I didn’t even know how much they were paying Randall, though they seemed to think I did. Well, well.
“It’s not quite that simple,” I said. “I have an associate who works with me. That’s one of my force multipliers, and part of the package.”
“Not a problem,” he said. “We trust your judgment on how you do your job.”
“How much?” I asked. I leaned back and looked relaxed.
He shook his head. “Paying subordinates is part of your operation, too. That’s why you get the perks, eh?”
He actually thought I was sexually involved with Silver, as some kind of dominance ritual. Well, that still happened in their organizations. They were clannish, misogynistic and very outdated. They were just too large and widespread to eliminate easily, and they did accomplish a lot of business. It did reassure me as to levels I’d deal with, though. Trained thugs, not trained troops.
“Obviously, I’ll have to ensure my associate is on board. The offer seems fair, though.”
“Take your time,” he said. “Shall we meet for dinner tomorrow?”
“I have your phone code,” I said.
He laughed deeply.
“Suspicious man,” he said. “Smart man. Your predecessor wasn’t quite that tricky.”
Very interesting. Randall had likely figured he was a match for them, and wanted to scope out the odds. He’d met them at their convenience.
They referred to him in the past tense.
“You did say you wanted to upgrade, yes? And obviously, my calls will be discreet.”
“Indeed. Also, we would want to review any competing work for the duration. With a running contract we’d want first refusal of course.” Interesting. Randall had gotten cocky and was taking all offers now, possibly including some set up by the competition. They probably weren’t billed that way, but he was being played. His primary employers wouldn’t like that.
I expected he was arrogant about it, making sure they knew how awesome he was and how hard to replace. If they were aware he’d tried for me twice and failed . . .
“Obviously. I assume there’s some retainer fee when business is slow?”
He chuckled dismissively. “Haha. That might be arranged, if business is slow. These things have a way of continuing.”
I knew I was a match for any of them, but they had a lot of resources. Beating them was possible. The lifestyle price was one I wouldn’t pay. I wasn’t going to say that here, though.
They also already considered me to have the job, contingent on eliminating Randall, whom they already referred to in the past tense.
That threw more sand in the machine. I had to kill him, and be close enough to get down, so Naumann could send the current professionals after these lice. He’d be happy. He’d get his live fire training exercise, and we’d get rid of some thugs.
In the meantime, I’d have to play it very carefully.
To my advantage, they appreciated the discreet touch.
I stood and stretched, plastered a light smile across my face, and we shook hands. He feigned similar cheerfulness, and we raised voices slightly.
“Good to see you again,” he said.
“Absolutely. I’ll get a prototype setup sometime next month. Sounds like a fun project.”
“How much do you think?”
“Oh, I won’t charge for that. You’re a friend. Just keep me in mind for production bids, eh?”
“You’re worthy. Danya.”
“Danya.”
I turned, started walking, and then breathed a sigh. I also kept hyperaware. Even if they weren’t setting Randall up, he could be here hoping for a shot.
I felt better once in the car, and more so with distance. I let Timurhin depart first, gave them three minutes, then followed. I kept a clear eye for pursuit. Then I brought Silver up to date.
“I think he’s been telling them what a hot commodity he is, taking side missions, some of which interfered with their plans, and they may be aware he’s tried for me and missed.”
Silver said, “Here’s a theory. They started using him outsystem to gauge his effectiveness. Then they brought him here. He was fine then, but the acceptance made him cocky.”
“I’d thought that myself, and it does make sense,” I agreed. “You don’t test weapons in garrison.”
“He was fine at a distance, but the elaborate schemes are noticeable.”
“Yes. Hence the problem they face.”
“He doesn’t want to stop those.”
“I’m not sure he can,” I said. “He was always driven by gadgets. He made me some really trif ones. To avoid having a typical MO, he’s continually developing new methods.”
“They’re his downfall.”
“Also, he’s not getting paid as much as we thought. They are. He’s taking a percentage. He was never good enough with people to negotiate things like that. I suspect he underpriced himself to start, and hasn’t raised enough. He’s established a price and can’t justify a large increase.”
“How would you have done it?”
“I’d have started at a million and negotiated down no lower than seven fifty for an opener, contingent on success. Money in escrow with a drawing account for expenses. I expect he started at fifty thousand and is maybe at a hundred. You heard the discussion. A lot of it’s going in overhead.”
“That’s depressing,” she said.
“Yeah, he was always smart enough to get into trouble, not enough to avoid it. He has some temper, too.”
“You’ve mentioned.”
“Not so much temper as pride. I’m going to keep using it against him.”
“Are we getting close, then?”
“Yes. No breakthrough yet, but there will be one. He’s good at your job. He’s half trained at mine.”
“That’s scary of itself.”
“Which is why he’s being stopped. It’s not even really an object lesson for others. It’s to protect our government from the political fallout if others realize just how dangerous we can be.”
“I thought you proved that on Earth. Sorry.” She looked embarrassed at bringing it up.
I shrugged it off. “Yes, but governments have short memories. This is ongoing and indicative of threats to individual members of state. Politicians at heart are usually cowards. They rarely do for themselves what they can have someone else do.”
“How long have you been this cynical?”
“Since one bunch of them ordered me to hurt another bunch, but not in a way that would result in reprisals against them personally. There’s historical precedent in the early eras of not targeting commanders in war, because that would leave troops ‘undisciplined.’ Fine to kill them, but not the guy managing them. In reality, we learned that if you take him out, the fight gets a lot shorter. This still doesn’t apply to politicians, but it should.”
A circuitous route back to the rental agency made me feel better, and I took several turns right as the signals locked, ensuring nothing behind me at that moment. Was I paranoid enough?
Silver had a jammer running, but the power was quite low, since that itself could be traced if it put out enough. There was also the emergency transponder, if they knew anyone at the response company or rental agency.
I was paranoid, but it might not be enough.
We made it home, checked our seals, checked our cameras, determined some city services had coasted by; trash and street cleaning, and that everything seemed safe.
I might be over-reacting. I didn’t know where his safehouse was. He shouldn’t know about mine. I’d taught him what he knew. I had Silver for backup and we both knew our lives depended on perfection. With luck, he might outmaneuver me, but he shouldn’t be able to flank us both.
We cleared the inside with pistols out and determined nothing had been touched. I’d still want to do another DNA spray across town soon, though.
Randall was probably equally paranoid. I wondered if he’d yet figured out his employer had turned on him. Not allies of o
urs, though. Mutual enemies, but we were not allies.
Silver interrupted my musing.
“Here’s a real wrench in the works,” she said, and fronted the news load.
“The God and Goddess are on my side,” I said.
“It looks that way.”
Buckley Bank had massively overextended itself on mining speculation in Theta Persei. Meanwhile, they’d been marketing the investment for more income to roll in. A risky proposition, against the typical bank charter, and certainly unethical. There were links to hundreds of opinions on the legal ramifications, satisfaction and settlement, long-term repercussions and why their underwriter/inspector hadn’t caught this. Especially as it was a repeat of a similar event a decade before. Greedy people never learn.
That was all fascinating, but the important part for me was that the confidence drop had caused two other banks to pull credibility from their money. Then a couple more. Then an outsystem bank here, actually. Then more. Remember, our currency is a private issue by several banks in concordance. There’s no national backing. The other banks were pulling their reciprocity and leaving Buckley alone and unloved.
No one would take a penny of any currency produced by Buckley. It was being melted down for scrap value, about a quarter of its previously valued worth.
So, about a quarter of the Freehold money we had along was now worthless except as cheap bullion in coin form, totally worthless in card or paper.
And Randall’s account was an “Asset with a claim.” It would be settled in a few months for cents on the cred, and paid by whoever bought out the smoking ruins of Buckley. In the meantime, he had nothing.
It was a gratuitous stroke of luck, but it was to my advantage.
Even if he had hard assets or other accounts, this had to hurt. He was earning less than our initial predictions, spending more, and had just taken a hit. If I could pile on a few more I could finish breaking him.
An hour later we had more. Marquardt called us.
“We have a murder that looks like a chameleon job. Joseph Rosencrans. The banker.”
“We’ll be right there.”
I drove. It was at the far north end of the valley, in foothills that were strangely sharp, as linear basaltic extrusions.
The house was an impressive mansion, as I’d seen from the nav, but that didn’t do it justice. The foundation was carved basalt blocks. The main level was fired clay brick. The upper floors and buttresses were solid hewn timber. It was part Tudor, part Classic American, and all Modern Ostentatious.
I pulled into the apron, then had to park on lava gravel. Every space was full with police and support vehicles. Silver hopped out, I followed, and she looped an ID over my neck.
Apparently our pictures preceded us. Damn. I appreciated being waved in on sight, but it didn’t speak well of perimeter or operational security, nor opsec for us.
Marquardt was in the foyer, awaiting us.
“Gos Gold, Ms Wickell. You’ll pardon me if I’m not glad to see you,” he said.
“Likewise,” I offered, while looking around. They’d taped and lit a route to the scene, to minimize traffic elsewhere. The scene had a field around it, and a full evidence crew at work. Patroller Meyerson seemed much more relaxed with an intact dead body. I expected she’d be fine from now on, if we could finish this.
Marquardt led the way left into a large front room with bay windows, and pointed.
“A classic clubbing with a blunt instrument. It doesn’t appear the victim saw anything. It would be someone familiar or invisible. He was well-liked by his staff. I’ll question them, of course, but I have no reason to doubt that they just found him like this, after hearing a thump.”
“Likely,” I agreed.
The body slumped in a chair at a desk, head over the table and slightly misshapen. Next to the head was a blood-greased candleholder, either gold or gold plated, and obviously massive. On the desk were old-fashioned books, two reading tablets, a partially eaten sandwich of what smelled like roast beef on pumpernickel, a bowl of plums, and a jar of Curry’s Cracked Kernel Mustard.
“Actually rather subtle and elegant,” I said. “It minimizes traces.”
Marquardt said, “A rental vehicle came into the area, parked about a kilometer away in the crumble. A single person got out, visible on thermal and visual. His signature was small, and he began taking evasive maneuvers, then disappeared about two hundred meters out. He appeared again before we were called, about a hundred meters out, and seemed to mount a small zipcycle. It was abandoned closer toward the city proper. Both vehicles were rented under different assumed names.”
“Well done,” I said. “Do those names attach to anything else?”
“Not that we’ve found so far.”
“I expected as much. Well, we can look for any residue off the chameleon, or any evidence outside.”
“We’re working on that, and will do more in daylight, of course. Floodlights have limits, but we’re starting.”
“Well, I expect he’s far in toward the city by now, and anything he used has been destroyed. Those chameleons aren’t cheap, though. They’re also a screaming banner to any port security.”
Marquardt said, “It seems to me he’s showing off. A grenade through the window is as effective. Messier, maybe, but that doesn’t bother him. Except last time it was messy and not elegant, and a lot of work for something that could have been done easier. Before that required serious infiltration. Do you care to give me a bit more on his background?”
I hadn’t given anything, and didn’t care to.
“He’s a veteran with some issues.”
Marquardt accepted that, and seemed to chew on it. “While we didn’t exactly wade in on the surface, our nation helped yours in the War by providing flight data, pushing our neutrality—which only affected UN ships; yours didn’t come through our system—delaying them when we could, and offering safe port and passage to any of your flagged merchant vessels who did make it. I’d hope he’d be angrier at Earth than us.”
“I don’t think anger enters into it,” I said.
“Yes, it’s clear he’s for hire, and apparently not cheap. The messages these activities are sending must be impressive. Whoever hired him is looking to terrify the competition.”
Patroller Meyerson said, “He’s terrified me. The motion sensors were active. There’s a stun field. He made it through both, with little hesitation.”
Marquardt looked at me. “Can you guess how he managed that?”
“I cannot,” I said. I couldn’t guess. I knew exactly how he’d done that because I’d taught him. I was not going to share that information.
Instead, I offered, “We suspect some of his financing was damaged in the Buckley Bank matter. That may make him desperate to take anything he can get, or he may be frugal and austere. We’ll send some info.”
“That’s useful,” he said. We stared at the body for a few moments. Surrounded by his books, fine food, a lovely view, then clubbed to death with a single massive blow. There are no good deaths, but this probably wasn’t a bad one. Perhaps “ouch,” then nothing.
“Well, there’s little else here,” he said. “His widow is distraught and sedated with a friend on site. The evidence crew will be here all night. He’s not going to be coming back that we can tell. We’ll just compile the data tomorrow and go from there.”
“I think that’s all there is,” I said.
Apparently it wasn’t too nice a day to die.
CHAPTER 20
The next morning I called Timurhin.
“Dobrij den,” he answered.
“Yes, we spoke earlier about a prototype contract. I’ve got some time in my schedule to work on that for you.”
“Where should we meet?”
“Your Café Americain, in an hour.”
“I will be there.”
We cut the call.
Silver asked, “Do you feel safer?”
“Yes. They’ve got too much time tied up to
dissemble now, and Randall’s making the news weekly or better.”
“There’s that pending news special on the High Tech Assassin,” she said.
I nodded, “Yeah, I’ll bet they hate that visibility. I bet Randall loves it. I doubt he’ll interview in person, but he just might throw some comments at them.”
“Is that dangerous for us?”
“Depending on what he says, bad for the Forces and the Freehold. I don’t think he can do much to me.” I changed subjects. “Bring a demo kit of basics.”
“Really?”
“Yes, we want to broker trust and money. You should act like my squeeze a bit, too.”
“I’ll keep it low key and implied. Are they really that backward?”
“Yes, in some ways. Don’t underestimate them, though.”
“Understood.” She went to the kitchen and rummaged around, gathering packets. “Let me dress.”
This time we drove to the restaurant more or less directly, parked a square over as our car was a little old and not up to the standards of the clientele, and strolled in, dressed appropriately. I wore a high-throated blazer over a ribbed shirt, with a single silver chain. She wore slacks, her breakaway heels, a bra she didn’t need that domed her breasts just enough under a satin ultraviolet top, and some chrome diopside that looked very much like real emeralds, at throat, ears and wrist.
We were shown to a booth at the back, with a curving, padded seat that let us all face the door. I was amused. I arranged me at the outside, ready to move in a hurry, Silver next to me, then him, then his goon. Though perhaps “goon” was unfair. He looked alert, competent, genial and not hired for more muscle than brain. He was bigger and younger than me, and I was sure he was a veteran. I was also sure I could take him. More importantly, both of us plus Silver could easily take Randall, unless he bombed the whole place. There was no room for a chameleon in here, either.
“Thanks for joining us,” Timurhin said politely. He was quite classy, and from all I’d read, tried not to kill over small matters. He’d just arrived at the restaurant himself; the water glasses were just starting to bead and the condensation rings hadnbroken surface tension yet.
“You’re welcome. If I may, I have a suggestion on ordering, and would like to place the order for us.”