Ultimate Nyssa Glass by H. Burke (ebook reader browser txt) 📗

“I pawned everything of value to pay for this trip. If I don’t close this case, I’m ruined.” She leaned closer. “That said, I don’t need to arrest Miss Glass. I just need to solve the murder. You said it was a long story. Now is the perfect time to tell it. If Miss Glass didn’t kill her employer, who did?”

“A man who was after my father’s research and who later tried to kill Nyssa in front of me. He’s dead. If you’re honestly looking for justice, it has already been delivered.”

“What research? Who is your father?” She raised her eyebrows.

Ellis pushed his hair back from his forehead. Well, Ellis, you have been meaning to claim the name, anyway. Might as well get used to saying it. “My father was Professor Ephraim Dalhart, the man behind the invention of the videophone and half of the partnership of Dalhart and Rivera, Incorporated. He was ridiculously wealthy, inhumanly intelligent, and incurably insane. The man who killed Nyssa’s employer blackmailed her into breaking into my father’s laboratory and finding his research. Instead she found me.”

“Found you what? Were you lost?” O’Hara leaned against the door frame.

“My father was experimenting with ways to combine human and electronic elements … and this is the part you aren’t going to believe.” Ellis paused for a moment to consider his words then said in a rush, “My dad hooked me to the computer systems of the house, used his knowledge to combine my thought patterns with computer technology and keep me prisoner. He prevented my consciousness from accessing my human memories, made me believe that I was nothing more than an advanced artificial intelligence, and kept me that way until he died.”

“So you … you were a computer?”

“For three years, yes. Then Nyss found and freed me. That’s why I’m telling you this. You have to understand who she is and how I know she wouldn’t just run off.” He shut his eyes. “The time I spent like that is blurry now, almost like a nightmare I can’t quite remember … a nightmare Nyss woke me from. I know you think you’re chasing a murderer, but you’re not. You’re after my guardian angel, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure she comes home safe and sound.”

“Do you have proof of any of this?” O’Hara asked, her voice tight.

Ellis opened his eyes. “Not on hand, but I’ve been in contact with my family’s lawyer for a few months now for two purposes: one, to be certain that if I did decide to resurface as myself, my father’s estate would be intact, and two, in order to look into Nyssa’s case. He can verify my identity and the circumstances behind my leaving New Taured.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Does she know about the lawyer looking into her case?”

“No, I hadn’t told her quite yet.” He cleared his throat.I meant to, after she accepted my proposal, to give us something else to celebrate. “Honestly, I’m surprised the police weren’t investigating my father. He was behind a great number of missing persons cases, unfortunately, my own included.”

O’Hara rubbed her hands together, her chin dropping towards her chest. “There … there actually are some files on the Dalhart disappearances. It’s not an open case, not really, not enough evidence and … let’s just say there was political pressure to let them lie, but the name is familiar to me.”

“Really?” Ellis tilted his head. “Myself, my father, and my father’s staff—two dozen people—disappeared over the course of three years, and the New Taured police department is more interested in tracking down a teenage girl who may or may not have killed a single shop owner. I mean, every life is precious, but the numbers are off.”

“Like I said, political pressure. Your family name carries weight.”

“I’m the only one who still carries the name, though.” A thought sparked in Ellis’s head. Myself and the company … Dalhart and Rivera, Incorporated. Rivera was behind Nyssa’s framing. Of course … But what does he want from her now? Revenge because she didn’t get him what she wanted? Or does he think she did get what he wanted? Blast, I need to find her before he realizes she doesn’t have it. “Look, I have a lot to do, and I’m sure the captain has cleared us to disembark by now.”

“I can help you.” She stepped towards him, her eyes brightening. “Catching Nyssa Glass might save my career, but it wouldn’t advance it. However, if I could solve the Dalhart disappearances, I’d be up for commendation and promotion!”

“Great for you. I’m not sure what’s in it for me, though.”

“The badge opens a lot of doors.”

Ellis eyed her. Zeppelin tickets, dinner at a fine establishment, and the time off to pursue a fugitive her superiors really don’t care if she catches. There’s something else going on here … but keep your friends close and your enemies closer. At least if she’s with me, I know she’s not after Nyss.

He gave a slow nod. “All right. We can work together for now.”

She grinned. “What’s our first move?”

“I’m going to do what any intelligent individual would when confronted by the police: I’m going to talk to my lawyer.”

***

The clanging of an alarm clock woke Nyssa from a restless sleep. She sat up. Her clothes were folded on a chair beside her bed. They hadn’t been there when she’d turned in for the night.

Again, creepy.

She rubbed her eyes, slipped out of bed, and dressed. Whatever Rivera wants from the manor, I can’t just give it to him … but if I’m working with computers, there’s got to be a way for me to get a message out. Send a radio signal, maybe. If not, I’ll just have to wait until Rivera lets his guard down, grab that hat, and escape.

A sharp knock rattled the door. She cleared her throat. “Come in?”

Aito entered, carrying a tray. “Did you sleep well?”

“As well as could be expected