Read Online Torn From On High: Free City Book 2 (The Free City Series) by S F Chapman - Free Book Online Page B

obvious question,
“How did you discover that this was Nate Briggs?”
    “I
planned to give the poor bloke a proper burial in the cemetery during the
summer when the ground finally thaws out. I felt that it was only right to put
his given name on the grave marker,” Luis gently pulled the glove away from the
body's hand, “so I slid his fingertip over a payment interface for a good half
an hour until it finally produced his name.”
    Keira
dry heaved and covered her eyes at the sight of the distorted and blackened
hand.
    “When
I contacted the Free City Bureau of Records to register the death, they told me
that an Investigator from the Inquisitor's Office was on the way.”
    “Thank
you for that, Luis.” Ryo glanced up at Keira and pointed to the door. “You may
want to wait outside, sweetheart.”
    She
nodded in relief and hurried away.
    “In a
few minutes I'd like for you to pack Mr. Briggs for transport and we will take
his remains back to the Coroner's Office in Free City.”
    Ryo gingerly
unfastened the helmet and, with the skills of an Investigator who had seen
hundreds of bodies, he carefully studied the back of Nate Briggs' neck.
    Ryo
turned to Seamus, “Would you say that we saw this type of wound on Captain
Takahashi?”
    The
old man winced, “Yes.”
    The
Investigator lingered over the corpse for a time before finally returning the
cover to the shipping crate.
    He
stared at Seamus with a look of consternation; “Let's just hope that I don't
find the same sort of trauma on your corpse in the next few days.”

16. The
turbulence just below the placid surface
    Luis
stood alone in the gloom as the icy wind howled across the landing area in New
Grytviken. Fifty meters away the sleek patrol craft shuddered as the launch
thrusters came to life.
    He
waved one last time to Keira and Ryo through the wide, curved cockpit window as
they busied themselves preparing the ship for departure. Luis caught glimpses
of Seamus behind the two pilots.
    The
old man returned his wave.
    The
thrusters roared mightily and the patrol craft lifted skyward. At about three
hundred meters, the ship rotated slowly to the north. The aerodynamic control
surfaces reconfigured for high-speed flight and the big main engine throttled
up.
    The
ship dashed away with a rumbling sonic boom that echoed between the cliffs that
surrounded New Grytviken.
    Luis
stood for many minutes in the gusty twilight of South Georgia Island. For a
time he watched the rapidly receding red and blue marker lights of the patrol
craft as the ship raced toward the northern horizon and then he just stared
wistfully into the distance at the scowling gray storm clouds.
    He was
alone again.
    Luis
was shaken from his doleful introspection by an especially surly blast of
freezing wind.
    The
man gathered his thoughts and trudged back towards his little white cottage on
the bluff above the harbor. He wasn't likely to see another soul until the
supply ship sailed into Cumberland East Bay sometime in mid-March.
    A
light smattering of snow swirled around as he made his way up the path.
    The
warm lights of his tiny home shone through the windows.
    Luis
smiled a bit as he ascended the five frost-covered steps to the front door.
    There
sitting patiently in the front window awaiting his return was Moresby, his
steadfast gray tabby cat.
    • • •
    “This
afternoon,” Sabra grinned impishly as she met Dilma at the reception desk at
the Connaught School, “I'd like to take you over to Roscommon Park.”
    The
skittery little girl's eyes grew huge at the prospect of a grand adventure with
her new nanny.
    “The
park?”
    “Yeah,
it'll be great fun.” Sabra shouldered the girl's school bag; “The Bicentennial
Exposition will only be open for a few more weeks, so if you don't see it now,
you probably never will.”
    Dilma
raced ahead through the lobby and pulled open the heavy front doors. The two
glided together down the wide stone staircase to the busy street.
    They
strolled hand