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  “Yes,” Mr. Jordan stated, nodding his head. “You can do a lot for her, but I want to know exactly what you expect her to do for you in return? Her mother would be devastated if ...”

  “Nothing like that!” Michael exclaimed innocently, raising his hands into a defensive posture.

  Pointing over to Dee, Michael continued, “I have my eye on someone else.”

  “You don’t have to worry about him,” Dee announced, placing her arm around Michael’s waist. “Besides, Kathryn is interested in someone else.”

  “Yes, I can see that,” Mr. Jordan answered.

  Turning his attention back to Kathryn, he asked, “When will you be coming home? Your mother is worried to death. And what does the Interstellar Court’s Internal Affairs Unit want with you? They are still looking for you. They came to our house last night with a search warrant. They looked everywhere for you. Made quite a mess too. They accidently broke some of your mother’s china. I thought that she was going to kill them.”

  Kathryn took a step forward, gave her father a hug, and whispered in his ear, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you or Mom. I will be home as soon as the election is over, I promise.”

  “That’s better,” Mr. Jordan stated. “Your mother will be relieved to find out that you are alright. I’m not so sure how she is going to feel about you moving to the Capitol Complex though.”

  “She will be fine,” Michael interrupted. “We will take very good care of her. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “That’s easy for you to say,” Mr. Jordan replied. “And what about this investigation? They threatened to have me arrested when they came up empty-handed last night. That’s the second time that they have threatened me with arrest.”

  “I will take care of that,” Michael stated. “Don’t worry. I have everything under control.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Mr. Jordan repeated. “You are not the one facing jail time.”

  “I will clear everything up as soon as the election results are finalized,” Michael answered. “Everything is going to be fine. I promise.”

  “Right,” Mr. Jordan answered as he headed for the door. “Like I am supposed to trust you. You better take care of this. Am I clear? I want my life back.”

  “I give you my word,” Michael stated.

  As soon as Mr. Jordan left, Alex activated the privacy mode on his wrist transponder and stated into it, “Get me Captain Tynan at LaRocque for Justice Headquarters, Capital City, main security office.”

  A moment later, the image of a woman with short reddish-blond hair appeared on the transponder’s viewing screen. Not expecting the call, she had a worried look on her face.

  “Tynan here,” she answered. “Is everything okay over there?”

  “Send three armed security guards over to my apartment right away, and be discrete,” Alex stated. “I don’t want the videopapers to pick up on this. Make sure that they are not wearing uniforms.”

  “Is everything okay over there?” she repeated, obviously concerned.

  “Just a precaution,” Alex answered.

  “They will be there in just a few minutes,” she replied. “Tynan out.”

  “Why did you do that?” Dee asked.

  “Mr. Jordan was able to track his daughter to this address,” Alex answered as he checked his apartment’s security system to make certain that it was fully functional. “That means that someone else can do that as well. And if they are smart enough to find Kathryn, they are smart enough to find Michael. Obviously, someone messed up or Mr. Jordan would not have been able to trace her to my apartment.”

  “You don’t think that we’re in any serious danger, do you?” Dee asked.

  “No,” Alex replied, patting the computer. “This building’s security system is the best in the business and it is constantly updated. That’s one of the reasons I picked this apartment. The only reason Mr. Jordan was able to reach my front door without setting off any alarms was because he was unarmed. The sensors are programmed to respond to the presence of laser radiation. The only way to get at Michael without alerting us would be to blow up the whole building.”

  “I don’t understand why Conor or I did not sense him when he entered the building or came down the hallway,” Kristi stated out loud. “He was very angry. We should have sensed him. His adrenaline was working overtime, his testosterone level was way beyond normal, and his body odor was pretty sharp.”

  “You don’t think anyone would try to blow up the whole building?” Kathryn interrupted, somewhat alarmed.

  “No,” Alex answered. “Blowing up a building this size would require a lot of preparation and involve a lot of people, and that creates a lot of opportunities for someone to mess up and get caught. It’s too risky, unless ...”

  “Unless what?” Kathryn asked, obviously worried.

  “Unless someone had a great deal to lose,” Alex continued.

  “Like an election?” Kathryn asked.

  “Or their freedom,” Michael added.

  The building’s security system beeped loudly, indicating that someone with a laser weapon was entering the apartment building. Checking the security feed on his computer screen, Alex watched three men enter the building, weapons concealed under their clothing. A few moments later, they were at his front door. Alex sent one of them back to the ground floor to keep an eye on the apartment building’s main entrance and sat the other two men on chairs just outside of his front door.

  “Don’t you think that it’s a bit obvious having two men sit directly outside of your apartment’s front door?” Dee asked.

  “Perhaps, but if we do have unwanted company, they should buy us enough time to defend ourselves,” Alex replied.

  Just then, Kristi started to clap and Kathryn let out a loud “Hooray!” as an announcer on the living room’s viewing screen indicated that the two-thirds voter turnout threshold had been reached and the countdown for the election’s end was officially underway. The announcer went on to indicate that her station was predicting that the winner would be Captain Michael Armand LaRocque. Kathryn rushed over to Conor and gave him a long, warm hug.

  “Isn’t this wonderful!” she shouted. “Everything is working out just great. I have a great job and we are going to be working together!”

  “And we just elected a wonderful man to the Court,” Kristi added.

  Their celebration was interrupted by a news flash.

  Chapter 22

  SCANDAL

  The reporter on the viewing screen abruptly interrupted a live interview with a local political commentator and announced, “We have breaking news from the Capitol Complex. Matthew Relcovic, Chief of the Interstellar Court’s Internal Affairs Unit, has requested an emergency, closed-door meeting of the Interstellar Court of Justice. Although the meeting’s subject is top secret, sources close to the investigation have informed us that he has been looking into the financial affairs of several business associates of one of the sitting Justices. Our sources also inform us that he may request the Court’s permission to examine the financial records of that still unnamed Justice. If our sources are correct, and they usually are, this would be the first investigation of a sitting Justice in over 600 years.”

  “I didn’t see that one coming!” Alex exclaimed. “He’s actually going to do it. He’s going to investigate a sitting Justice. He must be out of his mind.”

  “I better call Brandix right away,” Dee stated. “Alex, I need a private, secure line. Can I use the computer in your bedroom?”

  “Go right ahead,” he answered. “You don’t think that this investigation has anything to do with Brandix, do you?”

  “Of course not,” Dee replied. “But you never know about these things. Someone could have planted something.”

  “No,” Alex stated, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Who would do anything like that?”

  “Alright,” Michael stated after Dee had left the room, waving his finger disapprovingly in Alex’s direction. “None of th
at sarcasm. It’s probably best that she doesn’t know anything about what is going on, but keep in mind that the two of us have become very close. In fact, we’re thinking about writing up a contract.”

  “A contract!” Kathryn exclaimed. “That is great news. You make a wonderful couple.”

  “What’s a contract?” Conor asked.

  “It’s a legal covenant that binds two people together for a specified period of time,” Kristi explained. “It gives each the authority to handle the finances of the other and to make decisions about medical care and any end-of-life issues that may arise. It usually lasts for 20 to 30 years and is renewable, if both parties consent.”

  “It’s very romantic,” Kathryn added. “Much nicer than just living together. Plus, there is usually a formal ceremony and a big party afterwards.”

  “Enough about that,” Michael interrupted. “Right now, we have to figure out our next move. Obviously, implicating Casseday didn’t help us. In fact, it made things worse. If the Court gives the okay for the investigation to proceed, who knows what Relcovic will dig up? I need information. I need to know what Relcovic knows. Alex, contact Anne Hopkins, see if she can find out anything of use concerning Mr. Relcovic. If anyone can find something that we could use, it would be her and her friends down at the Crowbar.”

  “Will do,” Alex answered as he headed over to a computer and started typing.

  “Who is Anne Hopkins?” Conor asked.

  “Alex’s old business partner,” Kristi answered. “Well, previous business partner. I wouldn’t call her old, at least not to her face.”

  “Is she trustworthy?” Conor asked.

  “Let’s put it this way,” Kristi answered. “Everyone is self-interested to a certain extent. What differentiates us is our compassion for others, our willingness to set aside our self-interest for the greater good. Generally speaking, the more compassionate you are, the more trustworthy you are. The last time I looked, compassionate people don’t become mercenaries.”

  “But,” Michael interrupted. “Anne Hopkins is the one to go to if you need something done that’s not exactly legal and you don’t want any questions asked. She’s expensive, but the best at what she does.”

  “What’s the Crowbar?” Conor asked. “I have never heard of it.”

  “It’s the name of a restaurant located on the ground floor of her apartment building,” Michael explained as he sat down on the sofa.

  “More like a gambling house,” Kathryn interrupted. “My father has prosecuted most of the hooligans that frequent that establishment.”

  “It’s not such a bad place,” Michael stated. “There are some seedy characters hanging around, but there are also some very useful people there. People that are capable of getting things done without asking questions; and places on the upper floors where you can have a private conversation without worrying about being recorded or overheard.”

  “For a price,” Kathryn added with a hint of disgust in her voice.

  “Yes, for a price,” Michael repeated Kathryn’s admonition. “But what do you expect? A person has to make a living. After all, everyone can’t work for the government.”

  Dee pulled an electronic detection device from a pocket and scanned Alex’s bedroom, making sure that there were no listening or recording devices. She then punched in Brandix’s private security code on Alex’s computer and waited. After a few moments, Brandix’s image appeared on the computer screen.

  “Is this link secure?” Brandix asked.

  “Yes,” she answered. “I am 100 percent certain that it is a secure link.”

  “Excellent,” Brandix continued, recognizing Dee’s use of the term 100 percent certain meant that she could not verify that the link was secure. “I am 100 percent certain that my link is secure as well.”

  Dee nodded, recognizing that she was to refrain from saying anything potentially incriminating.

  “The request for an investigation of a sitting Justice came as a complete shock to me and to my staff,” Brandix stated, as if he was testifying before a judge. “We have nothing to hide and will cooperate fully with the investigation. I assume that you also have nothing to hide and will cooperate fully with the investigation. Am I correct?”

  “Of course,” she answered. “Should I return to the office to discuss this with you in person?”

  “That will not be necessary,” Brandix replied. “You have more important matters to attend to at the moment. No matter what happens remember that I trust you completely and that I am a man of my word. I have complete confidence in you to get the job done.”

  Brandix’s image faded from the computer screen.

  Dee entered the living room just as Alex was about to inform Michael about his conversation with Anne Hopkins. An awkward silence hung in the air.

  “What did she have to say?” Conor asked.

  Kathryn shot a look at Conor, and then announced in Dee’s direction, “Okay, let’s get this out in the open. Are you on our side, or not?”

  Before Dee had a chance to respond, Michael motioned for her to join him on the sofa.

  “I guess that it is time for us to find out,” Michael said. “How was your talk with Brandix?”

  “Fine,” she answered, taking a seat next to Michael on the sofa. “He has no idea what is going on.”

  All eyes turned in her direction as Michael asked, “Just to make this a little bit easier on everyone, if the election results hold will you resign your position with Brandix and be my chief of staff?”

  Dee smiled broadly and said, “I was wondering when you were going to ask.”

  “Will you?” Michael asked.

  “Of course!” she answered, giving him a big, warm hug.

  “Welcome aboard,” Alex stated. “Now that we are all on the same team, can we get back to business?”

  “Yes,” Conor added. “I want to know what Anne Hopkins had to say.”

  “She said that no one knows for sure what is going on,” Alex started. “But, Erin Hillside, a long-time friend of hers, told her that she used to date Relcovic and, for a price, she was willing to give him a call and try to find out what is going on.”

  “What’s the price?” Michael asked.

  “One of her nephews is stuck on Skyton University’s waiting list,” Alex answered. “As you know, each Justice can unilaterally admit up to 30 people annually to the University without them having to go through the normal application and review process.”

  “Tell her that we have an agreement,” Michael answered. “But only if she comes up with useful information and she understands that I’m not going to save the kid if he flunks out of the University.”

  “Okay,” Alex stated, typing in Michael’s response on a computer.

  Kristi walked over to the viewing screen hanging on the living room wall and turned its volume up.

  “With less than two standard hours to go, Captain Michael Armand LaRocque is widening his lead,” the announcer stated. “The latest vote count has him with 217.9 billion votes, more than twice as many as his nearest rival and the gap is widening. Christine Lindsey, our lead political reporter, has been interviewing voters. They are telling her that the impending investigation into the activities of an as-of-yet unnamed Justice has been working to LaRocque’s advantage. Our surveys indicate that LaRocque has garnered over 90 percent of the vote cast since the investigation’s announcement. Most of the LaRocque voters we talked to today said that they voted for him primarily because he has no prior political experience. They said that they want someone who is above petty politics.”

  Kristi switched to another channel.

  “We have been unable to determine which of the Justices has been targeted for investigation,” the announcer stated. “But according to several reliable sources who wish to remain anonymous, the investigation apparently has something to do with credit laundering of government contract awards. The man behind the investigation is Detective-Major Matthew Relcovic.”

  A three-dim
ension hologram of a tall, broad-shouldered man, wearing the Interstellar Court’s official blue and gold dress uniform, filled the screen.

  “Detective-Major Relcovic has been with the Interstellar Court’s Internal Affairs Unit for the past 114 years and has served as the Chief of that unit for the past 36 years. Prior to his service with the Court, he served in the Hundred System’s Royal Armada, rising to the rank of vice-fleet commander.”

  “He sure is taking a big gamble,” Michael stated. “If he fails to implicate Casseday his career is over.”

  “What makes you so certain that he is investigating Justice Casseday?” Dee asked.

  Alex’s electronic security system started to beep.

  “Someone is entering the building with a laser,” Alex stated, grabbing a laser pistol.

  The lights went out.

  “What is going on?” Conor asked.

  “Electronic pulse!” Alex shouted. “Quick, everyone into the master bedroom. It’s fortified. We’re about to be attacked.”

  Alex’s front door exploded. Eight armed men, including the three security guards sent over earlier from headquarters, stormed into the room. Alex got off the first shot, his laser burning a fist-sized hole through the chest of the first man who entered the room. The laser beam continued on, nicked the left shoulder of the man behind him, exited the apartment, crossed the hallway, and hit the far wall, setting it ablaze. The apartment building’s fire alarms wailed as flames spread up and down the hallway. Alex jumped for his life. Banging his shoulder hard against a chair, he got off another shot before hitting the floor. The laser beam scorched through the air and sliced through a man’s throat, leaving a gaping hole straight through. As the man’s lifeless body slumped to the floor, the remaining men fired their lasers, all of them aiming at Alex’s head. Six laser beams shot across the room. Alex closed his eyes, expecting death.

  Conor focused on the laser beams, deflecting them up and into the ceiling. It exploded and gave way, crashing to the floor. The room went dark as a flame inhibiting mist filled both Alex’s apartment and the hallway, starving the flames, and them, of oxygen. Everyone still alive blacked out. When he awoke, Conor found himself buried under a pile of charred ceiling tiles. Pushing them aside, he quickly checked to see if he was alright. Except for a few gashes on his left arm which oozed blood, he was fine. Several emergency lights had come on, providing just enough light for him to spot eight lifeless bodies near the front door, buried under several tons of debris that had fallen through the gaping hole that was once Alex’s ceiling. A thick, metallic support beam had fallen through and was wedged into the floor. What looked like a refrigeration unit, apparently from the apartment above, had landed on what was left of Alex’s sofa. Water streamed out of a broken pipe and soaked the far wall.