In the Black (22 page)

She chuckled. “Or when someone starts whining in the galley.” Sam flashed back to the morning meal and Halley’s complaints about the token.

Sean caught her sudden mood shift. “I know. She was a bitch but she was our bitch.” He sighed. “Poor girl never really fit in. It’s hard to transfer in from another ship. I was glad she found Bianca. It helped her get along with the others.”

She turned a critical eye on him, hating herself for doing so. “Are you glad she’s gone?”

He shook his head. “I’d never wish death on anyone, Captain. Not when I’ve seen what it can do to a family, a community.” A sudden sadness appeared in his eyes. “What do you know about me?”

Sam shifted in the chair. This wasn’t going anywhere near how she wanted the conversation to go. “Aside from what’s in the official Guild files, nothing. Those are the rules. You join the Guild and your past is your own.”

“It is.” He cleared his throat. “My family and I were on Vegas Four when the flu epidemic broke out twelve years ago.”

“I remember. It was bad.” She regretted the last word as soon as she said it.

Sean chuckled. “Bad’s one word. Horrible is another. It’s strange how much we think we know about the human body and yet one single nasty bug can come along and take out nine-tenths of the entire population.” He looked out the small window by Sam’s side. “I originally worked as a sanitation worker. A garbage man.”

“A far cry from the stage,” she murmured, unsure what to say.

He chuckled. “Not what I’d expected to do with my life but fate calls us to different paths. When the plague hit I kept working, doing what I could to maintain a normal routine. I learned my medical skills in the field. We didn’t have enough supplies or personnel so we all became medics in one way or another, caring for friends or family until they had space in the hospital. Or the morgue. Or the fire pits.” His accent became more pronounced, his tone rising and falling as if he were singing. “They rushed in a vaccine but it turned out to be too little, too late. We spent hours in the hospital with Jacob, my boy, until the very end.” He cleared his throat. “After that I stayed home with Sara because there were no beds left. Or body bags. She asked to be buried in the back, in her garden. I couldn’t say no.”

She felt like the rust on the bottom of Jenny’s toolkit for suspecting Sean.

“When the medical ships arrived we were all checked and cleared, offered free passage off world if we wanted or money to rebuild our shattered world.” He cleared his throat. “There were plenty of companies moving in, jobs opening up and a chance at making it a better place. But I couldn’t stay. There was nothing left for me there. So I signed up with the Guild and shipped out as soon as I went through the training.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t wish ill on anyone, Sam. Life is too short and can end at any time. You have to grab what you can and hold on with both hands before it gets torn away by forces beyond your control.”

Sam took a sip of water, unable to speak.

“But that’s my cross to bear and not yours.” The bright blue eyes sparkled. “And here I am, tugging on your ear with my own tale of woe. Not very nice of me, hmm?”

Sam shifted in the command chair, eager to change the subject. “You’ve got no work?” She wasn’t used to having anyone up on the bridge other than Jenny. In the six months since she’d taken over the
Belle
she’d never had anyone else visit, and Jenny tended to stay wedged in her metal cocoon during their chats.

There wasn’t another seat to offer Sean. Well, other than her lap.

A mental image of Daniel pressing himself against her flashed across her mind’s eye. She coughed, trying to banish the pleasant memory before Sean caught on.

“I’ve got an open slot. I figured after the last disturbance I’d try and keep things loose.” He cocked his head to one side, a hint of a smile on his lips. “So I thought I’d come up and see what’s bothering my fine captain today? Aside from, of course, murder and mayhem running amuck on her ship. You sounded pretty tense during that talk. Is there anything I can do to help out?”

The accent caressed her like a sip of Guinness, reminding her why Sean was so popular. For a woman wanting some sweet loving he presented quite the package with his dark hair and soft voice. It was easy to imagine paying for an hour of cuddling and cooing with this man.

“Since when do you do therapy on captains?”

Sean spread his hands, floating beside her. “I’m a good-hearted soul who would hate to have to break in a new one so soon.” He tilted his head and smiled. “So tell your Uncle Sean what’s on your mind.”

Sam rubbed her eyes, realizing she’d been awake for far too long. “I’ve got one dead woman and another one who just tried to join her. I’ve got Grendel breathing down my neck demanding this entire thing be over already and a damned marshal slinking around taking control whenever he feels like it.”

Sean waited until she’d caught her breath before responding. “Taking control of you or the
Belle?
” He winked. “Some women like it that way.”

Sam glared at him.

He held up one hand. “Don’t be taking my head off because you’re a little wound up. As I said when you came on board, my door’s always open to the captain.” His friendly smile disappeared. “I have to admit I’m here for reasons other than just checking on you. I’m also here on behalf of Kendra, April and Dane.” One end of his mouth twitched. “Obviously Bianca wasn’t privy to our discussions and we didn’t want this to go via the monitors.” He pointed upward. “Eyes and ears everywhere.”

Sam’s stomach lurched. She had an idea of what he wanted to discuss.

They were thinking of going on strike and Sean wanted to talk it over before Kendra dropped the bomb.

She tried not to scowl. It was possible for the courtesans to go on strike under Guild rules if they met a long line of requirements. She had no idea if murder was one of them—but shutting the
Belle
down for the rest of their stay would be financial suicide for everybody.

“We’re concerned about how things are going.” He gestured at the door behind them. “The customers are talking about the situation, almost more than they want to do anything else. Some of the men straight-out canceled their appointments. They’re worried about having a murderer among their ranks and the entire base being boycotted and held responsible by the Guild if someone doesn’t go down soon for the crime.”

“Understandable.” Sam crossed her arms in front of her.

“Kendra and the rest of us are considering this visit as a short run due to the stoppages.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We don’t want to sound too mercenary but that’s the harsh truth. We all want justice for Halley but the longer it takes to catch this killer the more money we’re losing. Add in that Bianca’s now down for the count and we’re looking critical.” He studied her face. “So do you want to tell me anything? Something I can take back to Dane and Kendra and April? Something off the record?”

Sam paused, a snappy retort on her lips. There was no point in taking her anger out on Sean.

“Daniel’s doing all he can to find the killer. Huckness’s helping but you know we can only go so far, so fast.” She tried not to glance at the monitor, still displaying the blurred images. “We don’t want to grab the wrong man or woman for this. I know Dane told you that crap about Daniel being bought off but I can promise you that’s not going to happen. I’ve gotten to know Daniel pretty well and he’s not going to stop until he gets the right man or woman for the crime. It may take some time but you have to trust me on this—we’re working hard and no one’s slacking off to win brownie points with anyone.”

“Understood.” Sean’s smile returned. “I’m not trying to be difficult. I think we’ll be fine and we’ve hit rough landfalls before. This situation just has us all on edge.”

She shifted in her chair. “Now that you’re here, maybe you can save me some research.” Sam reached up and tapped the overhead screen displaying the appointment bookings. “Has anyone gotten the majority of Halley’s clients? Profited from her death?”

It was a feeble shot in the dark. She didn’t want to think this came down to mere money.

It was also classified information she wouldn’t be privy to as a captain without a damned good reason and direct permission from Grendel.

Sean paused for a minute and she imagined a tiny calculator spinning numbers in his mind.

He knew the Guild rules.

He also knew how important this could be to finding Halley’s killer.

“I’d say it’s been pretty spread out among all of us. Some of the miners are gone, though, if they only wanted financial advice.” He chuckled. “Specialization, that’s the key. Have something no one else has and offer it for a profit.”

Sam studied the darkness. “It’s always offering what someone else wants, isn’t it? And then someone goes and takes it without asking.”

Halley’s life.

Sean pulled himself closer, his hand wrapped around the leather strap nearest to her head. “Don’t blame yourself for this, Sam. Whatever happened wasn’t your fault.”

“I’m responsible as the captain. Anything and everything that happens on this ship is my duty.”

“Are you now? And I suppose if I drop dead of a heart attack taking care of some lovely lady, you’ll worry over me as much?” He continued, not giving her a chance to respond. “You’re responsible for our wellbeing, true. But you’re not in control of everything. You can’t be.” He swung one hand up toward the ceiling. “The ship, she can’t run everything and Lord knows she’s got the programming and the megabytes of memory to do so. If she can’t do it what makes you think you can?”

Sam stared at him. The tightness in her chest lessened a fraction.

“All you can do is your best and I don’t think anyone can say you haven’t done that so far.” He plucked her hand off the armrest and patted it. “You’ve been a good captain, and I’ve seen quite a few come and go.”

“Remember that when Grendel’s calling for my head,” Sam replied.

“Don’t let him rattle your cage. Molly, the captain before you, was drunk half the time and he let her go on until she finished her tour and rotated out. Hopefully she went to a rehab facility to dry out.” Sean chuckled. “Lord knows I tried to point her that way enough times.”

Sam joined in, enjoying the brief moment of humor.

He stroked her hand, his soft fingers running over her weathered skin. “Belle should have gotten double pay if she’d been on the books. Molly was a handful and a half, to say the least.”

Sam gently pulled her hand free. “Did Molly, ah—” The words were there in her mouth but she couldn’t spit them out. Her face grew warm.

“You want to know if sweet Molly ever took advantage of our services? Or mine, to be blunt?” He winked at her. “I can’t tell you because of the secrecy clauses but I can say I never turned a captain away from my door. I’d say present company included but I understand you’ve got eyes for the marshal.”

“Where did you hear that?” She resisted the urge to lean away from him.

Sean laughed. “From you just now.” He reached out and tapped her cheek. “I know what a woman in love looks like.”

She shifted in her chair. “I’m not in love.” She added a snort at the end for emphasis. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sean gave a low laugh. “Oh, now. You think you’ve got us all figured out, don’t you?” He swept a hand at the galley behind them. “You know why we’re all here and what we’re searching for, hmm?”

She stumbled for an answer. “I didn’t say that.”

“Then don’t be thinking you can deny something we deal with on a professional level, every day we’re out here.” He pointed at himself. “Me, I usually get the lost souls, the ones who want to know there’s still hope of finding a soulmate, someone they can tell their innermost secrets to. They come to me and get that security for an hour, that sense of belonging to someone.”

Sam rolled her shoulders, feeling the tightness across her back. “You ever have someone come back and tell you they’ve fallen in love? The true stuff?”

Sean gave her a soft smile, more sadness than joy. “Not once, not yet. Hoping to do so before I finish my tour. I’m thinking it might happen this time around.” Sean touched his temple with two fingers. “As you were, Captain. See you later.”

He spun around with ease and pushed off from the wall to soar toward the door.

Sam sat in stunned silence as the hatch swung shut behind him, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Chapter Nine

Daniel glared at the text message. “Does she think I don’t know how to do my job?”

Etts, sitting on the table next to a cold cup of coffee, let out a series of beeps and chirps.

“I wasn’t asking you.” He pointed at the adjoining monitor, the feed from four security cameras splitting it into quadrants. “I know what I’m doing!” The shout echoed around the tiny room, a stone’s throw from the main security office.

Huckness had taken one look at the marshal’s face after coming back from breaking up a fight and detoured Daniel to a private room. He’d used the excuse of giving the marshal privacy for viewing the security tapes before scampering out under the claim of having to do paperwork.

Daniel figured the security chief was afraid Trainer would return and he’d be caught in the middle of a fight between the foreman and Daniel, caught between a rock and a hard place.

He didn’t know how much Huckness knew or if he was in on Trainer’s offer to sideline Kowalski but he suspected the man was trying to stay honest by staying as clear of the conflict as possible. Moving Daniel to another room didn’t prove Huckness’s motives but it was better than setting up a potential confrontation that wouldn’t end well.

He’d spent the last half hour going over the grainy tapes, stopping to review Sam’s performance more than once. The woman was a pro. It might be all for show but she played for maximum effect, just as the Guild would want. The way she’d approached that damned rookie; the way she’d flirted with him before dealing with the broken Kowalski; the way she’d kissed the kid and practically invited him to make a home between her breasts—

The computer made a grinding noise as the images stopped again, the angle rotating to zoom in on the blurred figure.

Daniel jabbed a finger at the lower left image. “She’s right. The bastard is limping. He’s dragging his leg. Get me Danforth.”

It took a few minutes to get the medical officer on the intercom, during which Daniel spun the fuzzy three-dimensional silhouette around using the keyboard. There was no way to digitally enhance the image and get a clear picture of the worker with the base’s limited equipment but it was more than he’d had an hour ago.

“What’s up?” The voice came through the speakers.

“The token was pulled out of the garbage by one of your men, who was wearing coveralls and limping. It appears his left leg is injured. I need the medical roll call for the last few days. No way this guy kept going to work without either going on sick call or getting a fast patch from one of the medics on the floor.”

Static filled the air for a few seconds. “I can tell you without looking. We had one man get too close to the vats, tripped and brushed against the hot metal—major burns. He’s in recovery.” He sucked in his breath through clenched teeth and whistled. “Poor bastard is going home as soon as he can travel. Hopefully he’ll survive the ship transfer to get to a proper burn unit on Martin Three-Five-One. They’re the closest we have to a hospital out here.”

“Damn.” Daniel didn’t have to imagine those injuries. He’d seen enough maimed and injured people over the years.

The freedom of space came with a high price.

“And?” He cleared his throat.

“That’s it. No one else.” Danforth sounded almost apologetic. “We don’t get a lot of injuries, Marshal. That’s one of the reason why we’re allowed Mercy ships so often. We keep our standards high and take care of our employees. They know to be careful and they don’t play sick to get out of a shift.”

“Long-term injuries, then. Someone treading water until their pension kicks in like Kowalski. Getting his buddies to carry him.” Daniel tried to keep the desperation from his voice. If the killer was smart enough to snag the token and use it to incriminate Kowalski, he’d be smart enough to disguise himself. The limp could be there to throw him and anyone else viewing the tape off the trail.

“Not that I know of. But you’ll have to ask Swendson for that one. If anyone’s riding for free ’til his time’s up, he’d know about it.” A note of sarcasm crept in. “Sounds like a union problem.”

“Right. Thank you, Doctor. I’ll be in touch if I need anything else.” Daniel made a gesture and heard the click from Etts, signaling the line had been cut.

He looked down at the blurry image. “Etts, ask Huckness to come in here, please.”

The security chief opened the door within a minute. “You called?”

Daniel waved him in. “I’ve got a lead. Isolated the guy who took the token from the garbage. Seems Kowalski was telling the truth about that much.” He tapped the screen. “Guy walking with a limp. You recognize him?”

The white-haired man leaned in and squinted, nose brushing the glass. “Nope. Not one of my security men, I can guarantee you that. I’d know if one of my boys had gone lame.” He pulled back and eyed Daniel. “You talk to Trainer ’bout this?”

Daniel shook his head.

“You going to talk to Trainer about this?”

He shrugged.

Huckness snorted. “I’m not going to say I love the guy but you’re going to have to do better than that if you want me to get between you two. When you pack up and leave I’m still going to have to work with him.”

Daniel leaned back in the chair, forcing a squeak out of the industrial-strength springs. “He wants me to toss Kowalski to the lions.” He studied the chief’s face, gauging his reaction. “Get the mess cleaned up and get off base, close the case and run. Let the higher-ups stay the charges at the Justice base and Kowalski gets a free ride halfway home.”

Huckness snorted. “And leave me with the shit when the same higher-ups want to know why Kowalski got picked up in the first place and don’t want to deal with the Service. Nice.” He jerked a thumb at the image. “I’m assuming you’ve already spoken to Danforth and he says there isn’t anyone in medical with that limp.”

“You assume correctly,” Daniel replied. “So we can’t identify the killer.”

“Well—” Huckness took a seat opposite Daniel’s desk, “—I’m no marshal but I’m an old fart who’s been around. Seems to me that it’s simple elimination. Either the injury’s a fake or it’s real. If it’s real the guy hasn’t reported it and that’s suspicious right there. Odds are his team leader would toss him out. If you can’t carry your weight here, you’re done. No one would risk the bonuses unless you really cared for the guy, like Kowalski’s crew did. That ain’t going to happen twice in a row, not here. Kowalski only got away with it because he’s a lifer and got buddies willing to take the hit for him. I don’t see that being too common.”

Daniel nodded, letting the chief continue.

“The only point of making it fake would be to get noticed. That don’t make no sense. This guy, if he’s the killer or an accomplice, doesn’t want to be seen. He knows there’s cameras all around and he knows we’ve got access to them. Be crazy to draw more attention to yourself.”

“So you think it’s real.” Daniel chewed on his bottom lip. “Given that no one’s gone on medical call on the base—” He left the sentence hanging.

“It’s one of the crew. Guy got nipped by something and he’s dragging his ass.” Huckness nodded at the blurred image. “Bet he’s hanging in zero-g as much as possible. Avoid gravity to avoid putting weight on that leg.”

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck. “Fuck. You’re right.”

“Exactly.” Huckness nodded. “And there’s only two men on the
Belle,
if I remember correctly. So one of them’s your killer.”

“But why? Why kill the woman in the first place? All this just to grab a few hundred creds by taking her customers? There’s got to be more to it than that. Why here, why now? They’ve been running together for six months on the
Belle
—why here on Branson Prime?” Daniel growled.

“I’m no math genius but seems to me that sometimes the most obvious solution is the one that’s real.” Huckness spread his hands. “Now if you were to ask me about a motive to kill Comet I’d tell you there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years. It’s always about the money. Somehow, someway, it’s going to be about the money.”

“Etts.” Daniel watched as the black box on his hip lit up. “Call up the Guild and get me the private financial records for Dane Morris and Sean Harrison. Use the command override codes and I don’t care if they call Kyle and register a complaint after we get the files. We’ve got only the two suspects and I need to figure out which one right away.”

“Why not drag them both in while waiting for the info?” Huckness asked. “Pull them off the ship and toss them into the brig.” He waved at the wall. “I got plenty of room and squads ready to march onto the
Belle
to get the job done.”

“Because the Guild’s going to freak if I shut down two of their moneymakers when only one’s guilty. Not to mention causing yet another crisis on the
Belle
by disrupting their business—I’ve no doubt Sam’s already been in trouble for that.”

Huckness grumbled in agreement.

“I also can’t yank them in on a shadowy picture and strip them down looking for a limp that may or may not be real. They may be courtesans but they’ve got rights and I have to respect that.” He gestured at his AI. “I’m willing to bet that Halley’s reputation as a financial consultant might have been part of the reason behind her death. Now that we’ve got two targets it’s easier than shooting a shotgun at all her previous customers. Which I wouldn’t get access to, ever.”

“Could be,” Huckness said. “But then you’re leaving people in danger while we’re waiting for the Guild to call back.” His voice lowered. “Including the working men and women of Branson Prime. They’re going on that ship even as we speak, thinking we’ve got the killer here in our brig.”

The disapproval was apparent.

Daniel sighed. “Rule of law. Can’t pull them in and start fishing without more of a reason than that they’re male and on the
Belle’s
crew.”

Huckness tapped his chin. “Search warrant? Tear their quarters open looking for something connecting them to Comet’s murder? I bet there’s something incriminating the bastard kept in his room.”

Daniel shook his head. “I’d have to contact a Justice base and get a judge to sign off on it, and I’m not going to get that on a whisper and a fart. He’ll want something more than a theory, especially when the Guild’s involved. They’ve got a long reach and I suspect it’ll take a lot for them to allow a judge to sign off on a fishing expedition. Not to mention violating the privacy rules. Who knows what we’d find and if it’d be admissible in other cases, for example. What I find there might end up raising more questions than answers. And the Guild doesn’t like being asked questions.”

“Fuckers,” Huckness said.

“Yeah. I get that they want to cover all their bases and protect their assets, but they’re a lot of trouble. Once those financials come in I’m betting we’ll be down one suspect and I can move with due cause, get the warrant and lock him up as soon as I lay hands on him.” He looked at Huckness. “Ever think about going into the Service? You’ve got a damned good mind for analysis.”

The older man laughed. “And give up all this? No thanks, Marshal.” His tone turned serious. “You might want to warn that pretty captain of yours to watch her back. She’s a vet but even the best of us can be jumped from behind. And if it’s one of her crew she’s in danger, and she’s got no backup as long as we’re here in this office.” He paused. “I could send in one of my special teams but that’d send up red flags all over the place. No one’s going to miss a bunch of armed men standing in the landing bay and it’d probably trigger the killer, prompt him to do something rash.”

“She’s got Belle and a good head on her shoulders.” Daniel banged on the keyboard. “It’ll have to be enough until I figure out who the killer is.”

* * *

Sam glared at the image on the screen. “Are you serious? ‘Watch your back and stay put’? Do you think I’m fresh out of boot camp?”

Daniel shifted in his seat. “I’m telling you to be careful. When I get those financials back—”

“And then you’re going to come riding in to save me on your white horse?” She snorted, feeling her pulse increase.

“No. Yes. What horse?” He frowned. “Sam, I’m serious about this. You know the crew have weapons and all you’ve got is your sidearm, hardly enough to stand against swords and God-knows-what-else they’ve got stockpiled in their cabins. If the killer was strong enough to crush Comet’s throat, his hands are lethal weapons right up front, and who knows what else he’s got hidden away. Just lock yourself in the cockpit and stay clear.”

“And what if he kills someone else?” Sam jabbed a finger at the screen. “If Sean or Dane freak out and kill a customer or one of the other girls, what then? I curl up into a ball and weep until you come to save me?”

“I’m not—”

“No. No.” She slashed the air with her hand, trying hard not to punch the screen. “I will not stand by and let either of them hurt my crew. As soon as you eliminate one of them, you call me and I’ll secure the ship from my end and assist in the arrest.”

“This isn’t what you were trained for,” he snapped. “This isn’t what you were hired to do. The Guild wanted a babysitter.”

“Well they got a tough old broad instead. Maybe they’ll fire me.”

“I’d be fine with that. As long as you’re alive.” The emotion in Daniel’s voice caught her off guard, breaking her anger like a brittle piece of plastic. “You can always find another job. You can’t get another life.”

She paused, the words stuck in her throat. It took a second to clear. “This is my life, Daniel. For another four and a half years.”

“Maybe. But that’s not what we’re talking about right now. You’ve got a killer on board and as soon as I deduce which one, I’m coming on board. Period.”

“Let me know who is it and I’ll tag-team with you.” It was as close to a retreat as she’d allow herself. “Don’t cut me out of this. You can’t cut me out of this.” She squinted at his image. “You’re afraid I’ll freeze up or cut and run?”

“What? No.”

“I held at the Hub right to the very end. You think I can’t handle this? You afraid you’ll have to save me?” Her chest ached at the words and the emotions behind them.

“I didn’t say that.” His jaw tensed up. “This is a killer, Sam. Not some disgruntled client upset because he didn’t get off before his time ran out. Do you want me to override the
Belle
and lock you in your cabin?” Daniel’s voice rose. “Because if I have to do it to keep you safe, I’ll do it.”