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.
Miles nodded. "The late Baron Ryoval had me brought me here in a lightflyer by
two of his erstwhile bodyguards. We found things much as you see them. I, um,
neutralized them at my first opportunity. How I came to be in their hands is a
more complicated story." Meaning, That s all you get till I get some
.
"There are some extraordinary rumors starting to circulate about my dear
departed - he is departed, I trust?"
"Oh, yes. You can see in a moment."
"Thank you. My dear departed half-brother s death. I had one firsthand."
A
former Ryoval employee from here fled directly to him as an informant. Right
. "I hope his virtue was rewarded."
"It will be, as soon as I ascertain he was telling the truth."
"Well. Why don t you come look." He had to get up out of the station chair. He
marshalled the effort with difficulty, and led the Baron into the living room,
the House Fell bodyguard and the Dendarii following.
The big bodyguard shot a worried glance at Sergeant Taura, looming over him;
she smiled back, her fangs gleaming. "Hi, there. You re kinda cute, you know?"
she told him. He recoiled, and sidled closer to his master.
Fell hurried to the body, knelt by its right side, and held up the severed
wrist. He hissed with disappointment. "Who has done this?"
"We don t know yet," said Miles. "That s how I found him."
"Exactly?" Fell shot him a sharp glance.
"Yes."
Fell traced the black holes across the corpse s forehead. "Whoever did this,
knew what he was doing. I want to find the assassin."
"To... avenge your brother s death?" Elena asked cautiously.
"No. To offer him a job!
" Fell laughed, a booming, jolly sound. "Do you realize how many people have
been trying, for how many years, to accomplish this?"
"I ve an idea," said Miles. "If you can help - "
In the next room, Ryoval s half-butchered comconsole chimed.
Fell looked up, eyes intent. "No one can call in here without the code-key,"
he stated, and heaved to his feet. Miles barely beat him back into the study,
and slid into the station chair.
He activated the vid plate. "Yes?" And almost fell out of his seat again.
Mark s puffy face formed above the vid plate. He looked like he d just come
out of a shower, face scrubbed, hair wet and slicked back. He was wearing grey
knits like Miles s. Blue bruises, going greenish-yellow around the edges, made
what skin
Miles could see look like a patch-work quilt, but both eyes were open and very
bright. His ears were still on. "Ah," he said cheerfully, "there you are. I
thought you might be. Have you figured out who you are yet?"
"Mark!" Miles almost tried to crawl through the vid image. "Are you all right?
Where are you
?"
"You have, I see. Good. I m at Lilly Durona s. God, Miles. What a place. What
a woman. She let me have a bath
. She put my skin back on. She fixed my foot. She gave me a hypo of
muscle-relaxant for my back. With her own hands, she performed medical
services too intimate and disgusting to describe, but very badly needed, I
assure you, and held my head while I screamed.
Did I mention the bath? I love her, and I want to marry her."
All this was delivered with such dead-pan enthusiasm, Miles could not tell if
Mark was joking. "What are you on?" he asked suspiciously.
"Pain killers. Lots and lots of pain killers. Oh, it s wonderful!" He favored
Miles with a weird broad grin. "But don t worry, my head is perfectly clear.
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It s just the bath. I was holding it together till she gave me the bath. It
unmanned me. Do you know what a wonderful thing a bath is, when you re washing
off - never mind."
"How did you get out of here, and back to the Durona Clinic?" Miles asked
urgently.
"In Ryoval s lightflyer, of course. The code-key worked."
Behind Miles, Baron Fell drew in his breath. "Mark," he leaned into the vid
pick up with a smile. "Would you put Lilly on a moment, please?"
"Ah, Baron Fell!" said Mark. "Good. I was going to call you next. I want to
invite you to tea, here at Lilly s. We have a lot to talk about. You too,
Miles. And bring all your friends." Mark gave him a sharply meaningful glance.
Quietly, Miles reached down and pressed the "alert" button on Iverson s comm
link. "Why, Mark?"
"Because I need them. My own troops are much too tired for any more work
today."
"Your troops?"
"Please do as I ask. Because I ask it. Because you owe me," Mark added, in a
voice so low Miles had to strain to hear. Mark s eyes burned, a brief spark.
Fell muttered, "He used it. He has to know - " He leaned in again, and said to
Mark, "Do you know what you have in ah, hand, Mark?"
"Oh, Baron. I know what I m doing. I don t know why so many people have so
much trouble believing that," Mark added in a tone of hurt complaint. "I know
exactly what I m doing." Then he laughed. It was a very disturbing laugh, edgy
and too loud.
"Let me talk to Lilly," said Fell.
"No. You come here and talk to Lilly," said Mark petulantly. "Anyway, you want
to talk to me." He nailed Fell s eye with a direct look. "I promise you will
find it profitable."
"I believe I do want to talk with you," murmured Fell. "Very well."
"Miles. You re there in Ryoval s study, where I was." Mark searched his face,
for what Miles could not guess, but then Mark nodded quietly to himself, as if
satisfied. "Is Elena there?"
"Yes..."
Elena leaned forward on Miles s other side. "What do you need, Mark?"
"I want to talk to you a moment. Armswoman. Privately. Would you clear the
room of everyone else, please? Everyone."
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