Heart Fortune

Bayrum—was there.”

Nine

He dropped stuff at the bottom of the girder.” One meaty hand offered a hawkcel’s feather, a small specialized-looking knife, some leather scraps, and a partially tooled leather pouch.

Glyssa’s breath caught. She had a finely tooled and engraved wallet that Jace had made with his creative Flair.

“I didn’t drug or hurt either of these two. I didn’t steal any box. I didn’t do it. I’m innocent,” Jace snapped as he straightened tall. “I left the pouch and scraps in the workshop tent. Someone is deliberately implicating me.”

“These are serious charges,” Del said.

Her husband nodded. “That they are. Andic Sanicle, you went down with Jace yesterday to survey that first room with a viz recorder. Will you do so again, now?”

Andic cocked a brow at Jace, more in doubt at his protestation of innocence than backing him up, Glyssa thought. Without a word Andic took out another recording sphere from his pocket, clambered down the angle of the girder into the ship, stayed only a couple of minutes, and returned. He handed the new sphere to Del Elecampane, shaking his head. “Someone’s been down there, all right. Smears of footprints. And at least one smaller box is missing.”

“It wasn’t me,” Jace insisted.

Glyssa stared at him and when he met her eyes, she raised her brows. He shook his head. Even under these circumstances he didn’t want to acknowledge their relationship. She opened her mouth to say he’d been with her—and he had, in dreams, connecting even in sleep now and then throughout the night, but he scowled. She backed off. For now. She would have to say something, despite Jace, but not in public.

I can solve this mystery, Shunuk, Del D’Elecampane’s FoxFam said, projecting telepathy loudly enough that those with pretty good Flair could hear him. I know all here. I will use my superior nose to identify the culprit. He pointed that nose at Lepid and lifted the skin of his upper muzzle to show teeth in a sneer.

Lepid yipped beside her, sitting but wiggling his butt. MY NOSE IS BETTER THAN YOURS. From the gasps of people around her, more could hear Lepid than Shunuk. Glyssa had been told that with each younger generation of Fams, their telepathy and Flair got better. Just as humans.

Del D’Elecampane’s fox sneered at Lepid. Can’t be.

Lepid growled, his expression angry. I could not smell the intruders. You won’t be able to, either.

We will see. The older fox trotted the short distance to the hole, sniffed lustily, yipped and hopped away so fast he turned top over tail in a somersault.

“What is it?” Del demanded.

Sitting paws over nose, Shunuk broadcast loudly. Someone or someones put nasty, hurt-nose- smell around the hole! Can’t smell! Bad!

“Huh.” Del walked over to where her Fam had sniffed, crouched down and sifted some of the soft dirt into her hands, frowning. “Looks like some kind of chili pepper to me.”

“That would frustrate Fam noses,” said the female Healer.

Del stood, hands on hips. “I don’t want to stop our project.” Her face hardened as she scanned the camp, eyes flinty. “Nor do I want to call in an expert such as the tracker Straif T’Blackthorn or one of his sons.”

A few people gasped. Glyssa wondered if the perpetrator was one of them. The initial shock was dissipating, Glyssa’s temper went on a slow simmer. Her HeartMate had been falsely accused!

“I—” she started.

Zem screeched. People shifted, Jace struggled in the grip of his captors. Glyssa looked around, saw the fluttering BirdFam on the ground where he’d fallen from Jace’s shoulder.

“Watch out!” she ordered, moving over and picking him up, going close enough to Jace that she could smell the scent of him. Still unsmiling, jaw flexing, he nodded to her as she set Zem back on his shoulder.

Another teetery balance and flapping wings and the hawkcel settled, turned his colorful head to stare at the Elecampanes. I was with my FamMan all night. Zem snicked his beak. He was restless.

A flush tinged Jace’s cheeks.

Del looked down at her fox, Shunuk. “Fams have been known to lie.”

I do not lie. Zem extended his wings and cawed.

“Nor do—” Glyssa started, caught Jace’s furious gaze. She frowned back at him, compressing her lips.

Raz Cherry Elecampane picked up his own FamCat, set her on his shoulder and petted her. “I am willing to reserve my opinion at this moment since I recall seeing the craft items on one of the workshop tent’s tables.”

“Not the knife,” Del said. “He doesn’t leave his tools there. Nobody smart does.”

“Are we sure it’s his knife?” Raz stroked his FamCat.

“I keep my tools in my tent.” An ironic smile twitched on and off Jace’s face. His shoulders had stiffened and he avoided looking at Glyssa. “But I have a simple security spell on the tent, like most of us.”

The Elecampanes linked hands, and when they spoke, it was in unison and pumping enough Flair into the atmosphere around them that brilliant auras surrounded them. “We will not tolerate theft during this excavation. When we find the culprit who removed the box, we will file charges and ship him back to Druida City to stand trial.”

Del D’Elecampane stated, “I’ve already sent a mental notice to Straif T’Blackthorn alerting the FirstFamilies of this theft.” Her lips curled, then she added, “Those nobles will ensure all of Druida City knows that any ‘found’ colonist antiques must be scrutinized and the origin proven beyond any doubt.”

Her stare swept the tense crew, fixed on Jace. “I repeat, whoever stole from us—from all of us, since we all have a stake in this venture—will certainly pay. Let Jace loose. GentleSir Bayrum, please bring your tool kit to our pavilion.” The Elecampane couple turned and strode away, Shunuk FoxFam trotted beside them, sneezing and whining.

Glyssa knew she shouldn’t approach Jace, but couldn’t help herself, especially since the rest of the staff scattered, no one coming near him.

She kept pace with his angry stride, reached out to touch his arm, let her hand drop when he snarled at her. “Keep out of my business, Glyssa. Let me handle this. I can take care of myself.”

She stopped, gulped. Anger for him transformed into anger at him and she flushed with heat, fisted her hands. He yet ignored her.

Too bad.

She turned on her heel and caught up with the Elecampanes. The owners were also being given a wide berth by everyone else. Lepid followed her, though at a greater distance, watching the waving tail of the older fox.

“This is not going to help morale,” Raz Cherry T’Elecampane said.

“We should have anticipated this more than we did,” Del D’Elecampane said.

“We have plans,” Raz soothed. “We found an entrance to the ship sooner than we’d expected. Time to implement higher security.”

Glyssa heard Del’s teeth grind. “At considerable cost.”

“We are on budget. But perhaps it is time to offer shares to our crew.”

Del grunted. “Get them more invested in the project.” Her nostrils widened. “Turn everyone into a spy on everyone else. I hate that.”

“We’ll figure something out. Maybe it’s time to present another tension-releasing concert or play.”

Del laughed shortly, elbowed her mate in the ribs.

“That’s your first response to bad morale.” Her mouth thinned. “But I want justice.”