Paul Kater - Bactine

After the shower, he dressed and headed out to a restaurant. A good breakfast chased the ghost from his head. He was about to leave when he found something in his pocket. It was a scrap of paper with a print of a ship on it. As he unfolded it, a small something fell out of it. Daniel picked it up from the floor and looked at it. “Oh crap…”

Daniel went back home and from there to the house of Huajo Dogom ko Tzuy. He had to know if the man was tied to Rayko’s disappearing, and what he was doing in the drug scene. Daniel had a few small weapons with him. The attack of the previous day had shaken him up enough to choose for that. He didn’t like carrying arms around people, but this situation called for drastic measures. As he was on the way, bits and parts from the last night came and went, until the carriage came to a stop.

Daniel recognised the house of the ship owner. He left the carriage and walked up to the reception house. After holding his ring against the metal plate, he waited. To his surprise the door was answered rather quickly.

“Sir?” a servant asked. Daniel had never seen this person before.

“My name is Daniel Zacharias, and I would like a word with Seigner Dogom ko Tzuy.”

“If you would care to wait here,” the servant nodded, allowing Daniel to step inside, “I will go and see if the Seigner has time for you.”

He’d better, Daniel thought. He was going to talk to this man, time or no time. But he understood that using the official way was better than to storm in there like a mad bull. Unless the official way got him nowhere.

After a few minutes the servant returned. “The Seigner can see you, Mr. Zacharias.”

The servant guided Daniel through the tube and into the main house. Huajo was behind the desk in his conservatory again.

“Mr. Zacharias, what an unexpected surprise,” the fat man said. “Tea please, for Mr. Zacharias.”

“No, thank you,” Daniel said, “I might not stay here that long.”

Huajo looked at the visitor. “This sounds somewhat alarming, or pressed for time at least, sir. How can I help you?”

“Last time I was here, Seigner Dogom ko Tzuy,” Daniel said, “I told you about Rayko Dandra ko Galem. That she went missing. Yesterday someone tried to murder me.”

“Oh…” Huajo looked genuinely surprised. “That is very bad news. Are you unharmed, sir?”

“I am, yes.”

“And, if I may ask of you, why does this attempt on your life bring you to me?” The man either knew absolutely nothing, or he was a perfect actor.

“The man who tried to kill me, Seigner, had a tattoo on his arm. It was a ship, and beneath it was written ‘Tzuy’.” Daniel threw the words at the man, who actually leaned back a bit.

“I am truly sorry, Mr. Zacharias,” Huajo said, “but I am confident that people who sail on my ships are not the kind that go around killing people as they please.”

“Perhaps not as they please, Seigner,” said Daniel as he leaned on the desk, looming over the man. “But perhaps as someone else pleases.”

“Sir, I beg of you… are you implying that I would have my hand in some filthy business? I am strongly opposed to matters like that, I hope you can believe this, Mr. Zacharias.”

Daniel got up and reached into his pocket. “Maybe this means something to you. Seigner…” He unfolded a piece of paper on the man’s desk. On it was the print of a ship. And the word ‘Tzuy’. Then Daniel slowly put a broken glass capsule on the paper. “In this capsule, in case you don’t know, were drugs. Drugs served on a paper with the name of your ships.”

Huajo stared at the paper and the capsule as if they were about to bite him. “What is this, Mr. Zacharias? Where did you get this?”

“So you know what this is?” Daniel asked.

“It is some scrap of paper from an insolent who uses the mark and name of my ships. And what is this glass thing, I would like to know.” Huajo picked it up carefully and examined it.

Daniel’s initial feeling of victory dwindled a bit. The man behind the desk seemed really not aware of what the broken vial had contained. “Don’t tell me, Seigner, that you have never seen a vial that contained liquid drugs.”

Huajo almost dropped the vial. “Drugs? Are you meddling with drugs, Mr. Zacharias? I must say I am shocked!”

“I am not. You are,” Daniel said, although he was less convinced now.

“Sir, I try to remember you are not from our planet, so I shall take that as a reason for this. You are deeply offending me, Mr. Zacharias. The house of Dogomo ko Tzuy is not dealing with drugs and other substances of that kind. I am sorry to admit that there are rumours of other ship owner’s houses that deal in that shady area, but my house is not one of them.” Huajo put the vial on his desk and got up. “You should believe me, Mr. Zacharias. If you do, you are welcome to stay. If you do not, I must ask you to leave.”

Daniel wasn’t sure, but he decided that this all was circumstantial evidence.

“You are not too well versed in our language, Mr. Zacharias,” Huajo said. “The word Tzuy means ‘going to the sea’. My great-grandfather added that to our name long ago, as we have always been ship owners. Tzuy is therefore a common word in any town that has a harbour, as you probably understand.”

Daniel nodded. “I can see reason in that, sir. But there still is the attack. And the tattoo on the arm of the man who did that clearly showed one of your ships. The design is unmistakable, and under that also was the name Tzuy. That is hardly a coincidence.”

“Allow me a moment, Mr. Zacharias.” Huajo took a hydger from the desk and called someone. Daniel noticed that the device was the size of his own. Huajo’s stubby fingers would have a problem handling anything smaller.

“My administrator for personnel will be here in a short while, Mr. Zacharias,” Huajo said as he sat down again. “If you could wait, and please have a seat… If you can describe the man who attacked you, I am sure my administrator will be able to identify the man.”

Daniel calmed down slightly and sat in the chair behind him. Huajo called for some tea, which was accompanied by pieces of fresh fruit pie. The situation was very awkward, but Huajo did not seem to have a big problem with it: he chatted about business things, commented on the weather and ideas for a new boat he was working on. That made time pass quickly.

“Seigner,” a servant announced, “Mr. Confrey is here.”

“Ah, good, show him in, show him in.”

Mr. Confrey was an average sized man. He had blond hair, blue eyes and a very calm disposition. He also had a big bag with him which contained loads and loads of papers. Files on everyone who was working for his employer, or who had worked for him.

Daniel was asked to describe the man who had attacked him. That proved to be hard work, as the man had not struck him as a particular person. Also, during the fight, Daniel had not taken much time to admire his looks. It helped that all the faces of all the sailors had been sketched on their ‘personnel file’. After wading through papers for about an hour, Mr. Confrey held one sheet of paper in his hand.

“This is, or rather was Daro Jinkel. He joined the company eight years ago and left two years ago. The captains of the Tzuy Two and Tzuy Five that Jinkel has worked on both complained about his lack of respect towards them and the other crew,” Mr. Confrey read out loud.

Daniel read the page also. There was no denying it: the man who had attacked him was no employee of Huajo’s firm anymore. Mr. Confrey could not have tampered with this paper, he was certain, as the other papers all were made the same way.

Mr. Confrey got his papers together, put them in the bag and bid them a good day.