The Body in the Catacombs: A Ritchie and Fitz Sci-Fi Murder Mystery (The Ritchie and Fitz Sci-Fi Murder Mystery Series Book 3) by Kate MacLeod

Author:Kate MacLeod [MacLeod, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781951439644
Publisher: Ratatoskr Press
Published: 2021-07-06T04:00:00+00:00

13

Ritchie's stomach made a grumble of protest as she walked past the open cafeteria doors. The murmur of the cadets chatting together and the clatter of their cutlery as they ate had her mouth watering even before she walked into the scents of meatballs and brown gravy and freshly baked bread.

That protein bar had been in no way satisfying. But the odds of catching Colonel Hansen still in his office this long after the last class of the day was dismissed were growing slimmer by the minute. She had no time to waste, even to grab one of those crusty rolls to eat on the way.

His door was still open, the light within shining out into the hall, but when Ritchie stepped inside she saw the door to the inner office closed. Cadet Sokolov was still at her desk, but she looked like she was doing homework rather than any administrative duty. Not that Ritchie blamed her for taking advantage of having her own desk to study at. The barracks were often too loud for studying in, and the library was seldom much better. The other academies had wide green lawns that were perfect for sprawling out with a tablet, but even on the best days on Oymyakon it was less than comfortable to be outdoors.

"Am I interrupting?" Ritchie asked, and Sokolov jumped.

"No, just catching up on some things," Sokolov said, then gave her a wary smile. "Like the last two years."

"It gets easier," Ritchie assured her. "But don't let it overwhelm you to the point where you study through all your meals. You know there's always room for you at our table."

"Really?" Sokolov said. An image jumped to Ritchie's mind fully formed: Sokolov standing in the cafeteria doorway, not finding a single friendly face, and finding reasons not to go in.

"Well, usually," Ritchie said. "Tonight we're all working on things and none of us are in there, but usually at least one or two of us are at our regular table. You just have to walk up and sit down."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sokolov said. Then she glanced at the closed door to the side of Ritchie. "Were you here to see me or Colonel Hansen?"

"The colonel, if he has a minute. I don't have an appointment," she said.

Sokolov nodded, then tapped at a screen positioned out of Ritchie's view behind a privacy screen on the corner of the desk. Sokolov gave her a smile as they waited for a response.

"All right. You can go in," she said, waving a hand towards the door. Ritchie took a deep breath before turning the handle and letting herself into the inner office.

"Cadet Ritchie," the colonel said, as he closed window after window on his desktop screen. He folded his hands over the now-blank surface and gave her his full attention. "I think I know why you're here."

"You do?" Ritchie asked as she slid into the seat across from him. It seemed exceedingly unlikely that he did.

"I've just received an update from the Julius Henry Observational Center," he said.

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