Part 23 (2/2)
”No doubt, they will be along shortly. Now, if you don't mind, Chief Beni, this is your crime scene.”
He and the Marine techs began to search the room.
”Hey, Princess Whoever, me and my guys is paid by the hour. How much money is this going to cost us?”
”Who asked you to remove this furniture?” Jack asked.
”The guy that leased it. Quan Tre's Best Office Rentals.”
”You have a phone number for this Quan Tre?”
”I don't. Maybe the office.”
”Let's you and me go out into the hall and call him,” Jack offered. The milk of human kindness flowing over the carpet.
The boss and his two men left.
”Chief, is this place bug infested?” Kris asked.
”I don't know, Lieutenant. You kind of emphasized doing a crime walk-through.”
”Tell me about the bug situation first. I want to know what you find here. No need to let anyone listening know.”
”Yes, ma'am, Your Highness, boss lady.”
The Marines snickered, but the air began to sparkle as bugs died. Abby did her bit.
The boy at her elbow just shook his head. ”I thought the place was clean.”
”It's high-end stuff, Bronc,” Abby said. ”We're playing in the big leagues. Before you got hauled off, I suggested the chief add some stuff to your computer. Now it's past time.”
”It is so time, Auntie Abby,” the girl said, holding on tight to the boy's arm.
Fifteen minutes later, the room had given up absolutely nothing. ”Not a thing, ma'am,” Chief Beni said.
”So go hit the trash cans out back,” Kris snapped.
”Had a Marine doing that, ma'am. Found three fresh trash bags. Media was wiped and fried. Flimsies were degaussed, blacked, and degaussed again. Not so much as a static charge left on them. Ma'am, whoever this fellow was, he bought the best security and he used it.”
”Blast it,” Kris snapped. ”The bad guys are supposed to be dumb. Make mistakes. Haven't these fellows read the rules?”
”Suspect not, Kris,” Jack said, now back from his talk with the movers. ”Maybe they don't think of themselves as the bad guys, so they don't feel any need to be dumb.”
”You find anything?”
”The movers got their orders about an hour ago. They'd just got here. Quan got a quick call canceling the lease on this gear about two hours ago.”
”Who was that call from?”
”John Smith, a.s.sociates. I already checked. There's about a million John Smith, a.s.sociates in the phone directory. This guy's phone number wasn't one of them.”
”And Johnny paid for this how?”
”From a limited bank account, now closed. I guess we could chase that end of it, but I doubt we'd get far on Eden.”
”Chase what?” came from Inspector Johnson.
Penny followed him into the room. ”He called and asked where you were. Then offered me a ride,” she said.
”What exactly do you think you're doing, Rim Princess?”
”Looking for things,” Kris said vaguely.
”That's my job on Eden, you know,” he shot back.
”I hadn't noticed,” Kris said, putting a solid bite into it.
”I am doing my job. Or at least I was before I was inundated with complaints about you. We've got a formal complaint from this moving company, and several complaints from private security firms about your burning their alarm systems.”
Somebody was moving fast.
”As I said, I'm looking for things.”
”And finding a lot of dead ends. And making me come out here to tell you to get your nose back to the emba.s.sy so real cops can do what we do best. Find criminals and free hostages.”
There were several million comebacks at the tip of Kris's tongue...all explosive. She swallowed them all and chose honey...for the moment.
”I'm sorry we've caused these men trouble. Why don't my Marines help them.”
The inspector frowned at Kris, but the moving boss was already issuing orders. A nod from Captain DeVar sent Marines to collect up the chairs. And with only slightly puzzled looks they headed for the elevator. Some helped the two workers push the desk toward the freight elevator. Others helped the boss get the credenza up on a dolly.
Inspector Johnson turned toward the door, encouraged on his way by Penny's promise of keeping Kris on a tighter leash.
And Cara stooped to pick up a piece of trash revealed when the credenza was moved. She palmed it, but winked at Kris.
Kris winked back. No dumb bunnies in Abby's family.
And that may be what I was looking for. Kris had so wanted to throw a royal-size hissy fit. But she'd seen the treasures often found when furniture was moved around Nuu House. She'd once found a draft of one of Grampa Ray's first speeches.
No, Kris was not leaving here until this room was down to the bare walls.
Well, maybe Kris was, now that she knew she could trust Cara...and her boy, Bronc, was prowling the place as well.
So Kris hurried to catch up with the inspector and made nice noises about being good. And doing anything that she could to help the inspector find Gramma Ruth.
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