Chapter 9
I ’d expected the tour to be fun and informative, but it exceeded my expectations. We had a great time. We both enjoyed the ruins and the greppery. The small, colorful lizards that occupied both places were pretty entertaining, too. Darting everywhere, chasing bugs, making little peeping noises that seemed to be them asking if we had anything edible.
Despite saying I wouldn’t drink again, I did taste the emerald-green greppa. I found it a little bitter, but Frank loved it and bought a bottle. The confectionary was like an alien Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory in the best possible way, even if I did spend too much in Pyp’s company store. Hard not to after tasting all the samples.
I picked up a box of assorted chocolades for Vashti, too.
Before saying goodbye to our driver and tour guide, we asked for some restaurant recommendations. As it turned out, our driver’s wife’s family had a restaurant in the city, just a five-minute walk from the visitor center.
We decided to give it a try.
The double suns of Aetrea had just about set, but the city was well lit, and there was a reasonable number of people around. We’d already been told the city was safe, but it was nice to have a man of Frank’s stature next to me. It didn’t hurt that he insisted on carrying my packages.
We found the restaurant, Tibby’s, and told the woman who greeted us that Lum had sent us. She introduced herself as Myra. Clearly overjoyed we were there, she showed us to a table by the window right away, promising in heavily accented English to take good care of us.
The place only held twelve tables. Half of them were full already. The smells coming out of the kitchen made my mouth water.
She brought us glasses of bubbly water, which we knew to expect. Most of the drinkable water on the planet came from naturally carbonated mineral springs. Then, based on her recommendation, we ordered the fish.
With a happy nod, she left us.
Frank lifted his glass. “Here’s to new adventures. And new friends.”
I smiled as I touched my glass to his. “Yes, to both of those.” I couldn’t help but wonder if this counted as a first date.
He took a sip, then his brows furrowed. “You think you’re going to have any trouble with this Woolsey thing?”
“I hope not. I guess I’ll know more when his cause of death is released. Then they should know I had nothing to do with it once and for all.”
Frank nodded. “Good.”
Myra returned to bring us a basket with slices of warm, dark bread and what looked like butter.
Hungry, I took a piece and spread it with the butter. I tasted it. Definitely butter, but from the tang, probably not cow-based. The bread tasted sweet and earthy. Almost like it had molasses in it. I had no complaints.
Frank helped himself to a piece as well. “Who else have the police talked to?”
“I don’t know. The officer that interviewed me didn’t share anything. Hopefully, they talked to Sarah Fenchurch. I saw her at his door as I was getting in the elevator. Do you know her?”
“No, never heard of her.” Frank spread butter on his bread. “They should talk to Andrew’s brother, too.”
That got my attention. “Andrew has a brother aboard the Athos ?”
Frank nodded. “Works in Composting.”
“Ah.” Composting was a vitally important job, but it didn’t take a degree or any special skills, just training. The initial push to include family members on this voyage had run into the difficulty of finding those family members an onboard skill. Composting quickly became one of the go-to skills, as had housekeeping, laundry, sanitation, food services, and security. “What’s the brother’s name?”
“Scotty Greeves. Woolsey’s father died, the mother remarried, and Scotty is the child of that marriage.”
“Do you know him well?”
Frank shook his head and swallowed the bite of bread he’d just taken. “Not that well. We’ve played pool a few times at the Red Lion. He’s a decent enough fellow. I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn to say he had some issues with Andrew.”
My interest increased. “Like what?”
“Like he thought Andrew was full of himself. Said more than once that Andrew acted like Scotty owed him for getting him the job on the ship.”
“ Did Andrew get him the job?”
Frank shrugged. “Don’t know. But I suppose you could look at it that way. Scotty wouldn’t have been on the Athos if Andrew hadn’t been chosen for the voyage in the first place.”
“Right.” I had to wonder if Scotty had known what he stood to inherit if Andrew was no longer in the picture. Assuming Andrew hadn’t left his estate to someone else.
“You look awfully pensive.”
Could I trust Frank? I certainly felt like I could. I wanted to. Not just because I was desperate for someone to confide in. Frank might be able to help me. He was connected to an entirely different circle of people on board than I was. “Andrew had a Sha’rossi rug in his quarters. A good-size one.”
Frank’s brows lifted, telling me he knew exactly what I was talking about. “Is that so?”
“Ever hear Scotty mention anything about what Andrew might be worth?”
“No. And Scotty’s a talker. I think that would have come up if he’d known. Andrew have a will?”
“No idea.”
“We need to dig into this. Could be motive. Scotty doesn’t strike me as a killer, but I learned a long time ago never to underestimate people in either direction. People are capable of more than most of us imagine.”
He’d said, “We need to dig into this.” We . I suppressed a smile.
Myra returned with a platter bearing our roasted fish. It was surrounded by vegetables I’d never seen before and glazed with a honey-brown sauce that smelled both spicy and sweet. A small pitcher of the sauce also accompanied the platter. The only downside was the fish was whole and still had its head, including a mouth full of impressively sharp teeth.
I wouldn’t want to encounter that in the wild.
“Just two moments,” Myra said. She ran back to the kitchen, then returned with plates and utensils. She put the plates in front of us before using two large forks to deftly remove the meat of the fish from the skin and bones.
She served us each a portion along with some of the vegetables. “Malagog. Very strong. Good?”
“Good,” we both said in unison.
With a nod and a smile, she left us.
We looked at each other. Frank grinned. “We can always eat when we get back if this isn’t what we were expecting.”
“We can. But it smells great.”
“It does.”
We dug in, both of us starting with the fish. It was delicious. Meatier than it looked but mild in flavor. I drizzled a little of the sauce over my portion.
Frank held his hand out, so I gave the pitcher to him.
He added a pool of the sauce beside his fish. “What do you think?”
“Better than good. I’m happy. No clue what any of these vegetables are, but if she put them on our plates, they must be edible.” I took another bite of fish with the sauce this time, and it was even better. The sauce was sweet and spicy with a slightly smoky quality. It paired beautifully with the fish. “Do you like it?”
Frank dipped one of his vegetables into the sauce. “I do. It’s nice to have something different than what we get on board.”
“No argument there.” I tried something that looked like a mint-green potato next, and to be honest, it tasted like a waxier version of an Earth potato. The yellow-skinned vegetable squeaked under my teeth but had a fairly bland taste. The purple things that looked like carrots tasted like starchy carrots.
We just about finished everything on the platter, talking and laughing the entire time. Frank asked a lot of questions and was impressed to find out I did the programming for Channel 2.
When we were winding down, Myra returned with a plate of fruit chunks that had been dipped in chocolade. She smiled at the empty platter that had held the fish. “You like much, yes?”
“Yes,” I said. “Very much.”
“It was very well done and very delicious,” Frank said.
She kept smiling as she took the platter away, leaving us with the fruit.
I glanced at it. “You think this is dessert? Or just a standard Aetrean ending to a meal?”
“I have no idea. Either way, I’m having some.”
I laughed. “Me, too.”
We ate the fruit and paid the bill, which was less than I’d expected it to be. Tipping wasn’t a thing, but if it had been, I’d have left an extra-large one for Myra.
Frank looked at his wristband. “We should have time to do a little more shopping on the way back.”
I’d bought a lot of sweets on our bus tour, but I wasn’t averse to picking up some more. Or adding a new scarf to my collection.
We said goodbye to Myra, waved at the chef in the kitchen, and began the walk back to the visitor center.
We passed a few small shops along the way, where I did buy some more sweets, including a box for Hazel. In the next shop, I found beautiful scarves made of natural fibers that felt like silk but was probably not, based on how inexpensive it was. I picked a purple one patterned with the lizards we’d seen at the greppery.
Frank tried on a brimmed hat that looked quite jaunty on him, but we both agreed there weren’t many hat-wearing occasions on board. He bought a small carved wooden figurine of a lizard painted in bright colors. Those things were pretty popular, apparently.
We collected our purchases and headed for the visitor center once again. We had half an hour to get back on the starliner.
“I’m not really a knickknack guy,” he said. “But that lizard seems like a nice memento of the day.”
“I thought that’s what the greppa was for?”
He snorted. “You have a point there. But eventually that will be consumed. The lizard will remain.”
“True.”
We got in line for a shuttle and were soon space-bound once again. I had a feeling I’d sleep pretty well tonight, despite my concerns regarding the ASF and Woolsey’s death. Maybe we’d return to the starliner to find it had all been solved. Wouldn’t that be nice?
As if reading my thoughts, Frank leaned in, keeping his voice down. “I’ll see if I can’t talk to Scotty soon. Get a feel for what he knows and doesn’t.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He hesitated. “I’d still like to take you to Luna some night. If you’re interested.”
The fun we’d had emboldened me. “So are you asking me on a date?”
“Yes. That all right with you?”
I nodded. “Yes. Seeing as how this first one went so well.”
He sat back, his expression one of thorough satisfaction. “I’ll make a reservation and send you the details.”
I guessed the possibility that I might be a murderer didn’t bother him. Good to know.
When we arrived at the Athos , he insisted on walking me to my quarters, carrying my packages. I no longer had any qualms about letting him know where I lived. In fact, when we reached my door, I opened it and went right inside, glancing at him like I expected him to follow. Which I did.
He took the hint very well, coming in behind me. “All right if I set these things on your table?”
“Yep. You want some coffee? Or tea?”
“Sure. Decaf coffee would be great.”
“Milk and sugar?”
“Just sugar.” He set my purchases on the table as Harry came running out of the bedroom, meowing in the sweetest way. He must have missed me.
“Hey,” Frank said, crouching down. “There he is. Hello, Mr. Bosch.”
I was impressed Frank remembered Harry’s name. Apparently, Harry was, too, as he trotted right past me to go to Frank, where he rubbed on Frank’s knees. I stared at my cat, laughing as I was ignored. “Seriously?”
Frank chuckled. “I have that effect on a lot of the companion droids. It’s like they recognize me.”
I gave him a curious look. “Why would they recognize you?”
Frank stood, Harry in his arms. “Because I was part of the creation team that wrote their original programming and designed their builds.”