As every cat owner knows, no one owns a cat.
- Ellen Perry Berkeley
Within a few minutes, I was sitting comfortably on a garden chair, a large blanket draped over my shivering shoulders and the gash in my arm expertly patched by Julianne. Mrs. McTavish had corralled her children into fetching and carrying from her vehicle, and at this point we were sitting together at the shore of the lake, looking for all the world like we were out on a family outing.
Julianne had taken to my shirt, even though she was now dry and dressed. I doubt I would be getting it back, so I decided to let her keep it. Less baggage to carry around, anyway. Jordan and Jeremy, equally soaked initially, had mostly dried off running back and forth collecting for their Mum. They teased and cajoled, but I could clearly see the love this family shared. Harry McTavish was a lucky man.
Mrs. McTavish was sitting in another garden chair across from me and we both watched the water ripple in the wind. Darwin was curled quietly at my feet.
"Let's start then, shall we?" Mrs. McTavish said, interrupting our reverie. "If we are to be working together, I'll be having no more Finder lies and half-truths. I expect complete and detailed honesty from you, and you will get the same from me."
"Of that I have no doubt," I answered, not that we would be working here together very long. I planned to pick up a thread and continue my investigation.
She smiled at my response. "It's very kind of you to say it. Let's start with this. Some of it isn't pretty, so I wanted the children occupied while we went over it."
I looked over to the three of them lounging by the lake, chatting with each other in low voices. Not ten feet from them under eight feet of water rested a killing machine, dead and disabled. They knew it was there as well as I did, but seemed to not be all that bothered about it, as if this was something they had seen every day.
"Those are remarkable children."
"Well then," she said, a little pride coming into her voice. "You do know how to get straight to a mother's heart, don't you Mr. Friedman?" She looked over to them as well. "Truth to be told, though, the people they have become is largely due to their own choices. They are young people of great integrity, and I love them to bits."
"Why are you here?" I asked, probably with more rudeness than I felt.
She understood my question immediately though, a fact that was very reassuring. I wouldn't have to dance around insecurity and hurt feelings to get answers with Mrs. McTavish.
"Young Mr. Mehta called me. He said you were in trouble and that you could be found here."
It would seem that my continued health was depending more and more on the goodwill of strangers. I wasn't comfortable with it.
"It's getting time for you to start trusting others, Mr. Friedman." Was she reading my mind? "These adventures of yours are not your ordinary private investigation work. You are interacting with some powerful people, and you will require other powerful people who are willing to come to your aid in the time of need. I strongly suggest you cultivate them. And who knows, you may even make a friend."
I had a friend, and he was curled at my feet, purring.
"I mean human friends, of course."
Damn, she was good.
"Well then, enough of that. You're a grown man and I am sure that you know well enough what you are doing on your own."
I decided it was time to get to the point.
"What can you tell me about Leena?"
"Well there is a question. Unfortunately, I don't know much. She and her crew, one male, one female, were picked up outside of a 3p Mining station just on the far edge of the belt. They were relieved of their ship and sent here. I know that beast Petersen decided that three was too many to resist and conducted vivisections on the crew."
"I have heard. He is a distasteful human being."
"I am not quite sure that he qualifies as such, Mr. Friedman. Mr. Petersen had very particular tastes, and his methods were a malignant cancer among the research team."
I was starting to warm up, and the time was starting to press in on me. It had only been two days, but if I were to judge by the obstacles that had already been thrown in path, this was going to be an uphill, upstream, and possibly the most important, Find of my career. My only problem was that I had no idea where to go from here, and I was getting a little frustrated. Finding was never this hard.
"None of this helps with my next step."
"Imanda Selim is still missing," Mrs. McTavish offered. "Perhaps she can provide some guidance."
"Imanda is no longer missing. And she can provide no answers."
We sat silently for a moment. "And that is why you were here then, with young Mehta," Mrs. McTavish said. See what I mean? Amazing woman. "Do you think the same assassin targeted both of you?"
"No. Imanda was tortured before she was murdered. Our friend in the lake did not have the required finesse for that. I think he was either left as a sentry, or was sent by a second party."
"Two enemies at once. You certainly don't waste time, Mr. Friedman."
"I am not trying to find trouble. It just seems to be finding me. What I don't seem to be able to find is a lead." Then a thought occurred to me.
"Mrs. McTavish, I have to ask you a question that you declined to answer last time we met. What do you know about this shuttle program everyone is working on but no one is talking about?"
Mrs. McTavish thought about that for a moment. "Very well, however we need to have a bit of a negotiation first."
"Negotiation?" I said, a little more that bemused. What was she up to?
"I am considering a change of employment. But I never leave one job without having an opportunity for another. If you will consider my proposal, I can pass on some information."
"What is your proposal, then?" I was concerned about where this was going.
"I come work for you," she said simply.
"I am sorry, that is out the question. I work alone."
She smiled. "Clearly you don't."
Darwin was still lying at my feet, but he was looking me in the eye.
"Et tu Brute? Fine, but not until I am done this job. That is assuming I survive it." I nodded to the lake for emphasis.
From close behind me I could hear someone cheer and Julianna came into view.
"You are going to just love working for Mum. She'll get you sorted it no time."
I think Julianna had misheard. Then again, maybe she hadn't.
"Hush child." She chided. Turning back to me "That will work for me." Mrs. McTavish said. "I have some things to wrap up. I will give my notice immediately, which releases me from my agreements."
"Your terms?"
"You will agree to them, of course."
I wasn't sure about this. I looked at Darwin. No, for Darwin I would survive and get sorted by a dozen Mrs. McTavish's.
Of course I would accept her terms, what choice did I have? I needed the lead, and frankly I was enjoying Mrs. McTavish's company a little too much.
So I nodded.
"Excellent! Just a moment then." She slipped out her mobile and started to key something on it.
"There," she said, "that about wraps that up. I was growing weary of that company. I am now officially on leave until a suitable replacement is found, at which time I will be free."
She then extended her mobile, a small red light glowing cheerily. "If you would care to pass your chip over the reader, Mr. Friedman, our contract will be sealed."
I smiled at the reversal of our situations and passed my left hand over the mobile, the light turning to a smug green. Then she smiled. It was official, I now had an employee, or I would have if I survived this.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a bulging folder.
"Here is everything I have on the shuttle project. I only hope it will help."
"Wait a moment. How did you know I would need it? Or even that I would agree to your proposal."
"Why Mr. Friedman. Do give a body some credit for being able to think ahead a few moves. Even ahead of you, from time to time."
For some reason, that worried me the most. I reached out and took the folder from her hands as she smiled sweetly at me.