Free Matt & Michelle 1: The Fugitive Heir by Henry Vogel

sounds like Chief Tucker.”
    A new voice spoke from the comm. “How should I know? I found out about the wormhole at the same time you did.”
    In unison, Michelle and I said, “Paco’s father.”
    “It was smack dab in the middle of your grandfather’s claim, Hector. You expect me to believe he somehow managed to mine that patch of asteroids into little bits of rubble and never once figured out there was a wormhole in there?”
    “I said I didn’t know about the wormhole, Chief. I got no idea if my granddaddy knew about it or not.” Hector sounded awfully defensive for someone who didn’t know anything. “Less’n you got a way to talk to the dead, we ain’t never gonna know, neither.”
    “Calm down, Hector. I was just speculating out loud, nothing more. Back to the reason we’re here, I’ve got sensor readings for your mining ships not too far ahead.”
    “Yeah, I been trying to raise ‘em on the company comm channel. Nobody’s answering.”
    “What did you expect, Hector?” The Chief’s voice was surprisingly gentle. “Your men got sucked through a wormhole without inertial dampeners.”
    “I had to try, Chief. You getting any readin’ on the ship they was chasin’? That boy’s debt just got a whole lot deeper.”
    “Why, Hector? Are you trying to say that boy led your ships into the wormhole on purpose? He had never been to Rockville Station before. If you and I didn’t know about the wormhole, how could he?”
    “Didn’t say he did, Chief, but he ran from my boys and my boys all ended up dead because of it.”
    “What the hell did you expect him to do, Hector? He heard you order your boys to blast him out of space. You’d have run, too, if you’d been in his position.”
    Michelle turned to me. “Why haven’t they mentioned the debris from the two sleds I blasted?”
    “They need to be closer to pick up stuff that small. They’ll be in range soon.”
    Not a minute later, Hector gave a yell of triumph. “Ha! Looks like my boys got ‘im before they got sucked into that wormhole. My sensors are pickin’ up ship debris.”
    “Well hooray for you, Hector. Now you‘ve got two more deaths to answer for.”
    “They killed my boy ’n I killed them. It’s the way things are out here, Chief.”
    Our passive sensors showed the Chief’s ship heading back toward the wormhole.
    “And what if it turns out to be self-defense, like that girl claimed? When the telepath gets here on his circuit, do you really think he’s going to read Paco’s gang and find anything else?”
    “I don’t care what some ponce psi boy finds out. I did what I had to do, Chief.”
    “And I’ll be doing the same thing when I arrest you for the murder of that boy and girl.”
    Hector laughed. “You can try, Chief, but we both know I got fifty times as many people workin’ for me than you got workin’ fer you.”
    “It ought to make for mighty interesting times, Hector.” The Chief sighed. “There’s nothing else for me to do out here. I’m heading back. You coming?”
    “Soon. I’m just gonna blast these ships, make ‘em funeral pyres for my boys.”
    The wormhole opened and the Chief’s ship jumped away.
    Michelle sighed. “Not that I doubted you, Matt, but I am glad to see that wormhole open up again.”
    “Me too, babe.”
    We watched Hector blast his mining ships and then he surprised me by reciting a prayer for the dead.
    “Why did he broadcast the prayer over the comm?” Michelle asked.
    “It’s an old spacer tradition. Sound doesn’t carry in a vacuum, so they use radio to make sure God hears their prayer.”
    “I like that.” Michelle was silent for a bit. “After Hector leaves, we should say a prayer for them, too.”
    “Even though they were trying to kill us?”
    “Especially because they were trying to kill us. Our words of forgiveness might help their souls to rest easier. And it might help our minds to rest easier.” Michelle saw me looking at her, surprise written on my