Rogue by Michael Z. Williamson

Author:Michael Z. Williamson [Williamson, Michael Z.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

The jambiya was lovely. It looked and felt centuries old. The goatskin on the scabbard was tattered in spots. The wood was crumbly. The horn hilt even looked bug bitten. Amazing.

“It is beautiful, and you are a craftsman before Allah,” I said.

“You flatter me. Any praise should be to Allah, for gifting me with my poor skills.”

“I am most pleased. It will make a fine addition to my collection. It is so hard to find an original.”

We swapped tea and pleasantries and then I made my goodbyes. They don’t hurry in that culture. You must exchange tea and pleasantries. I kept it under a half-hour, barely.

Silver was likewise stunned.

“I wonder how it would hold up to genetic analysis of the organic material,” she asked. “I’m impressed.”

“Well, I figure to sell it as ‘provenance unknown.’ Which is accurate. Buyer can make their own conclusions. Now we need a high starting bid to rule out poseurs and locals, but low enough to inspire interest.”

“After I tag it,” she said. “I’ll put microtic xceivers in the scabbard and inside the hilt plate there.”

“Bolster,” I said.

“If that’s what you want to call the hilt plate, I won’t argue with you.” She smiled.

“Fair enough,” I said.

“To sweeten the deal I had this belt cut and beaded across town, and it goes with the case I ordered.” She laid that out again. Yes, it was amazing.

“Package listing?” I asked.

“No, separate, and a few hours apart, at three different houses in this area. The idea is to confirm he has at least one of the three.”

“Makes sense. Do you have dealers set up?”

“I do, all on commission. As a minor benefit, we should get better than half our investment back, perhaps more. We also hope to get it from him.”

“I see nothing wrong with that.”

She seemed a bit distant. I could guess why. Covert covers are always messy, or at least, have always been so for me.

We had a two-week hiatus before ships arrived. There were few regular routes, this being a destitute backwater. There were sporadic charters and tramps with cargo, such as we’d arrived on. There were UN-sponsored relief ships, and some contract haulers for industrial stuff. If we could pin Randall down a little, there was a good chance we could intercept him as he left. I had no moral issues killing him in public in front of a crowd. Well, one. My daughter. Still, if it came down to it, she was old enough to manage on her own and Naumann would ensure she had a guardian for whatever time she needed before she declared herself an adult. Then she’d have all the assets I’d acquired. It was also very likely he’d have me sprung before I actually got to arraignment. I could trust him that much.

I found a discreet agency that catered to businesses that needed flexible transport schedules. For a mildly extortionate amount of money, I bought into a pool of departure slots they kept open. There were fees for

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