Chapter 13
“ H ow many circuits?” Frank asked.
“Ten,” I replied. “That makes two miles.” This was a little later than I usually walked, but I was fine with that because there weren’t many people on the observation loop. We almost had it to ourselves. Generally, the one on Deck 39 was busier all the time. Not only was it two stories with an inner loop on the second floor that overlooked the one below, but it had much bigger windows.
Also, whenever there was something big happening, like a visiting VIP, the observation loop on Deck 39 was often used to host some kind of party. A welcome event, a special dinner, anything that needed a show-stopping backdrop.
“Which direction?” Frank asked.
I shrugged. “You pick.”
He pointed left, so we went left. That put me on the outside by the windows, giving me a better view. Had he done that on purpose? I’d only begun to get to know Frank, but I sort of thought he had. He was the kind of guy to put others first.
He glanced down at Harry. “You good, little man?”
Harry meowed back, so I guessed he was.
The observation loop was cool and quiet and dim. It reminded me of the interior of a public aquarium. I knew the soft lighting made for better visibility, but the cool blue glow that outlined the walking loop added a certain celestial feeling that I really enjoyed.
As we got moving, I picked up my pace. Frank kept up without an issue, exactly as I’d thought he would. Harry trotted along easily.
“So,” he started. “Do you think one of us should try to talk to Vivak? And one of us talk to Sarah?”
“Probably not a bad idea. Zanya, another of my friends who teaches art but also works part-time in laundry, is going to talk to the woman who oversees the laundry services for Andrew’s deck, find out if there was any evidence he was in a relationship. But I’d also like to know if the ASF have talked to either of them.”
“Maybe Sarah. You told them about seeing her, right?”
“I did.”
“But probably not Vivak. How would they know to talk to him? You discovered that link on your own.”
“True. As for Sarah, I can come up with a reason for talking to her.” It would be easy enough to find her and ask about the book she’d taken out. It was overdue. That was reason enough. I could even say there was a waiting list, and I was inquiring about when she might return her copy, although that wasn’t true and I didn’t like to lie.
“Then you talk to her, and I’ll take Vivak. I’ll find a reason to cross paths with him and start up a conversation. Maybe something from his lecture.”
“Okay.” I smiled. “Thanks. I really appreciate your help with all of this. I don’t know why you’re helping me, but it really does mean a lot.”
“I’m helping because I know you had nothing to do with his death and I don’t think the ASF are doing enough. Also, I like you. We’re friends, right?”
“Right.” Was that all we were? All he wanted us to be?
“And it’s the least I could do for the woman who recommended The Duke’s Wicked Wish . I mean, that is quite the read.”
The amusement in his voice was easy to pick up on, but my face warmed considerably, and it wasn’t from a hot flash. “Listen. I did not realize how, um, spicy that book was. I owe you an apology. I stuck it in your list on impulse, and I shouldn’t have?—”
“Els, you have nothing to apologize for. It’s true that it’s not my usual literary fare, but I’m surprised to say I’m enjoying it. I couldn’t do a steady diet of books like that, but it’s a fun read. And I’m really looking forward to discussing it with you.”
I was breathing a little harder, something I instantly decided was from the power-walking. We were going at a pretty good pace. “Thanks for being so open-minded and understanding. I’m reading it right now, too, so that we can discuss it. I must confess, it really is a lot hotter than I thought it would be.”
“How far have you read?”
“Chapter Three.” I glanced at him.
He was grinning. “Wait until you get to Chapter Seven. I didn’t know you could do those kinds of things on a horse.”
I bit my lip and looked straight ahead. I could only imagine. I changed the subject and asked him about his time in the military. “How long were you in for? The Space Marines, I mean.”
“Six years. That’s how I got my start in coding for drones and droids. Both fascinated me, so I absorbed all the information I could, from programming to the mechanics. Even the design. It was hard at first, but the more I learned, the more intuitive it became.”
“You must have done well if you helped write the code for the companion droids.”
“I did all right.”
I was sure he was just being modest. “Why’d you only stay for six years then? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“I don’t mind. Large bore compressor blew when I was working on it. I took a lot of metal shrapnel to my left side.” He hiked up his T-shirt to expose his ribs. Scars latticed his body.
I winced. “Oh, Frank. That looks awful.”
He dropped the shirt and shrugged. “I’m all right now. My arm and shoulder took the worst of it. Destroyed my rotator cuff, too. I had to have a joint replacement. Bionic.” He grinned.
The fact that he could smile about it was impressive. My head was still spinning with what he’d gone through. “You must have been in the hospital a while.”
“Two months. Most of it was spent in rehab learning how to use my new shoulder. I was medically discharged from service, but not long after I got out, I found work as a mechanical engineer and then eventually hooked up with TechPets, and the rest, as they say, is history.”
“How’d you end up on the Athos ?”
“That’s a longer story, but the short version is an offer was made, and I accepted. My life on Earth was fine, but this seemed like a chance at real adventure. The kind of chance that, at my age, wasn’t going to come around again.”
I nodded in understanding. I’d had the same thoughts and some of the same reasons for wanting to come on this voyage. “What do you think now, nine months in?”
He looked at me before turning his gaze to the path before us. “I think it was a wise decision. You?”
I smiled. “Same.”
Harry raced ahead a few times, then sat and waited on us like we were the problem. He made us laugh. But other than that, we both stayed silent for the next few loops, admiring the sea of stars beyond the windows as we walked. The view from the observation loop was really stunning. The infinity of space never failed to make me feel small and incredibly fortunate at the same time.
We were on our last trip around when Frank broke the silence with a doozy of a statement. “We have to find out if that rug is still in Woolsey’s quarters. If it’s gone, that’s a pretty big deal.”
“I agree, but how? I can’t use my code to get in again. The ASF will know, and I’ll be in more trouble than I am now.”
“No, you can’t do that. I wouldn’t even suggest it. But there’s another way.”
I shot a questioning glance at him, but he didn’t elaborate.
We finished our loop and walked toward the elevators, Harry trotting along.
Frank reached for the call button but didn’t press it. “What deck?”
I knew he was asking where Andrew’s quarters were located. “Deck 9, Corridor H, Number 918.”
He pressed the button for that deck.
“I don’t think this is a good idea. I mean, it’s a great idea to find out if the rug is still there, but?—”
“I’ve got this,” Frank said. “We won’t need your code.”
The doors opened, and we got on.
When the doors closed, Harry looked up at me. “This isn’t the way home.”
I blinked at the realization that he understood that. “No, it’s not. There’s something we need to do first.”
“Look for the rug?” Harry asked.
I cut my eyes at Frank.
He shrugged and had the audacity to look amused. “Little ears.”
With a frown, I answered my cat. “Yes, Harry. We need to check on a rug.” After a few moments, the elevator stopped, the doors opened, and Harry, thankfully, fell silent again.
We walked to 918. Nerves tripped down my spine. I had no idea how Frank thought we were going to pull this off. At least the corridors were quiet and no one else was around.
When we came to Andrew’s quarters, there was a small holoprojector stuck to the door’s recessed frame, beaming out a repeating banner across the entrance that read, No Admittance Athos Security Forces.
“We don’t need to go in,” Frank said. “Just opening the door is enough, right? You can see the rug from the corridor?”
“Yes.” I couldn’t help but look in both directions in case someone showed up. There were a lot of people on this starliner. Even at this evening hour, odds were good someone could be up and about.
“Okay.” He reached for the keypad just below the printlock panel and did something to the edge of it. The casing swung open on a hinge, revealing the interior workings.
“I didn’t know that opened.”
“Most people probably don’t.”
I still didn’t see how he was going to get the door open.
He glanced down both sides of the corridor, checking that we were still alone.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’m watching.”
“Good.” He took something from his pocket, a rectangle of translucent green plastic that resembled a piece of a circuit board without the circuits. It was slightly wider than one of his fingers and about two inches long. He stuck it into the side of the keypad. It seemed to notch into place like it was meant to be there.
Andrew’s door whooshed open.
I gasped slightly. “How did you do that?”
He pulled the rectangle of plastic out. “Failsafe in the case of power failure or catastrophic computer malfunction.” The twinkle in his eyes told me he was pretty pleased to be sharing this with me.
“Nice work.”
“Told you I had this.”
“Yes, you did.” I stared past the holobanner into Andrew’s quarters and sighed. Even with just the light from the corridor, I could see what I needed to. “The rug is still there. But the book is not. I left it on the couch.”
“ASF probably took it.”
I nodded. “I’m sure they did.”
“If you want to take a closer look, this is your chance.”
“No, I’m good— Harry !” A streak of orange and white darted past me, utterly feline behavior that any other time I would have rolled my eyes at. Now was not the time for shenanigans. Amazing how fast he could move when he wanted to, despite his chunkiness. “Get back here,” I hissed.
“You’d better grab him,” Frank said, taking another look in both directions. “Someone’s bound to come this way sooner or later.”
“Yep.” Reluctantly, I ducked under the holobanner and went after my naughty little droid companion.