Free Xenopath by Eric Brown Page B

and tossed Kapinsky a pin. "That's all the
information we've collated from this one. If you need anything more,
shout."
    While the SoC
team packed up, and the corpse team moved in, Kapinsky inserted the
pin into her handset. She spoke into her 'set, sounding bored.
    "Estimated
time of death?"
    A neutral female
voice replied, " Two a.m., plus or minus ten minutes."
    Vaughan said,
"Couple of hours after the killer got Kormier."
    Kapinsky
grunted, "All in a night's work." To her handset she said,
"Means of death?"
    "Instantaneous
laser laceration of carotid artery.'"
    "Weapon
used?"
    "Kulatov
MkII blaser, set at maximum burn."
    "And
estimated range of laser?"
    "Between
two and three metres."
    "Does the
victim have dependants, next of kin?"
    "Victim's
marital status: single, no known relations. "
    Kapinsky killed
her 'set and looked across at Vaughan. "Let's presume, for the
time being, that we're dealing with one killer here, okay?"
    "Looks that
way."
    "So where
were we?"
    Vaughan said,
"Mallory. The connection. Kormier and Travers found something
there. You know anything about the planet?"
    "Christ,
Vaughan, there're so many colony worlds out there I've lost count.
I'm an investigator, not an encyclopaedia."
    "It was
simply a question," he said, staring at her.
    She shrugged. "I
know fuck all about the place." She indicated her handset. "But
I'll access the Station's database."
    He nearly
congratulated her, but held his tongue.
    She tapped her
handset's keypad and said, "Colony planet. Mallory. Information
by specific question."
    Vaughan glanced
across the lounge. The corpse team was manhandling a white body bag
through the door and up the narrow stairs, their task not made easy
by the fact that the corpse was in four pieces. He looked away.
    Seconds later a
transistorised male voice issued from Kapinsky's handset. " Connection established. Proceed."
    She said,
"Political situation, population, indigenous population?"
    Ten minutes
later they had a brief outline of the colony world of Mallory, Eta
Ophiuchi. It was a class II Earth-norm world, land-sea ratio
seventy-thirty, equable climate approximating to Earth sub-tropical,
approximately the size of Luna. It was owned by the
Scheering-Lassiter organisation, who governed by a democratically
elected committee of twelve. The planet had no sentient native life
forms, but a vast ecology ranging from bacteria up to arboreal
primates. Its population was just 6.3 million, its main industries
uranium and diamond mining and agriculture.
    Vaughan said,
"We really need to talk to someone at Scheering-Lassiter."
    "So okay,"
Kapinsky said, "except the Scheering-Lassiter people aren't
playing ball."
    "What did
they say?"
    "I
requested a meeting with some official in charge of colonial affairs.
A stone-faced bitch said no-can-do. She told me they're detailing
their own in-house team of investigators to look into the killing.
Which, Vaughan, is entirely within their rights. We're private
investigators—we've no jurisdiction. Can't make the bastards
see us."
    Vaughan almost
mentioned the pass-card he'd palmed from Kormier's study, but
something stopped him from showing his hand. Chances were if he told
her about it, she'd commandeer the card and waltz into the
Scheering-Lassiter headquarters all guns blazing.
    He'd go there
himself; make discreet enquiries.
    He said, "I
have contacts at the Station. I'll see what I can do, okay?"
    "You get in
there, you're a better man than me, Vaughan."
    She stood up and
moved to the viewscreen, leaned against it and said to him, "I
went over to the police HQ, accessed the files. I thought I'd check
Kormi-er's death against any others over the past year or so."
    "And?"
    She shrugged. "I
dunno. I might've found a match. It's a long shot. Nine months ago, a
woman was found lasered in the arboretum on Level Two— in the
same way, crossed loop, same weapon. It was in the dead case file."
    "Who was
she?"
    "Dana
Mulraney. An off-worlder, from Tourmaline.