Part 14 (2/2)

'Yes, all right, Doctor, you have made your point about the guard. I retract my suggestion that he was anything other than professional and conscientious in the execution of his duty. Now, will you please come to the point?' Savaar was getting more heated. The Doctor grinned slightly at this fact. He didn't know if Bernice had managed to find his breaking point the previous night, but he was certainly getting close. Perhaps dangerously close. Time to back off slightly, Doctor? Of course not.

'So, High Lord, what we have is a man stabbed through the back but not out of the front. He then fell flat on his face, dead.'

Indeed.'

In which case I have two questions. Firstly, most importantly in fact, is why?' The Doctor a.s.sumed a more traditional posture. He stood at the chalk outline's feet. 'He was standing here, apparently looking at. . .' The Doctor stared directly ahead. a.s.suming Mister Corry and his video team did not disturb anything at all, he was looking at the chair that my coat is now on. Hmm, quite an important motive I'd say.' He dropped into a Humphrey Bogart voice. 'Here's lookin' at chairs, kid.'

'The point, Doctor, the point?'

'The point is, Lord Savaar, that I don't think that our man was standing here when he died at all. I think the murderer placed him here afterwards to make us look in the wrong place. In which case, where should we look?

This is a big room.'

Hidden behind his helmet, Savaar raised his eyes heavenwards. Amaze me further, Doctor. It is obvious you already know where he was standing.'

Again, the Doctor's index finger went up. 'Ah ha!' He bounded forward and went round two or three trophy cabinets in a somewhat exaggerated manner. He was enjoying making a meal of his dramatic act. He stopped in front of a s.h.i.+eld, sword and helmet.

'Here, Lord Savaar. Here is where he was standing. Whatever he was murdered for was on that wall in front of me.'

Savaar wandered over and stared at the sword, s.h.i.+eld and helmet. He read the placard: 'Traditional hunting equipment.' He looked at the Doctor. I believe the human phrase is ”Big deal. So what?” '

It's wrong. This gear should be in that empty trophy case over there. Up here should be something called The Lance of Aggedor. It is the Pels' most sacred relic. Their equivalent of the Crown Jewels, or the Grand Marshal's Staff.'

If the theft of the Lance was the motive, it was foolhardy. The murderer and thief would have known it would have been noted as soon as Atissa or Nic Reece entered this room.'

'Yes, well, I rather think that our killer was banking on neither of them being around for a while. Reece is currently engaging my a.s.sociate on a guided tour of the caverns and Atissa is probably in her sacred Temple of Aggedor, praying for this unfortunate old man's soul.'

A waste of time,' Savaar said.

Oh, maybe. However, it is important to Atissa, and to Aggedor's many believers. I wonder if the Lance is still on Peladon?'

'No one has left the planet, have they Sskeet?'

'No, my Lord. Just a few unmanned skimmers containing the holovids that Corry's team have made: As Sskeet spoke, he realized what he had said.

It might have been an idea to impound them and stop anything at all taking off, Savaar,' chided the Doctor.

'Sskeet, contact Hissel. If those skimmers are still in the area, he is to blow them out of the sky.'

I think,' said the Doctor, 'that defeats the object. Firstly, I doubt our murderer is aboard - there's still too much here worth stealing. Secondly, if you blow the Lance up, I don't think the Pels will thank you. It is used as part of the restatement vows ceremony.'

'Your suggestion, Doctor?' The Doctor crossed back to the chair and put his jacket back on. 'Give our man enough rope and he'll hang himself.

Sometime during the lead up to the ceremony, he'll use the hustle-bustle to remove a few more choice items.'

'Why? It's not as if someone can buy them and display them. They are unique and easily traceable.'

'Exactly. I once had this conversation with a detective about a very famous but quite bad painting on Earth. Even if the collector cannot display it, just knowing they have it is enough. Greed, Lord Savaar, is the most potent motive for murder in the galaxy. It always has been and always will be.'

As they turned to leave, Sskeet stopped. 'Doctor. How did you know the body had been moved?' The Doctor smiled. 'That was easy. As the body was moved, it splashed blood on the spot around where the murder occurred. Elementary, my dear Sskeet!' They closed the door behind them.

As the Ice Warriors walked ahead of him, the Doctor paused for breath.

That was Laurel and Hardy dealt with. What about Holmes and Watson?

Getting on to the Martian s.h.i.+p did not prove a problem. The pilot had left it locked and wandered off for refreshment. Keri produced her data-pad and placed its magnetic side against the comm-lock. She pressed a stud and a hologram of the comm-lock appeared. 'Handy trick I picked up on one of the frontier worlds. A master criminal showed me how to do this while I was undercover.'

'What happened to him?' breathed Kort.

'He got arrested and tried for housebreaking using this system. He never told anyone I had this, though. Honour amongst thieves and all that.' She pressed a couple of studs and a series of codes flashed across the hologram. After a few seconds it flashed and vanished. 'Did you note the numbers?' Keri asked.

'What numbers?' asked Kort.

Keri smiled and pressed a series of numbers on the comm-lock. 'Have to be quick, yeah!' The door silently slid open and after they went in, slid closed.

They were on the flight deck.

Seconds later Kort had located the computer input. He ran the first finger of his right hand down the small rectangle of microcircuits embedded in his temple.

Keri frowned. Implants?'

'Sort of. My own design. Far better than the standard ones you can buy or even the ones home-made by cybers.p.a.ce zapp-heads. Instant access to everyone and everything on the Fed-Net and quite a few others.' He grinned broadly. 'But don't tell my father, he thinks it's a basic plant just for me. And Jina.' He sat back in the pilot's chair, breathed deeply and quietly spoke some letters and commands.

'DMKT dash Slicer 4 dash to dash Access stroke Access.'

The computer replied: 'Pa.s.sword?' 'DMKT dash Slicer 4 dash infinite dash PSWD stroke Access.'

'Access accepted DIET dash Slicer 4.'

Keri yelped in delight. 'Well done, yeah!'

Kort rubbed his hands. Okay, computer. Try this. Search. Pakha, Male.

Hyn't'n. Fed Research. All parameters.' There was a pause. It'll take a second or two.'

'Located. More?'

'Yes please: 'Hyn't'n. Resident of Pakha. Criminal record. Access E13P only. I'm sorry'

'What the cruk does that all mean?' asked Keri.

'Basically,' replied Kort, ur little man has a criminal record longer than Centauri's six arms strung together. I'll have to slice into the Pakha system now. Okay, here goes. Computer: Access DMKT dash infinite dash Pakha Criminal Records dash Locate Hyn't'n.'

There was another, longer, pause as the computer found the information.

Then it began reading out a long list of petty crimes in and around the Pakha homeworld and satellites. After a few moments reading the two hackers sat back.

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