The Third Lynx

"That's okay—I've been sitting all day," I said, staying where I was. Sitting in any of the remaining chairs would mean putting my back to the door, which I wasn't interested in doing. "What did you want to talk about?"

"The third Lynx, formerly owned by the Human Künstler," he said. "I want it."

"So I've heard," I said. "What I don't understand is what kind of appeal an old Nemuti sculpture can possibly have for a galaxy-spanning supermind like you."

"They intrigue me." He paused, as if searching for the right phrase. "Perhaps they will go well together on my mantel."

"I thought you said you didn't like Human humor."

"I said it was tedious," he corrected. "I didn't say it wasn't a useful tool. What would it take to persuade you to deliver the Lynx to me?"

"Number one: I've seen how trustworthy your promises are," I said. "Number two: you couldn't afford me even if I did trust you. And number three: I haven't got the Lynx."

"But you know where it is," he said. "That puts you ahead of the fools who seek the Human Stafford on Ian-apof."

"You don't think he's there?"

"You don't think he's there," the Modhri countered. "Else you would be preparing to travel to the inner system with them."

"Who says?" I countered. "Maybe I just don't fancy an eight-day torchliner trip in the company of people who don't like me. Maybe I'm planning on taking a later torchliner, or renting myself a private torchyacht."

"Or maybe you already know where the Human Stafford is." He cocked his head. "Tell me, do you find the Human Auslander an attractive female?"

"I hadn't really noticed," I said, trying to keep the sudden tension out of my voice. There was only one direction he could be going with this particular change of topic.

"Really," the Modhri said interestedly. "I would have said she is. Certainly judging by my host's reaction to her. She is also somewhat younger than you, I believe. Like most species, I've found Humans to be especially protective toward their young."

"That only applies to children," I told him. Probably a waste of effort, but I had to try. "Ms. Auslander is an adult. Who, I might add, can't tell you anything about Stafford that you don't already know."

"Yet her presence might be useful in bringing him into the open."

"Stafford's on the run," I reminded him. "He's going to be suspicious of anyone who shows up with unknown friends in tow. Even Ms. Auslander."

"So she is truly of no use to me?" The Modhri shrugged. "Pity. Then I suppose I might as well kill her."

"Hardly seems worth the effort," I said, keeping my voice even. If anything happened to Penny, there was no way in hell that Morse wouldn't find a way to pin it on me. "Besides, vengeance is for the weak and smallminded. That hardly applies to you."

"You flatter me," he said. "Still, you're right: I kill only when necessary. But perhaps in this case it is necessary. Why do you think I have my host's face covered this way?"

I shrugged. The answer was pretty obvious, with some ominous implications. "I assumed it was because you really don't like Human dit rec comedies," I improvised.

"Come now, Compton," he chided. "You surely know better than that. I still have use of this Eye, and don't wish his identity to be compromised by your sight."

"Ah," I said, as if I hadn't already figured that out. "He's one of your spies in the UN, I suppose?"

He gave me what was probably intended to be a sly smile. "Please. No one gives away information for free. But I will trade you his identity for the Lynx."

I snorted. "And then suicide him before we can get anything of value from him? No thanks."

"Yet therein lies my dilemma," he said. "It may be that the Human Auslander saw this Eye's face. In that case, killing her would not be vengeance but a necessary act of self-preservation."

"Did she see his face?"

"It may be," he repeated.

I puffed out a breath of air, the small sane part of my mind appreciating the neat little box the Modhri had put me in. If Penny had indeed seen the hidden face, the Modhri genuinely would be justified in killing her, at least from his point of view.

Of course, she was still on the station, which meant that Bayta and the Spiders still had a chance of finding her before the Modhri could do anything drastic. But even if they could, the Modhri had the advantage in position and recon setup, and it was a long way back to Earth. If he really wanted Penny dead there was probably no way any of us could stop him.

Which meant her life was now squarely in my hands, which was clearly where the Modhri wanted it. "I already told you I don't have the Lynx," I said.

"I believe you," he said. "But you do know where the Human Stafford is. I would be willing to trade the female's life for that information."

"First bring Ms. Auslander here," I said. "When I see she's all right, I'll tell you."

For a moment the faceless face studied me through the filmy silk. "And then?"

"Then we say good-bye, Ms. Auslander goes skiing with her friends, and you and I race to see which of us can get to Stafford first."

He smiled again. It was even more grotesque this time. "With the Spiders who control the Quadrail as your allies? I think not."

Briefly, I wondered what his reaction would be if he knew the Spiders had already fired me. Probably best not to bring that up. "You want me to stay here, then?"

"We will go find the Human Stafford together," he said. "You and the female, with my Arms accompanying you. She will be useful as leverage."

"Against whom?" I asked. "I already told you she can't help pry Stafford out of hiding."

"Not leverage against him," he said. "Leverage against you."

Behind him, the door opened and Penny appeared, stumbling in as if some unseen person had given her a shove. "Mr. Compton!" she said as she recovered her balance. "What's going on? They said I couldn't leave—"

"It's all right," I interrupted her soothingly. "Just a misunderstanding."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, flicked to my companion, then back to me. "Look, I don't know what he's been trying to sell you—"

"But it's all cleared up now," I said. "You ready to go find your fiancé?"

"—but this was no—" She broke off as her brain caught up to her ears. "What?"

"We think we know where Daniel is," I said, watching the Modhri out of the corner of my eye. "He's somewhere in Magaraa City on the Tra'hok Unity planet of Ghonsilya."

Penny's mouth dropped open a centimeter. "Ghonsilya?" she echoed. "What in the galaxy is he doing there?"

"We'll ask him when we get there," I said, taking a step around the chairs toward her. "Let's go get your things and say good-bye to your friends."

"I think Ms. Auslander deserves to know first why we're going to Ghonsilya," the Modhri said.

Or in other words, he wasn't going to let me lead him across the galaxy on a wild goose chase without something solid to back it up. "If you insist," I said, wishing briefly that Bayta was here. I always liked her to be around when I was being clever. "Everyone's been assuming that Daniel stole Mr. Künstler's Lynx. He didn't. Mr. Künstler gave it to him."

"He gave it to him?" Penny asked. "When?"

"Sometime before the attempted burglary." I raised my eyebrows toward the Modhri. "Probably shortly after Mr. Künstler was approached by agents trying to buy it."

The Modhri's lip twitched, just enough to confirm my guess was right. Of course he would have tried the straightforward approach before attempting anything as risky as a burglary.

"Daniel never mentioned that," Penny protested.

"Mr. Künstler probably told him not to tell anyone, including you," I said. "The fact that the other two Nemuti Lynxes had already been stolen from their owners would have made him extra cagey with his. The point is that Daniel didn't leave Earth running from anything. He left running toward something."

"The Viper," the Modhri said suddenly.

I nodded. "Exactly."

"What Viper?" Penny asked. "You're not making sense."

"On the contrary, he makes perfect sense," the Modhri said, as if unknown pieces were suddenly dropping into place. "Mr. Künstler was killed on his way to Bellis, where the last Hawk had been stolen. He was hoping to contact the thieves and buy the sculpture from them."

I felt my stomach tighten. I'd already guessed that was the reason Künstler had been on his way to Bellis. But the certainty in the Modhri's voice strongly implied that it hadn't been entirely Künstler's idea. "Or else he was lured with a promise to trade the Hawk for his Lynx," I said. "The people who killed him clearly expected him to have the Lynx with him."

If I could have seen the Modhri's face I would have been ninety percent sure I'd nailed it exactly. As it was, I could only make it to about seventy percent. But it was enough. The Modhri had indeed enticed Künstler onto that Quadrail and to his death. "Unfortunately for them, the Lynx was already on its way in the opposite direction," I continued. "Daniel was heading toward the art museum where one of the Vipers had also been stolen, probably also hoping to wheedle the sculpture out of the thieves."

"Or also planning to falsely offer a trade," the Modhri said darkly.

Penny was staring at me with horrified eyes. "Are you saying Mr. Künstler was killed over a stupid piece of art?"

I shrugged. "Collectors can get pretty fanatical."

"No," Penny said, her voice firm. Fire, and a sharp, intelligent mind. "There has to be more to it than that."

"You can ask Mr. Stafford when you find him," the Modhri said. "You'd best see now to your preparations—the Quadrail for Ghonsilya will be arriving in the station in a little over an hour. Good luck with your search, Ms. Auslander." He turned his covered eyes to me. "And to you as well, Mr. Compton."

The three Halkas were nowhere to be seen as Penny and I made our way through the twisting corridor and out again into the reassuring light of the Coreline. "We'll find Bayta and have her get us reservations," I told Penny as we headed toward the shuttle waiting area.

"That was weird," Penny murmured, walking very close to me. "That man—he won't be going with us, will he?"

"I'm sure he won't," I said. It was clearly the answer she wanted, even if it wasn't entirely true. "But I imagine he'll have friends aboard keeping an eye on us."

"Keeping an eye out for Daniel and this stupid sculpture, you mean," Penny said harshly. Her fright was fading away, leaving a growing anger in its place. "But it won't work. Daniel's too smart for them."

"It'll be all right," I assured her. "Trust me."

"I will," she murmured. "I do."

I looked sideways at her. She didn't return my glance, but there was something in her profile I hadn't seen before. A softness, and some actual genuine trust.

The Modhri had been right: she was an attractive woman. She was also rich, still single, and not all that much younger than I was.

Resolutely, I turned my eyes and mind away. I was here to protect her, Daniel, and the Lynx. Nothing more.

And I would. Because what the Modhri didn't know was that Fayr wasn't waiting for me on Laarmiten, as he'd read in the message chip he'd stolen at Terra Station. Fayr was on Ghonsilya, in the same Magaraa City neighborhood where we were all heading.

I hoped he'd brought all his guns with him. Knowing Fayr, I rather expected he had.