Андрэ Нортон - Beast Master's Circus

"Anders, what happened?" Storm had finished reading the preliminary reports.

"Trastor has a couple of moons as you know. There's a large mining dome on one and a smaller group on the other. Since they're so close it pays not to use the expensive type of ship. But we have to run a regular service. When the mines were opened we had several small, old-fashioned ships mothballed. We reactivated those. They leave every fifth day from a small separate port."

Anders gave a small snort of amusement. "That was what wrecked things. The ships are really old. They use the matter drive. In other words, at a pinch they can burn anything for fuel."

Tani smiled. "They may be old fashioned but there's still plenty about. The circus you have here uses a huge old freighter of that sort. And the ark has those engines. They're workhorses. No speed but a wide and low-cost range because they can use almost anything at all for fuel."

"Exactly. And they can cost little to run if they're being used for such short hops. So that's why we went back to them for the mines. Normally they're run on compressed fuel bricks. But some bright theorist suggested we combine operations. She purchased a compactor and is paid to collect unwanted garbage. That's compressed into bricks and sold to the mining company at a minimal price."

He grunted. "Bright lady. She makes her money coming and going. Not a lot at each end, but it's a cheap operation and the two amounts combine to make good credits. The system is run by her family. Her, a brother, and their older kids, with a couple of part-time oldsters doing the light stuff. If what I suspect is true, in the past anyone with a spare body to get rid of hauled it to the compactor, dumped it in overnight, and left again."

"They filled the compactor ready for the morning's start?"

"Uh-huh. The old chap who runs it would just have pressed the button when he got there the next morning. When enough bricks had fallen out into the loader he runs them to the next ship to lift and loads them into the outer fuel chamber. That's what did it. He pressed the button. The compactor gives a groan and dies. He calls the family. The brother rushes over to fix the compactor, checks the load in it first, and guess what he finds?"

Tani laughed. "I see what you mean. Bad luck for the killers. Did you ask how often the compactor breaks down?"

"I did. They said it's very rare. That was only the third time in the five years the system's been going. But—and listen to this—the other two times it was at the end of the day. They fixed it overnight and were running again by morning. In other words: It was unlikely anyone but the family ever knew about those times. The method must have looked like a sure thing for disposal. It never broke down."

A woman bustled in just then, laid papers on the desk, and departed in silence. Anders turned to leaf through them. He glanced up. "Nothing important. Interviews with everyone we could find at once who lives near the mining port. No one saw or heard a thing." He shifted a switch. "Is that pathology report in yet?"

"Not yet, sir."

"Crats." Anders sat back. "I asked them to do Ideena first. Maybe finding out what was used on her will give me a place to start." He looked as if he was about to explode again. "The nerve of them. I'm looking everywhere for that pair and someone kills them. Right under my nose. Then sticks them in the garbage." His gaze on them sharpened. "Do you think this beast master business could be the link?"

"I think so," Tani said thoughtfully. "We know they were involved with both raids. Mandy's imitation of the voice she heard was identified on Brightland. The authorities there were certain it was Ideena. Logan saw the woman who shot him and is certain it was her. The pair are known to have been working together for years. But look at their records. They don't steal animals."

Anders was reading swiftly down the list of ascribed crimes again. "No. They go for portable high value. I can see them taking your Thunder-talker's regalia. Green or white cat's-eye gems are worth a lot of credits in a very small package."

"But this time they grabbed whatever they could find of some value. Yet they also stopped much longer to pick up a pair of coyotes, a family of meercats, and Surra, injured though she was. I think it's the third man. He was the one after the animals. The other two were on contract with the right to loot."

"Makes sense." Anders propped his chin on one hand as he reread Ideena's rap sheet. "That ship was hers. Since officially she and Baris were fugitives wanted for questioning on both crimes against a citizen and interplanetary crimes, my people have been tearing the ship apart. So far they've found some fascinating things which may clear up a number of the crimes Brightland has listed here. Nothing on your problem as yet. That may come.

"The man who specializes in the job says he's rarely seen such diverse ways to hide contraband. He's sure there are still a number of places he hasn't found. They'd have required damage to the ship and so long as we had no conviction we couldn't do that."

Tani smiled sweetly. "But now the ship's owners of record have been murdered. It's your duty to find out how that happened. If you have to tear the ship down to basic structure it's legal, surely?"

"Yeeess. Yes. It is." Anders was thinking. "After all, it's clear the owners were criminals. That's plain from things we've found so far. There's no record of any deed of gift or will disposing of the ship. We should make every attempt to satisfy court requirements. We have to find those who'd inherit."

"Apart from which, don't you have the Contingency Law?" Storm suggested before reciting: "Where the owner of a property has been involved in provable criminal acts and dies before conviction, the state may confiscate the property, provided no immediate or minority heirs exist." He pointed to the documents before Anders.

"Baris and Ideena were never legally bonded. Not to anyone else or each other, and they're both dead. They have no known children. Brightland says they come from respectable families there. Their respective parents formally and legally disowned them. Their siblings are all adults. Neither Baris nor Ideena have had any contact with their families in many years. So they can't have any legal responsibility to sibling offspring. So far as I can see the Contingency Law applies."

Anders nodded. "I'll speak to the head of the search team." He touched a panel. "Jyrin? Yes, Anders. Listen. We're applying Contingency Law to that ship you're in. Rip it apart. I don't care what you do. Just find everything there is to find even if you have to take it down to the hull plating." He nodded in reply to a question. "No. On my authority. We've checked records. No immediate or minor heirs. Go to it."

He turned to grin at them both. "Jyrin's a good man with similar habits to a Trastorian burrower." He chuckled. "He looks a bit like one as well but if there's anything in that ship to find, Jyrin will dig it out. Once he's done the ship can be put back together again and join the mining fleet. The governor will be delighted about that. We've been needing a fourth ship."

Tani laughed. "Everyone benefits. Except Baris and Ideena. I keep wondering who the third person with them was."

"Speaking of a third person," Anders queried idly. "Where's your brother?"

"Where else? With Laris at the circus."

"Which reminds me, I had a spacegram from Brad Quade. Not long. But he's found out something more for the girl." He picked up a report and handed it over. It was as brief as promised. Tani read the few lines rapidly and looked up.

"He says they've traced her and her mother via two other worlds to Fremlyn. Her mother was listed in the camp there as Shalmarra Trehannan." Her voice went up, "And her father as Aylaris who was already dead. See, Storm? They combined their names for Laris. Brad says that the Fremlyn camp took in refugees from Bowlil, Meril—and Ishan just before the Xiks destroyed it. He thinks Ishan is the most likely, but not to tell Laris that until he finds out more."