to
know when they sent you the job and if you’ve worked for them
before.”
It was all so obvious, but the
trick was knowing to look for it. Wala and Faute, in the first work
they’d ever offered the lab, had sent an inexpensive bauble for DNA
testing two days after the pendant arrived. It had been signed out
by Jishnu—and returned by him too. “Could he make sure he was the
one to process an item?” I asked.
“Theoretically, no, but he’s
been here so long he does pretty much what he wants because he’s
fast and does a good job. He’s done this out of turn, but it’s not
the first time. But why would her lawyers contact him?”
“I don’t know but I bet there’s
a connection. Maybe they did work for him or a friend. He has to be
the one, Kirin. It’s the only explanation that fits all the
evidence. He was the only one with access to the wallet at the
crucial times, and the one who had the obvious means of dispatching
the pendant without suspicion.”
“The centrifuge?”
“A smoke device on a timer,
then he waited until a new, inexperienced employee was almost alone
in the building with him before setting it off. I’d have to contact
your repairers to be sure but I bet that centrifuge is in perfect
working order.”
Kirin shook his head. “I can’t
believe it. He’s worked here from the beginning. Why would he
betray me like that?”
“ You want me to answer
that, lover ?”
He flushed. “No. So the others
are clear? Devi and Pritam and Waman?”
“Waman isn’t a suspect.
Pritam...may have other reasons to be guilty. I suggest you do a
bit of digging. Uh...I think he’s doing something dishonest. Small
or big time, I don’t know, but apparently he was frantic to find
the pendant, possibly because he doesn’t want the police poking
around. I don’t have any evidence but my gut says he’s up to
something.”
Kirin nodded unhappily. “And
Dev—”
Before he could finish, the
weasel himself walked in. We blinked at him in surprise. He’d
clearly come down in a hurry, dressed without his usual care and
his artfully cut glossy hair an untidy mess. “Devi, what are you
doing here?” Kirin asked.
He put his hands on his
hips and glared. “That’s what I want to know. What are you doing
here with him ?”
“ Oh that’s funny. Fucking
hilarious. You’re jealous ?” I sneered. “Please. I
wouldn’t take either of you with a kilo of first grade
nixum.”
“ That’s why you’ve turned
up here, turning everything upside down and using every opportunity
to denigrate me, is it, Javen? Because you’re so uninterested in
Kirin now?”
I stalked towards him, furious,
and he backed away, really afraid. I outweighed him and overtopped
him by a head. More than that, I knew how to use my body for evil
and he didn’t, and I had real reason to hurt him.
I forced him up against a
wall. “You think by throwing a hissy fit, you can hide what you’ve
been up to, don’t you? You came down here because you’re afraid we
might find out what you’re hiding. What you’ve been so guilty
about. Did you forget why Kirin broke up with me, cockface?
I know what you feel. I know you’re hiding the truth. So
what is it? Where’s the pendant? Why did you steal it?”
“I didn’t! Kirin, I
wouldn’t!”
“ Stay the fuck out of
this, Kirin,” I warned without turning around. “If it isn’t the
pendant, what is it? Tell me, you little bastard.” I raised my hand
and he cringed, even though I had no intention of giving him any
excuse to call the police. “You can tell me now or you can tell my
nice former colleagues, none of whom would be particularly thrilled
to have someone like you screw over a fellow officer. I’m the son
of the regional governor , Devi. I can make shit
stick like you would not believe. So talk! What did you
do?”
“Nothing! I didn’t steal the
pendant! I....”
“What? Spit it out or I’ll
smack it out of you.”
Kirin murmured my name but
sensibly didn’t
know when they sent you the job and if you’ve worked for them
before.”
It was all so obvious, but the
trick was knowing to look for it. Wala and Faute, in the first work
they’d ever offered the lab, had sent an inexpensive bauble for DNA
testing two days after the pendant arrived. It had been signed out
by Jishnu—and returned by him too. “Could he make sure he was the
one to process an item?” I asked.
“Theoretically, no, but he’s
been here so long he does pretty much what he wants because he’s
fast and does a good job. He’s done this out of turn, but it’s not
the first time. But why would her lawyers contact him?”
“I don’t know but I bet there’s
a connection. Maybe they did work for him or a friend. He has to be
the one, Kirin. It’s the only explanation that fits all the
evidence. He was the only one with access to the wallet at the
crucial times, and the one who had the obvious means of dispatching
the pendant without suspicion.”
“The centrifuge?”
“A smoke device on a timer,
then he waited until a new, inexperienced employee was almost alone
in the building with him before setting it off. I’d have to contact
your repairers to be sure but I bet that centrifuge is in perfect
working order.”
Kirin shook his head. “I can’t
believe it. He’s worked here from the beginning. Why would he
betray me like that?”
“ You want me to answer
that, lover ?”
He flushed. “No. So the others
are clear? Devi and Pritam and Waman?”
“Waman isn’t a suspect.
Pritam...may have other reasons to be guilty. I suggest you do a
bit of digging. Uh...I think he’s doing something dishonest. Small
or big time, I don’t know, but apparently he was frantic to find
the pendant, possibly because he doesn’t want the police poking
around. I don’t have any evidence but my gut says he’s up to
something.”
Kirin nodded unhappily. “And
Dev—”
Before he could finish, the
weasel himself walked in. We blinked at him in surprise. He’d
clearly come down in a hurry, dressed without his usual care and
his artfully cut glossy hair an untidy mess. “Devi, what are you
doing here?” Kirin asked.
He put his hands on his
hips and glared. “That’s what I want to know. What are you doing
here with him ?”
“ Oh that’s funny. Fucking
hilarious. You’re jealous ?” I sneered. “Please. I
wouldn’t take either of you with a kilo of first grade
nixum.”
“ That’s why you’ve turned
up here, turning everything upside down and using every opportunity
to denigrate me, is it, Javen? Because you’re so uninterested in
Kirin now?”
I stalked towards him, furious,
and he backed away, really afraid. I outweighed him and overtopped
him by a head. More than that, I knew how to use my body for evil
and he didn’t, and I had real reason to hurt him.
I forced him up against a
wall. “You think by throwing a hissy fit, you can hide what you’ve
been up to, don’t you? You came down here because you’re afraid we
might find out what you’re hiding. What you’ve been so guilty
about. Did you forget why Kirin broke up with me, cockface?
I know what you feel. I know you’re hiding the truth. So
what is it? Where’s the pendant? Why did you steal it?”
“I didn’t! Kirin, I
wouldn’t!”
“ Stay the fuck out of
this, Kirin,” I warned without turning around. “If it isn’t the
pendant, what is it? Tell me, you little bastard.” I raised my hand
and he cringed, even though I had no intention of giving him any
excuse to call the police. “You can tell me now or you can tell my
nice former colleagues, none of whom would be particularly thrilled
to have someone like you screw over a fellow officer. I’m the son
of the regional governor , Devi. I can make shit
stick like you would not believe. So talk! What did you
do?”
“Nothing! I didn’t steal the
pendant! I....”
“What? Spit it out or I’ll
smack it out of you.”
Kirin murmured my name but
sensibly didn’t
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