The Enigma Score by Sheri S. Tepper

Author:Sheri S. Tepper [Tepper, Sheri S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction, General
ISBN: 9780552133739
Google: MwD-bILexmoC
Amazon: B0010Z93CA
Goodreads: 19306279
Publisher: Orion
Published: 1986-12-31T19:00:00+00:00

Word went out from Spider Geroan’s place, atop one of the older buildings in Splash One, that the spider was tugging on his web. The strings of that web, highly placed and low, twitched themselves nervously wondering if anything they had caught would be of interest to the spider. Though sometimes it was better to have nothing interesting at all than to have only part of something that Spider Geroan badly wanted.

One of Geroan’s webs shivered almost immediately.

‘It’s Price Zimble, Spider, Sir. Word is you want reports. I have nothing new of use, honored one.’

‘Surely you’ve talked to the Explorer knight since her return, services man.’

‘Only briefly, honored Geroan. She hasn’t sent for me since she got back.’

A long pause for thought. ‘You couldn’t possibly have said or done anything before she left that would have given her a clue we’d been talking about her, could you, Zimmy?’

‘Never, honored Geroan. Of course not. It wasn’t me that tipped her, if anything tipped her. It was something that happened in Splash One.’

‘Funny thing,’ murmured the Spider.

‘What’s that, honored Geroan?’

‘Some of my people went up to Redfang, Zimmy. Looking for the Explorer knight up there. Found her, too, just like you arranged for our friend Justin. Of course, you hadn’t arranged anything for Justin until you’d checked with me first, had you? Because the Spider’s webs only work for the Spider, don’t they? They don’t play the outside against the middle do they, Zimmy? Right?’

‘Right, Spider, Sir. I didn’t do a thing until you gave me the start, Sir. Then I did the orders Justin wanted. They were perfect, just perfect. Looked official, they did, Sir.’ Zimmy sounded more nervous than usual while talking to Geroan.

‘Funny thing.’

Silence.

‘My people found some other people up there, too. Some other people looking for the Explorer knight. Some other people who knew right where to look.’

‘She … she must’ve told someone she was going. She….’

‘Oh, I don’t think the Explorer told them,’ said the Spider. Funny thing. Isn’t it?’

Geroan disconnected without saying goodbye. Donatella Furz had evaded his assassin in Splash One. Had that attempt failed, perhaps, because Zimmy had said something to alert her? And had Zimmy sold information to Honeypeach Thonks? Information that was supposed to belong exclusively to Geroan? Perhaps Zimmy had outlived his usefulness.

But then again … Zimmy was a very good web into the Northwest Priory. A very good web to Chase Random Hall. Not a bad bit of web, everything considered. Perhaps he merely needed a bit of discipline. Spider Geroan found a bit of discipline often did wonders. He considered this for a time, deciding what kind and amount of discipline might be most effective, until his next web called to report.

This was a gemstone broker who worked in the vicinity of the fish market, who wanted to report a young man who had sold a firestone earclip.

‘Orange stones, nothing very special, but nice. Gave the kid a hundred twenty for the clip. I’ve got some gems almost like it.

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