tell Sam about this as soon as I can get a message out.''
''Sandfire is full of surprises. Nelly, keep some kind of news flowing. I don't want him to know we've turned his rover.''
''He's listening to a debate about what you will wear.''
''Thank you, Nelly. Draw up a full schematic on this thing for Aunt Tru. Jack, you're sure I'll be safe tonight?''
''No, but if Sandfire wanted you dead, you would be already.''
''Thanks for reminding me. Penny, if you don't mind, I'd like you at my elbow tonight. You want some time to get ready?''
''I also need to scare up a uniform for Tommy, here.''
''Then I guess we all had better be busy.''
Chapter 9
By nine, Abby had outdone herself. Kris relaxed through sinful pampering and finished in a bright red gown that would have left Mother drooling, and did leave Jack asking where to put the bullseye. Kris made a face. ''You'd have to paint it on me.'' She was showing more skin than she had since Father caught a picture of her as she bounced around the beach on a hot summer day in bottoms only. Of course, then, she'd only been four.