A Respectable Profit Read online

column and checked our tail. Nothing there. Either we'd lost him or he'd decided the mall was too exposed.

  Neither of us spoke on the way back to the spaceport. Tanaka still seemed stunned by the attack and I didn't have a clue who had fired at me. It wasn't like I didn't have enemies. Kwai Hong was just the most outspoken. The Red Dragons were consumed by infighting, but might come together long enough to agree on hitting me. But how would either of them know where I'd be? Hell, they shouldn't even know I was on Highpoint.

  No one waited for us at the main terminal. No one stopped us on the way to the ship. Tanaka seemed to loosen up as we entered the docking bay. I didn't feel any better. I pulled the needler again as Tanaka walked in front of me. He looked back at me as he reached the foot of the sally port stairs and froze when he saw the needler.

  "Up the ladder," I said. He hesitated and I shoved the needler under his chin. "Do it now! I've shot people I like better than you. Someone just tried to kill me and I want to know why."

  "I don't know anything about that," he said, raising his arms.

  "No one else knew about our meeting. That shooter couldn't have known I'd be there unless you tipped him off."

  "But I told no one. You called me. I didn't even know you'd be on Highpoint."

  He was right. Even if he'd tipped someone off, they'd need to have a gunman in place waiting for the call, which didn't make sense. Unless I wasn't the target. I lowered the needler.

  "Get into the ship," I said to Tanaka. "Sylvia, security lockdown."

  Tanaka may have not have been a cop, but he wasn't stupid. He came to the same conclusion I had and scrambled up the ladder. I followed and sealed the sally port behind me.

  "Up to the salon," I said to Tanaka, pointing to the upper deck. "Somebody wants you dead and I want to know who it is."

  Tanaka climbed the ladder to the upper deck. I followed and directed him to the salon. Then I hunted up Rabbit and asked him to join us.

  Rabbit rolled in a few minutes later and looked curiously at Tanaka. "What's up, Zack?" he asked. "Who's this?"

  "Tanaka Kensai, Akira Kensai's brother. Somebody just took a shot at him at the Imperial Hotel. Almost shot me instead."

  "Geez, Zack," Rabbit said. "Why'd you bring him here? I mean, no offense and all, but I thought we gave that kind of stuff up after the Wu job. I kind of miss it, but since Cleo took over the business, things have been a lot calmer around here."

  "Never mind why," I said. "What I want to know is whether a file that was on the secure Federal server on Ceres before the Kwai's took over could still be there."

  Rabbit thought for a second. "Sure it's possible. But it's more likely the files were purged when the base was sold to old man Kwai."

  Tanaka spoke up. "No, they weren't. Akira told me that was part of the deal. The Federal server contained all of the life support specs, plus the mining survey data. The base was old and the life support systems were custom designs, not modular like modern systems. Leaving the files was part of the deal. The Feds purged any sensitive data and left the rest."

  "Could you slice those files and find out what's in them?" I asked Rabbit.

  He shrugged. "No problem, if I can access the server. But shit, Zack, to do that we'd have to go to Ceres. We can't go there. Kwai Hong wants you dead."

  "Just asking," I said. "So far I haven't heard anything that makes going there worth my while."

  "I didn't say anything about going after the files," protested Tanaka. "I just wanted to know if you could tell me what they might be about."

  "Bullshit," I said. "Curiosity about some old files doesn't get you killed. Not unless there's money in it. You hinted you wanted somebody who was willing to break rules. What rules?"

  Tanaka wouldn't meet my eye. "It's just an expression. I meant someone who wouldn't mind prying into a Fed database to get Malloy's report."

  "The Feds wouldn't hire a hit man to kill you. They'd send a special ops team to pick you up and you'd just disappear." I moved in front of him and forced him to meet my eye. "Who wants you dead?"

  "I don't know for sure," he said. "Maybe Kwai Hong."

  I slammed my hand on the table. "No more crap. Why does he want to kill you?"

  "He wants Akira's notes." Tanaka slumped in the chair. "A couple of months ago someone from Kwai Hong Holdings offered me two thousand yuan for all of Akira's glowgem files. I said no. I figured if they wanted them that badly, there must be something important in the missing report, something worth more than they offered."

  "Can't see old man Kwai wanting to kill you over that."

  "It didn't end there," said Tanaka. "I started to look into the glowgem business. There are only a handful of companies making them these days. The profit margin is slim and the market's fickle. In the last few months, Kwai Hong Holdings has bought up all but one of them."

  I shrugged. "Sounds like Kwai's trying to corner the market. That's not illegal."

  Tanaka shook his head. "It's not that simple. When he buys the companies, he liquidates them. Sometimes at a loss. Whatever he's after, it isn't control of the glowgem market."

  "What company hasn't he bought yet?"

  "Rainbow Gems."

  "Sylvia," I called. "What have you got on Rainbow Gems?"

  "Searching," she said in that computer voice she used when she was crunching data. "Started by a pair of chemical techs from Nucor about three years ago, just after the glowgem files went public. Did well as one of the first to market synthetic gems. About six months after their initial launch, they were bought out by Nucor who took over the gem production. Made the original partners a boatload of cash."

  "What's Nucor's position in Rainbow?" Rabbit asked.

  "Nucor owns them outright. They're the major revenue generator for the parent company since the demand for biochips tanked."

  "So Nucor isn't likely to sell out," I said. "I don't see what's in this for Kwai Hong, but he doesn't do anything unless there's money in it."

  "Whatever it is, it has something to do with that report," Tanaka said. "First they offered me a lot of cash. Then they sent a couple of guys in expensive suits to tell me to stop looking into Kwai Hong's business. Then they tried to have me killed."

  I had to agree with him. I wasn't about to tell him that, but it made sense. Why else would Kwai care about Akira Kensai's notes?

  "Rabbit, are you sure you can slice that database?" I asked.

  "If the file's there, I can find it," he said. "But, Zack, it's Ceres. How are we gonna get in there?"

  "Bigger question is, how am I going to sell it to Cleo?"

  I had Rabbit escort Tanaka to a cabin while I went forward to the cockpit.

  "Sylvia, I need to talk to Sam Guthrie. Can you track him down?"

  "Sure, Zack. He's registered at the Imperial, same place you went to meet Tanaka Kensai. Why? He's booked for a two week stay and I don't think Cleo plans to stick around that long."

  "Just get him," I said.

  It took less time than I expected. Guys like Guthrie usually had layers of secretaries between themselves and unsolicited calls. Guthrie answered the call himself.

  "Mr. Guthrie, Zack Mbele here. Thank you for speaking with me."

  "Cut the crap, Mbele," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "What do you want?"

  "I was wondering if you did business with Kwai Hong? Specifically, do you buy ice from him?"

  "Yeah, I deal with the old bastard. Charges twice the prices on Mars because he knows he's the only game in town if you want to sell water in the Belt. Shipping costs from Mars or Earth are too high to make a profit, so all roads to the Belt go through Ceres." His eyes narrowed. "I hear he's got it in for you. Wants you dead. Why are you asking about him?"

  "I need to go to Ceres," I said. I outlined the story of Kensai's files, Tanaka's brush with the assassin and the link to Malloy's report in the old Ceres database. "I have a data slicer who can retrieve the report, but he needs access to the Ceres server."

  "
Is Conejo that good?" He must have noticed my surprise because he smiled. "Yeah, I checked you out. You're the real deal. I wouldn't have figured a guy like you for a charter boat captain." The smile faded. "But then, most of my old squad mates wouldn't see me selling ice."

  "Can you get me docking clearance for Ceres?"

  "I can do better than that. I can charter your ship to take me there."

  "Why would you do that?"

  He shrugged. "My wife and step-daughter can find plenty of entertainment here. Unless I want to go shopping with them, I have nothing to do but drink in the hotel bar. I do enough business with Kwai to make an excuse to meet him on Ceres. That'll get you in without any questions." I shook my head, but he held up a hand. "Let me do this. It'll be worth it to stick it to Kwai."

  I couldn't come up with a better idea, so I agreed. Besides, it would make it easier to sell the trip to Cleo.

  As expected, she balked at first. But a call from Guthrie and a five thousand yuan charter fee softened her up. And when Guthrie guaranteed our safety and offered a deposit to cover the possible loss of the ship, she agreed.

  The trip out to the Belt was uneventful. Cleo was a charming hostess, as usual, and Guthrie seemed happier without his wife and step-daughter. He even sought out Deuce and the two of them shared a drink in Deuce's workshop.

  Kwai Hong's security crew wasn't exactly friendly, but they didn't give us more than a cursory inspection when we docked at Ceres. Guthrie was right. As long as we were with him, Kwai wasn't going to make a run at us. Money trumped personal revenge with the old man. Still, I restricted