Haywire (22 page)

Shaking his head, Alex looked at the other figure. At first he couldn’t find anything distinguishing about them, but when the light hit the figure’s helmet just right Alex recognized the face inside it from the pictures in Alicia’s office and home - Shawn. Half a minute later all three of them left the camera’s view. The right monitor picked them back up, but then lost them as they went out of camera range. They weren’t seen again.

“
That’s all we have.”

It was all Alex could do not to grind his teeth into dust. “Alright, it isn’t much, but it’ll have to do. Before I go, I have a question for you, though.”

“
Shoot.”

“
It looks like pirates are involved in all this. Is there any way we can see if they have ships here in orbit, and – if not – where they might have gone?”

Paul grimaced and shook his head. “Like I said, this is a small moon. We’ve got just enough to do our jobs here at the spaceport, and that’s it. Believe me, I’d love to have total lunar coverage. I could use the work. Until the bean counters on Earth want to pay for it, though . . .” He shrugged to show what he thought of that happening.

Sick of bureaucratic stinginess putting lives in jeopardy and making his investigation more difficult than it had to be, Alex sighed and did his best to accept the situation for what it was, not what he wished it would be. “I understand, Paul. Go ahead and forward all that to my office. I’ll have our tech people go through it and see if they can pull something more out of it. Meanwhile, how soon after this last bit of video was recorded did you lock traffic down?”

The transit supervisor looked at the video screen, then glanced down at a computer pad on his desk and said, “About thirty minutes.”

“
Shit. And how many ships launched during that time.”

Paul glanced at his tablet again. “Three, and each one headed for a different destination - Saturn, Hygeia, and Ceres. All of them, though, have to go through Minerva first.”

“
Okay, that’s something at least,” Alex replied, thankful for a break, even if it was small. “Put a call through to Minerva’s traffic control and tell them that if any of those ships are still on this side of the conduits, they’re to give them whatever excuse sounds reasonable to make them wait. If they’ve already gone through, let me know and we’ll figure something out then. No matter what, I don’t want them getting any further away than they already are.”

Paul blinked, but he didn’t sigh or protest. “Yes, Sir. Anything else?”

“
Yeah, are any of the people she stopped and talked with still around?”

“
A few are. We told everyone that was still here to wait outside their ships while we inspected them.”

Nodding, Alex stood up straight. “Good. I’m heading out to start questioning them. If I need anything I’ll let you know.”

“
Understood.”

“
Thanks for everything. I know this has to be a huge imposition.”

The traffic control supervisor shook his head and put on a lopsided grin. “Hell, I feel like I’m actually earning my paycheck for once.”

Alex wanted to laugh, but his mind was a whirl of suspicions and worries, so he merely smiled and made his way to the airlock Alicia had used. Once there he hit a button on his collar, which opened it and allowed his helmet to unfurl and encase his head. Once he was ready for vacuum, he cycled through the airlock and walked to the closest freighter crew. The ship they stood next to was large, ungainly, and ill-kept, which was entirely in keeping with their appearance. They were huddled together, presumably complaining, but he didn’t know since his comm wasn’t set to their personal frequency. Once they saw him approach they turned to face him. He adjusted his comm to a public wavelength.

“
Pardon me,” he said. “I was wondering if I could ask you folks a couple of questions?”

“
You don’t mind if we scan your cred, do ya?” one of them replied, stepping forward with a frown on his stubble-covered face.

“
Not at all.”

The man pulled a small hand computer strapped to his left shoulder and aimed it at the clear pocket holding Alex’s badge. A laser swept it, and a second later a green light lit up on the computer’s screen. On the tiny display Alex saw his name, title, and badge number.

“
Alright,” the man said. “What’s going on here? Are you responsible for all this shit?”

Alex nodded. “Yep. If you people can help me, we’ll get this sorted out quickly and have you on your way.”

“
Sort what out, pal? Ain’t shit goin’ on. All I see is you feds rousting good, honest spacers.”

“
It goes a little deeper than that, Sir. What’s your name?”

“
Chapman,” the man said, thrusting his chin out. “
Captain
Al Chapmen.”

“
Thank you, Captain. Now, have you been approached by anyone today?”

“
You mean by anyone other than you and those customs goons?”

Alex flexed his right hand, wishing he had a taser in it. “Yes.”

“
It’s a busy launch pad, pal. Of course I’ve been approached. Some of ‘em I liked, and some I didn’t.” The dark look in the captain’s eyes made it clear which side of that divide Alex was on.

“
Any of them approach you about a job? Perhaps for transport?”

“
Yeah, there’re some contractors out here, but my plate’s full.”

Alex shook his head, aggravated at the attitude being thrown his way, and at all the time being wasted while the woman he loved was in danger. “No, not a company contractor, and not one of your buddies either. I’m talking about a woman looking for a lift off this moon for herself and possibly others. She would’ve offered payment in chits, and most likely looking to keep it off the docket.”

The captain put his hands on his hips, which was comical due to the bulk of his spacesuit, and squared his shoulders. “Hey, just what kind of operation do you think I’m runnin’ here, pal? You accusing me of something?

“
Not yet, Captain,” Alex replied, not really caring how the man felt. “I’m just asking if someone along those lines came to you today.”

“
No. Up until you threw that lockdown on us, today’s been business as usual. And even if someone like that
had
shown up, I would’ve sent ‘em on their way with a boot to the ass. I got enough to deal with as it is without risking my neck over people who ain’t on the up and up, know what I mean?”

Alex doubted the captain had a scrupulous bone in his body, but he believed him when he said no one fitting Alex’s description had approached him. “Then you’re a model citizen, Sir.”

“
You’re damn right,” the captain said, his chin once again thrust out.

“
Well, thank you for your time. If you happen to hear anything that might help me get you back to work, pass it along. The details on your computer there include my contact info.”

Alex turned away and made his way to the next launch pad. Three large spacesuits were huddled close together, their arms and hands waving around in wild gestures. One of them noticed him approached and turned the person next to them around. The figure who now faced him had a large Eurasian flag patch on the right side of his chest, and his helmet was painted in the same blue, white, and green colors. Whoever it was, they were a Union patriot, which for an Alliance federal agent meant trouble.

“
Oy, you the cocker got everythin’ in an uproar?” the flag-wearing figure said. On the left side of his chest was stenciled
Cpt. Garron Pilkington.

“
If you’re asking if the lockdown is on my orders, yes.”

“
Are ya daft? I’ve got a business to run! We all do! Ya better have a good reason for the dust-up, Fed, because I’ve got a nice little letter already drawn up for the transportation guild that’ll put a fire to yer ass if’n ya don’t.”

Despite the venom of the man’s words, Alex had trouble taking him seriously. Thick accents always had that effect. “There’s no need for all that, but feel free to send out whatever messages you think are appropriate.”

“
I don’t need yer permission, Fed. Now, what is it ya want? I suppose you want to ask if I’ve got any stolen goods on me. The answer’s no, and you can tell yer damn customs inspectors too. They’ve been up my ship’s bunghole with a pry bar and a microscope, and I’m as clean as a virgin’s linens.”

That was one way to describe innocence, Alex supposed. “What do you know about stolen property?”

“
It’s the scuttlebutt, mate. Word got out that someone stole somethin’, and that’s why we’re coolin’ our heels now. It’s all I know.”

Alex silently cursed, but he knew all wasn’t lost. What the ship’s captain knew was only part of the situation, and only a possible part at that. “Captain, I wouldn’t listen too much to rumor. No, what I wanted to know is if anyone you didn’t know or wouldn’t normal have business dealings with approached you in the past several hours.”

“
Fer what?”

“
Transport.”

The captain looked to the side, then down at his feet before replying. “Um, well… no, can’t say I recall anythin’ like that.”

Even a rookie would have seen through that flimsy obfuscation. “Captain Pilkington, I want you to make sure you’re remembering things correctly. Take a moment if you need to collect your thoughts. Were you approached today to transport people off Callisto? And let me remind you, while I don’t say this as a threat, you’re ability to work in Alliance space depends on your willingness to follow all of its laws. If I discover you’ve lied or in any way impeded my investigation, not only will your license be revoked, but your ship will be impounded, and you’ll be arrested. So, dredge through your memory one last time. Were you approached?”

The captain was silent, and his helmet lowered as he considered the situation, but eventually he sighed and said, “There was a woman. I don’t know her name. I didn’t ask, and she didn’t offer it. All she said was she needed transport off the moon for her and two others.”

“
Where did she ask you to take her?”

“
Mars. I told her we’d be landin’ there inna couple days, but she said that weren’t soon enough, so she moved on. It was the last I saw of her. If she got a lift, I didn’t hear about it. That’s all.”

Alex didn’t know what he’d expected, but that wasn’t it. “Mars?”

“
Yeah, Mars.”

“
Did she act like she was acting against her will? Like she was being coerced? Or maybe like she was fleeing from someone chasing after her?”

The captain’s head swiveled back and forth in his helmet. “She looked like she was in a hurry, but there weren’t any panic or sketchiness to it.”

“
You’re sure?” Alex asked.

The captain nodded vigorously. “As sure as I can be.”

“
Alright. Thank you for your time, Captain.”

Alex turned and started walking back toward the spaceport without waiting to be chastened or insulted further. After switching comm channels he said, “Schmidt, have the inspectors found anything new?”

“
Nope. The final team just reported in, and everything is clear outside of a couple minor drug violations. No illegal cargo, no doctored manifests, and no undocumented passengers. If the Campbells were looking for a ride off this rock, then I think they found one.”

Sighing, Alex stopped and glared at all of the ships around him, wishing like hell he’d hadn’t waited for Alicia to call him back. If he’d listened to his gut, all the violence that’d happened that day might have been averted. Now people were dead, Alicia and her son were missing, and the mystery of what was going on only got deeper. He didn’t know if he would ever be able to forgive himself.

“
Unfortunately, that’s what I’m thinking too. One of the captains I talked to said a woman asked him about transport to Mars, and it seemed like she was in a hurry. Do any of the ships that already left fit that description?”

The sound of a keyboard clicking and clacking filled the comm channel for half a minute before Schmidt replied. “Yeah, sure do. Two of them.”

“
Shit. When will they make it there?”

More keys clattered. “The
Regency VI
is scheduled to land on Mars in approximately fifty-eight hours. The
Bonny Lad
is due to arrive in about thirteen hours, give or take.”

Alex’s heart skipped a beat. “That’s it. That’s the one they took.”

“
You might be in luck, Agent. The Conybeare Mining Consortium contracted the
Bonny Lad
to deliver a large supply of water to their facility at Hygeia, and that’s where they’re heading right now. Pumping all that water takes time, and then they have to refuel before they can take off for Mars.”

“
So then we can catch them while they’re sitting around occupied with other things.”

“
That’s my thinking.”

Alex’s pulse increased and a spot of light filled his chest. “Alright. I want to lock that place down, but I don’t want to spook them. For now, say nothing. I’m going to leave for Minerva immediately. Schmidt, you’ve been a great help.”

“
Just doing my job, Agent. Just doing my job.”

“
You do it well. I’ll be in touch. Delgado out.” The comm channel had barely closed before he opened another one. “You get all that, Isabel?”