Breathing Space (Ellis McFadden Mysteries #1)

Chapter 7

O fficer Chan Lu arrived a few minutes before my lunch break. Not how I wanted to spend my break, but it couldn’t be helped. I hadn’t had time to bring anything with me to eat, which was nothing new, and with him here, I was limited.

I could either make him wait while I went to get lunch from the dining hall, or I could take him down there with me, something I definitely didn’t want to do. Did I mention gossip was rife on board? Being interviewed by a security officer in such a public space would get tongues wagging faster than you could say shooting star. The last option was the breakroom Instachef.

I punched in the sequence for a protein shake.

I’d be hungry later, but I’d make up for it at dinner.

I grabbed my shake as soon as it was done and took it into my office, motioning for Officer Lu to follow, which he did.

I sat behind my desk and took a sip. Today’s flavor was chocolate banana, and as protein shakes went, it wasn’t too bad. From personal experience, I can tell you the pumpkin spice is to be avoided at all costs unless you like the taste of chemicals. That one needed work.

Lu sat in the chair across from me, detaching the tablet at his hip and removing the stylus from a loop on the cover’s interior. “I appreciate you taking the time to see me, Mrs. McFadden.”

Without a hint of snark, I blinked at him and said, “I wasn’t aware there was an option not to.”

He gave a little smile and shook his head. “There wasn’t.”

“Has the coroner determined how Andrew Woolsey died?”

“I can’t release that information at this time.”

“Then what can you tell me about his death?”

Officer Lu opened his mouth, then closed it again and shook his head. “I’m here to ask you questions.”

I just raised my brows innocently and drank a little more of my protein shake. Lu liked Westerns, but he wasn’t a big reader. One book a month and sometimes he was late returning it.

“The book that you delivered to him last night, what was it?”

Wanting to get the title exactly right, I tapped my screen until the information came up. “ The Nine Climes of Practical Plant Alchemy.”

Lu frowned, his stylus hovering over the tablet’s surface. “Can you explain that in English?”

“The best I can tell you is that a clime is another word for climate. In literature, it could also refer to an area, particularly one that has a distinctive weather pattern. How that relates to alchemy or plants, I have no idea. Not my fields of expertise.”

He scribbled something on the tablet, then his eyes narrowed in thought. “Isn’t alchemy sort of like … magic?”

“It could be classified as such. It was an ancient belief that one substance could be transmuted into another completely different substance. Lead into gold, as it were.”

“But it’s not a real science.”

“I don’t think most would consider as such, no.”

“Did Woolsey?”

“I have no idea. He wanted the book. He must have thought there was something useful in it.”

“Did he ever say anything that might indicate what he thought that was?”

“No. He never said anything about it other than he wanted it printed and delivered to him.”

“Did you have a look in the book?”

“Yes.” I took a long drink from my cup. A little more chocolate and a little less banana would have made it better.

Lu leaned forward. “And? What was in it?”

“Drawings of plants and a lot of words.”

Lu’s mouth thinned. Perhaps in frustration. But I couldn’t tell him what I didn’t know.

He made more notes. “And those words said?”

“I have no idea. My comprehension of Latin is minimal at best. When the book is returned to the library, I’d be happy to scan it and translate it. I don’t see how it’ll be useful to anyone until that’s done.”

He nodded. “That might be helpful. Can you run through the events of last night? Starting with when you went to Woolsey’s quarters.”

“I rang the bell twice, and there was no answer. The book was heavy, and Andrew had asked for it to be delivered, so I thought I might as well drop it off. I really didn’t want to carry it all the way back to the library. Or take it home. So I used my code to access his apartment.”

I cleared my throat, giving myself a moment to organize my thoughts. “I went inside and was immediately struck by his rug. Have you been in his quarters?”

“I have.”

“Then you’ve seen that rug.”

He shrugged. “Yes. What about it?”

“It was made by the Sha’rossi. A rug like that has to be worth…” I did a quick guesstimate in my head. “Maybe a hundred thousand credits. Maybe more if it’s a rare pattern. I don’t know enough about Sha’rossi textiles to give you a definitive answer on value.”

Lu’s eyes widened. “You’re sure it could be worth that much?”

I explained to him about the silk, the poisonous caterpillars, how difficult it was to harvest, and the skill of the Sha’rossi.

“I had no idea.”

Deciding to see just what else Officer Lu did or didn’t know, I asked, “Who’s his next of kin? Someone might have thought that rug was worth killing for.”

He hesitated, then wrote something down. “What did you do after you looked at the rug?”

“I did more than look. I crouched down and felt it. I’d never felt a Sha’rossi silk rug before. I have a small scarf made of it, but the rugs are entirely different. I thought that might be my one opportunity.”

“Then what?”

“Then I got up and looked around. I assessed that the tables in the living area weren’t sturdy enough to hold the weight of the book. In fact, the end table?—”

“What about the dining table?”

“I thought it would be better to put the book where he’d see it as soon as he came in, which is why I placed the book on the couch, which should be where you found the book.”

“It was,” Lu confirmed.

“I had no idea he was there.”

“You didn’t look in his office or bedroom?”

I frowned at him, showing a judicious amount of indignation. “Do I look like a snooper to you?”

“Ma’am, I have to ask.”

“ No . I didn’t look in any of the other rooms. Like I said, I assumed he wasn’t home. And I was only there to drop off the book.”

“And after you put the book on the couch?”

“I left. Took an elevator back to my deck and went to bed.” I realized I’d forgotten something. I took a drink. Something I’d even forgotten to tell Hazel. I straightened. “As I was walking back to the elevators, one of the cars arrived and a woman got out. She walked past me. Sarah Fenchurch. Pretty sure she’s a scientist, but she might be a lab tech. Anyway, she went to Woolsey’s door.”

Officer Lu straightened. “You’re sure of that?”

“Yes. Positive. I think she rang his bell. More than that, I can’t tell, you because I got on the elevator, went to my own deck, went home, and went to bed.” I drank the last of my protein shake as he wrote on his tablet. “Don’t you have a record of Ms. Fenchurch being there?”

It was my understanding that the doorcams recorded any visitors.

He looked up from his tablet, a rather dubious expression on his face. “I can’t comment on that.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll assume you do. I don’t know what the big secret is when I saw her at his door.”

“This is an ongoing investigation. We can’t share details with the public.”

I put a hand up to stop him from explaining further. “I understand.”

“Did you see anyone else in the vicinity? Pass anyone else in the hall or by the elevator banks?”

Seemed to me he wasn’t asking in hopes of finding new information so much as he was looking for confirmation of something the security team already knew. I shook my head. “She was the only one.”

“Thank you for your time. If you think of anything else, please let me know.” He stood.

I stayed in my seat. “I will.”

He tucked his stylus and tablet away. “One more thing. When the ship docks at Aetrea this afternoon, we’d prefer it if you didn’t get off.”

“We?”

“The ASF.”

I squinted at him. “Why would the Athos Security Forces prefer me to stay on board?” I always checked out new starports to see if they had any interesting chocolates, sweets, or snacks. They almost always did. I liked getting to know a place through its comestibles. But not getting off the ship meant I couldn’t go planetside, either, and seeing new places was a big part of why I’d signed up for the Athos in the first place.

The muscles around his mouth tightened. “As of now, you’re a person of interest in this case.”

“Are you serious?” I got to my feet. “I had nothing to do with Andrew’s death. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Mrs. McFadden, I’m being very serious.”

I put my hands on my hips and stared him down. It was a look I generally reserved for noisemakers in the library. “In that case, you’re also being ridiculous. If you think I had anything to do with that man’s death, you’re never going to catch the person who’s actually responsible.”

He smirked. Smirked . “I’ll make a note of that.”

I narrowed my eyes, unamused by him. The temptation to throw a do you know who my daughter is at him was strong, but I resisted. Hazel didn’t need any more heat. “Are we done?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Because I have actual work to do.” I picked up my empty protein shake cup and opened the door but waited for him to leave ahead of me.

He dipped his head. “After you.”

“No. You go first. I’m not leaving you alone in my office without a warrant.”

“I wouldn’t need a warrant. Your office is part of the library, which is considered company property. But we’re not at that point. Yet.” He pursed his lips and left. I stood by the front desk and watched him until he was out of the library.

Itzak leaned in. “How was it?”

“All right, I guess.” I almost told him about being asked to remain on the ship, but Itzak was no dummy. He’d know that meant I was being considered a suspect. I didn’t need that spread around. Not that I thought he was a gossip, but things slipped out, even when people didn’t mean for them to.

I took my cup back to the breakroom and put it in the sterilizer. I was upset about the interview with Officer Lu, but as today was a port of call and many of the cruisers would be leaving and a new batch arriving, we’d have a busy day with people returning their library cards.

Some would forget and take them with them, some would leave them in their rooms, but those who were conscientious would return them. You’d be surprised how many weren’t conscientious. Or maybe you wouldn’t be.

With that thought, I went back to my office and logged on to my computer to see how many library cards were outstanding. The more I thought about what Officer Lu had told me, the more frustrated I became. A feeling of helplessness swept through me. I was innocent of any wrongdoing, but the truth remained that I had been in Andrew’s quarters.

I knew how that looked, but no one could seriously believe I’d done anything to harm Andrew. Could they?

I tapped the screen on my wristband and brought up the larger holoscreen and opened the private channel Hazel and I shared on the Nexus.

Starliner Athos Nexus Chat 3Private Channel

1001Stories : ASF officer was here. Apparently, I’m still a person of interest in this whole Woolsey mess. I suppose you know that already. I’m sorry for whatever headache this is causing you.

I didn’t expect her to respond immediately. Port days were busier for her than they were for me, but I felt better for having expressed myself.

I went back to Itzak and Harry, ready to immerse myself in work and, hopefully, to forget that anyone thought I was capable of murder.