The Adventures of Deacon Coombs (40 page)

“Not having access to exactly the files that we had, I credit you, Chubby, with a remarkable piece of detective work in finding Dr. Kam Chuen and then Goharn Lok.”

Chubby was not forthcoming with a response. At the first eye-to-eye contact from Deacon, Chubby said, “Thank you. The trade union has searched for years for the mastermind behind these crimes. The recent clues, including my search for this Kam Chuen, have led me here more than once. I loved Travers like a brother. I was informed of his death only a few days ago. I was drowning my sorrow in drink last night when your Owler intercepted me. I will miss him. Did he die in peace?”

Deacon pondered his response but decided to shock Chubby with the truth. “He died at the hands of this thing, whatever devil it is. It invaded his mind on the escape from Nix and murdered him, just as it killed Como and Geor.”

“We in the traders’ union owe Travers the greatest debt for opening new routes, negotiating new treaties, establishing safe practices, and providing sound leadership in the union. You said this thing invaded his mind. How exactly does it do that?”

“I don’t know exactly. We witnessed a mental power on Nix that paled any I have ever seen. It followed us into space and caused Travers to bleed to death from a wound that he had incurred in battle with a Nicosian savage. I wish I could have saved him. The monster wouldn’t let me.”

“We all knew the risks of sending Travers to Nix with you. He sacrificed himself so that I could divert to Earth. What did this devil look like?”

“When it attacked us in space, it looked like a giant bird of prey. It was able to project its powers into the ship from a great distance.” Deacon’s voice descended to a whisper as he continued. “We could not defend ourselves against it. Travers was doomed to die as soon as the energy of the creature tortured him.”

“Through space? You say the energy of the creature projected through space? Space is a vacuum.”

“Yes, there was not a reading of a life form or a vehicle for thousands of miles, yet it reached out and touched us.”

Chubby was saddened. “Travers understood the risks. I actually begged him not to go, but he insisted.”

“Chubby, I grew to love the little trader. Our friendship was abruptly terminated. I will pursue the innocence of Travers as long as I live.”

“And so will I,” Quobit said, “for the Jabu have an interest in this matter too.”

Deacon wanted answers. “Tell me, what you are doing in Ketapongo, Chubby?”

“I am a space trader. My line of work takes me here.”

Deacon was irate. They were wasting time. “Let me clarify your position. You have just lied. You are in no position to either lie again or bargain with me. Just minutes ago, you mentioned Kam Chuen, and we both know who he is. Let’s get to the truth.” He stood, hands on hips, glaring at Chubby.

“My trade route brought me here.”

“And then the
C’oulbaa
conveniently developed engine troubles so you could stay over and locate Kam Chuen.”

“The ship’s problems are all in the ship’s records. Since my arrival here, my instructions have changed. The
G’uillger
requires an experienced captain of my credentials for its next voyage.”

Jim interjected. “Gem and I detected that you have been in Ketapongo three times in the last year. Coincidence?”

Deacon checked the time on his handheld. Only ten hours until the
Heritage
docked and Landrew followed their real trail to Ketapongo. “You delayed your stay here to meet with Kam Chuen and Goharn Lok!”

Excitedly, Chubby danced around the room. “You found them both. Just like me.” He began to pace with a broad grin on his face.

“Chubby, I complimented you earlier on your work. I know that for the right price, Chuen talks openly.”

Chubby opened up. “I have been aware of this Detective Chuen for more than a year. I could not bargain with him successfully the first two times, so as Jim said, I had to make a third trip. What better time to investigate Chuen than while you were distracted on Nix.” Chubby then eyed Lyanna up and down, and he then stepped forward. “I am Chubby Eaves, my lady.” He bowed.

She moved to acknowledge him. “My name is Lyanna, and it is my pleasure to meet you. I have heard a great deal about you.” Chubby smiled and kissed her hand. Deacon interrupted his chivalry. “I will bargain with you, Chubby. I will tell you everything that happened on Nix if you will answer my critical questions honestly.”

“Maybe.”

Deacon whispered in Chubby’s ear loudly enough for Gem, Jim, Quobit, and Lyanna to hear. “I know the true identity of Urzel.”

Chubby opened his mouth as he was startled. Solemnly, he replied, “Deal.”

“It will take the most brilliant efforts of you and me and Lyanna and Quobit and the Owlers and brilliant scientists to devise a plan to defeat him. It will take extraordinary courage from you and me and the Owlers and Quobit to execute the plan. This monster will be upon us soon. We will all die if we hesitate much longer.” Chubby was riveted. Lyanna was shivering after listening to Deacon’s last words.

“Acting on your own, Chubby, I believe that you are a menace to the success of the mission. I can’t afford to take such a risk. So here are my absolute terms.” Chubby sat down, attentive. “I will ask the questions. You will answer them truthfully. If you deceive me once, as I believe you and any Aralian is capable of doing, then I shall have the Owlers press charges to tie you up until our mission is complete. I am tired of Aralian deceptions. If we fail this quest, you could be charged with treason.” Chubby rubbed his chin. “Furthermore, if you should join and then abandon our cause, then I shall brand you a traitor.”

Chubby took a deep inhale and then released his breath and nodded. “I will not betray you, Deacon Coombs. We are deeper allies than you know. Please accept me as your friend.”

They both sat down facing each other to commence their conversation. “Why did you seek Kam Chuen?” asked Deacon.

“When the traders’ union first detected missing shipments of arms, we did a thorough check of historical records and, to our surprise, discovered that there were previous occurrences. Far too many of them.” Chubby thought about the next disclosure. “I was on close speaking terms with Schlegar, Travers’s father, so I traveled to Brebouillis to solicit his assistance in examining criminal records on Brebouillis, with the intent to construct a list of suspects who could perform these injustices. Schlegar gladly agreed to help.”

“How did you know that the criminal records of the Alliance were centrally stored on Brebouillis?”

“Schlegar told Travers in confidence. Travers told me in confidence.”

Quobit tossed her hair as she shook her head. “Amazing. On Jabu, Aralians are viewed as incorruptible, trustworthy people who can be ultimately entrusted with secrets. Isn’t there an Aralian saying? ‘Tell an Aralian for safekeeping’?”

Chubby was amused. He smiled back at Quobit. “We are human.” He sat back in his chair. “We have fewer faults than most species.”

Deacon wanted to complete the interrogation. “Continue.”

“Okay. We completed our list of prime suspects and then launched an investigation into the lives of these suspects. Unfortunately, Travers and I made a grave miscalculation. We tried to solicit Schlegar’s help to gain control of the traders’ union so that Travers and I might take direct control over the investigation of these crimes. The list of crimes expanded to drug trafficking, arms smuggling, inciting riots, and more. But to our surprise, Schlegar turned against us. He was appalled that we would influence traders to gain control and that Travers would use his mental powers to influence voters. That was the start of the rift between Travers and Schlegar, which grew and grew… and then grew hateful.

“I begged Schlegar to forgive us. He felt disgraced by his only son. He dreamed that Travers would replace Como one day, but not with the qualities that he had exhibited.”

“You carried out your plan anyway?”

“Yes. That turned Schlegar deeper against us when he uncovered the plot. Schlegar believed in the golden days of Aralian pride. He did not understand, as I do and Travers did that to defeat an evil of this magnitude, we must resort to fighting criminals on their own ground. So much for our plan, for we have all failed so far.”

Chubby shook his head. “The situation grew worse. Two alarming events took place within a few days after the break of friendship with the doctor. One, our prime suspect, as the mastermind behind these acts, was unquestionably innocent, as he was diagnosed with a fatal disease that had crippled him for at least one year before. This was unknown to us. Two, an alarming number of arms shipments disappeared under our noses again. Right under our noses! Our investigations continued, but only as a diversion.”

“Diversion?” Lyanna said.

“Well, whoever the guilty party was, we wanted them to feel secure, so we set up dummy investigations that would lead nowhere. We were counting on the criminal to feel at ease as we created fantastic data and falsified reports. Travers and I were positive that there were spies within the union. Meanwhile, an inner core known only by the leaders of the traders’ union was utilized to conduct secret investigations. Believe it or not, we almost solicited you, Deacon Coombs.” Deacon failed to see the humor as Chubby’s voice reflected joy in this comment. “Our secret investigations backfired.”

Deacon stopped him. “How so?”

“Schlegar uncovered our insincere efforts and misconstrued our false documents to the Alliance as a feeble attempt on our behalf to cure our own ails. He seriously questioned the ethics of the leadership, believing that the feeble efforts were an indication of guilt by the union and by Travers and me to profit from ill-gotten gains. He thought that we did not want the culprits brought to justice. He felt betrayed by us. So the rift between the three of us widened.

“Moreover, he convinced Como to propose a motion to place the Union of Space Traders under the administration of the Alliance. When Como addressed his nation before he died and referred to the fact that he had seen evidence to discredit Travers, it was this report of our insincere efforts that he had witnessed. As I stated, we only did this to make the culprits feel safe. Schlegar and Como were childhood friends. It took only this report for Como to turn against us too.” Chubby was visibly upset.

“We lost credibility. Como believed that we were covering up our own crimes with this dummy investigation.” Chubby opened his arms to plead. “We could not go to him and reveal that the problem of missing arms was more of a crisis than we had indicated. That would have certainly been the end of our careers. We had to keep pursuing our own undercover work.

“Since the Medullans possess the greatest mental abilities in the universe and are forbidden to use them outside their planet, it occurred to me to look on Medulla first, to uncover what had to be a blatant misuse of mental powers.”

Lyanna jumped into the interrogation. “Did you venture to Medulla personally?”

“Yes. It was fruitless. I left no clue unturned. Every possible lead I had evaporated. We spent enormous amounts of time on the moons, conducting research in the libraries and files. Depressed, I sent the investigative team home while I stayed on.”

Chubby had a glint in his starry eyes. “When I returned to Aralia on a tourist ship, I made the acquaintance of an elderly gent, a Jabu, a man named Stragnnesse.”

“I know this man,” Quobit said. “He is a worldly potionist. He wanders far and wide around the Alliance.”

“Yes, that’s him. I spent hours with him, and his tales kept me entertained and lifted my spirits. Imagine my surprise when he told me of his previous excursions to Medulla moons years ago, where he met an Earthling detective who was searching for—”

Deacon upstaged Chubby by saying, “A long-lost brother of an Earthling living on the planet’s surface.”

Lyanna snickered as the Aralian twitched his nose, which was nestled in his facial hair. “Vesper you, Coombs! If I am to accept the terms of bondage, permit me to tell my own tale to this group.”

“I apologize. My enthusiasm for your exploits overcame me.”

“Would you like to finish my yarn?”

“Continue, Chubby.”

“How surprised I was to hear the gossip from this man that an Earthling had been allowed to dwell on the planet’s surface and had mated with a Medullan. The wicked stories that this Stragnnesse spun. He had been personally summoned years ago by the troubled mother and Earthling father to exercise the demons from… a child of this marriage, a child possessed. The potionist spent a most unsuccessful time there, only to see the child’s maladies grow worse. The detective who later searched for this lost brother was Kam Chuen. Thus, with our current stall, it seemed only natural to locate this Chuen and learn more about this possessed child and the Earthling father. Also, I had never heard that the Alliance had broken promises to allow interbreeding.”

Chubby took a deep breath. “So I found Chuen and, after a few visits, rewarded him enough money to disclose the identity of his client on Earth, who happens to be the uncle of this disturbed child.”

“Goharn Lok,” Deacon said, beating Chubby to the punch line.

Chubby expelled hilarious snorting sounds. After Deacon extended his apologies, it was all he could do to endure the noises.

“What do you know about this offspring?” Chubby asked.

Deacon spoke politely. “You first, please. I’ll say it again. Without the services of research Owlers and an inquisitive mind like my own, you have done extraordinarily well, Chubby.”

Chubby accepted the compliment. “I heard all the rumors of how a biological experiment to mate an Earthling and Medullan had been a genetic disaster. The offspring is a beast who feeds on the misery of others. It has performed deeds of treachery. The Medullans tired of the child’s crimes and banished it to its own place of suffering. Later I discovered that this was not true and that the Medullans wished death upon it; it was the mother who disobeyed and planted the child on Nix.”

Chubby squinted with one eye as he peered at Deacon. “I used my influence on officers in high places in the Alliance to conduct an unofficial investigation, and for years I have searched for this detective and the client.” He used body language to accentuate his story as his hands and arms stretched out and his eyes opened wide.