Daisy Wong, Space Marshal: The Case of the Runaway Concubine by Freddi MacNaughton (parable of the sower read online .txt) 📗

the space marshals for help. "What have you come up with, if anything?" Daisy asked.

"Hints.  A few retail transactions, a spattering oflikely hits on the security grid, but nothing solid.  They're scatteredthroughout the solar system.  Will-o’-the-wisps."

"Why would you be wishing to find her?" Muffyasked.

"Ah, Officer Chatterjee," Snakeskin said.  "Amost perceptive question on your part.  For one thing, I do like to keeptrack.  A man in my position cannot afford not to.  It would be most unwise toallow a former mistress to become a current enemy."

Daisy could almost hear the other shoe hovering above thefloor.  "Go on," she said.  "What's happened?  You didn't startsearching out of the blue, Uncle."

"No, I did not.  There were rumors."

"What sort of rumors?"  Daisy was beginning to fearthe worst: that her Uncle Snakeskin had wet work for her to do.  If he did,would she have the courage to tell him to go to hell, or would she, ever thereverential niece, bow her deepest bow, smile her sweetest smile, and get onwith it?

Snakeskin nodded to Jimmy Fingers.

Jimmy went out and a few moments later returned with a manin tow.  The man had fresh contusions on his face and walked as though adelivery truck had run over him a few times.

"Allow me to introduce Dr. Eric Nguyen Lopez,"Snakeskin said.  "Once upon a time, he practiced obstetrics and gynecologyhere in town.  Once upon a time, he was also on my payroll.  Regrettably, thosehappy days are behind us.  As soon as he's strong enough to travel, he'll bereturning to Chicago, Earth, where he will, I trust, devote himself to the reproductivehealth of suburbanites."

A renewed sense of dread flooded through Daisy.  It wascommon coin in the family that Snakeskin desperately wanted a large family butthat he was unable to father children.  He was healthy enough: active sperm, a highcount, and a good genetic profile.  But few of his wives or concubines everbecame pregnant, or if they did, their pregnancies ended in miscarriages.

The whole thing was quite baffling.  Theories abounded.  Oneof them held that a traitor was introducing abortifacients into the women'sfood.

Daisy didn't believe that such a traitor, even one workingfrom within Snakeskin's household, could accomplish such a feat.  Once ortwice, perhaps, but not with any consistency.  No, other factors were in play.

Had Meizhen become pregnant?  Had Dr. Lopez aborted her? Had she, for whatever reason, sought an abortion, and then, quite rightly, hadshe feared for her life and run away?

To Lopez, Snakeskin said, "Tell them what you toldme."

Lopez's eyes went feral, the cast of a trapped animal.  Hesmelled of bandages, disinfectant, and terror.

"Shortly before Meizhen left, she came to me withvarious complaints.  I examined her and discovered she was about two monthspregnant."

"Did either you or Meizhen inform Snakeskin?"Daisy asked.

"Meizhen swore me to secrecy.  In any case, I'm a firmbeliever in doctor-client privilege."

"What happened next?"

"I took a sample of the fetus's blood and performedvarious tests.  They showed that Mr. Wong was the father, but they also indicateda variety of genetic abnormalities."

"What sort of abnormalities?" Daisy asked.

"The sort that leads to miscarriages," Snakeskin interjected.

"I don't know the specifics," Lopez said.  "Meizhenforbade me from sending the samples out for testing.  Genetic manipulation isnot my specialty.  My office was equipped to screen.  Nothing more."

"Thank you, Doctor," Snakeskin said.

The man stared, not daring to speak.

Jimmy Fingers lead him out.

"Why the beating?" Daisy asked.

"His reluctance to answer my questions was most strong. He imagined he could satisfy us with evasions and lies.  Questioning him has beenlike peeling an onion or eating an artichoke."  A pause, then,"Despite our efforts to date, I'm sure we're nowhere near that man's core."

Muffy sat very rigidly in her chair.

"Do you think us monsters, Office Chatterjee?"

"What I am thinking is that you are a man of inordinatepower."

"Determination," Snakeskin said.  "I'ma man of patience and determination."

He leaned forward, a sinuous movement that made the faintestof rustling sounds.  "What else do you think?" he asked.

"I think that you inspire a combination of loyalty andfear.  Back home, we are quite familiar with your type."

Daisy glared at Muffy, willing the exchange into silence. Nevertheless, Daisy did have to give her credit.  There weren't many who'dstand up to Snakeskin.

"Enough of this," Daisy said.  "What do youwant us to do?"

"Return Meizhen and my child to me."

"I thought she was free to leave."

"Not with my child she wasn't."

Daisy picked up her tea.

Snakeskin's story had too many holes.  The biggest was whyhe'd waited so long to call for the cavalry.  Was Meizhen still alive?  Assumingshe was dead, was Snakeskin using Daisy to deflect suspicion away from him?  Onthe other hand, assuming Meizhen was alive, once Daisy found her, what wouldSnakeskin do to her?  He certainly wouldn't welcome her with open arms.

Daisy settled back into her chair.  It smelled of leatherand furniture polish.  Its opulence cosseted her; it temped her.

She sipped her tea.  It had grown cold and bitter.  She setdown the cup.

"I can't help you," Daisy said, and got to herfeet.  "Come on, Muffy.  Let's head for home."

Just then, Jimmy Fingers came back into the room.  He stoodto one side of the door, his back to the wall.

Muffy stood.

Snakeskin said, "I want my child."

Then why, Daisy wondered, didn't he already have Meizhen?  Snakeskinand his people could find teeth in a chicken's mouth.  They could extract ironfrom iron ore without ever smelting it.  Daisy asked, "How do you expectme to succeed where your people have failed?"

"You can't be bought."

"Neither can any of the people who work for you."

Snakeskin shrugged.  "It happens," he said. "Whoever has Meizhen—or whoever's hiding her from me—wouldn't need to buymore than one or two.  As the saying goes, you don't have to put out a man eyesif he is willing to look the other way."

It had been one of Daisy's father's favorite aphorisms, areminder that betrayal was often a matter of what the traitor did not do.  Herfather had walked into an ambush because one of his bodyguards hadagreed not to see the gunsels hiding in plain view.  How her father himself hadnot seen them remained a mystery.

Daisy sat down.

"What was the fight about?" Daisy asked.

"A trifle," Snakeskin said.  "We wereplanning to have