Read Online SoulQuest by Percival Constantine - Free Book Online Page B

safe. The light turned from green to red and the locks disengaged with a loud thunk . Bowers opened the safe and inside were a number of rare jewels, reflecting the light of the room back at them. Fredericks glanced over the shelves of the safe, his eyes scanning for his prize.  
    “I don’t see it.”
    “What?” asked Bowers, his smile of satisfaction quickly turning to a look of confusion. He looked into the safe as well. “Why, it’s right—” he reached for the shelf he left the stone on, but it was empty, “—here.”
    Fredericks sighed. “Is this a joke?”
    “No! It was right here!”
    “You are aware theft from the company is a highly egregious offense.”
    “I swear, I—”
    Tanus slapped his natural hand on Fredericks’ shoulder. “Hey, ease off. This guy’s aching for a promotion off this rock, he wouldn’t risk it. Especially after he called your people to let you know what he found.”
    “And what of you, Mr. Dreyer?” asked Fredericks, staring at the hand on his person.
    Tanus just shrugged. “I just do my job, I take my pay and I go home.”
    Fredericks brushed Tanus’ hand away with an elegant yet forceful swipe of his arm. “A former Dreadnought is likely to have built up a number of connections during his time in the service, isn’t that so?”
    Tanus folded his arms. “If you’re suggesting I had anything to do with this—”
    “I’m simply exploring all available avenues, Mr. Dreyer,” said Fredericks. “How many knew the stone was in this safe?”
    “Everyone would have, no secret what we found an’ no secret where we keep the valuables,” said Tanus.
    “And how many men have the code?”
    “Just me an’ Dreyer,” said Bowers.
    “And neither of us are thieves, Mr. Fredericks,” said Tanus.  
    “Then it would appear we are dealing with individuals who are.” Fredericks grabbed Bowers’ wrist.
    “H-hey, what are you—”
    “Quiet, I have a theory.” Fredericks stared at Bowers’ fingers. Specifically his index finger. He rubbed that finger with his free hand and held it up to Tanus’ face. “Do you see what that is?”
    Tanus squinted as he stared at the gloved finger. Flecks of white stood out against the dark cloth. “Is that—?”
    “Powder. Someone sprinkled powder on the keypad, so they could see which numerals had fingerprints and determine which numbers were part of the code,” said Fredericks. “And it appears to be quite fresh. This happened recently.”
    Bowers scowled. “I had the safe open last night, and the stone was still there. It must have been stolen sometime between then and before I opened the office this morning.”
    “So there’s a chance they’re still nearby,” said Tanus.  
    Fredericks considered this. “If this is the work of an outsider they would require a ship. Corvil is quite small, they would have to leave the ship far from the mining outpost in order to avoid attracting attention.”
    Tanus shut the safe and engaged the locks. “They may still be in town, you mean.”
    Fredericks nodded.  
    “Good,” said Tanus. “I’m going with you.”
    “What? Why?” asked Bowers.
    “I help him, it shows the company we had nothing to do with the theft,” said Tanus. “And maybe you put in a good word for my boss so he can get back to his family in Serenity.”
    Fredericks paused but then nodded. “Yes, I believe that’s an arrangement that can be made—provided we recover the stone.”

    “It’s too hot,” said Ekala as she stared out the window of the inn.
    “What?” asked Zarim from the bed. He held an old book in his hands, weathered from over-handling. He had picked it up at a used shop in town. “It’s balmy here. Corvil’s nice this time of year.”
    “Wasn’t talking about the temp, Zee. I mean stayin’ here. Too hot, we’re runnin’ a risk.”
    Zarim nodded. “Yeah, I know. But what choice do we have? We couldn’t bring the Excalibur too close and it’s not like I planned on the