Read Online The Domino Pattern by Timothy Zahn - Free Book Online Page A

small puff of smoke as the blood droplet flash-burned to vapor. I shut off the lighter and handed it back to Bayta. then keyed the reader for analysis. “And that’s it,” I told her. “A few seconds, and we’ll have a complete list of what was in Master Bofiv’s blood when he died.”
    “Amazing,” Bayta murmured, eyeing the reader. “And Mr. Hardin just let you keep it?”
    “He was a little preoccupied with other matters at the time,” I said, thinking hack to my somewhat awkward final confrontation with Larry Cecil Hardin, multitrillionaire industrialist and erstwhile boss. “The trillion dollars I’d just extorted from him was probably weighing a bit on his mind.”
    “I hope someday he’ll learn what his money did for the galaxy,” Bayta murmured.
    “Actually, I’m not sure he’d really care,” I said. “Maybe if you gave him a medal at a big public ceremony.”
    “After all this time, you still dislike the man that much?”
    “I don’t dislike him,” I told her. “I just see him as he is, not as some idealized person he might someday become if you showed him where the profit was in being noble. Until then, he’ll con, finagle, bargain, or outright steal every last dollar he can.”
    Bayta eyed me thoughtfully. “You practice that speech often?”
    “Couple of times a week,” I told her. “Still needs a little work.”
    “Mm,” she said noncommittally. “Still, you can’t deny that some good did come out of Mr. Hardin’s ambitions.”
    “The trillion dollars,” I said. “I believe I mentioned that.”
    “I was thinking of something even more valuable than that.” Bayta gave a little nod toward me. “You.”
    I felt a lump form in my throat. “Worth more even than a trillion dollars, huh?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light. “I’m honored. Remind me to ask you to speak on my behalf the next time the Chahwyn try quibbling with me over the job we’re doing for them.”
    “I’ve already done that,” she said simply. “One of the other times I went to bat for you.”
    “Oh,” I said, a bit lamely. “Yes, I guess you have.”
    “You do miss a lot not being telepathic,” she commented.
    I peered at her, wondering if she was being serious or trying to be funny. But her face was its usual neutral, her eyes on the reader in my hand. “I know,” I told her. “I’ve been meaning to work on that.”
    Her eyes flicked up, the hint of a frown touching her face. Probably wondering if I was trying to be funny. “What happens now?” she asked, looking back at the reader. “We test the rest of the samples and look for a common element?”
    “Exactly.” The sensor beeped, and I watched as the analysis scrolled across the display.
    And felt my stomach tighten. “Or not.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean we probably don’t really need to test any of the other samples.” I turned the reader around to face her. “Second line just above the bottom of the display.”
    She peered at the line. “Cadmium?”
    “A heavy metal,” I told her. “Westali’s standard course on Shorshians was rather cursory, but heavy-metal poisoning was definitely one of the topics that was covered, mainly because it was considered one of the better ways of quietly dispatching members of that particular species. For the record, it’s pretty good against Humans, too.”
    Bayta’s lips compressed briefly. “What exactly does that number mean?” she asked.
    “That there’s enough in his system to kill a good-sized moose,” I said grimly. “Whoever wanted Master Bofiv dead wasn’t taking any chances.”
    Bayta shivered. “Or whoever wanted whoever dead,” she said. “You said that he might have missed his real target.”
    “If he did, that was one hell of a miss.”
    “Yes,” she murmured. “What do we do now?”
    “I suppose we might as well run the rest of the samples, just to make sure there aren’t any surprises,” I said. “After that, we’d better get to bed.