Zy's Novel Post 21

Novel total = 21,013 words
Post total = 812 words


“Do not pretend this is a social occasion.” He set a viddisk on the stone block and sat stiffly in the second chair. The heavy gold medallion swung around his neck. “The coroner’s report.”

“Thank you.” Zy wondered how hard he leaned on the coroner to get an autopsy done so quickly. “I appreciate your cooperation. I just need to know what happened.”

“Fudlack is dead and we are ready to deal with the trespass. What I do not understand is your need to butt into an internal affair.”

Zy took a deep breath to stay calm. “How come your internal affair is involved in the deaths of Possatact, Ifeket, and Cobaine? That doesn’t sound so internal to me.” Xeryl poured himself a drink and moved around D’pa to settle on the couch. Zy didn’t take her attention from D’pa. “Who found Fudlack?”

“I did.”

So he was going to be a pull-it-out-of-me-one-word-at-a-time witness. She didn’t let her face change. “Describe what happened in your own words.”

“Fudlack’s last meeting of the day is always with me. I went to it at 22 local hours and found the room exactly like you saw it, guarded by his bodyguards. I took command and called Xeryl. That was two standard days ago.”

“Yes, he did,” Xeryl added. Zy glanced at him then flicked her eyes back to D’pa. Xeryl shrugged and sipped his drink.

It would derail everything to now bring up the fact that Xeryl should follow Mealte’s lead and keep his mouth shut. “And why did you call Xeryl?”

D’pa jumped to his feet. His pale purple hand reached under his jacket. “I knew this was a trick! You are not interested in Fudlack, you want to destroy us!”

Mealte crouched next to Zy’s chair, ready to launch himself at D’pa.

“My job is to find a murderer.” Zy remained sitting. She clenched her muscles to keep from leaping out of the chair and away from D’pa’s rage.

Xeryl leaped up as well. “Fire and ice! This paranoia is unwarranted!”

His faced darkened and his red eyes glittered. “She is IGA and you found her in your organization. Then the deaths started. How convenient for IGA who wants to puts us all out of business to have a reason to force a way inside. I will not give IGA any knife blade to use against us! We know who killed Fudlack and he will pay. And if the Agent does not leave, she will pay as well!”

Mealte’s stance shifted slightly. Xeryl’s body had stiffened. “What are you talking about, I found her in my organization? I didn’t tell you that.” His voice iced over.

“We have other outside sources of information besides you.”

“Sit down both of you!” Zy took a deep breath. “I’m here to find a murderer. If you can’t answer my questions without incriminating yourself in other criminal activities that I’m not investigating, you’re not ready to be a racketeer in the major leagues!”

“How dare you!”

She surged up with fists balled. “Sit down before you find your own head on a pole!”

“I could kill you for that insult!”

“Insult? You have lousy taste in jewelry is an insult.” Xeryl cringed, but Zy ignored him. “Do we need to have a fight to see who has the bigger balls? Mealte has you outnumbered already. Now sit down and answer my questions so I can find out if your alleged suspect is indeed the one responsible!”

“Strual was the last one to see Fudlack, of course he’s guilty.”

Zy sat down with a smile. “Well, now we’re getting somewhere. Does anybody else know he was the last to see Fudlack?”

D’pa frowned harder. “You’re trying to trick me.”

She rolled her eyes. “Xeryl, why did D’pa call you?”

“I was working on a partnership with Fudlack. He wanted to make sure I would deal with him as head of the organization.” Xeryl remained standing.

“No need to get upset about that. Sit down, you’re going to be uncomfortable standing like that for a while. Now, does anybody else know he was the last to see Fudlack?”

“The bodyguards did.” D’pa pulled his arm out from under his jacket and sat down. Mealte stood up, but remained beside Zy’s chair.

“Did? Why don’t they know anymore?”

“It is possible that they do, but unless you can talk to dead beings, you will not know.”

“The murderer didn’t kill them because you found them still guarding. What happened to them?”

“They were executed for failing Fudlack.”

“Executed! You don’t execute eyewitnesses!”

“Zy,” Xeryl said.

“Did you bother asking them what they had seen before it was off with their heads?”

D’pa folded his arms across his chest. “All they remembered was Strual coming and leaving before I did.”

“What did you do with Strual?”

“He was found while I was dealing with Xeryl. Xeryl told me of the other crimes, and asked that we hold Strual for you. He is under guard.”

“Great, I’ll need to see him next. Can you think of any reason why anyone would want to kill Fudlack?”

“Strual claims innocence.”

“Anybody, not just Strual.”

“There is always death on Ecan 2, but Fudlack was so feared, no one would want to be the attempter of physical death.”

Zy stared at D’pa’s red eyes. And just how did he feel as the second-in-command, now the leader of the organization? But that would make this an internal affair, and none of these murders felt like in-fighting. Nobody took over the leadership vacuum left by Cobaine, unless they migrated the whole operation. “Thank you for your coorperation, D’pa. Can I speak with Strual now?”