Part 30 (2/2)

”You didn't want anyone to know about the ESI lawsuits,” Flint said. ”You didn't want anyone to know that it was WSX's advice that got people killed, not negligence.”

This time, Wagner made the sound of disgust. ”That was my parents' problem,” he said. ”I can and did disavow any culpability there. I wasn't even a lawyer when all that happened. I was a boy.”

”There are other things in the files,” Flint said. ”Things you did.”

”Yes,” Wagner said. ”The files. I thought you returned those to me untouched, Miles.” ”You can think whatever you want, Justinian. Amazing how trusting you are, for a lawyer.” Wagner's eyes narrowed. ”I still don't see why you had to kill Bowles. I can prove I was here. I can prove that I hadn't hired anyone. Nothing will hold up in a court of law, not even if you made up evidence.”

Flint was feeling uneasy, and it wasn't just because he was in Wagner's office. ”You didn't have Ki Bowles killed?”

”I've been spending all day trying to hold on to clients. Why the h.e.l.l would I hire a killer in the middle of all that? And how would I? I barely have time to talk to you.”

Flint said, ”Yet you managed to hire some goons to kidnap me and my daughter.” ”Kidnap is a harsh word. Besides, it only applies to legal humans. I'm sure you and I can come to some agreement where we concede that I brought you here for a meeting. I'm sure we can work that out.”

Flint ignored the second part of that statement and focused on the first part. ”Talia is legal. She's legally my child. You can check the records, Justinian. Any of those witness in the law school cafeteria will testify to the fact Talia left the cafeteria with a laser pistol to her head. You had no reason to meet with her.”

Wagner waved a hand in dismissal. ”If I'd summoned you, you wouldn't have come here.” ”Probably not,” Flint said. ”But I might have met you in a neutral place.”

”Without protection? Thinking I had killed Ki Bowles?”

”I can protect myself,” Flint said.

”That's clear,” Wagner said with great sarcasm.

Flint didn't answer that. He wasn't going to say that the only reason he'd come had been Talia. He didn't want to give Wagner that much ammunition, even if Wagner was smart enough to figure it out himself. ”Besides,” Wagner said, ”why would I kill you? I'd sue your a.s.s for my files. The ones you have illegally. The ones that you turned over to a reporter for no real reason.”

”Prove that I have the files,” Flint said. ”There were witnesses to the fact I returned them.” ”Because,” Wagner said, ”there's no way Bowles could have known about ESI and Aleyd and Gramming. Not in the detail she was promising.”

Talia had tensed. Flint wondered what she saw. He looked out of the corner of his eye but saw nothing. ”Promised,” he said. ”You never waited to see if she'd deliver. It's Ki Bowles we're talking about here. She could have had only innuendo.”

”Possibly,” Wagner said. ”But not even innuendo could have dug up Gramming.”

”Gramming,” Talia said softly.

Flint turned toward her.

”Gramming is on my certificate, Dad.” She was whispering. ”It's all over my research.” ”Research?” Wagner asked.

Talia flushed.

”What research?” Flint narrowed his eyes. Wagner seemed fl.u.s.tered. Something about Gramming bothered him. ”Talia wanted her day of creation certificate,” Flint said. ”It took some work to get it.” ”I'll bet,” Wagner said, ”considering creatures like you are owned by the corporations that created you.” ”What?” Talia asked. ”Enough,” Flint said.

”And the corporation that created you would be . . . what? Aleyd? Isn't that who your wife worked for, Flint?”

The attack surprised Flint. And Wagner's knowledge. The man had been keeping an eye on Flint, just like Flint had kept an eye on him.

”Talia is legally my child,” Flint said. ”She's not owned by anyone.” Although he couldn't say she never had been. If he hadn't taken her off Callisto, she would have become property of Aleyd Corporation.

”Why don't we call a truce, Flint?” Wagner said. ”You stop trying to destroy me and I'll leave your so-called daughter alone.”

”That's blackmail,” Flint said. Wagner waved that hand again. ”Kidnapping, blackmail, murder. You seem to think I'm capable of all of it.”

”Because you've done it all,” Flint said. ”To say that you represent the law is a joke, Justinian. You're a power-mad egomaniac who seems to believe he's above the law.”

”Dad,” Talia whispered warningly.

”You're in my office,” Wagner said. ”Do you realize how easy it would be to make you vanish? All I have to do is tell your friends that you've Disappeared with that daughter of yours. They'd think it was inevitable, given the kinds of trouble you've been in over the years.”

”They wouldn't believe anything you say,” Flint snapped. ”Sure they would,” Wagner said. ”You helped my brother Disappear. I know that. I'm sure your lawyer, Van Alen, does, too. She'd believe. If she believes, so would everyone else.”

”Threatening me does you no good, Justinian,” Flint said. ”Ki Bowles was doing her own reports from materials she gathered.”

Which was true enough. Just because he had jump-started her with tidbits of information from confidential files didn't make it any less true.

”When you killed her,” Flint said, ”you made sure that the source of that information went with her.” ”I didn't kill her!” ”I didn't kill her!” Wagner sprayed spit as he yelled. ”I didn't order her killed and I didn't do it. You'd think I'd destroy my law firm like that? You did it.” Wagner sprayed spit as he yelled. ”I didn't order her killed and I didn't do it. You'd think I'd destroy my law firm like that? You did it.”

”No, he didn't,” Talia said. ”My dad would never kill anyone.” Wagner stared at her. Then he looked at Flint. ”Is that true?” Wagner asked in a completely different tone.

Flint wasn't going to answer the implied second question. He had killed, more than once, but only when he had no other choice.

”I didn't kill Ki Bowles. And I certainly would never have killed anyone to frame you.” He put all the hatred he felt toward Wagner in his voice.

”Interesting,” Wagner said. He sank into a nearby chair as if all the fight had gone out of him. ”If one of us didn't kill her, then who the h.e.l.l did?”

47.

Nyquist and Romey left the interrogation area. Romey wanted to ask Monteith more questions, but Nyquist felt that first, they needed to get officers tracking Illiyitch.

”I'll contact the team still at Whitford,” Romey said. ”I'm sure they have holoimages and descriptions. He had to have had a resume or-”

A piercing shriek resounded in the corridor. Nyquist put a hand to his ear.

”You all right?” Romey asked.

He started to say, ”Didn't you hear that?” but before he could, static filled his ears, followed by: ”Ki Bowles's killers have come for me.”

And then, silence.

Nyquist had a sudden headache. The sounds were so loud he'd actually thought they were inside the building, not coming from his links.

Normally links had filters to protect the receiver from things like that.

Only in cases of emergency did those filters sometimes malfunction.

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