Chapter 3
Velda didn’t pout when she didn’t get her way. Ethan liked that about her.
She accepted his company, even though it was clear she didn’t like the idea that he might be in harm’s way on her account.
Even if his breath didn’t catch in his throat at odd moments when she smiled at him or lifted her eyebrows in that way she had, he would have made sure she was safe. She was the Head of Defense for the planet, after all.
They travelled up to the Planetary Admin offices in the lift, but before the door pivoted open, he pressed the button to keep them closed.
“What’s the plan?” he asked.
She sighed and rubbed her temples, pushing back her heavy, dark hair and tucking it behind her ears.
“I want to search Henry Nostrada’s office.
I sealed it when I was up here earlier and discovered he hadn’t come in today.
I also want to question some of the staff who interacted with him.
Someone surely picked up something odd about his behavior. ”
He nodded, and hit the open button. That sounded like a good use of their time, and he could watch her back as she stirred the pot and tried to flush out any witnesses or co-conspirators.
They stepped into a hushed foyer that smelled good and was lush with green plants and the tinkle of a water feature.
Velda strode toward the reception desk, and Ethan saw the expression of the receptionist change from bored disinterest to panic at the Head of Defense moving with such focus toward him.
He was on his feet before she reached his desk.
Velda gave a nod of greeting. “I need to speak to the full Planetary Admin Committee. Please ensure they are all in the main conference room in thirty minutes.”
“Not . . .” The receptionist cleared his throat. “Not all of them are in the office yet.”
Velda tilted her head. “Then call them in. Tell them it’s an emergency.”
He nodded a few times too many and then caught Ethan’s gaze over Velda’s shoulder and went a little glassy-eyed.
“You’re involved,” Ethan said, walking up behind Velda and leaning past her to rest his elbow on the counter. “You know what Nostrada was up to.”
“What?” His voice was thin and reedy. “No, no.”
Velda took a step back and studied him. “Commander Hyt is right. You do know something. What is it?”
The receptionist shook his head, his hands gripping the edge of the counter. “I don’t know anything.”
“Leave him to me,” Ethan said to Velda, never taking his gaze off the receptionist. “Do what you need to do in Nostrada’s office. Make sure the seal is untouched. If it isn’t, come get me.”
“Thanks.” She sent him an amused smile and walked away.
“What did Henry Nostrada do?” the receptionist asked.
“You tell me . . .” He peered at the receptionist’s ID. “Fayvin.”
“I don’t know.” The glassy eyes were back. “I swear.”
Ethan stared at him, and he shrank away, backing up and stumbling over the chair behind him.
“The Protection Unit will be here to turn this place upside down shortly. After they’ve finished cleaning up what’s left of Henry Nostrada and his apartment,” Ethan said.
“What’s left?” Favin’s gaze shot up to his, the blood draining from his face.
Ethan softened his tone. “Henry Nostrada’s apartment was blown up earlier. It’s likely he’s dead.”
Fayvin’s eyes went really wide. “Who did it?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out. Whatever you know, whatever you did, you need to tell me.”
“All I did was tell Commander Harden he wasn’t here yesterday afternoon, even though he was.” Fayvin looked up. “But that’s because Henry asked me to! And I kept the package for him that he asked me to store under the desk until he came in to collect it today.”
“Give.” Ethan held out his hand, and Fayvin bent down and withdrew a package from below the counter and handed it across. It felt like documents. “What else?”
“Nothing, I swear.” Fayvin sank down into his chair. “I can’t believe he’s dead.”
“I’m sorry.” Ethan tapped the counter and walked in the direction Velda had taken. Behind him he heard Fayvin calling the people in the office for the meeting Velda wanted to hold.
That get together should be interesting. Neither he nor Velda thought Nostrada had been in it alone, but whether his co-conspirator had only been Commander Ferris Harden, or whether there were more people involved, including someone else in the Planetary Admin office, they couldn’t be sure.
Hopefully the meeting would help them find out.
He found Velda standing in the middle of Nostrada’s office, arms crossed, staring at the desk.
“No luck?” he asked.
She shook her head, then went still when he waved the package Fayvin had given him.
“The receptionist?” she asked.
“Nostrada asked him to keep it safe for him until he could come collect it,” he said.
“Let’s go to the meeting room and start looking through it while we wait for the committee to arrive.” She looked like a hunter on the scent.
He gave a nod and let her lead the way, as he had never been in the Planetary Administrative offices before.
There were already people waiting for them in the room, though, so he tucked the package behind him and took up position against the wall, near where Velda took a seat.
Velda deflected questions until everyone arrived, and Ethan noticed he was getting quick, nervous looks from everyone in the room.
“Do you all know Commander Ethan Hyt of Demeter Special Forces?” Velda asked, when the last person sat down.
Only a few of them nodded, and Ethan didn’t know if he’d met them in Demeter at a function or if they recognized him from comms, because he’d swear he’d never seen them before.
“He and I have traveled up here to question Commander Ferris Harden of Nanganya’s Special Forces, as well as your colleague, Henry Nostrada.”
As Velda laid out the plot, Ethan watched the committee members and their reactions.
Most seemed astonished and horrified, but there was one who kept her eyes down, and didn’t react at all.
The door to the conference room opened, and Pamela Ingot stepped in. The room went quiet, and she froze for a moment.
“Commander Ingot.” Velda turned and then pushed back from the table and stood. “Do you want to speak privately?”
Ingot gave a nod and reversed out, and Ethan wished he could replicate himself so he could stay in the room and observe the ripple effect of Ingot’s arrival as well as speak with the two women outside.
He followed Velda out. “This about Nostrada?”
Ingot shook her head. “As expected, Nostrada was in the apartment, but he likely died last night or early this morning—the blast didn’t kill him.”
“Then what is it?” Velda asked.
“It’s Harden. We found footage of him entering Nostrada’s building late last night. I was on my way to talk to him about it when it was discovered he was gone. Someone helped him escape.” Ingot looked like she wanted to find that person and throttle them. “One of my own people helped him escape.”
“Do you have any idea who?” Ethan asked.
“There are only four people in the frame.” Ingot compressed her lips. “I’ll be questioning them myself.”
“Where could he have gone?” Velda asked.
“I’m looking into it,” Ingot assured her. “I’ll tell you as soon as I know.”
Ethan watched her as she strode away. “You didn’t tell her about the package.” He looked over at Velda.
She lifted her shoulders. “She’s dealing with a lot, and obviously she has problems in her unit. Not everyone there is clean, obviously. I’d prefer to keep it to just you and me, right now.”
Ethan nodded. “Who’s the woman sitting three down from you on the left?”
“Georgi Valk?” Velda looked up at him, expression interested. “She’s in Trade Relations. Henry Nostrada was in Border Control.”
“Huh.” That made sense. If anyone wanted Planetary Admin blind when it came to Aponi’s borders, these were the two they would need to turn or control.
Velda turned and walked back into the room.
“What’s going on?” One of the committee members, someone who Ethan had noticed was annoyed by being hauled into a meeting without notice, snapped as soon as she sat down.
He leaned back against the wall to see how Velda would deal with it.
She tilted her head and studied him for a beat. “I think maybe we’ve all gotten too used to calm waters,” she said at last. “We have had it very good for a very long time, but times change.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” another of the group asked. “What did Commander Ingot have to say?”
“She says that Nostrada was killed last night, before his apartment was set up as a booby trap to kill me and Commander Hyt, as well as Commander Ingot, this morning.” She turned and looked directly at Georgi Valk.
“And she also says the person seen entering Nostrada’s building was Commander Ferris Harden, and that he has since escaped Protection Unit custody. ”
Ethan was watching the woman as everyone around her gasped, and she turned pale.
Velda stood, leaning forward with her hands on the table. “Anyone who has anything to say about this—if you remember something Nostrada said to you that seemed strange, if you noticed something that made you frown, tell the Protection Unit officers that will be coming to speak to you.”
“What if the officer I speak to is the one who helped Harden escape?” someone asked.
“Good question.” Velda gave a nod. “There are only four people who could have helped Harden, and they are all out of the investigation, and being held by Commander Ingot.” She looked around the table, and again her gaze came to rest on Georgi Valk.
“As you can imagine, Commander Ingot takes the corruption of her department as seriously as I take the corruption of the Planetary Administrative Committee. It is unacceptable, and everyone involved will face consequences.”
As she finished speaking her comm unit made a noise, and Ethan’s went off a moment later.
It was the emergency signal.
Velda turned to him, and he stepped away from the wall.
“It seems things are hotting up,” Velda said to the committee. “Do your jobs, cooperate with Commander Ingot, and maybe we’ll get through this stronger than we were.”
She turned on her heel and stalked out, and Ethan fell in behind her.
“The emergency notice says that the ships up in nearspace that Ed and Wren were searching were attacked,” she said as soon as they stepped into the lift and were whisked down to Pamela Ingot’s department.
“Someone really wants them dead.” Ethan thought about it. “And is so concerned about them finding whatever it is they’re trying to smuggle in that they’d rather blow this shipment up than have us know what it is.”
“It’s bad.” Velda vibrated with impatience as they waited for the lift door to open.
Pamela was waiting for them. “What’s the emergency?” she asked.
“My people have been attacked in nearspace by whoever’s behind this.” Ethan told her. “Check out Georgi Valk, I think she’s involved.”
Ingot glanced upward to the floor above, gave a nod.
“We have to go back to Demeter to oversee the response to this attack. And Pamela,” Velda stepped out the lift and grasped Ingot’s hands. “I’m sorry but I don’t think you can trust anyone in Special Forces here. We’ll have to do a full clean out when this is over, but until then, it’s just you.”
Ingot gave a nod. “I’d already worked that out. Good luck. I’ll keep you informed.”
Velda stepped back in and the lift took them down.
As they stepped out of the building, the evening call for peace that rang out from the clifftops every day in Nanganya began.
The long, high note sounded mournful.