“Hmm, yes. Senior Chief Inspector, do we know anything about that attack?”
“No, Mr. President. The car was stolen. The driver and gunman are dead. They were both small players available for hire. We’re trying to trace the money, but it doesn’t look like it will be easy.”
“It had to be hastily arranged,” Kris said. “I’ve only been here for an hour.”
“The ship you rode in on was generally reported to be harboring you,” Martinez said. “I’ve suspected you might be in system for eight hours. Clearly, somebody else did, too.”
The president used both hands to rub the closely trimmed white hairs on his head, as if trying to rub away some of the tension in his skull. “Let me know what you find out, as soon as you find it out. Understood?”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
“Which brings us back to why you are here,” the president said, now fixing his full attention on Kris.
“Yes, it does,” Kris agreed.
The president leaned back in his rocker. “Your grandpadre Alexander has been notably apolitical for a Longknife.”
“Yes. He abandoned politics when I was a child and concentrated on growing the Nuu fortune. From the size of my trust fund, I’d say he’s been very successful.”
“Yes. Can you think of anything that might reignite his interest in politics?”
“Honestly, sir, I’d never, ever, expect him to do that. I was there at the dinner table when he and my father had it out. I can’t think of anything that would bring him out of his imposed security lockdown.”
“I do not doubt the truth of what you witnessed, young woman, but I also don’t doubt the rather tenuous and nebulous evidence that Senior Chief Inspector Martinez and his cohorts of forensic computer experts have uncovered. Admittedly, I’d hate to have to argue this in court. It would likely put a dozen juries to sleep. Still, I found myself filled with belief when I reviewed the data. And I am filled with dread that a very wealthy Longknife may be going rogue.”
“I agree, that would be a nightmare,” Kris said.
“So. You will tell your great-grandpadre Raymond of this. And give your grandpadre Alexander a personal request from me and all hundred and seventy-two other heads of governments in the Union of Societies that this is not acceptable behavior. If he continues to cause us trouble, our taxing authorities may cause him an equal or greater amount of trouble.”
“I wasn’t planning on going back to Wardhaven,” Kris lied. Jack was there. She was going there. How? Now that was the question.
“I really think you should,” the president said. “Senior Chief Inspector Martinez, arrange for her travel, by whatever means as may likely result in her actual arrival.”
“It will be done, Mr. President.”
And on that note, Kris and Penny were ushered out.
13
Which left Kris moving, but with no fewer questions. Where was she going? How would she get there? And what would she do when she arrived?
Senior Chief Inspector Martinez took Kris and Penny back down the elevator. Somehow, Inspector Johnson detached himself and vanished. At the bottom of the elevator, the small army of heavily armed police were gone. So were all the black SUVs.
In their place stood a simple green sedan. On closer observation, Kris corrected her initial impression. The tires were oversize, and when she boarded it, it stayed solid as a tank. When she hit the button, and the window rolled down, the glass was three centimeters thick.
Penny nodded with approval.
Martinez himself took the driver’s seat. Then a light gray car, very much the twin of Kris’s green one, pulled up. Martinez lowered his window; the other car lowered the passenger-side window. Inspector Johnson asked, “Where are we going?”
“You’ll know when we get there,” Martinez answered. “Who’s driving?”
“Someone I trust. I didn’t even give him time to call the wife and explain why he’d be missing dinner.”
There was an audible complaint from the driver. Something along the line of this is the third time this month, and it was only the sixth. “Estella is really getting tired of this.”
“That’s what you get for being a good cop,” both police officers said.
“Poor kid will get no sympathy here,” Penny muttered through a grin.
“Follow me,” Martinez said, the window came up, and they took off at a proper civilian speed. The gray car followed at a proper civilian interval.
“Where are we going?” Kris asked.
“Officially, you are in one of six SUVs headed for a safe house. A young policewoman, not quite as tall as you, fully armored, is taking your place as target.”
“God have mercy on her,” Penny prayed.
“I agree. We, however, are headed for my house.”
“Your house! Won’t that be dangerous for your family?” Kris asked.
“Yes, but my wife’s been wanting to meet you, and there’s someone else who does, too. So I’m taking you where I figure no one will look for you. Okay?”
“I guess,” Kris said.
“So, are you protected?” the senior chief inspector asked.
“She’s not even wearing her spider-silk underwear,” Penny snorted.
“Things were peaceful on Madigan’s Rainbow,” Kris offered as an excuse.
“She was drinking again and putting on weight,” Penny corrected. “She probably couldn’t fit into her silk armor.”
Kris gave Penny a nasty look but didn’t disagree.
“There are vests under the backseat, Penny. Please get one out for Her Highness.”
Penny did and tossed it to Kris. Then Penny pulled out a second one and put it on while Kris did the same with hers.
“There,” Kris said. “You both happy?”
“Satisfied,” the senior inspector said. “I won’t be happy until I see you walking away from me and Eden.” The rest of the drive was silent.
Their destination was an adobe brick building with red roof tiles and an attached garage. The door opened automatically; they drove right in. Kris was able to dismount with no one outside the wiser.
“Johnson will park halfway down the block and keep an eye on us,” Martinez said as he opened the door and led Kris into the house through the washroom and kitchen. His wife, a pleasant-looking woman, stood in the living room with two boys beside her.
Kris recognized one of them. “Bronc, you and your mother were supposed to be on your way to Hurtford.”
The teenager had the good sense to look embarrassed. “I was, but I didn’t want to go,” he said.
Martinez took over the explanation. “He vanished a day before he was supposed to leave. With him nowhere to be seen, his mom balked. He turned up, right where I figured he would, back in Five Corners, hanging with a couple of his hacker friends.”
The kid gave an expressive shrug as in, “Where else would I be.”
“I got his mother a job working for one of the socialites you saved. It was amazing how grateful those folks were, for the first month or so. Problem was, her job’s pay was mainly room and board, and there was no room for a teenager, so Carmella and I took him in. He’s been going to school with Esteban, and learning like a house afire. Now, don’t you kids have homework or something?”
Carmella took the hint and herded the boys out of the room. Juan waved Kris to the couch and took what clearly was the Papa chair. When he continued, it was in a whisper. “Bronc’s schoolwork is only sharpening his computer skills. I’m not sure he’s a good influence on Esteban or the rest of his classmates. But it was Bronc and his hacker buddies from the old neighborhood, working with Esteban’s classmates, who initially turned up the hints that something was wrong as we went into our first election since the one we had to have after your last visit.”
The senior chief inspector shrugged. “I didn’t know whether to buy them new computers or ground them. So I did both and turned what they’d found over to my police computer-forensic team. By the way, when the Marines marched out on your ship after that past ‘unpleasantness,’ several of the computers you bought for your own investigation turned up with Bronc’s friends. I hope you don’t mind.”