Cetaganda

'Outright lies to him?' Ivan completed sweetly.

Miles grimaced, but did not deny it. 'Look, I have an access in this matter that no other ImpSec officer could, due to my social position. I don't want to see the opportunity wasted. But it also limits me—I can't get at the routine legwork, the down-and-dirty details I need, I'm too conspicuous. I have to play to my own strengths, and get others to play to my weaknesses.'

Ivan sighed. 'All right. I'll talk to him. Just this once.' With a tired grunt, he heaved himself out of his chair, and wandered toward the door. He looked back over his shoulder. 'The trouble, coz, with your playing the spider in the center of this web, pulling all the strings, is that sooner or later all the interested parties are going to converge back along those strings to you. You do realize that, don't you? And what are you going to do then, O Mastermind?' He bowed himself out with all-too-effective irony.

Miles hunched down in his station chair, and groaned, and keyed up his list again.

The next morning, Ambassador Vorob'yev was called away from what was becoming his customary breakfast with Barrayar's young envoys in his private dining room. By the time he returned, Miles and Ivan had finished eating.

The ambassador did not sit down again, but instead favored Miles with a bemused look. 'Lord Vorkosigan. You have an unusual visitor.'

Miles's heart leapt. Rian, here? Impossible . . . His mind did a quick involuntary review of his undress greens, yes, his insignia were on straight, his fly was fastened—'Who, sir?'

'Ghem-colonel Dag Benin, of Cetagandan Imperial Security. He is an officer of middle rank assigned to internal affairs at the Celestial Garden, and he wants to speak privately with you.'

Miles tried not to hyperventilate. What's gone wrong . . . ?Maybe nothing, yet. Calm down. 'Did he say what about?'

'It seems he was ordered to investigate the suicide of that poor ba-slave the other day. And your, ah, erratic movements brought you to his negative attention. I thought you'd come to regret getting out of line.'

'And . . . am I to talk to him, then?'

'We have decided to extend that courtesy, yes. We've shown him to one of the small parlors on the ground floor. It is, of course, monitored. You'll have an embassy bodyguard present. I don't suspect Benin of harboring any murderous intentions, it will merely be a reminder of your status.'

We have decided. So Colonel Vorreedi, whom Miles still had not met, and probably Vorob'yev too, would be listening to every word. Oh, shit. 'Very good, sir.' Miles stood, and followed the ambassador. Ivan watched him go with the suffused expression of a man anticipating the imminent arrival of some unpleasant form of cosmic justice.

The small parlor was exactly that, a comfortably furnished room intended for private tete-a-tetes between two or three persons, with the embassy security staff as an invisible fourth. Ghem-Colonel Benin apparently had no objection to anything he had to say being recorded. A Barrayaran guard, standing outside the door, swung in behind Miles and the ambassador as they entered, and took up his post stolidly and silently. He was tall and husky even for a Barrayaran, with a remarkably blank face. He wore a senior sergeant's tabs, and insignia of commando corps, by which Miles deduced that the low-wattage expression was a put-on.

Ghem-Colonel Benin, waiting for them, rose politely as they entered. He was of no more than middle stature, so probably not over-stocked with haut-genes in his recent ancestry—the haut favored height. He had likely acquired his present post by merit rather than social rank, then, not necessarily a plus from Miles's point of view. Benin was very trim in the dark red Cetagandan dress uniform that was everyday garb for security staff in the Celestial Garden. He wore, of course, full formal face paint in the Imperial pattern rather than that of his clan, marking his primary allegiance; a white base with intricate black curves and red accents that Miles thought of as the bleeding-zebra look. But by association, it was a pattern that would command instant and profound respect and total, abject cooperation on eight planets. Barrayar, of course, was not one of them.

Miles tried to judge the face beneath the paint. Neither youthful and inexperienced nor aged and sly, Benin appeared to be a bit over forty-standard, young for his rank but not unusually so. The default expression of the face seemed to be one of attentive seriousness, though he managed a brief polite smile when Vorob'yev introduced him to Miles, and a brief relieved smile when Vorob'yev left them alone together.

'Good morning, Lord Vorkosigan,' Benin began. Clearly well trained in the social arena, he managed to keep his glance at Miles s physique limited to one quick covert summation. 'Did your ambassador explain to you why I am here?'

'Yes, Colonel Benin. I understand you were assigned to investigate the death of that poor fellow— if fellow is the right term—we saw so shockingly laid out on the floor of the rotunda the other day.' The best defense is a good offense. 'Did you finally decide it was a suicide?'

Benin's eyes narrowed. 'Obviously.' But an odd timbre in his voice undercut the statement.

'Well, yes, it was obvious from the exsanguination that the Ba died on the spot, rather than having its throat cut elsewhere and the body transported. But it has occurred to me that if the autopsy showed the Ba was stunned unconscious when it died, it would rather rule out suicide. It's a subtle test—the shock of death tends to cover the shock of stunning—but you can find the traces if you're looking. Was such a test done, do you know?'

'No.'

Miles was not sure if he meant it wasn't done, or—no, Benin had to know. 'Why not? If I were you, it's the first test I'd ask for. Can you get it done now? Though two days late is not ideal.'

'The autopsy is over. The Ba has been cremated,' Benin stated flatly.

'What, already? Before the case was closed? Who ordered that? Not you, surely.'

'Not—Lord Vorkosigan, this is not your concern. This is not what I came to talk with you about,' Benin said stiffly, then paused. 'Why this morbid interest in the Celestial Lady's late servant?'

'I thought it was the most interesting thing I'd seen since I came to Eta Ceta. It's in my line, you see. I've done civil security cases at home. Murder investigations—' well, one, anyway, 'successfully, I might add.' Yes, what was this Cetagandan officer's experience in such things? The Celestial Garden was such a well-ordered place. 'Does this sort of thing happen here often?'

'No.' Benin stared at Miles with intensified interest.

So the man might be well read, but lacked hands-on experience, at least since he'd been promoted to this post. He was damned quick at catching nuances, though. 'It seems awfully premature to me, to cremate the victim before the case is closed. There are always late-occurring questions.'

'I assure you, Lord Vorkosigan, Ba Lura was not carried unconscious into the funeral rotunda, dead or alive. Even the ceremonial guards would have noticed that.' Did the slight spin on his tone hint that perhaps the ceremonial guards were chosen for beauty rather than brains?

'Well, actually, I had a theory,' Miles burbled on enthusiastically. 'You're just the man to confirm or disprove it for me, too. Has anyone testified noticing the Ba enter the rotunda?'

'Not exactly.'

'Ah? Yes, and the spot where it lay dead—I don't know what kind of vid coverage you have of the building, but that area had to have been occluded. Or it could not have been, what, fifteen, twenty minutes before the body was discovered, right?'

Another thoughtful stare. 'You are correct, Lord Vorkosigan. Normally, the entire rotunda is within visual scan, but because of the height and width of the catafalque, two—well, there is some blockage.'

'Ah, ha! So how did the Ba know exactly—no, let me rephrase that. Who all could have known about the blind spot at the late Empress's feet? Your own security, and who else? Just how high up did your orders come down from, Colonel Benin? Are you by chance under pressure from above to deliver a quick confirmation of suicide and close your case?'

Benin twitched. 'A quick conclusion to this vile interruption of a most solemn occasion is certainly desirable. I desire it as ardently as anyone else. Which brings me to my questions for you, Lord Vorkosigan. If I may be permitted!'

'Oh. Certainly.' Miles paused, then added, just as Benin opened his mouth, 'Are you doing this on your own time, then? I admire your dedication.'