my way."
Fenton gritted his teeth and stared down at
his shoes. "Fine."
"Why do you have these?" she asked, holding
up the picture of Fenton's locker.
"Security," Fenton said.
"I can't imagine taking compromising images
of your boss is a good way to get job security."
"It's all I could think of. I have a wife
and kids. They need me."
"How exactly does snapping your co-workers
like this protect your family?" Nova asked, confused.
"So I can't disappear."
"What do you mean 'disappear'?"
"Like the others. I can't disappear just
because Cracos decides he doesn't like me. These are an insurance
policy," Fenton explained, gesturing to the images.
"The others?" Nova's brow furrowed at the
man.
Fenton looked up and down the street before
turning back to Nova. "People, they've been disappearing. They just
won't show up for work and no one sees them ever again. That can't
be me."
Nova thought for a few moments.
Disappearances on Tabryn weren't that uncommon, the drugs and crime
eventually took their toll, but Fenton seemed genuinely frightened.
She stored the information away for the time being.
"Do you have more photos?" she asked.
"Why would I tell you?" Fenton asked, on
edge.
"I'm working for Cracos," she said and
Fenton's eyes widened. "On a completely different case."
Fenton let a long breath out.
"The casino is losing money. Maybe your
photos will tell me where."
Fenton tapped his foot on the ground as he
considered Nova. His eyes flicked to the gun at her hip and her
hand which rested just next to it. His eyes returned to her
face.
"Fine. Wait here," Fenton said. He felt
around behind his back before allowing his chip to be scanned and
sliding into his house as quietly as smoke.
Nova stared at the door; sure that Fenton
would be able to see her via the door's security system. Her eyes
didn't budge as she waited. Fenton may have planned to never come
out. But eventually either he, or his beloved family, would have to
leave.
Many minutes later, certainly longer than it
should have taken, the door opened and Fenton side-stepped out,
closing it right behind him.
"Here. This is all I have." Fenton shoved a
small screen at her. She took the device in hand and looked down at
the picture. She swiped her hand across the screen and it moved to
the next image, and so on.
"You getting this, Cal?" she said out
loud.
"Yes, it's being recorded."
Nova nodded when eventually the device
returned to the first image.
"Thank you, Fenton," she said, returning the
digital viewer.
"Is that all?" he asked, his voice
rough.
"For now."
"Leave me out of it," he said, regaining his
courage now that Nova was leaving. "I have nothing to do with
stolen money."
"We'll see."
She strode to Crusader, parked only a few
blocks away. She climbed inside and went straight to the command
pod where Cal was looking up at the images as they flicked across
Crusader's front screen.
She sat in silence and stared at the
pictures as they cycled across the screen, shaking her head at the
loose morals that were rife within the casino. Drugs featured in
every second photo and the others showed married men and women in
questionable positions with people other than their spouses.
Nova nearly choked when an image popped up
showing Cracos in a dark corner of the casino. His arms were
wrapped around a woman; one hand firmly grasping her right buttock,
with their lips locked. Nova recognised the red-haired woman
immediately and was relieved when the picture changed. There was
only so long she could look at Vicki's pale legs wrapped around
Cracos's midsection without throwing up.
Many of the images had been taken with the
casino's own security cameras and some were taken with other
image-capturing devices. Nova chuckled at a photo showing the
elderly man she had sat next to on her first night at the casino.
She looked hard at the picture and shook her head as she saw that
the man was losing that game as well.
Overall the pictures revealed nothing of
Fenton gritted his teeth and stared down at
his shoes. "Fine."
"Why do you have these?" she asked, holding
up the picture of Fenton's locker.
"Security," Fenton said.
"I can't imagine taking compromising images
of your boss is a good way to get job security."
"It's all I could think of. I have a wife
and kids. They need me."
"How exactly does snapping your co-workers
like this protect your family?" Nova asked, confused.
"So I can't disappear."
"What do you mean 'disappear'?"
"Like the others. I can't disappear just
because Cracos decides he doesn't like me. These are an insurance
policy," Fenton explained, gesturing to the images.
"The others?" Nova's brow furrowed at the
man.
Fenton looked up and down the street before
turning back to Nova. "People, they've been disappearing. They just
won't show up for work and no one sees them ever again. That can't
be me."
Nova thought for a few moments.
Disappearances on Tabryn weren't that uncommon, the drugs and crime
eventually took their toll, but Fenton seemed genuinely frightened.
She stored the information away for the time being.
"Do you have more photos?" she asked.
"Why would I tell you?" Fenton asked, on
edge.
"I'm working for Cracos," she said and
Fenton's eyes widened. "On a completely different case."
Fenton let a long breath out.
"The casino is losing money. Maybe your
photos will tell me where."
Fenton tapped his foot on the ground as he
considered Nova. His eyes flicked to the gun at her hip and her
hand which rested just next to it. His eyes returned to her
face.
"Fine. Wait here," Fenton said. He felt
around behind his back before allowing his chip to be scanned and
sliding into his house as quietly as smoke.
Nova stared at the door; sure that Fenton
would be able to see her via the door's security system. Her eyes
didn't budge as she waited. Fenton may have planned to never come
out. But eventually either he, or his beloved family, would have to
leave.
Many minutes later, certainly longer than it
should have taken, the door opened and Fenton side-stepped out,
closing it right behind him.
"Here. This is all I have." Fenton shoved a
small screen at her. She took the device in hand and looked down at
the picture. She swiped her hand across the screen and it moved to
the next image, and so on.
"You getting this, Cal?" she said out
loud.
"Yes, it's being recorded."
Nova nodded when eventually the device
returned to the first image.
"Thank you, Fenton," she said, returning the
digital viewer.
"Is that all?" he asked, his voice
rough.
"For now."
"Leave me out of it," he said, regaining his
courage now that Nova was leaving. "I have nothing to do with
stolen money."
"We'll see."
She strode to Crusader, parked only a few
blocks away. She climbed inside and went straight to the command
pod where Cal was looking up at the images as they flicked across
Crusader's front screen.
She sat in silence and stared at the
pictures as they cycled across the screen, shaking her head at the
loose morals that were rife within the casino. Drugs featured in
every second photo and the others showed married men and women in
questionable positions with people other than their spouses.
Nova nearly choked when an image popped up
showing Cracos in a dark corner of the casino. His arms were
wrapped around a woman; one hand firmly grasping her right buttock,
with their lips locked. Nova recognised the red-haired woman
immediately and was relieved when the picture changed. There was
only so long she could look at Vicki's pale legs wrapped around
Cracos's midsection without throwing up.
Many of the images had been taken with the
casino's own security cameras and some were taken with other
image-capturing devices. Nova chuckled at a photo showing the
elderly man she had sat next to on her first night at the casino.
She looked hard at the picture and shook her head as she saw that
the man was losing that game as well.
Overall the pictures revealed nothing of
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