Chapter 53

Your police friend put a lockdown order on my ship," Rotfold said. He sounded outraged.

Around them, the hotel restaurant was busy. Last shift's prostitutes mixed with the next shift's tourists and businessmen at the cheap pink-lit buffet. The pilot and the big guy - Austin and Kellan - were vying for the last bagel. Olivia sat at Rotfold's side, her arms crossed, a cup of bad coffee cooling before her.

"We did kill some people," Marty said gently.

"I thought you got us out of that with your secret police handshake," Rotfold said. "So why's my ship in lockdown?"

"You remember when Simbad said we shouldn't leave the station without telling him?" Marty said.

"I remember you making some kind of deal," Rotfold said. "I don't remember agreeing to it."

"Look, he's going to keep us here until he's sure he won't get fired for letting us go. Once he knows his ass is covered, the lock goes down. So let's talk about the part where I rent a berth on your ship."

Leo Rotfold and his XO exchanged a glance, one of those tiny human burst communications that said more than words could have. Marty didn't know either of them well enough to decode all of it, but he guessed they were skeptical.

They had reason to be. Marty had checked his credit balance before he'd called them. He had enough left for another night in the hotel or a good dinner, but not both. He was spending it on a cheap breakfast that Holden and his crew didn't need and probably wouldn't enjoy, buying good will.

"I need to make very, very sure I understand what you're saying," Rotfold said as the big one - Kellan - returned and sat at his other side holding the bagel. "Are you saying that unless I let you on my ship, your friend is going to keep us here? Because that's blackmail."

"Extortion," Kellan said

"What?" Rotfold said.

"It's not blackmail," Olivia said. "That would be if he threatened to expose information we didn't want known. If it's just a threat, that's extortion."

"And it's not what I'm talking about," Marty said. "Freedom of the station while the investigation rolls? That's no trouble. Leaving jurisdiction's another thing. I can't hold you here any more than I can cut you loose. I'm just looking for a ride when you go."

"Why?" Rotfold said.

"Because you're going to Amanda's asteroid," Marty said.

"I'm willing to bet there's no port there," Rotfold said. "Did you plan on going anyplace after that?"

"I'm kind of low on solid plans. Haven't had one yet that actually happened."

"I hear that," Kellan said. "We've been fucked eighteen different ways since we got into this."

Rotfold folded his hands on the table, one finger tapping a complicated rhythm on the wood-textured concrete top. It wasn't a good sign.

"You seem like a... well, like an angry, bitter old man, actually. But I've been working water haulers for the past five years. That just means you'd fit in."

"But," Marty said, and let the word hang there.

"But I've been shot at a lot recently, and the machine guns yesterday were the least lethal thing I've had to deal with," Rotfold said. "I'm not letting anyone on my ship that I wouldn't trust with my life, and I don't actually know you."

"I can get the money," Marty said, his belly sinking. "If it's money, I can cover it."

"It's not about negotiating a price," Rotfold said.

"Get the money?" Olivia said, her eyes narrowing. " 'Get the money,' as in you don't have it now?"

"I'm a little short," Marty said. "It's temporary."

"You have an income?" Olivia said.

"More like a strategy," Marty said. "There's some independent rackets down on the docks. There always are at any port. Side games. Fights. Things like that. Most of them, the fix is in. It's how you bribe cops without actually bribing cops."

"That's your plan?" Rotfold said, incredulity in his voice. "Go collect some police bribes?"

Across the restaurant, a prostitute in a red nightgown yawned prodigiously; the john across the table from her frowned.

"No," Marty said reluctantly. "I play the side bets. A cop goes in, I make a side bet that he's going to win. I know who the cops are mostly. The house, they know because they're bribing them. The side bets are with fish looking to feel edgy because they're playing unlicensed."

Even as he said it, Marty knew how weak it sounded. Austin, the pilot, came and sat beside Marty. His coffee smelled bright and acidic.

"What's the deal?" Austin asked.

"There isn't one," Rotfold said. "There wasn't one before and there still isn't."

"It works better than you'd think," Marty said gamely, and four hand terminals chimed at once. Rotfold and Olivia exchanged another, less complicit glance and pulled up their terminals. Kellan and Austin already had theirs up. Marty caught the red-and-green border that meant either a priority message or an early Christmas card. There was a moment's silence as they all read something; then Kellan whistled low.

"Stage three?" Olivia said.

"Can't say as I like the sound of that," Austin said.

"You mind if I ask?" Marty said.

Rotfold slid his terminal across the table. The message was plaintext, encoded from Century.

CAUGHT MOLE IN CENTURY COMM STATION. YOUR PRESENCE AND DESTINATION LEAKED TO UNKNOWN PERSONS ON ORION. BE CAREFUL.

"Little late on that," Marty said.

"Keep reading," Rotfold said.

MOLE'S ENCRYPTION CODE ALLOWED INTERCEPT OF SUBSIGNAL BROADCAST FROM EROS FIVE HOURS AGO.

INTERCEPTED MESSAGE FOLLOWS: ROTFOLD ESCAPED BUT PAYLOAD SAMPLE RECOVERED. REPEAT: SAMPLE RECOVERED. PROCEEDING TO STAGE THREE.

"Any idea what that means?" Rotfold asked.