Barry Longyear - Enemy Papers

Davidge keeps looking at the melted case in Yamagata’s hands and says, "Yazi Ro, what do you want to wager that this drill is from Dracon JACHE?"

I slowly shake my head. "Not even air."

There is a whining sound coming from the edge of the cliff and soon we see the Aakva Lua flyer move out across the water, make a steep climbing turn to the right, and set course for First Colony, Michael Hill’s body in its cargo bay. The others begin walking the path to the house. I begin following but pause when I see Mirili Sanda struggling its way up the path to the ledge. Keeping against the wall, I go down a few steps and lend the overweight investigator a hand getting up the last few steps. At the top, Sanda wheezes its thanks and sits on an outcropping to catch its breath. "That Zammis is twice as old as I am and it runs up and down this trail like it was three. The company has an employees' gym. I think I’ll drop in and see what I can do to get in better physical shape."

As Sanda rests, its gaze wanders along the edge of the ledge, then to the door, back to the ledge, and then to the rocks below. "Yazi Ro, if you were going to plant a bomb in this cave, could you forget this cliff outside the entrance, no matter how dark it was, no matter how big a panic was driving your feet?"

I look down at the rocks and shake my head. "No, Mirili Sanda, I could not forget. I, though, pay particular attention to heights."

"Over a certain altitude, Yazi Ro, everyone does."

The slightly warmer temperatures of the early morning drop suddenly, foreshadowing a new storm. In the house, Davidge isolates himself with the subspace link and doesn’t emerge for the second or night repasts. After the night repast, in the main gathering salon, Jeriba Zammis tells us that the investigators will return to ask more questions. They have some lab results and they have located the flyer Michael Hill rented. They will be here in a few moments. As Zammis, Ty, Estone Falna, and I sit and speculate about what the investigators have found, Davidge at last emerges from Ty’s office, the expression on his face somewhere between confusion and fatigue. He drops into a chair, becoming part of our circle.

"What is it, Uncle?" asks Falna.

"The Ovjetah informs me," he announces, "that if the talma leads to Planet Timan then the talma leads to Planet Timan."

"That took you from before the second repast?"

"Basically. The rest was taken up with a little talk about relatives, and a lot of talk about why Shigan can’t talk about what I want it to talk about. If Timan has nothing to do with this damned talma, why can’t Shiggy just say so? It’s as stubborn as a damned mule."

Falna assumes a serious expression and says, "I can’t imagine where the Ovjetah would acquire a trait such as that."

"Such a human quality," adds Ty. Zammis’s child grins as Davidge glares at both of them and raises his eyebrows.

"There is a difference, my children, between conviction and stubbornness. The former is based on knowledge or sincere belief. The latter is rooted in stupidity brought on by the need to be regarded as right."

"My parent," says Ty to Zammis, "it is a shame how stupid your parent is. I have always said so."

"True, true," responds Zammis, shaking its head sadly and turning to Davidge. "What can one do, Uncle? Ever since Shigan took on its master’s robe and then earned the position of Ovjetah of the Talman Kovah, it has been impossible to convince my parent of its stupidity."

Falna laughs out loud at this. Davidge drums his fingers on the armrests of the chair for a moment, then says with half a smile, "You clowns ought to take your act on the road."

Our laughter is interrupted by Mizy Untav. The doorkeeper enters, bows, and announces the investigators from Aakva Lua. Mirili Sanda and Kita Yamagata enter. Sanda is wearing the same tan short robe, trousers, and boots from this morning. Yamagata is dressed in an all-white, high-collared jumpsuit with soft white boots laced up to just below her knees. A red flower is in her hair and her eyes almost glitter. I turn my head and look at Davidge sitting uncomfortably in his old snakeskin leathers scratching his beard. His gaze is fixed on the center of the floor.

It is impossible for me to fathom these human hormonal reactions. Kita Yamagata, who regards Davidge as an overage murder suspect, primps herself and preens in front of him like a vacci bird before a prospective mate. Willis E. Davidge, dedicated to teaching The Talman and line to an endless succession of Drac children, isolated from human companionship and celibate for the past three decades, now a murder suspect, is squirming in his chair because he wishes he looks more presentable before the woman who might charge him with murder.

Of course, I am no master on the subject of love. My own encounters were hurried, almost chance events between horrors, leaving me without love or loving. There is a barren loneliness eating at me, and between that and Davidge’s comical look, I would too become a clown. I envy him his discomfort as I take a furtive look at Estone Falna.

Falna is watching Sanda with both eyes as the Drac investigator folds its arms across its chest. "Earth IMPEX and Michael Hill’s family both want to continue with the investigation, although they are doing so through investigative companies other than Aakva Lua. JACHE is also interested in continuing the investigation, but unlike IMPEX, it is using Aakva Lua."

"Are you at liberty to reveal JACHE’s interest?" asks Zammis. "And what of Timan Nisak?"

"Nisak has been informed, but has not responded. As to JACHE’s interest, they have placed no restrictions on us, and it seems that Hill’s actions have the potential to affect business, and JACHE is in business." Sanda looks at Davidge. "The laboratory and autopsy reports are in and everything appears to be consistent with events as related to us by Willis Davidge and Jeriba Haesni this morning. Our pathologist reports that Michael Hill’s death was caused by massive trauma to his internal organs, as a result of his fall down the cliff." Sanda nods toward Yamagata. She nods back and looks at each of us, one at a time.

"As I surmised, the thermal drill is not an IMPEX model. There are no chemical markers in the explosive, and both IMPEX and JACHE are required by their laws to have markers in all of their explosives. That means that the explosive is from Timan Nisak. The case itself has markings that our translation service has identified as Timan."

Davidge frowns and says, "So, what’s an IMPEX sales representative doing in my cave with a Timan explosive?"

"Trying to kill both you and Haesni, I have no doubt," says Yamagata. "Understand that Thermex burns with such an intense heat that there would be no evidence left at all had Hill programmed and set off the thing correctly. Either he was not familiar with the Nisak model, he was nervous, or something else impaired his performance."

"It was something else," declares Jeriba Zammis. "Michael Hill was no killer. Everything you have said confirms that. Some threat, some incredible pressure must have been brought to bear. What of the supplier of this explosive? What of Timan Nisak ?"

"All talmas lead to Timan," Davidge remarks, his gaze still fixed to the floor.

Falna sits forward, looks from Sanda to Yamagata, and says, "We were told that this meeting had to do with some further questioning."

Yamagata nods and looks at me. "Perhaps I am in error, Yazi Ro, but when I was talking with you and Willis Davidge this morning I got the distinct impression that both of you were certain that the drill was Timan."

I glance at Davidge and he shrugs followed by a nod. I look back at the woman. "Davidge and I are implementing a talma devised by a Talman master on Amadeen and assigned to us by the Jetai Diea through Ovjetah Jeriba Shigan. The intended result of the talma is peace on Amadeen."