Джуд Уотсон - Jedi Apprentice 11 - The Deadly Hunter

He caught up with Qui-Gon at the door. But something made him turn back. The old man was now heading toward the back of the place. He shuffled through the crowd at first, but his step quickened as he passed through the throng at the bar. It was difficult to keep him in sight through the press of bodies, but Obi-Wan focused his attention, watching for movement.

He saw a cape drop to the floor. Then another. No one noticed.

The windows along the back were shuttered as well. One was slightly more ajar than the others, the window itself cracked to let in a tiny stream of air.

The shuffling old man had disappeared. A tall female dressed in a dark tunic suddenly disengaged from the crowd and moved toward the rear.

"It's her," Obi-Wan breathed. He quickly turned to Qui-Gon. "She's here."

Qui-Gon turned. As they watched, the female dressed in black hauled herself up and then slipped through the narrow opening of the window, her body seeming to compress as she did so.

With a leap, Qui-Gon burst out the front door. Obi-Wan followed on his heels. They raced down a narrow alleyway crowded with so many durasteel garbage bins that they had to leap up and run on top of them.

Garbage squished under their boots, impeding their progress. They landed as lightly as they could, racing over the tops of the bins toward the rear. At the end of the alleyway, they leaped down onto solid ground.

She was already disappearing around a corner far down the back alley.

Qui-Gon increased his pace, and Obi-Wan spurted forward to catch up to him. His Master was a faster runner, and he dashed around the corner before Obi-Wan could get there.

Obi-Wan pushed himself to his limit, racing after Qui-Gon. The question was, if they caught the bounty hunter, what would they do? Questioning her had not exactly been productive before.

As he rounded the corner, he saw that Qui-Gon had given up. The alley widened into a small square with six different roads radiating out from the center.

"She's gone," Qui-Gon said.

"If that was really her," Obi-Wan said. "Now I can't quite believe it. I saw an old man, and suddenly he became a younger female."

"Your eyes did not deceive you, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "Only a Sorussian would have been able to slip through that opening. The question is, why was she there at all? Was it a coincidence, or is she now on our trail?"

"What are you doing here?" Astri demanded as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan walked through the door of Didi's Cafй. She wiped her flour-dusted hands on a dish towel. "Oh, forgive me, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. You are always welcome, Qui-Gon. Except not just now."

"Don't worry, Astri, we haven't come for a meal," Qui-Gon told her.

"Jenna Zan Arbor is due with her party any moment," Astri said distractedly. "One of the servers hasn't shown up. I haven't finished the banja cakes yet. The water won't boil for the pashi noodles, and my sauce is too spicy!"

"It smells delicious," Obi-Wan said helpfully.

"Thank you. If only I could feed them with smells! How does the place look? Fligh was supposed to come by and sweep, and he never showed up, that rascal. After all Didi has done for him!"

"I have never seen the cafй look better," Qui-Gon assured her.

Astri had tried to brighten the place with ornate candles on the two long tables she had pushed together. A long pink cloth was on each table, and the plates and glasses looked clean and sparkling. But she could not hide the general air of disrepair of the place. The walls were dingy with the years of smoke and dirt, and the floor was pitted from the marks of thousands of boots and scuffles.

"There was no time to paint the inside," Astri said, noticing Obi-Wan's glance around. "And no time to tear the place down and rebuild, either." She gave a comical grimace.

"I'm sure everything will go fine," Qui-Gon said. "We've just come to talk to Didi for a moment. Is he here?"

"He's in the back. I told him to stay out of my way." Astri's dark eyes twinkled. "I think I scared him. He actually listened to me." Suddenly, she craned her neck and stared out the window. "Stars and planets, it's them!" Astri gave a surprisingly loud bellow. "Renzii! Our customers are here! Renzii —"

She was still bellowing as the door opened.

A tall woman dressed in a gray shimmersilk gown underneath a rich purple cloak stood uncertainly in the doorway. Her gleaming blond hair was intertwined with silky fabric. "This is Didi's Cafй?"

Hurriedly, Astri wiped her hands on her stained apron, then held one out for the woman to shake. She had rubbed a berry stain on her apron, and the hand she offered was blue. The woman stared at it and did not take it. Astri quickly tucked her hand behind her back.

"Yes, yes, come in. You are so welcome. I'm the owner and chef, Astri Oddo."

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan faded back. The woman's party crowded behind her. They glanced around the cafe, surprise on their faces. Obviously they had expected a grander restaurant for their meal. They were from various worlds, but all had a prosperous look. The men were dressed in fine tunics and jackets, the women in shimmersilk gowns or jackets. One aristocratic-looking female wore a jeweled turban. Her light blue eyes widened in dismay as she surveyed the cafe, and she quickly gathered her tunic closer around her.

"There must be some mistake," Jenna Zan Arbor said.

Just then Renzii the waiter raced out of the kitchen and skidded to a stop in front of the party, still buttoning his tunic. "Welcome, come in, enter, this way," he babbled.

"I think we'd better leave Astri to her guests,"

Qui-Gon murmured to Obi-Wan. "It seems her hands are full."

They walked back toward Didi's private office. They pushed open the door. Didi sat in a chair, his back to them. He didn't turn.

"Didi? Is everything all right?" Qui-Gon asked.

Slowly, the chair swiveled around to face them. Didi's dark eyes were full of tears. "I fear it is my fault," he said.

"What is your fault, Didi?" Qui-Gon asked gently.

"It's Fligh," he said. "He's been murdered."

Obi-Wan had faced death before. He never got used to it. The way a spirit could fill a space, the life energy behind the eyes, and then… nothing.

"What happened?" Qui-Gon demanded.

"I don't know," Didi said, mopping his face with a napkin. "The Coruscant security force contacted me. They know Fligh is a friend. He was found in one of the alleyways around the Senate. The Lane of All Worlds is where he is lying like an animal." Perspiration shone on Didi's face. "Do you think this has anything to do with me?" he asked. His face betrayed how fearful he was to hear the answer.

"I'm afraid I do," Qui-Gon said grimly. "We'd better talk to the security forces. Come on, Didi."

"Me?" Didi squeaked. "Why do I have to go?" "Because I think you should remain with us at all times now," Qui-Gon said. "You aren't safe here."

"But I am!" Didi protested. "Astri will lock the front door so no other customers come. And this fancy party will go on for hours. No one will try to attack me while such distinguished guests are here. And besides," he added in a low tone, "I'm too afraid and sad to move right now. I could not look upon my dead friend's body. I am sorry."

Qui-Gon exchanged a glance with Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan hoped he was not going to suggest that he stay here with Didi while Qui-Gon investigated Fligh's death. He did not want to stay behind to baby-sit Didi when there was work to do.

"All right," Qui-Gon said reluctantly. "This shouldn't take very long. Make sure every door and window is fastened tight, Didi. This bounty hunter can get through very small spaces."

Didi nodded vigorously. "I have done so already, but I will double-check."