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

(Chapter 14, Part Three)

Of course it was Ensign-Captain Mardonios.

“Ensign-Captain!” I said, stopping my bite and pausing as I tried to knee the fat man in the groin.

“Mist’sers,” he said, “why are you … trying to do … something to Miss Fenek?”

“Denounced! I denounce her!” the ŝinko said, pointing at me with a furious shaking hand. “This girl is indentured, her contract belongs to Miss Thelumene Testaferrato, and she’s been pretending to be a citizen. The Miss demands her rights!"

Mardonios frowned at me as I tried to kick the liar in the crotch, and I stepped back. “Is this true?” he asked me.

“Absolutely not,” I said stoutly.

“What would you expect her to say,” Gatto said, sarcastic, “since Miss Testaferrato wants to make an example out of her for her estate staff.”

“She says she’s not,” Mardonios said.

“And she’s a liar, and since she’s a lying tank-born runaway, she’s broken and no better than a former citizen.”

I bridled at this. “Who’s the sneaking liar who hired me to find his daughter?” I snarled at him.

“Your daughter’s missing?” the ensign-captain said, concerned.

“I have no daughter,” the man who was not a pork-mercanter snarled.

I thrust out angry (and shaking) finger at him. “Double-liar!” I detest clients who lie to me.

“You fucking whore,” Valeth, or whatever his name was, said.

“Mist’!” Mardonios said sternly. “Until it’s proved she’s not a citizen, let’s not use such language around Miss Fenek.”

“It’s easy to prove,” Gatto said. “Check for her serial number.”

Mardonios stepped forward. His uniform is extremely blue and stiff, and the gold braid is thick and heavy. His sleeve brushed against me. I did not move as he touched my cheek and moved the hair off of the back of my neck.

This is not usual for me. Although I will ignore a bum grab if it would be trouble to complain, I kicked one of the subalterns between the legs so hard when he took me by my chin and made to kiss me once that he had to go off duty.

His finger traced my scars. “What happened here?” he murmured so I only heard him.

“It was an acid burn … ”

“I see. How?”

“ … chemistry class. Accident,” I added helpfully.

“She’s burnt it off,” the fat man said. “Filthy dodge!”

“Who are you, Mist’?”

“Scypton Safiroviĉ,” was the reluctant answer.

Mardonio’s fingers were lightly on the pulse in my throat. “Would a beautiful woman like this intentionally ruin this fine neck?”

“Well, she done it,” Safirovich groused.

I didn’t like the idea of it being called ruined, but I didn’t choose to tell him to take his hand off, either. Except for my scars, I have a very nice neck, and Barsina has told me so often.

“Mist’ Gatto, sir, how are you today?”

“Ensign-Captain, I’m well, except for this little difficulty.” Gatto nodded at me. “I apologize you’ve had to become involved. I usually work tidier. I should’ve had them gagged right away, but I’ve worked with her before, so it was more like dealing with a citizen. Threw me.”

“A plan is like a ship in a gale,” Mardonios said apothegmatically. “No need to apologize, I’m sure her status will get sorted out.”

“I’m sure. … What are you doing here, anyway?”

“Just happenstance.”

“Ah.”

Safiroviĉ glowered. “The bint,” he reminded them.

“Mist’,” Mardonios said. “May I remind you.”

The fat man stewed. Gatto smiled wryly.

The ensign-captain’s hand had lain on my neck easily the entire time, and I was content to let it rest there, the thumb moving gently on the nape, but Safiroviĉ wasn’t content at all. “Maybe she ain’t got her barcode,” he burst out, “but I don’t see a burn on her arm.”

I surrendered my left arm without being asked. Ensign-Captain Mardonios rubbed his fingers from inside my elbow to under my wrist and back, searching carefully; some girls’ serial number tattoos can be felt, even though the characters on the arm are invisible. He felt my skin quite throughly down a narrow line.

“I assume you brought an ultraviolet lamp?” he said.

Caruano coughed, embarassed. “No,” he said.

“Well, why not?”

“I didn’t expect to have to prove it to anyone. Miss Testaferrata’s agent identified the contract-girl.” He shrugged helplessly. “Who thought you’d be by?”

“So far no one has identified a contract girl to me,” Mardonios replied. He was standing right behind me now, and I was against his uniform coat, the braid crushed against my back. I felt as safe as houses, and he still had that smell about him.

“Oi, she’ll have that birth control in her arm!” Safiroviĉ said.

“Miss, may I?” he asked in my ear.

Oh, now he asks, I thought, but I heard myself say, “Yes, it’s fine.”

He unbuttoned the top of my sleeve and manipulated the tissue by my vaccination scars. He paused at a certain place, and rolled my skin back and forth between his thumb and forefinger, but then he moved on, tried here and there, then shook his head.

“Sirs,” he said, “I’m afraid—”

“I’ve denounced her! Her serial code is in her genetics; she can’t hide that!”

“I heard you the first time.” He was rebuttoning my left sleeve.

“She must be turned over to Miss Testaferrata!”

“Mist’ Safiroviĉ, I am a personal acquaintance of Miss Testaferrata. Miss Fenek’s citizenship hasn’t been disproven—I assume no one has brought a gene test for a tank-girl here, either? No? Mist’ Gatto, a little more preparation when collecting runaways, please.”

“Of course, Ensign-Captain.”

“Thank you. And you, sir,” he said to Safiroviĉ again, “I assume you are a professional runaway-catcher?”

“Quite professional,” the fat man growled.

“Remains to be seen. Do you have a copy of her contract with you?”

“And why should I have that? She’s the Miss’s girl, sir. Who would doubt it?”

“Ordinarily, I would not, but this young woman is a well-known private inspector in Aulis. I am happy to see Miss Testaferrato’s runaway servants bound back into her service, but without proof and a known person, this is just so much unlicensed press-ganging. There are serious fines for that in this city. Please try to be more careful.—Miss Fenek,” he was still behind me with his hands on both my upper arms.

“Yes?” I said, trying not to sound breathless.

“I’m afraid I must detain you—but since the alternative will apparently be death without further examination, I assume you won’t complain for the moment?”

“With that alternative,” I said, “you may detain me as long as you find it necessary, Ensign-Captain.” I’m afraid I sounded enthusiastic, and I did flush afterward, but the difference between torture and death and Mardonios standing behind me with his hands on my shoulders was … substantial. “And my girl?”

“Ensign-Captain, I’ll lose a finder’s fee on that girl from Mama Solene,” Gatto groused.

“Mist Gatto, if Miss Fenek is proved to be—what do you she say she’s called?”

“Io!” the fat man said angrily.

“If she’s this girl Io, then I’ll turn the girl Barsina over to you and you’ll collect your fee.”

“And Io?” the runaway-catcher said. “I’ve a fee for her neck as well.”

“We’ll have to see how all that plays out, but I’ll encourage Miss Thelumene to honor her agreement to you if she recovers her property, of course.”

Gatto, fatalistic, nodded at his man, who untied Barsina. Safiroviĉ paced hungrily, looking at me like a fox outside a coop it cannot break into.

We were allowed to put on our girdles and put our belongings away in them. The ensign-captain nodded at Gatto’s men, did not seem to see Safiroviĉ, and offered me his arm. I put my hand on it and held it very tightly as he escorted me out of the sordid little flat and down the dark and hazardous stairs, Barsina close on our heels.

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

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