“I’ll let you know what Aroc reported back. Now what’d you find out on Earth?” Ryner asked, breaking into his thoughts. “How many are funding the illegal shipments?”
“Edwards and five other bankers financed the last two shipments of unfiltered machine gases,” Oliver reported.
Ryner grunted. “Too greedy to see that cheating us on the shipments will cost them more in the end,” he said. “When we set up this contract with Earth, it was to give them access to Karuntian technology, not steal from us. This planet has lain hidden for many centuries. We open a dialogue and this is what we get in return.”
“It was as I suspected,” Oliver said, picking up his electronic pad, browsing his notes. “Once alcohol began to flow at the Edwards party, convincing them I was looking to invest wasn’t a problem. Got access to his home office. Money is transferred from bank to bank.”
“How’s your cover holding up?”
Oliver reclined letting his legs fall out wide. “So far everything’s going smoothly. I’ve gotten just about what I need. Too bad I’ll have to bust this guy. He’s got a nice family.”
“The family always suffers in these situations.” Ryner paused then sat forward. “They don’t fully understand who they’re dealing with. Karuntees have very little trust in humans.”
Oliver gave a quick nod. “Aroc has less than that. The man is lethal. He finds out his station is being used this way, he’ll shuttle down to Earth himself.”
“He’ll show no mercy. He fought the union until we agreed to stay on this side of the sector. Being human won’t excuse their behavior,” Ryner said.
“Aroc’s had little human contact outside of this side of the moon.”
Ryner placed his weapon in its sheath on his hip. Oliver remembered meeting the Karuntian. Fighting Aroc in the shuttle bay was a rude awakening. He needed to get down to the workout floor more often. The male was made of iron. It hadn’t mattered because Oliver acted off revenge for Katherine. There was no rational thinking involved.
“Whoever finds themselves at the mercy of Aroc should contact their insurance adjuster—up the policy. He’s worked hard to keep his colony separate from the views and influence on Earth.”
Well that made up his mind. Sadie was coming off Earth sooner than he planned. Playing Mr. 1960’s was going into overdrive.
“How’s Leslie handling bed rest?”
Ryner winced, scratched his chest, and straightened himself on the cushion. “If we were at war, I’d put her on the front line with a basket of phasers, a bowl of ripe moon peaches—her one craving right now—then send everybody else to lunch. Come back in an hour with a cleanup crew, then take her to dinner,” he said sadly, shaking his head, the long black braid swinging over his shoulder. “The one thing we have on our side is her blood pressure is down keeping the baby stable. And with her sisters staying with us until after the baby is born, it’s given Leslie someone to talk to while I’m in the office. This waiting is torture.”
Ryner emptied the mug then set it on the low glass table. Ted didn’t flinch when he stroked a hand down his spine. “Well, I can see you’ve got everything under control.” He rose, crossing to the window. “Two weeks until the moon shift. There’ll be no receiving of shipments, so we need the situation on Earth done now.” Oliver followed him to the door. The panel slid back, revealing the corridor. “If you have a woman on Earth, I’d get her up here before the travel shut down. But, Commander, she can’t go back down.”
He nodded. He hadn’t planned to send Sadie back.
Minutes later, peeling off his clothes, Oliver stepped beneath the stream of water in the shower. Two weeks to convince Sadie to leave Earth.
He needed the name of a florist.
Chapter 5
The Folder
“Oh, suga, you should’ve stayed for the party last week. I bragged all night about you and your cooking,” Savannah Edwards lovingly relayed. “Reba wants to hire you a couple days a week, but I told her you were too busy. She thinks she’s going to steal you from under my nose. I think not.”
“Mrs. Colson has a maid. Why would she need me?”
“Says Earnestine been showing up late these last few weeks.”
Earnestine is working two cases, that’s why, helping to bust your husband’s greedy ways.
“I’ll talk to Earnestine. Tell Mrs. Colson not to worry.”
“You’re a peach, Sadie.” In Edwards’ home office, Savannah held the brandy decanter on the brass cart refilling the gold liquid. “And by the way, Oliver looked like a lost puppy wandering in and out of my kitchen. The man is over the moon for you, you know.” Savannah replaced the cap then adjusted her gold watch, the thin chain brushing over her delicate wrist. “Oh look at the time…the Garden Club members will be here soon.” She slid the bottle inside the cabinet. “You should have seen him, Sadie. Mr. Cantrell.”
Sadie squeezed her brows together at that comment. “I don’t know why he expected me when I made it clear I had other plans for the evening and wouldn’t make it to the party.” Sadie clamped her lips together, hating she’d allowed that to slip out.
“Well now, Ms. Sadie,” Savannah gushed, hands planted on her lean hips. “Where did you see our Mr. Cantrell and why have I been kept in the dark on this?”
Sadie dusted the mahogany credenza, flanking the desk while deciding how much to tell Savannah. “I can see your mind working, Mrs. Edwards. Mr. Cantrell pulled to the curb as the city bus came down the street. He offered me a ride. Nothing more, so—”
“Oh don’t try and shoo me away, Sadie. He asked you out, didn’t he? Tell me you said yes.” Savannah glowed.
The desk was there to catch Sadie’s hip when her legs buckled. “I swear you wear blinders.” She shifted on the surface. “That man and me can no more start seeing one another than you can have me at your dinner party. It just ain’t done, Mrs. Edwards.”
Savannah shuddered. “Why do you do that? Call me Mrs. Edwards when I mention Mr. Cantrell. You have called me Savannah for the last eight years.”
“I love you for never treating me like the hired help, and after my parents died last year, I couldn’t have asked for a better gift than those weeks off to get things in order, but I think you forget sometimes I’m colored. Seeing Mr. Cantrell in public is just not done. And I don’t want that sort of relationship,” she warned politely and couldn't get over how much she'd changed in her thinking since learning of the space station. “I’ll find the man right for me and Mr. Cantrell will be just fine. I’m sure that man don’t lack for female companionship.” Agitated, she swept the rag faster across the shiny desk. A manila folder went skittering over the edge to flop open on the sculpted carpeted floor. “Oh, Lord,” she groaned, and then went utterly still seeing the words fuel and exchange in bold letters.
“I got it sweetie,” Savannah said as the two women picked up the contents scattered under the desk.
Sadie stacked the pages together and stiffened when she saw her name. Pay dirt. A clue. This could be the turning point in the case.
She had no money in his bank. She barely used money anymore. Living on the space station, they used credits, not dollars and cents. There was no gold to balance out the economy in outer space. She looked up meeting Savannah’s curious gaze, no more startled than she was at the amount of zeroes on that paper.
“Sadie, honey, this says you have over a million dollars in the bank for almost a year now,” Savannah questioned, her wide eyes heartbreakingly disappointed.
“I don’t have an account at Mr. Edwards’ bank,” she muttered under her breath, suppressing a scream of disgust while eyeing the paper. “I have a few dollars saved of course, but where would I get that kind of money? Why would I be working if I had?”
“I don’t know, Sadie…this is incredibly hard to digest.”
The minutes ticked by building a wall of distrust between them, and Sadie couldn’t defend her innocence other than what she’d already said. Without dragging Savannah to the bank, she had no way of proving her words were true. Why were they setting her up with this account?
“Maybe it has something to do with all these private meetings here at the house. Has Mr. Edwards ever mentioned why they held them here instead of his large conference room at the bank?” Sadie’s throat tightened but Savannah needed the push. “I would think some information should never leave the bank.”
Savannah’s mouth twisted, her face darkening around the black tresses.
“All of his dealing’s aren’t bank-related, Sadie. Businessmen like Richard are approached daily to go in on ventures that have nothing to do with the banking industry. Men like Richard grow their wealth investing in what’s going to give them the biggest return. That could be anything business.”
Even if it’s illegal.
“Right,” she agreed half-heartedly, knowing neither believed that argument. Was this the beginning of the end?
From the suspicious glint in Savannah’s eyes, unease ran down Sadie’s spine.
“I think you should take the rest of the day off, Sadie. I need to speak with Mr. Edwards.”
Chapter 6
Aroc
Aroc Farkus sat in his office going through the report from Captain Ryner for the damage to the shuttle bay. He scratched out his electronic signature, typed in the code, and then sent it over to Ryner. That would be charged to miscellaneous for right now until the rogues were brought in for questioning. Setting back, he eyed the large glass wall to the right side of his office and Norese playing on the other side on the floor.
He rubbed a hand over his head back to his spikes. Massaging his neck, he smiled. The moment Norese opened the door she bolted up onto his lap, crushing him with her sweet hug. He inhaled her powdery scent, calming his heart. Every male should know the love of his child.
“Have you eaten yet, Norese?” He set her to face the desk, smoothing back the wild flurry of red curls floating around her shoulders.
“Daddy,” she muttered, uncomfortable with her serrated teeth. Often, Norese spoke in whispers. A shy little karuntian, and yet she was the image of his late wife.
“Yes, Norese,” he answered, working around her little hands drawing on his extra device.
“Sadie not home. I miss, Sadie,” she murmured over her shoulder. Those big eyes glistened with tears on the verge of spilling over her long lashes to drip onto her soft cheeks. She missed her friend.
Their friend.
His human female.
“The day after tomorrow is Friday. Sadie will be here to see you.” And he’ll finally get some sleep.
Norese shifted her shoulder against his chest. “I want Sadie…peeze, Daddy.”
Who says no to a three-year-old? Unable to resist her simple plea, he touched his communicator and opened the connection to Sadie on Earth.
“Captain Farkus, what can I do for you?”
“Detective, my daughter demands to speak with you.” The distance between them became a thorn in his heart. Why did he agree to this arrangement knowing his attraction to her wasn’t all for Norese? “Talk to her, Sadie…please. She responds well to your voice.”
“Next time, Captain, we’ll work on your PR skills,” Sadie said pointedly. “Norese, how’s my buddy today? Did you eat breakfast?”
The toddler sniffed. “Sadie, come home today.”
Sadie sighed. “I’ll be there Friday, baby. Have your daddy show you on the calendar on his desk what day is Friday.” She paused, and then said in a rushed voice. “Why aren’t you taking your nap, young female? Lie down and let daddy work.”
“Okay. Night night, Sadie.”
“Night, sweetie.”
A few silent seconds passed as Norese cuddled into his body to take her nap. He’d never understand how Sadie could quiet his daughter with a word. It was one of the reasons she’d appealed to him a year ago. The other reason, he wasn’t ready to address.
“Detective,” Captain Aroc greeted, allowing a hint of amusement into his tone. He loved listening to her speak to his daughter.
“Aroc, what’s happened? Norese sounds so sad.”
“She misses you, Detective.”
Sadie sighed. “Just her?”
“You know what I miss, Sadie,” he said rubbing a hand over his neck relaxing the knot forming. “How is your case going?” he asked in a gruff tone.
“We’re closing in on taking them down, but you know protocol. Captain Holston gets my report before sharing it with you, Captain.”
He grunted his mild frustration. “Finish this case soon, Detective. You’re needed up here,” he forced and caught himself from being so abrupt. “I want you up here with us when we shut down for shuttle black out.”
“We’ll work on your PR skills while I’m there, Captain. I’m staying in my home when I come up, not yours. Norese can stay with me if you want.”
“You’ll stay with me, little earthling. And we’ll discuss this in person—in person, Sadie.”
Sadie snorted. “Farkus,” she said, her voice a quiet caring request that always warmed him. “Is Norese asleep?”
He tipped a glance down to the lightly snoring child on his lap. Her red hair floated around her shoulders in a mass of ringlets. He had to admit he looked forward to her falling asleep in his arms. One day, she’d no longer be his little girl and frown at him wanting to hold her, so he savored moments like this.
“Yes,” he said. “Our friendship is your key into the Karuntee world. Don’t sever that line being obstinate,” he warned with a slight smile. She was more than a friend and he knew it was time to release her.