Kris Longknife: Audacious Part 26

She did. "It seems that your telephone number was found at the office of the security advisory firm that sent her the guards that vanished with her."

O'Heidi took a moment to absorb the words. Then he shook his head. "Oh, I am sad to hear that. About the guards disappearing. I hope they weren't hurt." His reply didn't sound like anything more than an attempt to dodge the obvious.

"I was wondering how your phone number came to be there?"

Mr. Tristram shrugged. At least his shoulders moved. His face stayed in a vacant grin. "I have no idea. Lots of people attend my parties. Many tell their friends about them. Some come. Others don't. Birds of each feather seek their own."

"Who provides your security?" Kris asked.

He giggled. "I really don't know. I leave that to the house 'puter. It lets the contract to bidding every few years and takes the lowest bidder. 'Puter's do it so much better than people. With 'puters, there's no risk of someone hanging their hand out for a kickback, don't you know."

"Could your computer tell us who's providing the service these days?" Jack asked.

"Oh no, that's never done. You must be new to Eden. That privacy is never violated. Strictly a business matter."

"It's really important. I want to find my grandmother very much," Kris pointed out. She considered coming around the desk and towering over O'Heidi, but gave it up. If this fellow was going to lead them anywhere, it would not be intentionally.

O'Heidi steepled his fingers and leaned back in his chair. "I am very sorry, but I certainly can't violate Eden's laws, now can I? Besides, I doubt if it would really help. These things usually work themselves out. Have you been asked for ransom?"

"We've had no call from the criminals," Kris bit out.

"Well, you should stay close to your phone," the man said, glancing at his, a rather antique-looking affair. "If you miss that first call, you may not get another," he said helpfully.

"I'm sure we'll get the call when it comes in," Kris said.

"Well, sorry I can't be of more help. Why don't you come to my party next Friday? I'm sure this will all be settled by then. Bring your grandmother. Or was it great-grandmother?"

"The latter," Kris said and turned to go.

"That did us a lot of good," Jack muttered under his breath as they retraced their way out of the house.

"As you were, Marine," Kris snapped, under her breath as much as she could.

Back in the Marine rig, Kris's first words were "Debug us."

Then she sat silent for the next half minute as listening bugs sparkled in death.

"We are clean," Nelly finally announced.

"That was a major infestation," Jack noted.

"That house is a plague," Nelly added. "I was getting all kinds of reports. Every word you said, Kris, was being re-broadcasted as fast as you said it."

"Different bugs?"

"No. In there, and in this transport, almost all of the bugs were of three basic models. I also picked up some hunter bugs as well. All the bugs are playing the same tune, Kris."

"And he has security to see that only he is doing the bugging," Jack concluded.

"Not as good a security as he thinks," Nelly reported. "Our tap bug is on his phone line." If a computer could grin in pride, Nelly would be grinning from ear to ear.

If she had ears.

"And he's making a call," she said.

"He ought to, after Jack let him know how good he did," Kris said, elbowing her security chief.

"If I hadn't done it, you would have. And it sounded better coming from me."

"Everyone believes a man in uniform," Captain DeVar added with a grin.

"I've got the number," Nelly crowed.

A second later, the celebration was over. "Oh, pooh, he's using a scrambler system."

"Crack it," Kris ordered.

"I can't," Nelly said, with an almost audible sigh in her voice. "The scrambler key changes every couple of words."

"What's the number?" Bronc asked.

Nelly pa.s.sed it to him.

"Is it in the database?" Kris asked.

Bronc looked stricken. "I've never heard of a nine-oh-nine exchange."

"Neither have I," Cara added.

"Another brick wall," Jack sighed.

"Well, I can tell you a few things," Nelly said, jumping in like a ray of sunshine. "Maybe not what they are saying, but I can tell you that O'Heidi said something, then got cut off, and then he said something back, in a rather contrite voice."

"Oh ho," Captain DeVar said. "Someone didn't like being called, I bet. I'd love to hear what's going on here."

"I suspect O'Heidi really wishes he wasn't," Kris said.

And wasn't far from right.

Interlude 3

"You never call me," Grant von Schrader snapped at O'Heidi's interruption.

"Don't you want to know what hasn't hit the news yet?"

"And what makes you think I have to wait for the news to know what's happening on Eden?"

"So you already know what Kris Longknife told me just a moment ago."

"I don't like guessing games, Heidi." Few used that nomme de party to Ohi's face. It reminded the playboy just who was boss here.

"She's looking for her great-grandmother. Someone seems to have kidnapped Mrs. Ruth, ah..."

"Tordon. If you will excuse me, some of us have work to do," Grant snapped and quashed the line. A moment later, his computer briefed him on the latest news to come in from his sources in Garden City's police department.

Grant had flagged Kris Longknife. He hadn't thought to flag Ruth Tordon. A major mistake, it now appeared.

"Where is Victoria?" he demanded.

"She is just leaving," his house computer answered.

"Tell her I wish to see her."

"I don't want to see you" came in Vicky's own voice a moment later. "I have business of my own."

"Which it seems also impacts my business and your father's. You may either come to my study, or my men will carry you."

"I could drop them before they laid a hand on me."

"Then the armored security guards will collect you, and you can sample the hospitality of my lower bas.e.m.e.nts until such time as your father asks about you. I expect that might be a very long time, all things considered."

A few moments later, Victoria Smythe-Peterwald stormed into his study, four security guards trailing her warily.

"You don't have the right to stop me," she shouted after hardly crossing the threshold.

"I imagine your brother told his mentor that about the time he tried breathing vacuum. It didn't work all that well."

"It was that d.a.m.n Longknife."

"So you were going to get her," Grant said, trying his best to sound reasonable.

"Her and that old bag, both," the lovely girl spat.

Grant sighed. This educational a.s.signment was not going well. "That old bag was surviving Iteeche killer pods long before your father was born."

"And I caught her up like a blind cow at feeding time," the young woman said proudly.

"No doubt. However, your father and I cannot afford another kidnapping bandied about human s.p.a.ce at the moment. Her husband, General Trouble, is not a man who takes offense well."

"He'll never know what killed her. Her and that Longknife brat."

"Ah, but I know. And you just bragged about it in front of four security guards. That is not how your father or I arrived at our places in human s.p.a.ce. If your right hand slits a throat, your left hand should know nothing about it. That is something you should meditate on."

The girl actually stomped her foot. "I don't have time to waste doing that meditating thing of yours."

"I'm afraid you do." Grant raised his voice slightly. "Ms. Rotterdame."

"Yes, sir," Vicky's personal maid's voice answered immediately.

"I am sending Miss Victoria up to her suites. She is to stay there, meditating on the meaning of security. I do not want her out of your sight for any reason. You understand me. Any. Reason!"

"I understand you perfectly, Mr. Von Schrader. She will be under the personal observation of either me or one of my a.s.sistants at all times, no matter how personal or odoriferous her activity. And I will bring out the shock cane if she proves too headstrong."

"We understand each other," he said, then scowled at his boss's offspring. "I will also have guards at your door and on the grounds below your suite. You were quite good at slipping out of the nursery back on Greenfeld. Do not mistake my house for such a play area. You have created a problem that I must now solve. Go to your rooms while I do it."

Miss Vicky kicked an end table, that proved heavier than she thought, so she slapped the lamp on it. Since it was bolted to the table, all she did was knock the shade askew.

"I would have expected better from a Peterwald," Grant said, eliciting a primal scream from the girl. When he showed no reaction to the noise, she stomped out.

Grant eyed the senior of the guards. "Had she told you where she was going?"

"No, sir."

"And you knew nothing of this plan of hers."

Any answer would d.a.m.n him. "No, sir," the man said simply.

"Inform your supervisor that someone in her guard detail must know what she planned and helped her plan it. I expect your company to investigate it and take appropriate action."

"Yes, sir" came quickly back.

And Grant von Schrader turned back to his desk and fiddled with minor matters until he was once more alone. Only then did he tap his most secure commlink.

"Major, I need a quick report on all the a.s.sets we have in place. I fear some of them may have been compromised. We should also a.s.sume that Operation Barbarossa may require immediate implementation.

"That will involve more risk than we intended," his old a.s.sociate replied.

"Report back to me in half an hour on how far we may have been compromised and then we will a.s.sess the risk."

At the sound of the link being cut, Grant called up his plan for Barbarossa. No doubt more time would reduce the risks. However, if the dolts who ran Eden finally pulled their heads out of the sand, more time might ruin everything.

Grant smiled. With luck, he could still add another star to the Greenfeld banner...and return the boss's daughter to him alive...if not educated.

34.