Sixteen Tomes by J.S. Morin

Author:J.S. Morin
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781643557632
Publisher: Magical Scrivener Press

Mort arrived at the ground floor via the lift. He’d caught a ride with a twenty-something couple and their tiny dog that rode in a purse. He had to presume that the lobby was the only reasonable destination, right up until the point where the young gentleman standing at the tapping panel asked what floor for him. Nevertheless, after a brief confusion and muttered apologies on all sides, they trundled down the science shaft to a common endpoint.

Chuck greeted him in a rush shortly after the doors opened. As soon as Mort’s fellow passengers went their separate way from him, the comedian blurted in a hasty whisper, “We gotta boogie.”

“I’m not in a dancing mood.”

They double-timed to the exit. Chuck did an admirable job of looking like he had a secret to share despite no pressing need for any hurry.

“No, you’re not listening. He’s not here, man. Gonzo. His moose has vammed.”

“What are you yammering about?”

“Your guy is gone. We’re late. Right place, wrong time.”

Mort cast a side-eye glare. “How do you know that?”

“I look like a wizard.” With his hands tucked in the pocket of Mort’s borrowed sweatshirt, the comedian tugged the garment out as evidence for his claim. “So I used a little magic.”

“That’s not how it works.”

“It did today.”

“You…” Chuck nodded. “Used magic…?” The comedian grinned. “To pry the secrets from the grasp of the uncaring universe?”

“He thought I was you without saying a thing. And when I did say things, boy, did that bastard spill his guts.”

Mort looked back over his shoulder as they passed through the building’s front door. “The concierge. Where’d he go?”

“Taking the rest of the day off for his mental health.” Out on the street, their words spilled unheeded by onlisteners into the vast open air. Chuck dropped all pretense of discretion. “Your girlfriend had a bunch of cargo transferred from her apartment to a passenger starship just this morning.”

Mort kept his jaw from dropping only by a conscious effort. He wasn’t ready to concede Chuck’s usefulness just yet. “Let me guess; you didn’t get the ship’s name.”

Chuck’s perpetual grin widened. “Kelvin’s Grasp. Departs Nigeru Wakusei Starport in half an hour. If we rush, we can—”

“Have a very public confrontation. Where’s it headed?”

“Conroy’s Planet.”

That matched what Mort knew already. Still, it was good to get independent confirmation. “Then so are we.”

“Okie dokie. I assume we can outrace them.” Mort snorted at the notion. “So, how’d it go upstairs?”

After careful consideration, Mort decided how much to reveal. “Place had been cleaned out. Total dead end.”

Chuck clapped Mort on the back. “Hey. No worries, Chuckie-boy’s looking out for you.”

In the depth of Mort’s mind, Daffodil screamed.

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