The Interview: A Space Opera Adventure Legal Thriller (Judge, Jury, Executioner Book 13) by Craig Martelle & Michael Anderle

Author:Craig Martelle & Michael Anderle [Martelle, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2021-07-28T22:00:00+00:00

Adjunct Federal House of Arbitration, Royal City of Khn'Chik, Yoll

Grainger waved for the others to follow. He walked up the aisle, through the chamber, and out the side door, same as half the ambassadors. Once in the hallway, they found small groups of ambassadors standing around and talking, making it difficult to pass.

Rivka turned around and returned to the chamber.

The others drifted back in. “What’s wrong?” Grainger wondered.

“If I bump into them, they’ll think I’m trying to read their minds. I don’t want any of them thinking I’d commit such subterfuge. And more importantly, I don’t want to give them any more reasons to be afraid of me.”

“As much as I’d like to say they’d be wrong, I know it’s for the right reasons. Come on.” He led them through the waiting room and retraced the steps he had taken to get there. It wasn’t a maze despite the numerous turns.

“You can get in, but you can never leave,” Buster joked from the back of the group.

Jael shouldered her way past Rivka and took Grainger’s hand. She glanced over her shoulder at the group.

“What’s going to happen to us?” Buster asked. “I don’t know if I can do any other job.”

Jael frowned and looked at the floor. “After the work we’ve done, the galaxy’s scumbags would line up to get a shot at us. We wouldn’t last a week.”

“I probably wouldn’t lose the ship because of the Singularity. Maybe I’m more insulated than you guys, which doesn’t help you at all. They’ll happily use you to get to me.”

“Fuck them,” Buster said. “They can’t get to any of us. I know everything I’ve done has been within the law. I doubt Rivka of all people would run afoul of the rules.”

“I haven’t. That last case was ugly. Kidnapping people to steal their blood. But it’s worse than that. There were five people who volunteered to be put into a coma and let the blood trade factory use them. They committed years to the effort, hoping to wake up debt-free and with a healthy bonus to boot.”

Grainger let go of Jael’s hand and started gesturing while he talked. “Was there any evidence that the traders were going to renege on the contract?”

“Joseph destroyed their minds. There was no way to find that besides digging out their personal intent. It’s possible but not included in the final judgment, which was to leave them as the near-vegetables they had been reduced to.”

“And Joseph?” Grainger asked.

“Victim getting his just desserts. They messed up when they took him and Petricia. There was no doubt when he came out of the coma, he was going to wreak havoc. They shouldn’t have taken him. I can’t protect criminals from their victims. I don’t think I want to try.”

They reached an outside door, and the five rushed out as if freed from prison.

“Game faces, people,” Grainger said. “We have to convince anyone watching that we aren’t afraid because we have nothing to hide.”

Jael snorted. “We don’t have anything

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