Aeolus Investigations Episode 2

Available on Amazon.com.

Geena Samue has been an interstellar insurance investigator for the last thirty years. Her twenty-seven-year-old son Ron Samue knows what he’s about as well. His girlfriend, Lexi Stevens, despite being new to the business, now leads the Aeolus Investigations team as they take on a mission to rescue the kidnapped wife and children of a prince of Borgol.

The team is hindered in their efforts by a cold trail and Lexi’s own trainee status. There’s also the problem that this was more than a simple kidnapping.

Avenger — Chapter 12, Investigators

Urania’s arrival at Naragene Nine was uneventful. She was just one of the hundreds of ships that came in daily, her well-to-do crew visiting with high expectations of the planet’s renowned recreational facilities. As on most Accord worlds, entry requirements were next to non-existent. The Port Authority verified Urania’s identity as WA32198389-18-32405, a privately owned exploration vessel and assigned her a slip on the landing field.

Lexi and Geena, after debarking, ran their Cardin’s Paradise IDs through a scanner as they walked through the access gate at customs where the guard wished them a pleasant visit with a smile. No one bothered looking through their luggage, although it too passed through a scanner. Even their satchel of weapons passed without comment. Lexi just shook her head at that.

They opted for a dirt-side berth despite the extravagant cost. Docking at one of the numerous space stations and shuttling to the surface would have been less than half as costly. Fortunately, they could justify the expense and E’Kret would reimburse them. Lifting from the surface, on this world at least, was significantly less involved than leaving from an over-crowded station. There was far less red tape and less jockeying for position with a surface departure. There was also no need to wait for a surface-to-station shuttle. If things went as planned, they would need that flexibility.

“We should be doing something, shouldn’t we, Geena?” Lexi asked once they were checked into their hotel, an upscale accommodation a ten minute walk from the Elegan, the hotel where the E’Krets stayed. Jis would be checking into a suite at the Elegan tomorrow. “It could be days before the kidnappers take the bait. Assuming they do at all. What do we do now?”

Geena gave a small laugh. “We’re investigators, darling. We investigate, of course. Urania, see how many of the relevant datanets you can get into, but don’t get caught doing it. I really wish we knew you could do that back in the old days.”

Placing a hand on Lexi’s shoulder to get her attention, she said, “Ron and I used to do that manually. We thought we were being clever.”

Lexi smiled, and Geena continued, “I want whatever you can get, Urania, on anybody the E’Krets might have met. Hotel people, embassy people, concessionaires at the lake. That kind of thing. You’ve seen Ron and me do it, so I imagine you know what I want. If you can retrieve anything from the law enforcement datanets relating to this or similar kidnappings that would be a big help.”

As an aside to Lexi, she said, “I really love this comm-gear. I don’t know how Ron and I managed without it.”

Lexi just smiled in return. After all, what could she say? She didn’t understand how her two partners managed without it either.

“Lexi, you and I are going to visit the Criminal Investigations Bureau offices first thing tomorrow. The new black leather outfits, I think. We’ll go armed, but please, darling, not your sword. Tonight, we relax after our long journey to get here, just like anybody else. Have a drink or two while exercising in the pool. That kind of thing.”

“I left the sword on the ship. Hey, there’s a question. If you meet a drunk Helgan in a bar, are you risking being challenged to an honor duel?” She laughed. “I guess there’s not too much we can do until Jis gets here.”

Geena looked thoughtful. “I’ve never heard of an incident of that nature, but I suppose it’s possible. Kind of a scary thought. There’s quite a bit we could be doing while we wait for Jis, but I don’t want us to call attention to ourselves sooner than we have to. Besides, it’s already mid-afternoon. Right now people are tired and looking forward to going home, hence less cooperation. Tomorrow morning, our credentials should get us full cooperation at the CIB including access to their files. That being said, we’ll be taking advantage of our looks. Looking both competent and sexy is a technique that more often than not pays off.”

She paused. “The Grake are still investigating too. We’ll check in with them later, especially if we can’t come up with anything on our own. I hesitate to contact them because it’s certainly possible someone was paid off. Unlikely, but possible. After that, it’s all legwork. We interview people at the embassy and at the E’Kret’s hotel. We visit the restaurants they ate at. We talk to the operator of the boat the family chartered. We ask questions. We find and unravel leads.”

Lexi nodded her head. “I have a lot to learn, don’t I? Why did you say it’s unlikely someone on E’Kret’s security was paid off. We don’t have a rubric on how to be an investigator, do we?”

Geena smiled. “No, no rubric, but don’t worry about it. Remember, this is what I made my career, Lexi. It’s what I do and I’m good at it. You’re smart and good at thinking on your feet. You’ll learn the tradecraft quickly. As to the Grake, it takes time to suborn someone, especially someone vetted as thoroughly as palace security has to be. I don’t see how there was time to select and turn one of those individuals between the time the palace planned the E’Kret’s vacation and the day they vanished.”

She watched Lexi looking thoughtful, and added, “A lot of being an investigator is monotonous footwork. And waiting. There’s a lot of waiting. I imagine you were thinking this would be almost as easy as walking into your professor’s office and taking the Rose of Light out of his hand. But it isn’t. It never is really. Don’t forget that Ron and I were forced to give up tracking the Rose after two years of searching.”

Lexi nodded. “I understand. How did you learn to be an investigator?”

Geena laughed. “Easily. No, not really. The answer is easy, though. I was a cop on Cardin’s Paradise. I went to the academy, passed the tests, worked hard, and eventually made detective. I was partnered with an experienced woman on the force who taught me a lot. The kind of things that come from experience, not from an academy education.”

She smiled, thinking back. “I met Ron’s father, Crane Samue, while working a case. His parents were murdered during a jewelry store heist. In the end, working together, we got the killers, but it was still traumatic for him. He was already an insurance investigator. I eventually learned a lot from him as well. He kind of swept me off my feet and the rest is history.”

“Nice! Samue men rock, right?” The two smiled at each other. “Do you think we’re going to be able to do this, Geena?” Lexi asked, somewhat hesitantly. “I know I kind of talked you into it.”

Geena hesitated. “Understand me; I think we have a good plan, but the odds of it working are no better than fifty-fifty. We may have to track the kidnappers the hard way. There are illicit places where information relating to criminal activities can be bought and sold. Ron and I know how to locate them. We’ve taken that route on investigations before.

She paused, looking grim. “If this approach doesn’t work for us, we start cruising the hell-holes to see what we can turn up. I warned Jadkim that this kind of case can take years to resolve. I didn’t make that up because I didn’t want us to take the job. We’re assuming, since no demands have been made, that this wasn’t a one-off. If we’re right about that, well, no one runs this type of kidnap caper indefinitely. They know law enforcement will eventually see a pattern and close in on them. If they’ve already passed their cut-off point, they won’t be here to take our bait no matter how attractive she is.”

Lexi said, “It’s possible there was no ransom demand because they’re already dead, either intentionally or accidentally.”

“That’s a possibility,” Geena agreed. “The Boc Seckans don’t think so. I don’t know how much weight to give that, but I admit, I am giving it some.”

Avenger is available on Amazon.com.