Free The Legacy of Lehr by Katherine Kurtz

if you’ve got it. Or, if you haven’t got some of the things, we may be able to improvise. We think the cats might be slightly telepathic, especially on the sending end. The Aludrans are, you know.”
    â€œHmmm, I remember reading that,” Shannon said, a little preoccupied as she scanned over the list. “But, I don’t see what that has to do with—”
    As her desk console shrilled an alert, a red light flashed beside the screen. Shannon punched the receive button in an automatic gesture, without looking up.
    â€œShannon.”
    â€œDeck Three Security, Doctor. We have an emergency coming in for you: two passengers in shock or hysterics and a DB.”
    â€œA body?”
    Shannon gasped as she looked up at the expression on the face of the security guard. Without taking her eyes from him, she slapped the signal button for Deller and the nursing staff to stand by for an emergency.
    â€œWhat happened?” she demanded. “Who died?”
    â€œA passenger—we think his name is Fabrial. And he didn’t just die; he was murdered.”
    â€œMurdered?”
    â€œThat’s right. The other two coming in found him. They’re too shaken up to give us a statement, so we’re going to let you handle that when you get them calmed down. We’ll send the body as soon as we’ve finished the on-site investigation.”
    â€œYou’re sure he’s dead? ” Shannon insisted.
    â€œOh, yeah, he’s dead, all right.”
    A commotion in the outer office announced the arrival of the passengers in question, and Shannon dashed to assist. Mather and Wallis glanced at one another, at the face of the security officer just before he cut off, then moved into the doorway to watch and listen. Two stewards were bringing in a weeping woman of about thirty, Deller directing them into an adjoining treatment room and calling for a nurse. A dazed and shocky-looking middle-aged man had paused just inside the door to the outer office, a security officer supporting him under one elbow. There was a smear of drying blood on the back of the man’s hand and across the front of his expensive tunic and another barely visible on the guard’s maroon sleeve.
    â€œLord Elderton and his wife,” Shannon murmured under her breath. “Just what we needed. Del, that’s Lady Elderton—I think her first name is Anne. Just sedate her and stabilize until I can come and get a statement.”
    As she turned her attention to Lord Elderton himself, she was not pleased to see that her instructions had elicited no response whatever from him.
    â€œMatt, is he injured?” she asked the guard, gripping Elderton’s wrist to find a pulse—which was racing but strong—but getting no sign of conscious awareness. “What happened? Did you see anything?”
    The guard shook his head. “Not really, Doctor. The victim was already dead when I got there. Lord Elder-ton was kneeling beside him, just moaning and rocking back and forth on his heels, and the lady was screaming. That’s what brought us running. He wouldn’t say much, but I got the impression that he saw at least part of what happened. I’m pretty sure he got to the victim before he died.”
    â€œIs there any chance he did it?” Shannon asked, passing her hand back and forth in front of her patient’s eyes without getting even a blink.
    â€œNone,” the guard said flatly.
    â€œAll right, let’s get him inside,” Shannon said, leading them briskly through her office and into the adjoining treatment room, where Mather joined in helping lift their listless patient onto the padded table. When Wallis pitched in, swinging standard diagnostic equipment into position from above, Shannon began loading a hypospray. Elderton’s eyes continued to stare blankly.
    â€œI’ll take over from here, Matt,” Shannon said to the guard. She consulted the scanners while