Edgar Aeternum, Book 1: Tales of Aeternal Love (19 page)

"I'll have to call the barrister, sir," James
replied in neat, clipped tones. "Would you mind having a seat,
sir?" he gestured to one of the chocolate brown leather sofas
lining the room.

"Not at all, James, thank you," Edgar
answered and took a seat.

A moment later, James presented himself in
front of Edgar, who was pretending to be staring at the floor, lost
in thought. The young man cleared his throat softly, announcing his
presence. Edgar looked up in mock surprise, "Yes, James?" he said,
all smiles and friendliness. He made a mental note to ask Evans to
take it easy on the young man if he was new; unless, of course, he
wasn't, in which case Edgar wouldn't interfere.

"I, uh, checked with Barrister Evans," James
said, temporarily losing his professional polish, "If you'd follow
me, please?"

"Of course," Edgar said, standing. "Where
to?" he asked, though he already knew it would be a private
conference room, the only windows facing outside. There, he'd wait
for a short time until Evans quickly wrapped up with his current
client. Unless, of course, it was with one of the other two on the
shortlist, in which case it may take a little longer.

"This way, please, sir," James answered,
leading the way to the nearest conference room. Edgar carefully
kept his face blank; if he smiled, it would look like he was a
spoiled rich bitch pulling rank on the young man. While technically
true, there was no reason to be unpleasant about it; Edgar rarely
behaved as poorly as his money would permit.

"Of course, James, thank you," he said and
followed the young suit, appreciating the view. Even if he wasn't
here on an urgent matter, he wouldn't flirt; both he and Evans
considered such a thing a gross conflict of interest. Fun was fun,
but not when it could cause problems at such a high level.

After depositing him in the predicted
conference room and asking if he would like a beverage, James
advised Edgar that Barrister Evans would see him shortly. Edgar
declined a drink and thanked the young man for his assistance.
James inclined his head in acknowledgement and left the room.

Ten minutes later, the door opened and Edgar
turned from the view, expecting Evans. He was slightly surprised to
see James again. "Barrister Evans will see you now, Mr. Aeternum. I
must apologize for earlier; I hadn't been informed of your
arrangement with the barrister. It won't happen again, sir."

"Think nothing of it," Edgar said, "I'm
assuming you've only recently taken this job?"

"Yes sir, just today actually. Miss Barnes,
my predecessor, must not have reached that point in my training,
sir," James answered.

"Well, that explains everything, James. I
hope the old man wasn't too tough on you," Edgar gave him a
conspiratorial look.

"Not at all, sir, but thank you for asking,"
James said. This alone told Edgar that Evans had chosen a good
replacement for the departing Miss Barnes. If he'd been anything
less than a perfect fit, he'd have answered more candidly. A proper
professional would respond exactly as James had done. Even if Evans
had flayed him alive, James would neither tell nor let it show.

"Good," Edgar replied, "I'm glad to hear it.
Lead on, please." James turned and Edgar followed him to Evans'
corner office. The door was open, as it often was if Evans wasn't
with a client or on the comm. James waved Edgar inside and quietly
left.

"Evans! Good to see you; my apologies for the
surprise visit," Edgar said.

"Mr. Aeternum!" the barrister replied rising,
"Do come in! Close the door behind you please and come, have a
seat. I trust James has been a gracious host, at least once we
handled our little misunderstanding?"

Edgar did as the barrister requested,
settling into one of the burgundy leather visitors chairs across
from Evans' mountain of a desk. "Absolutely, Evans," Edgar
answered. "The, ah, 'little misunderstanding' was no inconvenience,
really; I hope you weren't too hard on him."

"Not at all," Evans replied, seating himself
once Edgar was sitting. "The boy is a gem! I'd be a complete idiot
to give him up so easily!"

"My thoughts exactly, Evans. Cool under
pressure, professional to a fault, he's perfect for the job," Edgar
said.

"I'm glad you approve, sir. I trust your
opinion on such things; you're equally professional in such
matters. Unlike some of my clients, who appear to think with parts
of their anatomies other than their brains; such as the one with
whom I was just meeting. I thought I might actually have to call
security to pry her off the poor boy!" Evans' distaste for such
behavior was evident, not only in his voice, but in the "who
farted?" expression on his face.

Edgar shook his head sympathetically, though
he suspected James could've easily extricated himself from the
situation given enough time. Evans continued, face once more
neutral, "What brings you here, sir? Certainly, a call would've
been more convenient for you?"

"Normally, Evans, it would. I hate to pull
rank like I have today, but I've been giving the Jarvis matter some
extra thought. I've run a comm sweep with my HC, but I want to you
to get a top-level sweep done. As a barrister, especially one so
well-connected, it should be easy for you," Edgar said.

"Indeed, sir," Evans said.

"Sensible precaution," Edgar answered.
"You'll remember this isn't my first stalker."

"True enough," the barrister said. "Though
you do tend to have the most interesting ones."

"Sadly, I can't argue with that," Edgar said.
"Starting from the top, I'd like you to check all weapons
registries to see if Jarvis is listed. I'm obviously limiting time
out of Highland House as much as possible because she knows my
routine. However, if the comm turns out to be tapped, ordering food
becomes problematic, so I'll have to leave to shop. Otherwise, no
running in the Park or any other of my usual activities.

The priority task is the comm sweep, though.
If it's not tapped, I can stay indoors until this issue is
finished. If it is tapped, we need to decide what to do next; break
the tap, leave it and use it to our advantage, or turn it over to
Altair Security. While the latter may be expedient, it opens us up
to too much scrutiny and I'd prefer to avoid it.

Next, I want you to run a check on all of
Jarvis' known associates. Is it possible she's not working alone? I
know it sounds paranoid, but it's possible. What's her background?
Education? All those details will help us determine her skill set
and, possibly, her level of threat.

Which brings me to my last point, Evans. I
need to see Jarvis' criminal and psych records if any exist. The
two options, in my mind anyway, are that she's a failed
extortionist and is just pissed off. She's on the run because she
doesn't want to be shipped off to Tyranus 6 and all of her actions
are driven by emotion.

The other option is that this isn't her first
criminal venture. What if she went through psy'er treatments, but
they only lasted temporarily? Granted, that doesn't happen often,
but what if she's one of the few? The psy docs would've cleared her
as rehabilitated and not bothered to do any follow up. They don't
like people to know that the treatments aren't always permanent; I
can see their point since only about one percent of patients
actually reoffend. It'll take some work on your part, and probably
a lot of credits on mine, but I want those records."

Evans was taking notes as Edgar rattled off
his list. When Edgar stopped speaking, the barrister looked up from
his screen. "These items will be done, sir; the sweep should be
finished by tomorrow afternoon. The registry check is already
running; I started it shortly after you asked for it. Background
and known associates, as well as medical and criminal records
checks may take a few days, sir; they're rather more involved than
the rest. I've activated my web of contacts and," he paused, "field
operatives; they're already searching for Miss Jarvis."

"Well done, Evans," Edgar complimented the
barrister. At that moment, the computer chimed, indicating the
registry search was complete.

"Well," Evans said, "unless she's managed to
procure illegal, unregistered weaponry, our Miss Jarvis is unarmed.
The criminal background check will help determine her ability to
find such weapons," the barrister looked at Edgar. "I've reviewed
her personnel files from the bank; either she's clean or she's an
excellent liar. They show no priors and no psy'er treatments.
However, if she is a recidivist, she may have been able to hide
that information. We'll soon see."

"Good," Edgar said, "I appreciate your
thoroughness, Evans."

"But of course, Mr. Aeternum. It's my
pleasure as well as my duty. If I find that your comm is tapped,
I'll call you and tell you that 'The deal is moving ahead.' We
should then plan to meet again to discuss our next moves.
Obviously, if there are no taps, I'll call you and say so. As to
the results of your requests, I will send them via private courier,
if any taps are present. I trust this is acceptable?" he asked.

"Completely," Edgar answered. "It's a good
plan and you have my utmost confidence, Evans."

"Thank you, sir," the barrister replied. "As
to the ultimate disposition of Miss Serina Jarvis?" he let the
unfinished question hang in the air.

Edgar looked at the barrister. The man's
unlined face was a mask, hiding any emotion he might be feeling.
His only expression was a slight raising of his salt-and-pepper
eyebrows. Edgar knew his own expression upon hearing the question
was cold, his normally cheery blue eyes shining like two icy
diamonds. "Make it look like an accident," he answered Evans.

"Understood, sir," Evans' response was
equally devoid of feeling. "Will there be anything else today?"

Edgar paused, thinking before he answered.
"Yes, Evans. If my comm system is tapped, there are some people I
want put under constant surveillance until this matter is closed.
There are two restaurants, Antonia's Pizza and
Las Dos
Hermanas
; I'm very fond of their owners and staff and I've
spoken to each recently. The others are Wizzer, no last name, and
Maddox Bristow. I've spoken to each within the last few days. Both
are important to me. If it turns out that Jarvis isn't working
alone, I'd like to add two more to the list; Jace Arroyo, currently
in Barcelona and Sterling Rogers, currently in Rio. It's unlikely
they're in any danger, but if she's got connections, I'd rather be
safe than sorry. Spare no expense, Evans."

"As you wish, Mr. Aeternum," Evans said. "I
have a well-respected, discreet service that's perfect for such
work."

"I thought you would," Edgar smiled, his
usual warmth returning both to his face and voice. "Somehow, I
don't think there's anything you couldn't find a way to
accomplish," he joked.

Evans cocked an eyebrow and responded simply,
"I find being resourceful a good benefit to my clients."

"Of course," Edgar said with a wink. "On
behalf of your clients, your resourcefulness is greatly
appreciated. The recent renovations you and Smith have done show
just how much, I'd say."

The barrister seemed to be caught off guard
for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Yes, we decided that certain
improvements might make our clients more comfortable." There was a
slight twinkle in Evans' eyes that gave Edgar the impression that,
while client comfort figured in the decision, Smith and Evans'
personal desire for the opulence was the main driver. Most of the
barristers' clients wouldn't have the first clue as to the cost of
the upgrades; Evans knew that Edgar wasn't among the clueless.

He looked at Edgar and gave a slight shrug.
"Business has been good."

"There's nothing wrong with enjoying the
fruits of one's labor, in my opinion," Edgar said. "I see no point
in denying those pleasures."

"Indeed," Evans agreed.

Their discussion of Serina Jarvis concluded,
the two men spent a few more minutes discussing the merits of old
wood and polished marble before Edgar steered the conversation to
its end. It was rare that he and Evans saw each other and equally
rare that they merely talked, as two men of considerable wealth,
and not about business. However, Edgar knew that he was keeping
Evans from potentially important work, given that his was an
unplanned visit. He respected the barrister's time and didn't want
to waste it. Evans would never tell him he had other things to do,
of course; Edgar rightly suspected that his credits paid for at
least half of Evans' share of the renovations. It was bad business
to hurry your cash cow client out the door; though he wouldn't have
been upset about it, under the circumstances, as long as business
was handled first.

Edgar showed himself to the lobby, where he
found James on a comm call with a client who wanted to book an
appointment. The efficient receptionist appeared ready to place the
caller on hold, but Edgar shook his head and silently mouthed the
words, "Not necessary. I'll see myself out."

James nodded and smiled, mouthed the words,
"Nice to meet you; have a good day, sir," and went back to the
call. Edgar smiled and nodded before going to the elevator. He made
his way through the crowded lobby into the sea of suits outside; by
one o'clock he was seated at the rear of a magna car pulling away
from Bentley Station. He shared the return trip with an elderly
couple and an expectant mother; in addition to being a hub for
commerce, Navea also boasted some of the best medical facilities in
the state. Edgar figured that the mother, at least, was likely
returning home from an appointment. Either way, it was an
uneventful trip.

The magna pulled into Altair Station at
one-thirty and Edgar braced himself for the crowd. This sea of
people was not a homogenous collection of black and navy suits,
though; the people here were a mix of everything from runners in
shorts to CoL members in their flowing robes. There were some suits
and many in casual dress similar to Edgar; it was a typical day at
Altair Station.