Judgment at Proteus by Timothy Zahn

Compton’s suggested target areas.}
    {I obey.} The Jumpsuit swiveled back to his board and began speaking rapid Fili into a microphone.
    “Have you any other thoughts?” Emikai asked.
    I hesitated. This one, I knew, was not going to go over well. “We also need to consider motive,” I said. “Specifically, who would benefit from Minnario’s disappearance.”
    To my mild surprise, Emikai was already ahead of me. “You thus name Chinzro Hchchu,” he said calmly.
    I heard the faint whisper of a dozen necks against jumpsuit collars as every nearby Filly turned toward us. “According to the Slisst Protocols, he’s the one who’ll be prosecuting me,” I pointed out for their benefit. “There are any number of reasons why he might want to delay the proceedings.”
    “What about your reasons?” Wandek put in.
    “Such as?” I asked.
    “I am told you were reluctant to attend this evening’s preliminary hearing,” Wandek said. “That hearing has now been unavoidably postponed.”
    “Pretty weak motive, if you ask me,” I said. “Especially since the reason for my reluctance was that my assistant Bayta wouldn’t be permitted to attend with me.” I gestured toward Emikai. “And given that I’ve been under direct observation since I first learned about the hearing, it would have been well-nigh impossible for me to have done anything to him.”
    “Perhaps Attorney Minnario informed you ahead of the official notification,” Wandek suggested darkly. “Perhaps you called for a meeting to discuss the matter, and you”—he threw a look at Bayta—“ and your assistant then disposed of him.”
    “No,” Emikai said flatly.
    Wandek’s blaze went all mottled again. “ No ?” he echoed. “You dare—?”
    “They have not been alone aboard Kuzyatru Station.” Emikai pointed at Doug and Ty. “Ever.”
    Wandek looked at the watchdogs, his expression and posture reminiscent of a schooner that’s just had all the wind knocked out of its sails. “Oh,” he said in a suddenly subdued voice. “No, of course not.”
    “The msikai-dorosli would not permit them to harm another being,” Emikai went on, in case Wandek hadn’t fully grasped the point. “ Chinzro Hchchu would have ordered them—”
    {Yes, yes, I understand,} Wandek snapped. {Don’t belabor the point.}
    {My apologies, Usantra Wandek,} Emikai said.
    Apparently, the words weren’t enough. Wandek’s hand twitched imperiously, and Emikai bowed his head toward the other. {My apologies,} he repeated.
    “If you two can stop babbling a minute, can we get on with this?” I put in. Watching Emikai grovel in front of Wandek was nearly as irritating as Wandek making him do it. “My attorney’s missing. I’d kind of like someone to find him.”
    They were still at it an hour later when my growling stomach finally forced me to go with Bayta in search of food. Fortunately, the security nexus included a station with a selection of quick foods available for the duty personnel. I decided Bayta and I qualified, and we had a quick meal there before returning to the monitor room.
    Three hours later, when I finally gave up, they still hadn’t found Minnario.
    *   *   *
    The door to Bayta’s room was still keyed to both our DNA signatures. I opened the door, turned on the lights, and gave the room a quick scan as we walked in. Bayta’s luggage had been delivered and was set neatly at the foot of the bed, but aside from that everything was just the way we’d left it. “What do you think happened to him?” Bayta asked quietly as I closed the door and locked it.
    “Nothing good,” I said, crossing to the half-bath and peeking inside. It, too, appeared untouched. “I just wish I knew how they could have gotten to him without someone seeing it and coming forward.”
    “Maybe whoever saw his abduction or disappearance didn’t realize the significance at the time,” she suggested as she walked over to the bed and stood beside it.
    “Maybe,” I said.