Odd Girl Out

yesterday afternoon. I'm very sorry.'

'Thank you,' Rebekah said. 'Can I please just leave, Lieutenant? All I want to do is leave.'

Bhatami looked again at Bayta. 'You have a place to go?'

'We're going to Earth,' Rebekah said. 'Bayta and Mr. Donaldson have offered to take me to the Tube in their torchyacht.'

'Impossible,' Comet Nose put in before Bhatami could answer. 'Officer Bhatami, that is the car I saw, and those are the Humans. They helped him kill the Human Veldrick.'

'You must be mistaken,' Bhatami said, his tone polite but firm. 'Ms. Beach and her sister are well known in our community. There's no way she would be involved in theft and murder.'

'The evidence will make that decision,' Comet Nose said firmly. 'I am a ranking citizen of the Filiaelian Assembly. You will accommodate my request.'

'Maybe we can meet you halfway,' I suggested. It was about time I stirred up the mud a little. 'Tell us what was stolen.'

Every eye turned to me. 'You will stay silent, murderer,' Comet Nose bit out.

'No, really,' I said. 'You say you saw Rebekah stealing Mr. Veldrick's stuff. What exactly did you see her stealing?'

'Metal boxes,' he said. 'Twenty of them, shaped—'

'Yes, we know it was in boxes,' I interrupted, looking sideways at Bhatami. But he was showing no signs of cutting me off, and his cop's gaze was focused solely on Comet Nose. Apparently, having Rebekah tacitly vouch for me did more for my credibility with the locals than even my Hardin Security card did. 'I want you to tell us what you think was in those boxes.'

'How would I know?' Comet Nose protested.

'Because Veldrick said you were business associates, which implies you must have spent a fair amount of time in his house,' I said. 'Surely you have some idea what he owned that might be worth stealing.'

Comet Nose looked at Bhatami. 'Lieutenant, this is completely improper,' he protested.

'It's certainly irregular,' Bhatami said calmly 'On the other hand, no one murders a man in order to make off with vacation souvenirs. If you can offer a list of Mr. Veldrick's valuables, and if those same items are actually inside those boxes, it would go a long way toward validating your claim.'

'I saw him shoot the Human Veldrick,' Comet Nose insisted, jabbing a finger at me.

'So you've said,' Bhatami agreed. 'And if you're right, the investigators on the scene will find evidence of that. But that will take time.'

Comet Nose's face had gone suddenly very still. 'And?' he prompted ominously.

'And I'm not inclined to hold Ms. Beach without some kind of solid evidence that she's involved in any of this,' Bhatami said. 'Ms. Beach or her property.'

Comet Nose's eyes flicked to Rebekah, then to me, then finally back to Bhatami. He didn't look nearly so self- satisfied now. 'Very well,' he ground out. 'The boxes contain Modhran coral.' He stabbed a finger at the van. 'As do the so-named crates of equipment this Human carries.'

'Really,' Bhatami said, his voice darkening as he looked at me. 'I presume you realize that importation of alien coral and coral-like substances is a class-B felony on Confederation worlds.'

'Yes, and I'm sure Mr. Veldrick knew that, too,' I agreed. 'I can only assume that someone else must have given it to him. Someone from outside the Confederation, probably, who wasn't familiar with all of our laws and import restrictions.'

For a long minute Bhatami locked gazes with me. Then, stirring, he turned back to Rebekah. 'Rebekah, will you tell me what's in the boxes?'

A slightly pained look flicked across Rebekah's face. 'Siris brandy,' she said.

Bhatami blinked. 'Brandy?'

'Yes,' she said, looking even more pained. 'Three hundred bottles of it.'

He pursed his lips. 'I'm afraid that's way beyond personal use limits,' he said regretfully. 'You need an exporter's license to deal in that much alcohol.'

'No problem,' I put in. 'I have a license. We can take it out under my name.'

Bhatami frowned at me. 'I thought you worked security for Hardin Industries.'

'My duties are flexible.'

He gave me a long, speculative look, then turned back to Rebekah. 'What's the brandy for, Rebekah?'

She lowered her gaze. 'Mr. Karim gave it to me. I was hoping I could sell it for enough money to buy my Quadrail ticket to Earth.'

Carefully, I suppressed a frown. A fine story, as far as it went. Certainly New Tigris's home-grown alcoholic beverages had become popular among the galaxy's rich and tipsy. Sold to the right dealer, three hundred bottles of Siris might well have brought in enough for a third-class Quadrail ticket.

The only problem was that there was no reason why the Modhri would knock himself out this way, not to mention murder three people, just to get his hands on a stash of Human liquor.

Which meant Rebekah was lying through her teeth.

The Modhri knew it, too. 'Ridiculous,' Comet Nose spat. 'She carries Modhran coral. I insist you impound it as evidence.'

'You can look for yourself,' Rebekah offered.

Bhatami looked at Comet Nose. 'Thank you, I will,' he said. 'Perhaps you'd care to join us, Isantra Golovek?'

Taking Rebekah's arm again, Bhatami walked her back toward the rear of the car. With only a brief hesitation, Comet Nose followed. I got two steps of my own before the cop on guard-dog duty hauled me to a sharp halt. 'Lieutenant?' I called.

'Yes, bring him, too,' Bhatami ordered over his shoulder.

The cop and I reached the rear of the car just as Rebekah popped open the trunk. I picked myself a spot where I had a view of the boxes and was also within quick-kick range of Comet Nose, just in case. 'You have the keys?' Bhatami asked.

Silently, Rebekah handed them over. Bhatami looked over the boxes a moment, then inserted the key into the rightmost box on the top layer.

There was a teeth-aching screech of metal on metal. 'They're a little rusty,' Rebekah said apologetically. 'Sorry.'

'That's all right.' With careful effort Bhatami managed to turn the key without breaking it, and with a final squeak the lock popped. Removing the key, he lifted the lid.

There, glinting in the soft glow of the trunk light, were eighteen bottles of Siris brandy.

No one spoke. For once, even the Modhri seemed to be at a loss for words. Silently, Bhatami closed the lid and relocked the box. Brushing past Comet Nose, he went to the other end of the trunk and inserted the key into the box one in from the left. With more of the same effort, and more of the metal-on-metal screeching, he got it open.

Inside was another collection of brandy bottles. 'Well?' Bhatami asked, looking at Comet Nose.

'It is there,' Comet Nose insisted.

'Yes, I can tell,' Bhatami said with only a touch of sarcasm. Closing and sealing the box, he moved the middle box of the top layer aside and opened the box directly beneath it. Still more brandy. 'Thank you, Rebekah,' he said, closing and sealing the box and replacing the one he'd moved. 'Were you wanting to leave right now?'

'Yes, as soon as I can,' Rebekah said. 'What about Mr. Donaldson?'

'I'm afraid Mr. Donaldson will have to stay with us for a little longer,' Bhatami said. 'But you and Bayta can go ahead and load your things aboard her torchyacht if you'd like.'

'No!' Comet Nose barked. All the work he'd gone to in order to get his coral and Rebekah's boxes together, and now here they were about to slip out of his grasp. 'I protest! You must not allow her to leave.'

'Hussin, go get a cart from the port building, will you?' Bhatami ordered one of the cops, ignoring the Filly's outburst.

The cop nodded and headed for the building. He might as well not have bothered. The Customs official had been standing by the open door, clearly eavesdropping on the unfolding drama, and as Officer Hussin detached