Page 13

A yronina was on the list of attendees that Hazel had sent us, but there was no dossier on her that we could find. Maybe because she wasn’t a guest so much as the entertainment. Regardless, we located her room assignment and headed out to Deck 38.

Known for its suites and VIP quarters, Deck 38 was no doubt also where the premier and his wife had been placed. I was curious what Ayronina’s quarters would look like. I’d never been in any of the suites.

The elevators were still pretty busy, so we took the escalator, which didn’t seem as crowded going up as it did going down. The number of Loessaian cruisers out and about was staggering. I reminded myself that getting to see the Omega Min nebula close up, as well as the Omega Min Star, while also being on the same starliner as the premier with Ayronina in residence as the entertainment were clearly major reasons not to sit in the cabin all day.

“What do you think of her music?” I asked Frank while we rode our way up.

“She has a nice voice.” He shook his head. “Not my style, though. I like Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Dinah Washington … you know, back when music was good.”

I laughed. “I know.” He played a lot of that stuff on the nights when we just hung out, spending time together for the sake of being together, not because we were doing anything that exciting. Once in a while, we’d slow-dance when the right song came on.

I loved those evenings. I think Frank had gotten the idea from the time he’d asked me what my late husband and I used to do for fun. I’d told him simple evenings, often just reading or working on a puzzle or watching a movie, were as enjoyable to me as anything else.

One of the things I really liked about Frank was how quickly he picked up on things. It was rare that I had to mention something twice before it registered with him. But I guessed that was one of the things that had made him so successful in his previous life. He paid attention to details.

“You staying for dinner tonight?”

Frowning, I shook my head. “No, sorry. I promised the girls I’d meet them at the dining hall since I missed last night.”

“It’s okay. You need to see them. Who knows, maybe one of them’s heard something. And you can ask Vashti if she saw anything, since she was there.”

“That was my plan. Then come back to your place after so we can keep working.”

“Good. Maybe I’ll put some of that good music on, if it’s not distracting.”

“Fine with me.” Maybe we’d end up slow-dancing again. I was never going to say no to that. Wasn’t the same as being all dressed up like we’d been at the gala, but in its own way, it was even sweeter. More intimate.

We finally made it to Ayronina’s suite, the Cassiopeia. Frank pushed the button on the keypad to announce our presence.

A large woman, about my age, maybe a few years older, answered the door. She was in a black tunic and pants trimmed with white, steel-gray hair scraped back into a tiny knot. No jewelry except for small silver hoops but plenty of heavy black eyeliner and drawn-on brows. She looked at us for a long moment before saying anything. “Can I help you?”

I let Frank do the talking. He was the handsome one, after all. “Special Envoys Frank Kitson and Ellis McFadden to see Ms. Ayronina.”

The woman looked even more unimpressed, which was quite a feat. Could she really not see how staggeringly handsome Frank was? Did that not make her a little weak in the knees? Maybe her eyesight was bad. That would explain the eyeliner. “Why?”

Again, I held my tongue. Frank could handle Sargeant Eyebrows. He smiled. “There’s been an incident, and we need her statement. It’s official Athos business.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What kind of incident?”

Frank’s smile disappeared, and his gaze took on a hard glint that I imagined he’d picked up in the Space Marines. “What’s your name, ma’am?”

Her lips pursed, as if she was considering whether she should answer or close the door. “Waan.”

“Waan, there’s been a murder. If you don’t let us speak with her, you’ll be charged with obstructing justice. I really don’t want that to happen. I suggest you let us in.”

Waan grunted and moved away from the door. “She’s in the bath. I’ll let her know you’re here.”

“Thank you,” Frank said.

Waan grunted a second time.

A bath? My stars, how the other half lived. The door closed behind us as we stepped inside. The air smelled like flowers and something sweet. Cotton candy, maybe? It was sugary, that much I could tell.

We followed Waan down a hall, passing several more doors along the way. The spacious suite was beautifully decorated in soft blues, gentle creams, and touches of gold. Definitely fit for a celebrity.

Waan led us to the living room, then disappeared. The window across from us was nearly twice the size of any I’d seen in standard quarters, and the view of the nebula was stunning. I took a seat on the ivory couch. A crystal chandelier sparkled overhead. It hugged the ceiling so as not to be in the way and looked a bit like a giant brooch that had been pinned there.

On one side of the couch was a chaise, on the other an ornamental blue and gold chair. The entertainment screen was nearly as big as the one in Frank’s office, which was impressive. In the corner of the space was a garment rack with a protective cover that zipped closed. Through a clear vinyl window that ran the length of it, I could see all kinds of frills, feathers, and ruffles in a rainbow of colors. Ayronina’s stage outfits.

I settled into my seat. The living room was the size of my entire living area plus my little office. Maybe even my bathroom. I wondered if I could get a peek at the bathroom in this place. I bet it had at least two.

Frank looked around, then sat by me. “Quite a pad.”

I nodded, brows raised. It defied words, really. I leaned closer. “Nice work with Waan.”

“Thanks.”

Nearly ten minutes passed before Ayronina joined us, dressed in a billowy pink bathrobe trimmed in glittered feathers dyed the same pastel shade. A linked bracelet of nebulite cabochons draped one slender wrist. Her hair was pulled into her signature high ponytail, but without makeup, I wasn’t sure I’d have recognized her.

She looked about twelve and thinner than I remembered her from the gala. Almost gaunt. My maternal instincts made me want to feed her, but I supposed that was Waan’s job. I certainly hoped Ayronina had someone looking after her.

“Hi,” she said in a soft voice that didn’t match the power of her vocal performances. “Waan said you were from the security forces?”

“Not exactly,” I said. “We’re Special Envoys, investigating an incident that’s taken place on board.”

“Oh. I see.” She settled on the chaise, leaning back, kicking off her fuzzy pink slippers, and putting her feet up. Her toenails were covered in rhinestones.

Waan appeared with a tray bearing a large mug of something hot and a small plate of fancy cookies. Probably from La Patisserie. Nothing for us, though. She set the refreshments on the table next to the chaise. “Anything else, miss?”

Ayronina smiled at her and shook her head. “No, thank you, Waan. Did you ask our guests if they wanted anything?”

As sourpussed as you can imagine, Waan shifted her gaze begrudgingly in our direction. “Do you want tea?”

I didn’t trust her enough to say yes. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“Nothing for me,” Frank added.

Waan looked at her young boss again. “Two hours, miss.”

Ayronina nodded. “I know. Thank you.”

Waan shot us a look, bowed to Ayronina, then reluctantly left.

Ayronina sipped her drink. “I’m due on stage in two hours. The Galaxy Amphitheatre. I’m doing a show every night I’m here.”

I already knew that, but I answered anyway. “That must be tiring.” That couldn’t be her usual schedule, but this was a special event.

“It’s all right.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I need to start getting ready soon, so whatever I can do to help…”

“We just have some questions,” Frank said.

“Sure. About what?” Ayronina held her mug with both hands, making the mug look enormous. She really was a tiny thing.

Frank gave me a little nod.

I took over. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

She gave a little shake of her head. “I don’t, I’m sorry. Have you been to one of my concerts?”

“No, I helped Ensign Ludwig get you to a chair after you fainted at the gala.”

Her eyes rounded for a moment, then she laughed. “Oh, of course. Thank you. That was so kind of you.”

I doubted she’d suddenly remembered me. Her response seemed too practiced. She probably met a lot of people who claimed to have met her before. I didn’t care one way or the other. “What was it that made you faint?”

“I…” She blinked, as if trying to remember. “I guess it was the scare of the lights going out. I’ve never been off-planet before. This whole experience is so new for me.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t because you saw something that startled you?”

She took a breath, a tiny frown bending her mouth as her lower lip pooched out. “I don’t think so. Did something bad happen that night? Other than the lights going out? Waan said something about a murder, but that can’t be right, can it?”

I glanced at Frank.

He nodded. “The body of one of the guards who was stationed near the Omega Min Star at the gala was found today.”

Ayronina gasped. “That’s awful. Found … dead?”

“Yes,” Frank continued. “Navun Kiat. Did you know him?”

She shook her head. “No. That poor man. How did it happen?”

“We aren’t at liberty to release details of the investigation.” I loved how official that sounded. “Did you see or hear anything that night that struck you as strange or odd? Anything at all that felt out of place?”

“Nothing that I can think of. I didn’t even arrive at the gala until right before I was supposed to go on. They had the Star under lock and key, you know. The two guards met me with it at the entrance to the gala. That’s where they gave it to me.” She smiled dreamily and sighed. “Isn’t it just the most beautiful?”

“It is,” I said.

Frank shifted. “Was Ensign Ludwig with you the whole time?”

“Isn’t he the sweetest? Did you know he’s the president of my biggest off-planet fan club? Just amazing. That night, let me think… He met me here and went up the escalator with me, where we met the guards. Then he escorted me part of the way to the stage. Just until the spotlight came on me.”

I took over again. “And after you fainted and he got you to a chair, where did you go after that?”

She blinked twice before answering. “I didn’t like sitting there with the lights off. I don’t like the dark. Not one bit. I told him that, so he got me right out of there. We were going to come back here, and the elevators seemed to be working, so he pressed the button to get one, but then the lights came back on.”

Her timeline didn’t seem to match up with what had actually happened. The lights had been off for significantly longer than it would have taken for an elevator to arrive. With so many people at the gala, they would have been running fast. She also hadn’t mentioned Davika’s interaction. Or maybe fans didn’t register on her scale of importance? “Why not take the stairs or the escalator again? It was only one flight.”

“Too dark,” she said. She sipped her drink again, keeping her eyes on us the whole time.

“But it was only Deck 39 that lost its lighting. Deck 38 would have been lit,” I countered.

“Didn’t seem that way to me.”

I checked Frank’s reaction to that. He gave a small shake of his head to say Ayronina was wrong and I was right.

I gave her one more chance to mention Davika. “Did you see anyone else while you were waiting for the elevator?”

With a slight smile, she shook her head. “It was so dark.”

Frank looked like he’d had about enough of her. “And after the lights came back on?”

“I went back in and did my set.” She smiled like that was that.

“Yes, but…” I held up one finger. “When did you change?”

“Change?”

“You had a different outfit on when you returned to the gala.”

“Oh! Yes, my outfit change. I do them so often I hardly think about them anymore. The second gown was under the first, so I just took off the one on top. Not really a change.”

Frank’s brow furrowed. “What happened to the gown you took off?”

“I…” She hesitated, squinting as if the memory evaded her. “I must have given it to Ensign Ludwig? I don’t know, really.” She pursed her lips. “I wouldn’t put it past a fan to have taken it. They snatch stuff all the time. You wouldn’t believe the things that go missing. Someone took the hair from my brush once backstage.” She rolled her eyes. “They all want souvenirs. I can’t even leave this suite or I’ll be mobbed. You have no idea what it’s like.”

No, I didn’t. But how did she not know where a gown, one that had probably been custom-made and cost a small fortune, had ended up? The rich and famous lived in a completely different reality, that much was apparent. I wasn’t feeling quite so motherly toward her now. Unless that included sending her to her room.

Which probably needed cleaning.

I smiled, despite what I was feeling inside. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Ayronina.”

“Just Ayronina.”

I nodded and ignored the comment. “If you think of anything else, we’ll give you our contact information so you can let us know.”

Ayronina arched back, dropping into the chaise as if utterly exhausted. “Waan?”

Waan returned, moving faster than I would have thought she was able. “Yes, miss?”

“Get their info? I need to get into hair and makeup.” Ayronina got up with a sigh, stuck her feet into her slippers, and trudged off without another word to us. One of the feathers from her robe floated to the ground in her wake.

I glanced at Frank. “She’s a peach, huh?”

He tipped his gaze toward the ceiling in obvious agreement. We traded info with Waan, who seemed a little more civil now that we were done. She walked us to the door.

She opened it, but I hesitated. “Were you at the gala?”

She shook her head. “No. I was here, waiting on … if Miss Ayronina would need me.”

“For what?”

Waan shrugged. “For anything.”

With that, we left.