Hammer and Crucible by Cameron Cooper (easy books to read txt) 📗

Imperial Shield. Only, I couldn’t tell Dancy that. “So, when he was home, he was argumentative?”

“Why do you need to know this? Really?” Dancy demanded.

“I’m trying to figure out what Noam was doing before he died,” I said carefully. Dancy already knew Noam had been up to something mysterious, so there was no harm in referring to it.

“He was diving into the deep end of crazy,” Dancy said. “You won’t make sense of it.”

“Actually, craziness usually has a coherent logic in it—at least to those who own the construct.”

“What does it matter?” he said tiredly. “It doesn’t change anything. And it won’t bring him back.”

“No, but it might let you feel a little more kindly about him,” I said gently.

“I feel nothing about him at all, anymore. Don’t bother bringing me up to date, even if you find something out. Is there anything else, Danny?”

“I have to ask. Did Noam leave behind anything which might give clues about what was on his mind around them? Journal entries? Personal funds?”

Dancy’s jaw worked. His eyes glittered. “If he did, I wouldn’t know. I deleted his personal archive.” He stared at me, daring me to berate him for this.

Instead, I said, “I’m sorry, Dancy. I won’t bother you again. Thank you for your time.”

He didn’t nod or speak. He merely broke the connection.

The timer in the corner of the screen disappeared, to be replaced with a dialog box telling me the cost of the call, and a button to accept the charges. That single conversation had cost me the equivalent of a month’s rent.

“I think this is the last phone call we’ll be making,” I said dryly, handing the pad back to Juliyana.

Her face paled as she saw the cost flashing on the screen. She prodded the pay box and put the pad aside. “And such a helpful conversation, too.”

“Actually, it was. Noam’s behavior before he left confirms he was with the Imperial Shield. It is proof the transfer orders are legitimate.”

“We already knew that,” she pointed out.

“And now we have independent corroboration. We also know there are no personal files or journals to help us figure out what’s going on. That cuts off a great many avenues of investigation. If he was away from home a lot, and even Dancy didn’t know what was going on, it’s likely any other of Noam’s friends would also draw a blank. So, we must concentrate on his commanding officer, who can point us toward his next CO.”

“First, we have to find him.” She glanced at the pad beside her hip. “And we are not phoning him.” She got to her feet. “Let’s go and get some real food, while I can still afford it. I could murder a steak right now.”

It sounded like a fine idea to me. But then, I forget things.

5

Juliyana got her steak. Once upon a time I enjoyed a good steak, too, but these days my appetite lasts as long as the sizzle does. A full steak was wasted on me. I settled for another sandwich, printed. I had too much on my mind to worry about the size of the bill, too.

“When do you have to report back for duty?” I asked Juliyana as she chewed with a blissful expression. We had even snagged a table and two chairs. Considering the bottom line of the bill we would get for this meal, the table and two chairs didn’t seem like too much to ask for. At least we weren’t at the bar, where the stools were placed so close together it was impossible to eat without ramming your elbow into the next person’s ribs.

“I took a leave of absence.” She swallowed. “They didn’t even argue, which shows you how much I was needed around there.”

A leave of absence could negatively impact one’s military records. Juliyana was risking much to deal with her father’s history. “How long do you think this will take?” she added, her voice inflecting upward.

“I have no idea. Nothing seems to be straightforward about this, so I figured a time limit would be one more problem to deal with. I’m glad to hear there isn’t one.”

“I can’t stay away forever,” she pointed out. Her eyes narrowed. She was looking at something over my shoulder. “Man on your six, coming your way,” she murmured, then shifted her gaze to her dinner plate.

I didn’t turn around to look. “Armed?”

She smiled as if she was saying something funny. “No, but he looks useful.”

I braced myself, although the last time I had been in any physical altercation, I had ended up on my back, with my jaw close to dislocated. I wasn’t sure how useful I would be.

Juliyana made a great show of cutting her next forkful of steak, which kept the knife in her hand. She didn’t take the bite.

“Danny Andela?” came the question.

Juliyana looked up as if she was surprised at the interruption. I jerked as if I had been just as surprised and swiveled on the chair to look up at him.

Tall, heavy shoulders, not-puny wrists. A potbelly from too many carbs and no muscle definition. Juliyana could take him. I wasn’t certain I could, not anymore.

“Who wants to know?” I said.

“I’m Billy.” He crouched so his head was level with ours. It stopped me from straining my neck, which I appreciated.

Juliyana put down her fork. The knife had disappeared.

Billy gave her a wide smile. “You can put the knife down, too, Juliyana. I’m not here with violence in mind.”

“Okay, so you know who we are. Talk fast, or you lose a finger,” I told him.

“Or two,” Juliyana added.

His smile didn’t slip, although he took his hand off the edge of the table, where he had rested it to maintain balance.

He glanced around, spotted a spare chair, snagged it and brought it over to the table and sat down.

I tried not to let it bother me that he hadn’t asked if it was okay for him to join us. My gaze shifted to