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Authors: Catherine E. McLean
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dinner in your quarters, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Well, during my chat with her yesterday, she said you downed a bottle of wine and passed out.”
“That’s bullshit. Yes, we had dinner, but I didn’t drink the bottle dry.” And then he remembered. “I fell asleep.”
“Not so. You were drugged.”
“How do you know that?”
“You really ought to do a better job of housekeeping before you end up with katachins for roomies.”
“You aren’t my mother or my keeper. And what are you talking about?”
“I had the wine bottle in your trash tested. The wine contained a fast-acting sedative. It’s not logical you would drug your own wine, so—”
“You’re saying JJ did?”
“What better opportunity to inject the poison into your med-vials?”
JJ wanted him dead? Why?
Nick had to be wrong about JJ. She might be ambitious, and once she set her mind to something, nothing could sway her resolve, but to harm him? Want him dead? No way.
And then it came to him. If she were the bomber, she couldn’t risk having a bomb expert like him analyze the bomb fragments and conclude Yokovnin hadn’t created the bomb, but some copycat had. And maybe there was something about the bomb that could be linked to her, so she figured it was too risky to let him live.
With a heavy heart, Deacon said quietly, “Are you going to arrest JJ?”
“Unfortunately, no. There’s no concrete evidence. I did pull JJ’s jacket and did some digging. I think I know who her target is.”
“Who?”
“Doctor Gregory Quaine, a renowned gynecologist-surgeon.”
“Why would she want to kill him?”
“Revenge. He’s been accused of drugging and raping women, including some of his patients. Over the past two decades, he’s been brought to trial twice but never convicted. Seems the charismatic doctor is admired and respected in the medical community. He also has a way with juries, which intimidates his victims. Some settle out of court and sign confidentiality waivers.”
“JJ was never raped.”
“Correct, but her younger sister was. The sister was sixteen and so traumatized by the doctor she was committed to a psychiatric hospital. Even after counseling, she had problems and wouldn’t face the man in court or testify. A year later, she committed suicide.”
“I knew the sister committed suicide, but JJ never gave me any details. Where is this rapist now?”
“He’s heading home to Zwolli. His ship docks here, at Kifel, at 0300 hours this morning. He’ll be in sickbay at 1300 hours for a treatment before he boards a flight that leaves Kifel at 1900 hours.”
“What’s he being treated for?”
“A rare cancer that’s eating up his insides.”
“How long does he have to live?”
“A decade or more if he gets treatments. He has his heart set on spending the rest of his life on his home world, in his hometown, with his mother doting on him.”
“Which means, JJ has a tiny window of opportunity to kill him. That is, if she is planning to kill him.”
“Don’t shield her, Deacon. Tell me where you found the bomb.”
“You don’t have to worry about the bomb. I took care of it. It won’t go off, but it’s rigged to let me know when it’s activated.”
“Still playing Big Brother Hero?”
“No.”
“Well, I’m serving you notice. In case JJ stops by to kill you or Quaine, I’m assigning Guardians to sickbay, starting tomorrow morning.”
“She won’t risk coming here. If she visits me, maybe I can talk some sense into her. As to Quaine, she won’t tip her hand and see him because all she has to do is set the bomb off remotely.”
“I disagree. I think she’ll want the satisfaction of telling the bastard he’s going to die a violent death so he’ll squirm not knowing when his end will come.” Nick stepped out of the shadows and closer to Deacon’s bed. “You know I have to stop the bomber, don’t you?”
Deacon nodded. “Yes.”
“Promise me you won’t interfere.”
He
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Well, during my chat with her yesterday, she said you downed a bottle of wine and passed out.”
“That’s bullshit. Yes, we had dinner, but I didn’t drink the bottle dry.” And then he remembered. “I fell asleep.”
“Not so. You were drugged.”
“How do you know that?”
“You really ought to do a better job of housekeeping before you end up with katachins for roomies.”
“You aren’t my mother or my keeper. And what are you talking about?”
“I had the wine bottle in your trash tested. The wine contained a fast-acting sedative. It’s not logical you would drug your own wine, so—”
“You’re saying JJ did?”
“What better opportunity to inject the poison into your med-vials?”
JJ wanted him dead? Why?
Nick had to be wrong about JJ. She might be ambitious, and once she set her mind to something, nothing could sway her resolve, but to harm him? Want him dead? No way.
And then it came to him. If she were the bomber, she couldn’t risk having a bomb expert like him analyze the bomb fragments and conclude Yokovnin hadn’t created the bomb, but some copycat had. And maybe there was something about the bomb that could be linked to her, so she figured it was too risky to let him live.
With a heavy heart, Deacon said quietly, “Are you going to arrest JJ?”
“Unfortunately, no. There’s no concrete evidence. I did pull JJ’s jacket and did some digging. I think I know who her target is.”
“Who?”
“Doctor Gregory Quaine, a renowned gynecologist-surgeon.”
“Why would she want to kill him?”
“Revenge. He’s been accused of drugging and raping women, including some of his patients. Over the past two decades, he’s been brought to trial twice but never convicted. Seems the charismatic doctor is admired and respected in the medical community. He also has a way with juries, which intimidates his victims. Some settle out of court and sign confidentiality waivers.”
“JJ was never raped.”
“Correct, but her younger sister was. The sister was sixteen and so traumatized by the doctor she was committed to a psychiatric hospital. Even after counseling, she had problems and wouldn’t face the man in court or testify. A year later, she committed suicide.”
“I knew the sister committed suicide, but JJ never gave me any details. Where is this rapist now?”
“He’s heading home to Zwolli. His ship docks here, at Kifel, at 0300 hours this morning. He’ll be in sickbay at 1300 hours for a treatment before he boards a flight that leaves Kifel at 1900 hours.”
“What’s he being treated for?”
“A rare cancer that’s eating up his insides.”
“How long does he have to live?”
“A decade or more if he gets treatments. He has his heart set on spending the rest of his life on his home world, in his hometown, with his mother doting on him.”
“Which means, JJ has a tiny window of opportunity to kill him. That is, if she is planning to kill him.”
“Don’t shield her, Deacon. Tell me where you found the bomb.”
“You don’t have to worry about the bomb. I took care of it. It won’t go off, but it’s rigged to let me know when it’s activated.”
“Still playing Big Brother Hero?”
“No.”
“Well, I’m serving you notice. In case JJ stops by to kill you or Quaine, I’m assigning Guardians to sickbay, starting tomorrow morning.”
“She won’t risk coming here. If she visits me, maybe I can talk some sense into her. As to Quaine, she won’t tip her hand and see him because all she has to do is set the bomb off remotely.”
“I disagree. I think she’ll want the satisfaction of telling the bastard he’s going to die a violent death so he’ll squirm not knowing when his end will come.” Nick stepped out of the shadows and closer to Deacon’s bed. “You know I have to stop the bomber, don’t you?”
Deacon nodded. “Yes.”
“Promise me you won’t interfere.”
He
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