Arloff made three jerking movements, shoulders and arms shaking. Then he was dead, smoke rising up from his ruined head.
Bending, Smith picked up the kilgun. He held it gingerly, as though it were dirty.
“You killed him,” Jennifer said.
Smith, he had no idea why, grinned. “I wasn’t exactly planning to, but-”
“It doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter.”
He crossed to her, reached out the hand that didn’t hold the kilgun. “Jennifer, there’s nothing-”
“It’s all right, Jared,” she said. “But, please, don’t touch me. Don’t talk to me anymore. Don’t follow me.” She left him there and went hurrying downhill through the night forest.
Saint rewound the plaid muffler around his neck. The fog was thick and prickly in the quirky lane. “A sad turn of events,” he remarked.
Cruz said, “He may not be in this public house either.”
“One hopes not, but judging from what Jennifer told us when we called at Horizon House in quest of him, I fear the worst.”
Cruz pushed open the sewdooak door of the Snerg & Racket with his metal hand. “I lose the bet, there’s Smith yonder.”
There were some twenty or so patrons in the snug room, most of them at the small tables ringing the deep blazing fireplace. Two played at airdarts in a far corner.
Smith sat at a table alone, both hands locked around a glass.
“Not that the chap doesn’t have a perfect right to backslide under the circumstances,” said Saint.
Cruz led the way to Smith. “How’re you faring, old chum?”
Smith looked up at him. “It was Arloff,” he said. “He’s dead, up at the temple ruins. We’ll have to notify the local law soon.”
Saint rubbed at his nose, frowning down at Smith. “Jove, you’re perfectly sober.”
“He’s drinking sparkling water,” said Cruz, seating himself opposite.
“No more binges,” said Smith. “That only happened in my youth. And that’s over.”
“Forgive me for having so little faith.” Saint dusted the third chair before sitting.
Smith nodded. “We’d better get back to the satellite,” he said, finishing his drink. “I just came in here to warm up. Seems damn chilly out tonight.”
“Deucedly so,” agreed Saint.
CHAPTER 28
From the living room of Smith’s hotel suite he could see the stretch of beach where he and Jennifer had walked when he’d first arrived on Zegundo. The afternoon was grey.
Smith was sitting in a plaz slingchair, hunched, chin resting on his steepled fingers.
The voxbox in the room’s ceiling made a throatclearing noise before announcing, “An unsavory gentleman with a suspicious moustache and a dangerous right arm is at the door, sire, accompanied by a clinging blonde humanoid young woman.”
“Show them in.” Smith stretched up out of the chair.
“You’re absolutely certain, sire, that you wish to-”
“In, yes.”
Cruz had his arm around Jazz Miller’s waist. “I return from the meeting with Jennifer and her mother at the Triplan headquarters with glad tidings,” he announced.
“Me, I didn’t even get to sit in,” complained Jazz. “All these terrific news stories are breaking all about me and I don’t even get the chance to-”
“Recline someplace,” advised Cruz, letting go of her. “Calamity,” she said. “I was being a nag again, huh?” She took a seat on the lucite sofa.
Smith asked, “They agreed to the terms?”
“You could’ve attended this confab, Jared. Both the ladies were quite cordial,” said Cruz. “Tea was served.”
“I wasn’t certain Jennifer would want to see me.”
“She asked after you.”
“Oh, so?”
“I informed her you were pining and sulking here in Suite 1304 of the Selva Plaza.”
“And you told her I was leaving the planet at midnight?”
“I managed to mention that, yes.” He sat in a tin slingchair. “She knows how to get in touch with you.”
“Okay,” said Smith, starting to pace. “Are they going to draw up papers and all?”
Cruz nodded. “Yes, although this deal has to remain more or less under the table for now.”
“I can’t even do a dinky three-minute spot on the news about it,” mentioned Jazz, folding her arms under her breasts.
“One million trubux for each of the surviving Horizon Kids and a pro rata share of half the profits?” said Smith.
“They agreed so swiftly, I’m thinking we well might have persuaded them to put up a larger sum in front.”
“The deal’s okay as it stands.”
Rubbing at his metal hand, Cruz said, “You should have your money within a month. That puts you in an entirely different status position, old chum. What do you intend to-”
“Not sure. I’m going back to the Barnum System for awhile. Haven’t figured what’ll happen beyond that.”
Cruz stood. “This has been a gratifying association, and not merely because of the bonus all you Horizon House grads are bestowing on Saint and myself.” He held out his right hand. “Should you want me for any further adventures, you can reach me here on Zegundo.”
“Don’t go offering him any jobs that are going to get him killed,” cautioned Jazz.
Smith and Cruz shook hands.
The pixphone buzzed at a few moments beyond three in the afternoon.
“Might be Jennifer,” Smith told himself, striding to the phone alcove in the suite living room. “Hello?”
Saint’s green face popped onto the screen. “Jove, you look deuced glum for a chap who’s just become rich for life.”
“I always look glum on phone screens,” Smith told him. “Nothing more than an electronic trick. How are you?”
“Quite content,” Saint answered. “As soon as I collect the handsome bonus you tots have bestowed, I’ll be embarking for Terzero.”
“A job?”
“A baroness. This time, however, a quite lovely lady in her late thirties. She once suggested that should I ever give up my shameful life of crime, she’d like to see more of me.”
“Are you reforming?”
“Until the current influx of fortune runs out, at least,” Saint said. “Take care and should you ever again have need of an accomplished, not to mention charming, telek, do contact me. I can be reached at the Villa Splendide on Terzero.”
“Okay, and good luck.”
He returned to his chair and sat watching the ocean far below.
“Hangdog look defined.” The floating Whistler terminal materialized a few feet in front of him.
“Move. You’re blocking the splendid view.”
Staying where it was, the terminal said, “You’re not going to go back to wallowing in gutters, are you?”
“Not on my agenda, no.”
“Good. You do have a certain potential and you may eventually live up to it.”
“Your glowing compliments are always appreciated in this quarter.”
“I’ve come to inform you that there are no hard feelings,” said Whistler. “You held up our clients for a bundle, but you also solved the case and did what we were hired to do. So the Whistler organization isn’t going to be fuddyduddy about this.”
Smith said, “If everybody’d leveled with us from the start, we-”
“No matter. The point is, the outfit is satisfied with you, and your crew. It’s possible that in the future we’ll call on you again. Interested?”
“Might be. Working for Suicide, Inc. has been great fun.”
“We’ll meet again.” Whistler vanished.
An hour later the pixphone sounded again.
“She’ll probably call, if only to say goodbye.”
This time it was Deac Constiner. “Hello, nitwit,” the Trinidad Law Bureau agent commenced.
“You’re very cordial. Do many people compliment you on that qualit-”