The Pearl Crucible - A Dardana Fenek Mystery - MEISJE (Part 3)

(Chapter 13, part 3)

He seemed troubled.

“But you seem to suggest that the murderer is connected to these clone girls and this painting. All of the news journals have been barking about a crime of passion or a jealous servant girl.”

“There are certain aspects that remain mysterious,” I agreed. “But you’ve done a lot to make connections for me. I appreciate that.”

“Yes, well,” he muttered, “I’d much prefer a more sordid reason because I do not wish to be connected in any way.”

I could sympathize with how he felt—what sane person wants attention?—but to me, making the right connection might keep every servant in the house from being executed, which would be doing Irodiada’s work—or Ishara’s, whichever way you looked at it. At least he had his former student to content him.

“Can you think of anyone else closely connected to the expedition, or the gallery, or the labor center, or this—I don’t know what to call it, this plan?”

He pursed his lips and puffed on the pipe. “Metis Fortunato was a backer,” he said finally.

“His wife.”

“Yes, and her daughter Arethne.”

“Alkimila,” I corrected him.

“That’s the younger daughter,” he said. “Arethne Raskov is the older.—Oh, come, tell me you knew!”

He laughed. I obviously did not. Miss Azzopardo’s assistant. Of course, I thought. Dummy.

“I see I have more work to do there,” I said. “Who were the other backers?”

“The Academy, the State Gallery, both Fortunatos, separately, Arethne Raskov with her father Hasan Raskov’s money. Herme Scyros. Goffredo Ornan. Menelaus Kaleva, but he’s dead now, of course.”

Even I, head down rummaging in my two-drachm doleman cases, had heard of that family scandal breaking loose a couple of months ago.

He was continuing. “Myself, as an exceptionally junior backer. And an investment exchequer with many little people investing their money put in about ten percent, I put in one percent, the rest, more or less evenly, with the Gallery the most … I think fourteen percent?—Herme Scyros the next at about twelve, and the rest down from there.”

I was trying to do the maths in my head, and Barsina, her stylus moving quickly, murmured, “Less than seven percent each to average,” behind my ear.

“Who’s this Ornan?”

“Mist’ Ornan,” he said pointedly, and puffed harder. “Aristoi. Helioshad family. Heavily invested in orbital semiconductor factories and on-surface electronics assembly—in Helioshad, of course.”

Helioshad again. I was not liking this development.

“Is he often in Aulis?”

“Sometimes. Sometimes he’s in space. I hardly keep track of him.” He made a wry expression, sitting in his rumpled academic robes in his cramped office.

And the Kaleva was dead since Lumina month, so that would strike him off my list.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Not at this time,” I said.

He rose first, and I offered my hand, which he bowed over. He then walked us to the main door of the building. “If you think of anything else,” I said, and I gave him my card.

“No blocknumber?”

“Privacy,” I said.

“H’m,” he said, and we were on our way.

I stopped under an ilex that spread against the sun like a broad parasol and sat on the grass. Barsina made as if to stand watchfully, but I patted the turf, and she sat beside me. We took off our sandals and put our backs to the broad bole of the tree. I made my smoke, lit it, and let it out slowly.

“There’s more to this than meets the eye,” I said.

“Plainly.”

“Thank the Lady the Kaleva patro is dead,” I said, “since that spares me the trouble of speaking to him. I don’t like all these Helioshad connections, though. And Thelumene Testaferrata here on top of it. Oi, now why are you crying?”

She wasn’t weeping, didn’t have her hands in her face. That’s a citizen thing: tank-girls have more poise. But the tears were coming down her cheeks.

“I don’t want Miss hurt,” she said.

“She won’t hurt me,” I said. “I’m slyer than that.”

“She will if she catches Miss. Miss is too brave. Mist’ Gatto has been hired to find you, and Miss is too free in speaking with militia. There’s no faith to be found in men, Miss.”

“Little enough in women,” I said. “Which minds me, we need to go chasing down this missing girl while I think about this murdered aristoi.”

She nodded glumly, and we sat there while I finished my smoke. Then we re-sandaled ourselves and headed out across the city on foot and by bus.

We got out of Old Town, past Landing Park, over the river, and were just north of the Brothel District buying a bowl of noodles to hold us over when Narvi slithered up to me.

“Narvi,” I said, and Barsina slipped him a deka before he even said anything.

“Miss Fenek,” he grinned. I grimaced at his dentistry as usual, and he smelled of onions and sweat—and dog for some reason.

“What do you know?”

“A little, a little,” he said. “Not where the fine Miss Testaferrata’s staying yet, ’cause she ain’t at a hotel, pretty sure. A private house, I’ll guess. Dunno yet. But certainly if old Narvi doesn’t know where she is, she knows where Caruano Gatto is, and Caruano Gatto knows where you are, even if he’s taking his time.”

I didn’t want to offend his professional pride by telling him this had come to my attention already, so I feigned indifference and asked, “Why all this? Who cares what Gatto’s up to?”

“You may not care, but he cares about you, and so does Miss Testaferrata. One of his men tried to offer me somewhat to find you for him.”

“Why’s either one of them care where I am?”

“Gatto’s man didn’t say, Miss Fenek,” Narvi mused. “Maybe they think you know where this girl is? You’ve picked up runaways before.”

“No more.”

“Never say never, money’s always tight.”

“Not tight enough for that again. They press you hard for me?”

“Gatto’s man didn’t seem too upset old Narvi played it simple and smiley. He was having a good day, and was chattier than me. You mentioned a private executioner,” he said, cocking his head, “with that runaway girl? Well, they say Testaferrata’s got the best lined up back in Helioshad once she gets her back there—whoever she is. This girl’ll be uncomfortable for a while, off an’ on a couple weeks, and then it’ll be good-bye, right uncomfortably. That’s what Gatto’s man says he’s been told.”

“Gatto can just come and talk to me, and I can clear up that I’m not in the missing maid profession.”

Narvi gave me a long look, and shrugged. “Gatto’s man says they’d all like to talk to you.”

I was feeling very nervous by then. “What’s keeping them slowed-up?”

“They ain’t worried. They said you’ll be looking for them first, and they laughed.”

Barsina produced three kvaras, and I bought him a bowl of noodles, too. “Narvi,” I said, “you wouldn’t mind doing me another favor?”

He scratched a flea. “For a price,” he said. “Depends on the favor.”

“Listen, I’m on a case about a missing daughter, and I don’t have time to go back to Mardonios. Drop by the commissariat and—” the expression came to me naturally as I watched him catch and crush the vermin “—put a bug in Mardonios’s ear that Caruano is sniffing around my trail? Gatto makes me uncomfortable.” I winced at the word. “Make sure he knows that bit. Ask him to lean on Gatto for me, buy me some air.”

“The commander of the Night-Market commissariat’s going to lean on someone  for Miss Dardana Fenek? Not Nosy-panties anymore: you’re Big-head.”

“Don’t you start, you.”

“Ensign-captain tried to lay hands on me for picking gems off a girdle, Miss, or don’t you forget?”

“I haven’t, but get the word to him somehow, be a pet? Drop it by the desk warrant and run or something. You can run a little risk, can’t you, Narvĉjo? I give you good money.” I made wide eyes.

“Well,” he said, and my girl slipped him another kvara. “I’ll try. You’re looking for a missing daughter, eh? Really?” He seemed incredulous.

“Yah, she and her man have gone scarpers, and her fat da’s hired me to find them. I’m after their flat to see if there’s clues. You won’t forget Mardonios?”

“I’ll go next thing,” Narvi said, laying his finger by his long nose. “Never you worry.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I’m having to worry about everything else.”

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( … This way to Chapter Thirteen part 2 … ) ( … This way to Chapter Fourteen part 1 … )

… ( … This way to Chapter One part 1 … ) …

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