Jack shook his head again. 'I can just hear what Uncle Virge would have to say about this.'
'I can imagine that, as well,' Draycos said. 'But the question is what you have to say.'
Jack sighed. 'The Orion Arm's a big place,' he said. 'Even Cornelius Braxton must have better things to do than track down some punk-nosed kid who messed up on him. Sure, let's give it a shot.'
Draycos ducked his head. 'I am proud of you, Jack,' he said. 'Though you are only a boy, you have the spirit of a K'da warrior.'
'Yeah, well, let's hope that spirit doesn't get permanently separated from the rest of me tonight,' Jack said sourly, looking at his watch. 'It's after eleven. I guess we'd better start getting ready.'
The Essenay, he knew, would be waiting at the rendezvous point on Aldershot by now. Dimly, he wondered what Uncle Virge would do when he simply vanished.
Chapter 20
The purser's office was set to close at midnight. Jack got there at exactly five minutes till.
The purser and his two assistants were in the process of closing up for the night as Jack stepped in through the door. 'Oh, wait a minute,' he called, putting a little pleading into his voice. 'Please? Am I too late to put something else in the safe?'
'Not at all, young sir,' the purser assured him, coming over to the counter. 'Your uncle remembered something else?'
'Yeah.' Jack shook his head. 'He is so absentminded sometimes.'
'No problem,' the purser said. 'Come on back.'
He opened the counter section and walked Jack to the back. Again making sure Jack couldn't see the keypad, he opened the vault. 'You have your key?'
'Right here,' Jack said, pulling out the key and an expensive-looking jewelry case. Like the data tube he'd put in earlier, he'd bought the jewelry case at one of the liner's gift shops. But of course the purser wouldn't know that. 'I really appreciate this.'
'Not a problem,' the purser said, finishing the combination and pulling open the safe door.
Jack stepped inside and opened Box 48. Laying the jewelry case carefully inside, he closed and locked the box again. 'That it?' the purser asked as Jack stepped out of the vault.
'Yes, thank you,' Jack said, pausing right by the edge of the door.
Now came the tricky part. Cupping his right hand around the cuff link he was palming, he threw a quick look at each of the purser's assistants. Busy with their computers, neither was looking his direction.
'Watch yourself,' the purser warned. Leaning his weight against the door, he started to push it closed.
'I'm okay,' Jack said, glancing sideways at the hidden security cameras over the office door. They could be more of a problem, but it didn't look like either of them would have a clear view, either.
The door swung almost closed; and with a sudden twitch of his right wrist, Jack sent the cufflink he was holding clattering onto the floor toward the counter. 'Blast!' he said.
It was probably the oldest distraction in the universe. But as Uncle Virgil had been fond of pointing out, the old tricks got old precisely because they worked. Even as he continued pushing the vault door closed, the purser's eyes automatically went to the cuff link bouncing across his floor.
And as Jack threw up his hands in a gesture of frustration, his left hand dipped for a split-second behind the nearly closed door.
Draycos was ready. With a brief tug of weight, he shot out of Jack's sleeve through the gap and into the safe.
Jack's arms continued their upward swing, his left hand moving clear of the vault door just as it slammed shut with a muffled thud. 'Darn it all, anyway,' Jack growled, chasing after the cufflink. 'I am forever losing that thing.'
'Let me see it,' the purser offered as Jack caught up with the cufflink and picked it up. 'Maybe it can be fixed.'
'I don't know how anyone could,' Jack said, handing it over. He didn't know if the man was suspicious or just trying to be helpful, but it didn't matter. Uncle Virgil had long ago taught him to watch the details, and he'd made sure to carefully break the cuff link. 'See how this connector piece flops around?'
'Yes, I see,' the purser agreed, twisting it back and forth. 'We do have a licensed jeweler aboard, in Gantor Gems down on Deck 17. She may be able to fix it for you.'
'That's a good idea,' Jack said as the man handed back the cuff link. 'Maybe I'll go see her tomorrow. Thanks.'
'You're welcome,' the purser said, ushering him through the counter opening and out the door. 'Have a good night.'
Well, a busy night, anyway, Jack told himself as he left the office and headed back down the corridor. First stop would be back to their stateroom for a change of clothing, including the thin plastic gloves he always carried in a hidden pocket in his jacket, and to pick up the rest of the props for the night's performance. He just hoped Draycos would remember the instructions he'd given him for working that emergency release lever.
He also hoped the dragon wasn't claustrophobic.
He had to walk past the monitor room a half dozen times before the area was clear enough for him to sneak into the service hallway without being seen. He got the electrical room door open, slipped inside, and started work on the air vent grill—
He had it halfway off when there was a sudden commotion outside his door. He froze, crouched by the vent, sure that he'd been spotted and that the jig was up.
