Daniel paced, straightening up. He was as neat at home as he was untidy at the office. The company shrink would have a field day with that one. After an hour there was a chime and the detective was back on his screen.
'I don't see the transfer in my account yet.'
'I wanted to make sure you could get the stuff. That was a thousand?'
'Fifteen hundred, Einstein.'
'Whatever.' He clicked some commands. 'It should be there.'
He saw Fitzroy glance away, then back. 'Nobody wants to pay their fucking bills.'
'What you got?'
'The only thing in our favor is the unusual first name. There's just a few of them so I could eliminate by age, location, occupation, no possible interest in outdoor adventure- that kind of thing.'
'And?'
'And this is some broad you're stalking, if I got the right one. Fancy name, fancy address. She even looks good on her ident-screen. This the one?'
Raven even took a good license picture. 'That's her. The last name?'
'DeCarlo. Lah-de-dah-dah. De-Carrrr-lo. My, my. I don't think you can afford this one, newbie.'
'She's actually a cheap date.'
'Cost you fifteen hundred this night, Romeo. Listen, I got her number. And her address. You want that?'
'Of course.'
Fitzroy blanked out and the screen flickered with the information. Daniel printed it out and destroyed the file and transmission record. He was in enough hot water for privacy violations already. Paper you could burn, eat, shred. Bytes were forever.
The detective came into view again. 'And the adventure company?' Daniel asked him.
'That one's odd. No open-door web address, no ad, no listed number. Pretty tough to buy from.'
'So I get a refund?'
'You gotta be kidding. I found 'em- through an industrial link to export firms. They've got a keyworded web entry, encryption, a bunch of other bullshit.'
'Export firm? What does that mean?'
'A kink in your romance?'
'You can't kink what you don't have. But maybe this woman is being conned; she thinks it's a vacation outfit. You sure you got the right company?'
Fitzroy laughed. 'If you got the right name. Maybe they put airholes in their shipping containers!'
'Can I get in?'
The detective shook his head. 'The site is invitation only. You need the password, the encrypted entry code, and it's all proprietary. Maybe this broad knows it.' His grin was a leer. 'For fifteen hundred bucks, she'd better know something.'
CHAPTER SIX
'You found me.'
There was no surprise in Raven's voice, no delight, no disapproval. It was rather a flat statement over the vidphone, her face on the monitor displaying a cool perusal of his own. It was as if she'd expected to hear from him again.
'I need to see you.'
'Are you sure that's wise?'
'We need to talk.'
'Why?'
He could accuse her of getting him into trouble at Microcore, but suspected she'd simply hang up. 'It's about this company you said you might go with. Outback Adventure. There's something funny about it.'
Her look was wary. 'What do you mean?'
'It's not even a regular company, I think.'
'You've talked to them?'
'No. But I asked about it and it's not listed in any regular- '
'There's a reason for that.'
'What reason?'
'You have to ask them.'
'I can't even figure out how to reach them.'
'You need a code.'
He was puzzled. 'But that doesn't make sense for a company trying to attract customers.'
'That's not what they're trying to do.'
'They don't need customers?'
'Their customers need them.'
What the hell did that mean? 'Listen, Raven, what do you really know about this outfit?'
'It changes lives, Daniel.'
'How?'
She said nothing.
'Please see me,' he asked again. 'I don't want you to get hurt by signing on with the wrong group.'
'I told you I could take care of myself.'
'Please. I need to talk with you.'
'About what?'
'About…' us, he wanted to say. 'About the Outback.'
She looked at him gravely, evaluating again. 'If you're sure. I thought you didn't like the idea of Australia.'
'You told me I didn't know what I liked.'
'I tried to make you think. Now you've found me. It's happening as it's supposed to. So I'll talk to you again about it, if you insist. But it's your idea, not mine.'
'I've got your address, I could- '
'No.' She shook her head decisively. 'I'll meet you… I'll meet you at Cordoba Mall. A coffee place, Anthony's. I want to explain the situation so you don't make a mistake. Okay?'
It was something. 'Tomorrow at eight?'
'Tomorrow at eight. Bring a sense of adventure.'
He half expected her not to show up. Instead she came and was prettier than ever. Raven was wearing a dark dress with a floral print and gold jewelry set off against her black hair, and the dress caressed her in a way to confirm his speculation about her figure. The effect was a quiet elegance completely at odds with the jumpsuit she'd worn for underground exploring. She was like a woman who'd gone from camping to cocktails. She ordered black coffee, declining his invitation for a light dinner or dessert, and eyed him speculatively. She was subdued, as if undecided about something. Him, he supposed. Her smile was completely false.
'Thanks for coming,' he said politely.
'You must have made an effort to find me,' she observed as the waitress left. 'I didn't leave you much to go on. I didn't think you'd want to see me again and I wanted to give you an excuse not to.'
'Why didn't you think I would want to see you again?'
'I wasn't at my best in the tunnels. I get moody sometimes. I don't blame people if they're put off by it. It's just the way I am. A loner.'
'I wasn't put off. I thought you were interesting. I just wasn't sure you liked me.'
She was saved from having to answer immediately by the arrival of their coffee. She spooned some sugar into hers, stirring it thoughtfully, and then looked up at him. 'I like you, Daniel,' she finally allowed. 'But it makes me
