Past Tense Read online

  Chapter Five

  Queasy did not even begin to describe Mayden's situation. "That was a rough jump."

  She was holding their course as the jump ship disgorged them. Esur and Harusk were shaking their heads to clear them and Finder was out cold.

  "Frost, wake your partner, will you? I don't know where I am going." She read a few of the coordinates off the programmed course settings and checked them with the computer. They were on course for Finiar, but the rippling of space behind them as the jump ship disappeared was mucking with the steering.

  A grinning Frost filled his hands with snow and pressed it to Finder's face. Her yelp and unladylike cursing had the rest of the occupants of the shuttle laughing.

  "Fine. Finiar, course laid in. Pete, feel free to go hurl, you look horrible."

  Mayden could feel the deep circles around her eyes and sensed the green cast to her skin. "Do I have time for a nap?"

  "We have six hours. This is one big system."

  Relieved, she unbuckled and headed for the large common area, flipping one of the bunks out of the wall and rolling into it with practiced ease. Hovering between sleeping and wakefulness, she didn't bother complaining when Harusk curled up next to her. His wing curved over her, keeping her warm in a cocoon scented of masculine Drai.

  It was the most restful nap she could recall in her life. Warm, safe and sheltered from noise or contact, she could ignore the fact that Finder and Frost had defiled the bunk they were on at some time in the past, in favour of enjoying her feeling of soft serenity.

  She was still hungry, but the rest did her a world of good. When she finally woke, she was refreshed and ready to take on her assignment.

  "You are awake?" Harusk's whisper ruffled the hair at her temple and she shivered in reaction.

  "Yes."

  "There is tea and some soup for you. Will you get up?"

  She nodded and he lifted his wing to let the world in again. Her back was warmed by his chest and thighs and she missed the heat as she tugged her robes loose and sat up, tumbling her hair into a tangled wave down her back.

  He rolled free of the bunk, holding his hand out to help her to her feet. Silently, she took the offered assistance and let him lead her to the table. A carafe of tea and a covered bowl waited for her.

  "Aren't you going to eat?" The soup had been created by the talented creature who created her lunch, one mouthful and she was in heaven.

  "No. I am not recovering from weeks in a tank." He smiled and poured her a mug of tea.

  She scowled but slurped her soup down with relish.

  "Twenty minutes until landing, folks. Pete, comb your hair, you look like you and Midnight were doing more than napping."

  "Do the Finiar associate tousled hair with sex?"

  "I have no idea, but Frost does and he has been waggling his eyebrows at me for the better part of two hours."

  "Are you just trying to loosen my tension before my first assignment?'

  "Um…yes. We can go with that." Finder was talking over her shoulder and her tone was as dry as the deserts of a scorched world.

  Past Tense sat quietly, sipping her tea and preparing for her debut as an altered human in the position of Guardsman with Drai and another human on a foreign world. She had been a reader for the Citadel for years, now it was time for another branch of the same service.

  How could she ever have guessed that her strange hobby for collecting the most interesting coin based on the story it told her would have led her down the path to outer space?

  "We are approaching our destination. Pete, please take the navigator station." Finder's voice was all business. It made for a peculiar change from her normally impish tone.

  "Past Tense reporting for duty." She slid into the navigator's chair, ignoring the hot trails of interest left behind by Frost. Frost and Finder may have met in arranged circumstances, but their attraction steamed between them whenever they were within three feet of each other.

  "Take the helm while I contact the Finiar government. The coordinates are on the display, but we are waiting for a beacon to take us through the shield."

  "Will do. Assuming controls." She kept to the same calm tones that Finder was using and as the senior Guardsman contacted their destination, she followed the coordinates to the letter. The long arc of their atmospheric entry was a little tiring for Pete, but she brought their shuttle down precisely in the courtyard in front of the investigating officers who had requested their aid.

  "Atmospheric check indicates tolerable levels for the Terrans and, of course, the Drai can breathe anything." Finder muttered to them as she verified that they would be able to breathe the air.

  "The Drai can hear you."

  "Good. No need for a hearing check. Come along. Time for a united front." Finder straightened her hair with light pats and she smoothed her skin-tight uniform as if making sure it was still on.

  Raising her eyebrows at Midnight, Pete shook out her loose outer robe and checked to make sure that it wasn't tucked into her uniform anywhere. Her hair was a tidy ponytail, provided by the lavatory drawer and combed into place by Harusk. With his hair so long, it was no wonder that he had such a facility with hers.

  Finder got out first, Frost behind her. Past Tense left the shuttle behind them with Midnight on her heels.

  Finder was already in conversation with the small lavender officer in the smart fuchsia uniform.

  "Captain Calsh, this is Past Tense and Midnight. Past Tense is a reader of the highest calibre and has offered her services to Teklan Base." Finder didn't explain what Midnight was. The Drai were mythical but well known.

  "Pleased to meet you. I have been holding the most recent crime scene for you."

  "Excellent. Please take us to it. The fresher the scene, the brighter the emotions." She kept her tone low and precise, her Alliance Common only mildly tainted by her Terran accent.

  Captain Calsh looked up to all of the newcomers, his four-and-a-half-feet height bringing him only waist high on the intimidating Drai.

  Finder and Frost dropped behind and Past Tense and Midnight took point behind the smaller captain. They got on a group skimmer and were zipping through the air of Finiar Twelve in moments.

  The large manor house that had doorways that barely let the Terrans through the frames was under full guard. Past Tense followed the captain as if Midnight was not behind her, ducking nearly in half, the tips of his wings tugging at her robes with the forward tilt.

  "The victim was discovered in his study. There had been a formal function in his home and the governor's wife discovered his death. She brought the guests and servants in his household with a scream and as soon as we were called in, we sealed the area. By that point, the royal family realized that someone was after them and called you."

  "Is this the room?" Heavy vibrations were coming through the walls and she kept her hands buried under her robes.

  "Yes, I can show you--"

  "I will know where he died. Just give me a few minutes alone. Midnight will guard the door." Past Tense kept her hands confined until they were alone in the room, then she started touching every surface of the room that was unlikely to have been trampled by the inrushing crowd.

  After a light assessment of the walls and a short caress of the desktop, she found what she was looking for. "Captain Calsh, I have a question."

  Finder and Frost were blocking the door, but they let the smaller law officer through to answer Past Tense's question.

  "Yes, Guardsman?"

  "Who dragged the victim in here? He didn't die in this room." She stood next to Midnight and folded her hands together.

  "What? How can you be sure?"

  "It is what I do. His dead body was dragged here by the husband he was cuckolding." She carefully didn't mention that it had been the governor's wife that the victim had been with and that the governor had been the man to move the body.

  "I was unaware of that move. Where did he actually die?" The calm demeanour with which he acc
epted the news gave Past Tense the urge to touch him and find out what he was hiding.

  "I was unable to determine that from the residue left where his head knocked into the desk as he was dropped to the ground. I do know that it was on this floor, but I will have to search room by room for the actual location. Is that acceptable for your investigation?"

  "It is. You have full access to any rooms in this house and have free reign." Calsh nodded. "I will clear my officers out of the halls and lock down this floor. Would that help?"

  "If they touch as few surfaces as possible, that would help immensely." She nodded and noted that Finder was letting her run this portion of the investigation. Frost and Midnight were simply trying not to scrape the ceilings of the hallways.

  It took less than three minutes to clear the floor and then came the exhausting part for Past Tense. Room by room, she walked along with her trailing companions watching out for danger at any turn. In one of the guestrooms, she finally found the spot on which their victim had met his last moment.

  "This is where he died." She was absolutely certain of it. "Is there any manifest for this room, Finder?"

  Finder's eyes closed and her lids rapidly flickered. "No manifest was taken of this room. There are only three items missing based on logic and standard accoutrements of a Finiar bedroom."

  "What is missing?"

  Finder opened her eyes. "One pillow, a household idol and a drawer pull off the far wardrobe on the left."

  "Excellent, let's start with the pillow." More traces of the governor's wife on the bedding, but she and the victim had not consummated their attraction. His body had been on the bedding when disaster struck.

  Past Tense jerked her hand back as death rippled through her system. "This was where he died. The pillow was removed in case of genetic residue giving the identity of the companion who was with him."

  "There was someone with him?" Finder gave Frost a significant look.

  "Yes." Past Tense trailed off as she touched the spot on the wardrobe where the handle had been wrenched off. Scars on the wood told her that it had been removed with force, and someone had tossed the handle to the side. She bit her lip slightly as she scowled at the identity of the person who had hidden inside the cupboard.

  She was so surprised by the nature of the reason for the hiding that she muttered out loud. "This isn't good."

  "What?" Midnight was hovering behind her on alert in a moment.

  "I will tell you when I have concluded my assessment. Pardon my outburst." As her hands touched the inside of the wardrobe, she grimaced at the details of the evening that had led to two witnesses to the murder of their victim.

  The governor had been hiding in the wardrobe, watching his wife seduce their victim. Past Tense refused to let her mind give him a name. It would interfere with her ability to separate herself from their investigation. "I only have one more place to check and then we can adjourn to a meeting room to discuss my findings. We may have to tread lightly. This could get political."

  She ran her fingers along the surface of the dresser and her knees buckled in shock. Midnight grabbed her and helped her to her feet. "What was that?"

  "We can go now. I have what I needed." She held onto his arms until she was able to stand on her own.

  "Pete?" Finder's voice came from the doorway--the concern was palpable.

  "I am fine. We can leave and find a conference room that the men can sit in."

  Pulling her Citadel training around her, she led the way out of the room and down the hall. The moment they were free of the building, Midnight stretched his wings with Frost following the moment he was out.

  "That must have been a little tight for you." She said it in a quiet tone.

  "It is a side effect of dealing with smaller races. I was used to it and will get used to it again." He smiled and curled a wing around her as a blast of wind threatened to knock her over. "This would be an amazing place to fly. Fighting that wind would be exhilarating."

  "What is it like to fly like that? Without a shuttle around you?" She was genuinely curious and it must have shown.

  "It is a true freedom, battling the skies for altitude and fighting the wind for control."

  "Sounds violent."

  "It's a traditional way for Drai males to burn off steam, engage in male bonding and flirt with females on the ground." He smiled down at her with more than light flirtation in his eyes.

  She was working up a reply for him when the captain joined them and they returned to the skimmer. Their group was silent as they flew to the police headquarters.

  "I have a conference room that will be suitable for this discussion. It is secure and has no recording devices nearby." Captain Calsh escorted them through halls that had been built to a slightly larger scale than those at the manor house and the Drai could walk straight and tall, though their wings were folded tightly.

  When they got to the conference room, Past Tense did a quick scan of the room and confirmed that they would not be overheard.

  Finder nodded, "Past Tense, will you share your findings?"

  Pete smiled grimly. "Our victim was killed in the bedroom, he was not alone, there are two witnesses and they are both innocent."

  Captain Calsh stood up straight, "What?"

  "Oh and he was killed by a remote triggered in a fertility goddess statue."

  The entire room yelled as one. "What?"

  Chapter Six

  "Let me start at the beginning." She stood in front of Midnight, letting him frame her as she spoke. Having him at her back gave her a feeling of security.

  "Please. We have been scratching our heads as to how these murders came about. How can the witnesses not be involved?"

  "Captain, we have a case where the statue was the catalyst for the murder and there just happened to be two witnesses. There is one little problem about the witnesses, it is the governor and his wife."

  Jaws opened around the room, so she continued. "The governor likes to hide in wardrobes and watch his wife through the keyhole with other men. He saw the entire thing. He was also the one who moved the body and took the pillow his wife had been using as a headrest."

  Calsh nodded. "And that is why he was found in the study."

  "Precisely. When the murder happened, the governor flew out of the wardrobe, ripping the missing handle off in the process. Thanks for that tip by the way, Finder."

  She shrugged. "It's what I do. What was the missing icon?"

  "A fertility goddess. Something in her structure sticks to the man caressing her and then a lightning strike occurs. That is all I know, since the statue itself was missing and I didn't see the body. I saw through the governor's eyes his wife and the flash of light. The statue left a darkness where it sat tainted with lust. If we can find the icon, I can tell you who the killer is, but if not, we will have to go back to the first scene of the crime."

  Calsh looked confused. "Why the first one?"

  "Because the killer struck in the bedroom. All of the other deaths seemed to have occurred in other rooms of the house. The first one seems to be the tipping point, where the statue was planted the first time."

  He looked pleased but unsure. "Are you sure?"

  Honesty was always her policy. "No. Not until I get my hands on that statuette."

  "Then I will make arrangements for you to go to the first crime scene. Please excuse me." The captain left the conference room and Past Tense collapsed on the floor butt first.

  "Pete! What is it?" Finder was at her side in a moment, Midnight was supporting her and he answered.

  "She is still weak. She was supposed to have a few days to rest after the tank. Her body is adjusting and there has not been time enough to keep her watered and properly fed, let alone enough sleep to satisfy the doctor's requirements." He brushed a few strands of hair off her forehead.

  "That and touching the point of death did wonders on my kneecaps, I can assure you." Her head was spinning and she clung to Midnight like a barnacle. He was the only
stable thing in her rotating senses.

  "Will you be able to do more?" Frost looked surprisingly concerned.

  "I will. I need to get some soup or something from the ship. That or some food. I have not had a solid meal in close to four weeks. My body knows it even if my brain isn't complaining." She smiled weakly.

  A noise at the door had Midnight lifting her to her feet and wrapping a tight arm around her waist to maintain her posture. Past Tense straightened her shoulders, giving the impression of being alert and attentive as the captain returned.

  "We have permission to visit the first scene. The family has been avoiding the room, so it should be relatively free of contamination." He seemed to understand the basic motivation of psychometrics, the radiating residue left behind by living beings on everything they touched.

  "Will it be possible to have us returned to our shuttle after we review the first crime scene?" She tried to keep her tone calm, but she was hanging on by a thread. Past Tense was about to become Passed Out.

  Midnight's arm remained firm around her waist and though the captain looked at it, he didn't comment.

  "Yes, of course."

  "Thank you. We will only need a few hours to refresh ourselves. We should be able to continue the investigation immediately after that." Finder filled in the subtext of their request. "Finiar food does not agree with us."

  He suddenly understood. "Of course. Of course. Not a problem. Now, we can be on our way."

  With his four arms swinging with every stride, he trooped them back out to the skimmer for their trip to the first crime scene.

  Finder sidled up to her. "Why are we doing this again?"

  "I am betting that the first crime was a learning experience, that the killer used it to figure out what needed to be done."

  "Gotcha. This one has a fairly extensive inventory. The family made sure of it." Finder's lids flicked rapidly for a moment. "I will be able to identify any discrepancies immediately. It will narrow down the amount of items you have to investigate."