Orchid by Jayne Castle Page B

swing wide. The vehicle did not belong to any of the few neighbors he had left.
    The door of the unfamiliar compact slid up into the roof just as Rafe was about to drive through the open gates. The street lamp gleamed on the figure of a tall, thin, bird-boned man in a rumpled gray suit. Light winked on the lenses of his wire-rimmed glasses.
    He waved frantically in an obvious effort to get Rafe’s attention.
    “Mr. Stonebraker, is that you, sir?” The thin man hurried toward the Icer. “I’ve been waiting for hours. I must speak with you.”
    Rafe quickly assessed the scene with a short burst of strat-talent. He sensed nothing amiss. No obvious trap, at any rate. Just an anxious-looking potential client.
    The last thing he needed at that moment was a client.
    “It’s late,” Rafe said.
    “I’m afraid this can’t wait.” The bird-thin man stopped and peered at Rafe through the leer’s open window. “My name is Brizo. Dr. Alexander Brizo. I’m with the university.”
    “What do you want from me?”
    “We desperately need you to find something for us, sir. Something that was stolen from one of our labs.”
    “Did you try the police?”
    “Good lord, no.” Alexander Brizo’s eyes widened with horror. “The last thing we want to do is bring the authorities into this. There must be absolutely no publicity. Reputations are at stake. And the research contract, of course. Our lab fought hard for it. We don’t want to lose it.”
    “What, exactly, was stolen from your lab, Dr. Brizo?”
    Brizo blinked several times. “An object.”
    “Maybe you could be a bit more specific.”
    “An object sent back by the fourth Chastain Expedition. They’re still in the field, you know, excavating the alien tomb that was discovered by the third Chastain Expedition.”
    “Yes, I know.” Rafe frowned. “Are you telling me that one of the alien relics was taken from your lab?”
    “That is exactly what I’m trying to tell you. You must find it for us, Mr. Stonebraker. Quickly. If word gets out that it was stolen while in our care, my colleagues and I will be in an extremely awkward situation. A great deal of grant money is at stake.”
    “Any idea who took the relic?”
    Brizo looked uncomfortable. “Yes, we think it was a man named Willis. Theo Willis. He was a prism assigned to assist the psychometric-talent research team that is studying the most recent shipment of artifacts.”
    “Got any idea why he stole it?” Rafe asked patiently.
    “No. Actually, we don’t.” Brizo looked baffled. “It’s not as if one can use the relics in any way. None that have been found thus far still function. The researchers say they are much too old. And one can hardly sell an alien relic on the open market. They’re easily recognized, after all. Any potential buyer would know it was stolen from a museum or a research lab.”
    “There are people who will collect almost anything that is rare or valuable, Dr. Brizo. That means that there is a market for anything rare or valuable.”
    “I see. You refer to an illicit, underground market. The sort that supposedly exists for works of art and such.”
    “Right.”
    “I hadn’t thought of that. Yes, I suppose it’s possible that Willis stole it with the intent of selling it to a collector. I certainly can’t think of any other reason why he would have done such a thing. No other lab would want it unless it also got grant money to study it.”
    “You’re sure this Theo Willis is the thief?”
    “Virtually certain.”
    “Any idea where he is now?” Rafe asked.
    Brizo’s narrow face seemed to grow even thinner. “Well, yes. But I’m afraid that knowing where he is won’t do us much good.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because he’s dead, Mr. Stonebraker. His body was found yesterday. He apparently drove his car off a cliff.”
    For the first time since Brizo had hailed him, Rafe felt the familiar stirring of his hunter’s instincts. “Follow me to the house, Dr. Brizo. We can