Emma

EMMA

My investigation into my owner's crimes got off to an admittedly slow start. I had to wash all the floors and bathrooms the next day, and none of the stains or balls of random dust I came across looked much like clues. By the time I finally got a break, I was tired and hungry, and then it was time to prepare for dinner again.

And we were out of greenberry spirits, so I needed to walk over to a bar across the way.

At least I finally have a moment of quiet , I thought as I walked out the servant's door. As I came around the corner, I noticed someone very large standing in the shadows across the street, watching the house.

Very, very large.

Without thinking, I walked just a touch faster.

It was okay, really, I decided. Even Sherlock Holmes didn't solve all his cases in just one day. I would figure it out eventually. Once I got a little free time.

Not that I ever got much of that.

First, I needed to know exactly what it was Havek had been framed for. That was probably public information, but I'd need some time alone with a computer panel to access it. I knew a few servants I could talk to about that. Once I knew what the evidence was, I could work out what she did to fake it.

Once I knew that, all I'd have to do would be to find a receipt or a record or anything that would pin her to it.

Would Conii really be dumb enough to leave something like that where I could find it? Then again, could she really be smart enough not to leave anything at all somewhere?

Whatever. It didn't matter right now. Right now, I needed to focus on my real job. In the bar, Iitar was behind the counter, as usual. That was good. Iitar was about the friendliest human man I ever met, either back on Earth or here on Thodos III.

"Well, if it isn't the consulting detective herself!" he beamed. I told him about Sherlock Holmes the second or third time we talked. He teased me about it, but in the same way he teased everyone. "And what can I get for you?"

"Four bottles of greenberry spirits for Conii," I answered.

"I should have that on the shelf in the back," he said. "I've never sold the stuff to anyone but her, but at least she seems to like it. Go ahead and take a look."

"Have you ever tried it yourself?" I asked.

"Too bitter for me. Supposedly you develop a taste for it, but with so many other things to drink, why bother?"

"Too bitter," repeated one of the beings drinking at the bar. "That sounds like Conii, all right!"

"Well, I certainly have better things to do than develop a taste for her!" Iitar laughed. A second later, he caught himself and looked at me. "You're not gonna tell her I said that, are you?"

"Tell her what? That you don't like greenberries?"

I slipped around the bar and into the backroom where all the extra bottles were kept. It took me a little longer than usual to find them; they were tucked away in the back corner. While I did, I heard the doors to the tavern opening once, then twice. I didn't think much of it.

As I was about to walk into the room, I saw the Vinduthi.

And froze.

Vinduthi were all pretty striking to look at, but that one was striking even by their standards. His skin was a dark gray. His eyes were sharp and golden, and the horns were a short row going back from each temple. His muscles were enormous, and his skin had a patchwork of scars and gold tattoos.

Iitar stood directly in between me and the Vinduthi, hiding me from him.

I stood there, straining my ears, as the stranger asked soft questions.

Then he moved quickly to the door with heavy steps and walked out into the night. As he did, I suddenly became able to move again.

"Quite a customer, huh?" said Iitar as I walked around the bar.

"Yeah," I said absentmindedly, the four bottles still tight to my chest. What was I going to do? Did I have time?

Without another thought, I hurried out onto the promenade behind him.

My mind raced. A Vinduthi who wanted information about Conii? It had to be connected, didn't it?

If so, he could be a powerful ally. I could research anything within the compound, but if I needed to look at things outside it, I needed someone else. There was also the question of what I'd do with evidence once I gathered it.

He could solve a lot of my problems if I could just get him to talk to me.

The Vinduthi walked quickly, taking long strides, every once and a while, glancing behind him. I already struggled to keep up when, without warning, he ducked into a barely used maintenance corridor.

I broke into a run to catch him before I lost him. The service corridor was dark, much darker than the main promenade, and before my eyes could adjust to it, a hand shot out of the shadows, grabbed my neck, and slammed me against the wall.

"How many other people are with you?" a deep voice growled.

"No one!" I said. "There's no one else with me! Please don't hurt me! I just wanted to talk." I clutched the bottles tighter against my chest.

There was a long pause. I could make out two golden eyes staring at me from the dark.

"I'm going to let you go," the voice finally said. "But if you run or scream or do anything stupid, I'll kill you. Do you understand?"

"I understand," I squeaked.

"And are you going to be smart?"

I did my best to nod. The hand on my throat released, and I gasped for air.

The Vinduthi from the bar stepped forward into the light. Those gold eyes were fixed on me, and it was all I could do to make myself look away from them.

"Is it okay if I put these bottles down for a second?" I asked. "I'm trembling a little, and I don't want to break them."

"Go ahead," the Vinduthi said. "Just remember what I said."

Death threats didn't help with the trembling. Still, I managed to get the bottles lined up against the wall, safe. As soon as I was sure of that, I stood up to face him again.

"All right. Now why were you following me?" he asked. "And you'd better make it good."

I realized that he wouldn't like my story very much. It sounded like a lie and a pretty silly one at that. If my brain was working, I would have tried coming up with something better, but all I thought about was how strong he was and how confident he sounded when he promised to kill me.

"My name's Emma Rochester. I'm an indentured servant in Conii's employment." The words came tumbling out of my lips, an unstoppable babble. "I heard you asking about information in the bar, and I thought it might have something to do with her framing some Vinduthi because you're a Vinduthi, and she said she did that. And so I followed you because I'm looking into the same thing, and I want to know…"

His finger on my lips stopped me. "Wait a second. So you're a servant."

"Yes."

The narrowing of his eyes didn't exactly seem like he trusted me. I didn't blame him. "But you just decided that you wanted to figure out a crime that your owner did."

"Pretty much."

"And then you heard me talk to someone else about it and decided to follow me into an alley alone."

"That's right."

I didn't even believe myself, and I was the one who did it.

This was never going to work. My chest tightened. If I was lucky, he'd kill me quickly. Vinduthi were known for being brutal and by the scars on this one, it didn't seem like he was the exception.

"Sounds legitimate," he finally said. "In the future, never do any of that again. But I can definitely use someone like you."

"Wait, you believe me?" I replied, stunned.

"Sure, I believe you," he said. "Anyone who planned something would have come up with a better story than that."

"T-thank you," I stuttered and leaned down to pick up the bottles. "I'll just grab these and be out of your way. I'm so sorry for bothering you."

"Now, wait a second," he said, and I froze again. "I said that I could use someone like you. You work inside the compound, right?"

My poor brain scrambled to catch up.

"That's right. Mostly I do the cleaning and serve meals. Run errands for the chef."

He tapped my nose lightly. "Well, that's just perfect. Good news. My name's Tazhr. You work for me now."

I stared at him. "I… I do?"

"And Conii, too. But also me. I'd offer you three times your salary, but for an indentured servant, that's still nothing."

"That's okay." I glanced at the opening of the alley, but it was way too far to run. He'd be on top of me in a second if I run. "What do you need me to do?"

He smiled, revealing his sharp fangs. "Nothing too much. I need you to copy everything on Conii's computer and get it to me."

"Her computer?" I said. I knew enough about computers that I could do it if I could find a datastick and enough time in her office. But the office was one of the few places I was never supposed to go. Besides, if I got caught with a datastick on me, Conii would know immediately what I was up to.

"Yup," he answered. "Get me everything on it. Can you do that?"

"I don't know," I said. "I might get caught."

"Well, don't," he snapped. "And don't tell anyone about this. Especially not Conii. Because whatever she can do to make your life miserable if she catches you, I'll do a lot worse if you betray me."

The way he said it was the same way he seemed to make every threat. He wasn't trying to frighten me, just inform me of a fact. There was no way to doubt someone who talked about hurting you with that kind of confidence.

But… I wanted to find evidence of her crimes, right? Sherlock Holmes would take advantage of this unexpected ally, I was sure.

"I won't betray you," I promised. "I'm just scared that I'll get caught."

"Well, being scared's no good," he said. "Being scared makes you freeze up. It'll get you killed."

I nodded nervously. "That doesn't make me less scared."

"No, I guess it wouldn't." He thought for a second, then smiled. "Here, why don't you do this? Whenever you get scared, pretend to yourself it's all just a dare."

"A dare?" I repeated.

"Yeah, a dare. Like when you were young, and you dared other kids to do stupid stuff. Just pretend it's one of those. Then, you can feel afraid, and it's okay, because you wouldn't get dared to do it if it wasn't scary. But you also remember that this is your chance to prove that you're brave and that fear doesn't stop you." He shrugged. "Anyway, that's what I do when I get scared. Maybe it'll help you, too."

"Okay," I said. "Is that all you need? The computer?"

"For now," he said.

This is a dare , I told myself, instinctively following his directions. I just have to get out of this alive and without losing the four bottles. That's the dare, and I can do it.

I gathered the bottles back into my arms and held them as tight as I could.

"One other thing," I said, turning back to him. "Once I have the computer stuff, where do I find you?"

"You don't," he answered. "I'll find you."