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  “Who paid you?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” he answered. “None of us do. Honest. We met some guy at a bar who said that we had been recommended by a mutual friend. He didn’t volunteer who that friend was and we didn’t ask.”

  “What did this person look like?” she asked.

  “Shut up!” the bandaged man shouted. “Don’t be a fool!”

  “Now, that’s enough of that,” Kristi announced. “Conor, would you be kind enough to put a gag on him. He is being most annoying.”

  Conor found some industrial adhesive tape in the storage closet.

  “That is going to hurt when it gets ripped off,” Conor stated with a smile, pulling the tape tight across the man’s mouth.

  “Now, where were we?” Kristi asked.

  “He was kind of an average-looking humanoid, not too tall, about your height, with long brown hair and brown eyes,” the reptilian stated, lowering his head to avoid the angry stare of his now fully gagged colleague.

  “No distinguishing features?” Kristi asked. “Like a tattoo?”

  “No distinguishing features,” he insisted. “Now, can I go? That’s all that I know. Honest.”

  “Sure,” Kristi answered. “You are free to go.”

  The reptilian bolted for the door and disappeared down the corridor as he headed for the exit. Kristi turned to the bandaged man.

  “Your turn,” she stated, ripping the tape from the man’s lips. “I don’t suppose you have anything else to add.”

  The man spit blood on the floor and growled, “I don’t have anything to add. You won’t get a word out of me!”

  “I didn’t think so,” she stated. “Get out of here and don’t ever come back.”

  The man raced to the corridor and headed for the exit.

  “I don’t understand,” Conor stated. “Why did you let them go?”

  “I could sense that they were telling the truth,” she answered. “Also, given that they had a holoreed, it’s obvious that the people behind this have access to a lot of credits and they know what they are doing. These guys are run-of-the-mill street thugs. So, their story makes sense.”

  “But shouldn’t they be punished for what they did?” Conor asked.

  “Both of them will be dead before morning,” she answered. “The people who hired them will make certain of that. How’s that for punishment?”

  “What are we going to do with that one over here?” Conor asked, pointing at the unconscious reptilian.

  “I will leave that up to Alex, but I suspect that he will either let him go or turn him over to the local prosecutor,” she answered. “Maybe we can get some good publicity out of this. I can see the headline now ‘Break in at LaRocque’s spaceship foiled, suspect under arrest.’”

  “Excuse me,” the young woman announced from the storage room. “Can we go now? It’s close to dinner time and my parents will be worried.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding!” Conor exclaimed. “We are supposed to just let you go?”

  “You let those two creeps go,” she answered.

  “Not so fast,” Kristi stated. “I’ll take care of you in just a moment.”

  Kristi levitated the unconscious reptilian onto a cart. She then tied his arms and legs to the cart’s metallic legs.

  “Now that he is taken care of,” Kristi stated, turning her attention once more to the young man and young woman. “I want the two of you to start telling me the truth. Who are you and what are you doing aboard this spaceship? And drop the nonsense about autographs.”

  “My name is David Scott,” the young man answered. “I’m Captain of the Eastern High School wrestling team and she made me do it. It’s all her doing. I didn’t want to do it. She talked me into it. Honest.”

  The young woman stared at the young man. If looks could kill, the young man would have died on the spot.

  “Your turn,” Kristi stated, looking at the young woman.

  “I have nothing to say,” she stated defiantly. “You’re the ones that are going to a detention center, not me.”

  “What makes you say that?” Conor asked.

  “Because your friend Michael LaRocque is hiding something,” she answered. “I know it. He is behind Chief Justice Kartini’s death. He may not have done it himself, but he knew about it. He probably gave the order himself. The truth will come out soon enough.”

  “Enough!” Kristi interrupted. “I will ask you for the very last time. Who are you and why are you here?”

  “Like I said before,” she continued. “We were looking for an autograph.”

  “Stop lying!” Kristi shouted, losing her temper.

  Kristi took the laser pistol from Conor’s hands and pointed it at the young woman’s left foot.

  “I’m getting impatient!” she shouted. “Conor here will back up my story that you were shot in the leg while running away.”

  “Take it easy,” the young woman answered. “There’s no reason to get hostile. My name is Kathryn Jordan. My father is a local prosecutor and he will kill me if he finds out that I borrowed his department’s holoreed and snuck aboard your spaceship.”

  “Borrowed his holoreed?” Kristi asked.

  “Okay, I took it, but I was going to return it as soon as we were done,” she answered.

  “Done doing what?” Kristi asked, still noticeably angry.

  “We were checking your computer files,” Kathryn continued. “Looking for evidence to prove LaRocque’s guilt.”

  “What makes you so sure that he’s guilty of something?” Kristi asked.

  “Like I said,” Kathryn continued. “He may not have done it himself, but I am sure that he was behind Chief Justice Kartini’s murder. She originally voted to grant a reprieve for LaRocque’s latest discovery, but everyone knows that she was going to switch her vote. She’s the reason that the reprieve is now back on the Court’s docket. Plus, she had already endorsed Marilyn Hunt for the open seat. So, she was no friend of his. And the day after my father announced that LaRocque was no longer under investigation someone deposited 50,000 credits into his chief assistant’s financial account. I know for a fact that she did not hit the numbers game. So, logic suggests that LaRocque, or someone close to him, paid her off. Either way, bribery of a government official is a crime.”

  “We had nothing to do with that,” Kristi stated coldly. “Now tell me the truth. Did you find anything, anything at all, in our computer system that suggests that Michael was involved in the murder, or in any other crime for that matter?”

  “No,” she answered. “But how did you know I got into your computer system? I was careful to cover my tracks.”

  “I didn’t,” Kristi answered. “Thank you for sharing that information. The two of you may go now.”

  Conor stared at Kristi in disbelief as Kathryn and David headed out the door and for the exit.

  “Are you sure that we should let her go?” Conor asked. “She did break into the spaceship and into the computer system.”

  “The last thing Michael needs now is to catch a local prosecutor’s daughter breaking into his spaceship and computer system,” Kristi replied. “The videopapers would have a field day. Reporters would be crawling all over the local prosecutor and his assistants, asking questions and checking into their records. I don’t think that we want that, especially if what the young lady said about the bribe is true.”

  “But we did not bribe that assistant, right?” Conor asked.

  “No,” Kristi answered. “We didn’t. But someone sure wants to make it look like we did.”

  Chapter 14

  ALEX’S SECRET

  The room was packed with reporters, each shouting questions and talking over one another in an attempt to steal the spotlight. Robocameras jockeyed for position near the ceiling, broadcasting the news conference throughout the Consortium. The reporters peppered the local prosecutor with questions, demanding to know why formal charges had not been filed yet, why the government did not assign guards to p
rotect the spaceship, what the perpetrator was after, did he have any prior arrests, did he act alone, how did he get a holoreed, was the break-in politically motivated, were any of the other candidates under investigation, would he recommend the death penalty for the perpetrator, should the candidates be provided additional security, could he guarantee the candidates’ safety, and on and on and on. Finally, one of his staff members announced that the hour allotted for questions had expired. Exhausted, the prosecutor retreated to his office, closed the door, and sat down in front of his computer. Punching in Michael LaRocque’s number, he took a deep breath and straightened up, trying his best to look as professional and confident as possible. Several reporters stood just outside of his office’s door, arguing loudly with his secretary. Each of them were demanding an exclusive, private interview. Michael’s face appeared on the computer screen.

  “Good afternoon,” the prosecutor began. “I am afraid that I have bad news. Zarov Mastif, the man you helped to capture, has not been cooperative. We administered a truth drug, but it was ineffective. Obviously, he was pretreated with an antidote. But I can assure you that my office will find out if anyone else was involved in this break-in and when we do we will bring them to justice.”

  “Thank you,” Michael answered. “We know that you are doing the very best that you can.”

  “I will get back to you as soon as I have any additional information,” the prosecutor stated.

  The computer screen went blank. Michael leaned forward and made certain that the computer was off. He had taken the call in his hotel suite and he did not trust the hotel’s security system. He knew that computers could be hacked and used for covert surveillance. He placed the computer in a drawer, just to be safe. He was not alone. Dee Sanders and Justice Brandix were seated on the couch in the living room. Kristi, Alex, and Conor were seated in recliners across from the couch. Alex had his feet up, sipping a steaming hot beverage from a mug marked, “Vote for LaRocque.”

  Turning to Brandix, Michael asked, “What do you think?”

  “Perfect,” he answered. “You have handled this perfectly. All of the news organizations are carrying the story of how you and Kristi captured him.”

  “That was your idea,” Michael interrupted. “Kristi and Conor did all the work.”

  “Conor is not running for elected office,” he answered. “You are. And if we bend the truth just a little, what difference does it make? Besides, the reptilian was knocked out cold. No one will ever know.”

  “I want to run an honest campaign,” Michael responded. “Starting it with a lie, even a little one, makes me uncomfortable. One lie leads to another and then to another. Small lies grow into large ones. You should have consulted with me before sending out that press release.”

  “Too late,” Dee interjected. “It’s all about image and the image that everyone has of you now is of a strong, honorable crusader not afraid of anything or anyone. We couldn’t have asked for a better start for the campaign. Your positives are over 90 percent. We are on a roll. Having a ’tail involved makes it even better. It makes Vesperie, as the only reptilian candidate in the race, look bad. Her numbers weren’t all that great to begin with and now they are falling. Her financial backers must be in a panic. If we play this right, we might be able to convince her to drop out of the race and endorse you.”

  “I agree,” Brandix said. “Most of the voters are now convinced that Vesperie was involved in the break-in. Her approval rating has plummeted. She’s done, even if she doesn’t know it yet.”

  Listening in from the room next door, Kathryn smiled as she turned the volume on her hearing device up a notch.

  “We have a clear path to the Court,” Dee continued. “The early polls have you way ahead. It’s far from over, but it’s ours to lose.”

  Alex shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

  “Bored?” Conor asked quietly, making certain that Brandix and Dee did not hear his question.

  “To death!” Alex whispered back. “I hate political meetings.”

  Conor paused and sniffed the air.

  “What’s up?” Alex asked.

  “Do you smell that?” Conor asked.

  “I don’t smell anything out of the ordinary,” Alex answered.

  “It’s heather,” Conor whispered. “I smell heather perfume. It’s that girl again. She’s next door.”

  Alex and Conor headed for the front door, stepped into the corridor, and walked over to door of the room next to Michael’s suite.

  “Do we break in or just ring the doorbell?” Conor asked. “She is annoying, but she didn’t seem to me to be all that dangerous.”

  “Use your senses,” Alex stated. “Can you tell if she is alone in there?”

  Conor leaned against the door, listening.

  “I can hear someone breathing,” he whispered. “No one else.”

  “Me neither,” Alex stated. “Use your nose. Any smells other than Ms. Jordan’s heather perfume?”

  “No,” Conor answered.

  “Me neither,” Alex continued.

  “What do we do now?” Conor asked.

  “Block the viewport camera and ring the doorbell,” Alex answered.

  Conor placed his hand over the viewport camera and rang the doorbell.

  “Who’s there?” Kathryn asked through the door. “And why are you blocking the viewport?”

  Deepening his voice, Conor answered, “It’s the hotel manager. We have a report of a disturbance. Open the door.”

  “Slide your credentials under the door or I’m calling the front desk,” Kathryn responded.

  “Open the door or we will call your father,” Alex answered.

  The door disappeared. Kathryn stood in the doorway, a listening device perched high on her head.

  “Nice hat,” Conor stated sarcastically.

  Kathryn pulled the device off her head and hid it behind her back. She suddenly felt like a very small child who had been caught with her fingers in the cookie jar.

  “Are you just going to stand there with your mouth hanging open?” Alex asked as he stepped through the doorway and into the room. “Or are you going to invite us in?”

  Kathryn stepped aside and let them enter the room.

  “Nice room,” Conor stated. “Do you stay here often?”

  “Okay, you caught me,” Kathryn said. “What now?”

  “Why don’t you just give it up?” Alex asked. “Michael had absolutely nothing to do with Kartini’s murder.”

  “If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear,” Kathryn stated.

  Alex laughed.

  “Where did you hear that one?” he asked. “On late-night videovision?”

  “No,” Kathryn answered. “And what’s so funny?”

  “Most dictatorships are based on that principle,” Alex answered, sitting on the living room couch.

  “They are not!” she responded, clearly annoyed. “You better stop making fun of me!”

  “Alright, but you must admit that you’re not very good at spying on us,” Alex pointed out. “We caught you both times.”

  “True,” Kathryn admitted. “But this time I found out something very interesting. Something that I think you need to know.”

  “What?” Conor asked.

  “Don’t encourage her,” Alex stated. “Whatever she is about to tell us is probably a lie.”

  “And why would I lie to you?” she answered sharply. “I’m after the truth. If you are so innocent, you have nothing to fear and nothing to hide. Now, before I start screaming rape at the top of my lungs, do you want to listen to what I have to say or not?”

  “Okay,” Alex sighed. “You win. Tell us.”

  “Before you and Michael showed up, Brandix, Sanders, and some guy named Respoola had a little meeting,” Kathryn explained. “Brandix and that Respoola guy tried to convince Dee Sanders to use her influence over LaRocque to get him to dump you. They said that you have a criminal record. They were very adamant that you had to g
o before the other candidates got hold of the story and used it as an example of Michael showing poor judgment, consorting with known criminals.”

  “Yes, I have a criminal record,” Alex stated matter-of-factly. “Michael knows all about it. My family has ruled a small planet in the Beta Prime system for many generations. When I was young, my uncle was in charge and he became convinced that some reptilians were trying to overthrow his government. So, he expelled all non-resident reptilians and banned all interstellar commerce with reptilian planets. Those were politically popular moves. Many people are prejudiced against reptilians to begin with and expelling non-resident reptilians seemed to be a prudent response to what the government argued was a real and imminent threat to public safety. The local financiers especially liked the embargo of imported reptilian goods. Less competition meant that they could raise prices and generate higher profits. But my uncle did not stop there. He ordered all resident reptilians to register with the government and to report their activities to government authorities on a daily basis. He also suspended all surveillance restrictions, insisting that the government needed to do that to protect the public. He then cancelled all government contracts with reptilians regardless of their citizenship, arguing that reptilians had no right to generate profits from a government they were trying to topple. He also encouraged people to boycott reptilian-owned businesses. “We Support The Boycott” and “No Reptilians Work Here” signs began to appear in storefront windows all across the planet. With their jobs disappearing, hundreds of thousands of law-abiding reptilians fled the planet. Local financiers took advantage, buying reptilian homes and businesses at a huge discount. All across the planet, “Under New Ownership” signs competed for window space with “We Support The Boycott” signs. I was part of a political movement to end my uncle’s blatantly xenophobic policies. We organized non-violent protest marches. We wrote opinion pieces. We published economic reports pointing out the folly of restricting economic competition. We bought videopaper ads. We did everything that we could think of to pressure the government to end the embargo, stop spying on its citizens, and stop harassing law-abiding citizens. Our slogan was “Stop The Madness.” But instead of listening, my uncle was outraged. He considered me a traitor, both to the planet and to the family. So, he set me up. He manufactured some evidence that made it look like I had stolen from a government account. He then made it look like my mother and father were involved. He ordered all of us to be arrested. I escaped, but they captured my parents and imprisoned them. I was tried in absentia, found guilty, and sentenced to death for treason. Both of my parents died in prison. I was told that my father was beaten to death and that my mother starved to death. The happiest day of my life was the day my uncle was assassinated. My only regrets are that he died quickly, a laser pistol to the head, and that I was not the one who pulled the trigger. One of my cousins took over and granted me a full pardon. In fact, he gave me a medal. But, of course, they probably didn’t mention that part of the story during their little get-together earlier today. So, yes, I have a criminal record. And I am very proud of it.”