Page 28

“ I couldn’t sleep. Decided to take a walk and what better place to do that than here.” I shrugged like it was a foregone conclusion.

Hazel’s eyes narrowed. “The observation loop on Deck 18 is closer.”

“True.” I didn’t want to tell her about Harry’s sniffer sensors because that would undoubtedly lead to his speech abilities. “But I like this deck better. Seems more luxurious. Better view of the nebula. Not to mention the Star.” I lowered my voice. “That’s a pretty good replica, by the way.”

Hazel’s mouth twitched. She clearly didn’t buy any of that, but thankfully, she let it go. “How did you end up opening that panel?”

I couldn’t keep the candy wrapper a secret. There was no reason to anyway. Not from her. I dug into my pocket and pulled the fragment out. “This was stuck under the panel.”

Frank frowned but not in an angry way. “You didn’t tell me about that.”

“Sorry. I didn’t have a chance.”

Hazel took the fragment, inspecting it. “This looks like the one found near Navun’s body.”

I cleared my throat softly. “We’ve found more than one.”

Hazel looked up. “Where?”

I told her about the one Benni had given me and the one we’d spotted in the guards’ quarters.

A muscle in her jaw twitched. “Please don’t keep evidence from me.”

“I’m sorry. We won’t.” I didn’t like my daughter being upset with me. “We really didn’t think of it as evidence.” Not sure I did now.

“Then what?” She still held the scrap of foil.

“I felt air coming from under the panel, so I pushed on it in a couple of spots, and it popped open. I went in, found the body, and called Frank. Then the ASF. Then I texted you. I really didn’t want to wake you.”

“It’s all right. This is important. You find another body, which I hope you don’t, don’t hesitate to call me first.”

“I’ll remember that.”

She put the foil into one of her pockets before leaning forward slightly to peer through the open panel. “You went in there?”

She knew I didn’t love confined spaces. “Well, Harry ran in there, and I had to get him.” It was close enough to the truth. “I used the flashlight on my wristband. That helped a little. I wasn’t in there long. Saw the body and came right back out.”

Hazel sighed and sat back, staring morosely at the passageway. “If the Star is in there with him, things are going to come crashing down.”

Frank cleared his throat. “It isn’t. We checked.”

The elevators began to hum again.

Hazel’s gaze lifted to him, and she sat up. “We? There’s no way you and my mother fit in there.”

“I meant that ‘we’ generally. I checked. The gem wasn’t under the body. Didn’t see it anywhere else in there, either. Did my best not to disturb too much but figured it needed to be done.”

“Thank you.” Hazel rubbed her forehead.

I was glad Hazel wasn’t too upset by what Frank had done. I did not want him getting into trouble for something we’d both thought was the right thing to do.

Over by the elevators, the forensics team Temke had called in had arrived. He kept them with him, but they were all watching us.

Hazel exhaled, the sound a mix of frustration and exhaustion that I could easily understand. “I’m running out of time on this.” She glanced at us after a few seconds. “Do you have anything else you haven’t shared with me?”

I let Frank answer, giving him my attention so he’d know that was what I wanted. After all, it was his info to share.

He understood. “We’re working on a few things but nothing that’s returned results yet.”

“How soon?” Hazel asked.

He shook his head to show he wasn’t sure. “Tomorrow, late morning by the earliest.”

“Okay. Do you want to tell me what it is?”

“Be happy to.” But he looked reluctant. Maybe because what he’d done wasn’t something he technically had permission to do? “I was compiling a report from recent vuum activity and water usage in an attempt to see where Olan might have been hiding. Obviously, that’s no longer needed.”

“No,” Hazel agreed.

“The thing that might take some time is I wrote a program and uploaded it to the vuum. It works with the sensors they already have. It’ll allow them to read energy signatures along their travels.”

Hazel glanced at the ASF waiting to enter the scene before asking her next question. “Energy signatures?”

He nodded. “The ones particular to the nebulite. I used the pendant the premier gave your mom as my baseline.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Not sure it’ll work, but we were running out of ideas.”

Hazel blinked a few times before speaking. “That’s actually brilliant. I think you’re being wasted in the Mechanical Department, Frank.”

He shook his head, but a little smile played on his mouth. “I like Mechanical just fine. And let’s see if my idea works before we get too excited.”

She stood. “Please continue to keep the Star’s disappearance quiet.”

It wasn’t a request so much as a command, but we understood. We both nodded.

She gestured at Stuedecker. “Let them come through.”

He waved at the ASF people.

She returned her gaze to me. “I’m glad you found him and not someone else.” She touched my shoulder. “You okay?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Good. Frank, you staying with her?”

“I am.”

“Thanks. I’m going to the office if you need me. No point in going back to bed now. Let me know the second you find out anything. Both of you.”

“We will,” Frank and I answered together.

Temke approached, but the other two, the forensics team, went straight to work. With a few deft moves, they took the panel off its hinges and slapped some magnetic LED cubes, each about the size of a softball, but square, inside the passage.

Those lit the interior up like day. I really hoped the Star wasn’t in there and had just been missed by Frank and Harry.

I started to wonder if maybe Frank shouldn’t upload the nebulite-sensing software to Harry. If that was possible.

“Ma’am?”

I blinked and realized Temke was talking to me. “Sorry, what?”

“I was just asking if you could go over what happened again for me?”

I took a breath and began.

It was nearly four thirty in the morning by the time Frank, Harry, and I arrived back at my place. I pressed my hand to the printlock and opened the door, the soft whoosh oddly soothing. Harry went right in. I turned to Frank. “You going home to get some sleep?”

He nodded. “Yes. I assume you’re going to do the same? Might as well. The vuums won’t be returning any data for a good few hours yet.”

“I was thinking, maybe you could give Harry that same software. Just in case I can’t sleep again.”

“I can definitely do that.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Let’s see what tomorrow brings—er, I guess later this morning, really. Either way, sleep well.”

“You, too.” I was exhausted. Running on fumes, to be honest. And as much as I wanted coffee, that wasn’t going to help me sleep. “Hey, I’ll text you when I wake up. Or you text me. Whoever wakes up first.”

“Okay. ’Night. Such as it is.”

“’Night.” I smiled as he went his way. I stepped inside. The door slid shut behind me. I didn’t remember going to bed, but when I woke up, I was lying on top of the comforter still in my clothes.

Guess I’d been more tired than I’d realized. Could be that the stress of seeing Olan deceased had taken it out of me, too.

Eyes sandy with exhaustion, I sat up and looked at my wristband. It was only a few minutes after eight. I hadn’t slept very long, but it would have to do because there was a message from Frank.

Morning. Hope you’re still sleeping. Nothing from the vuums yet.

I truly hoped that idea ended up bearing fruit. Finding the Star was so important. I dropped my wrist to the bed and rolled my shoulders in an attempt to wake myself up a little more. “Computer, make a large coffee. Strong.”

“Good morning, Ellis. I’ll have your coffee for you shortly.”

Unnecessarily cheery, if you asked me. I yawned. I needed the coffee, but I needed a shower more. I looked around. No sign of Harry. I walked out to the hall and peered into the living area. He was in his bed on the couch. He looked so sweet and snuggly, all nestled in like that.

Comforted by his cuteness, I went straight to the bathroom and cranked on the vapor shower, extra hot. I got out of my clothes, left my wristband next to the sink, even though it was waterproof, and stepped in, only then remembering I hadn’t texted Frank back.

He wouldn’t mind.

I lingered, but the smell of coffee finally got me out. The remnants of sleep had left me, and now I was ready for coffee, some breakfast, and to figure out where that Star was. I tugged on my robe, wrapped my hair in a towel, then strapped on my wristband and sent Frank a quick text.

I’m up. About to eat some breakfast. Hope you’re doing all right. Nothing new from Hazel.

I hit Send and headed out to the living area for coffee.

“Morning, Mum.”

I took a detour to the couch to kiss Harry’s sweet head. “Good morning, my angel boy. Are you all charged up?”

“Yep.” He stretched one back leg so that it stuck over the side of the bed.

“Good.” I kissed him again. “You did a great job last night.” I swear he smiled.

“Thanks, Mum.”

“Computer, Morning News Report .” I went to the Instachef and got my coffee, then programmed in my breakfast. A yogurt and granola parfait with spaceberries. They were a new hybrid the Botany Department had come up with. They tasted like a sweet cross between a strawberry and a raspberry but produced better and faster in the available conditions of the agricultural decks.

Spaceberries was not their actual name, but I’d yet to hear them called by their proper nomenclature. They would probably be known as spaceberries until the end of time. That was just how these things worked sometimes.

While I waited, I drank my coffee and watched the news. Claire Weatherall and Kent Murakami were not their usual cheerful selves. In fact, they had their dramatic faces on. There must be actual news.

The camera moved to Kent alone. “This just in: We have a breaking report that a second Loessaian guard has been found deceased. At this time, no foul play is suspected, and we do not yet have a name. I know Claire joins me in wishing our condolences to the friends and family of this guard.”

The Instachef chimed that my parfait was ready, but I ignored it. I had not expected to see Olan’s death on the Morning News Report . Or to hear him referred to as the second death. Had they reported on the first one? I must have missed that.

Also, no foul play? I didn’t buy that for a second. But did this mean the truth about the Star was about to come out, too? I felt slightly panicky on Hazel’s behalf. She had to know about this. I considered texting her.

Then my wristband vibrated. I looked at the screen, expecting to see a response from Frank, but it was from Hazel.

Don’t worry. I gave the okay on the guard story. Just laying some bait.

I exhaled, my panic gone. If Hazel had a plan, I was in.