Tek Net by William Shatner

success rate that’s blooming miraculous. When they contact me, mate, they like to remain strictly anonymous.”
    â€œYou know Johnny Trocadero?”
    â€œHeard of the bloke. Never actually met up with him.”
    â€œCould he be behind this?”
    â€œHe might. He might not.”
    Frowning, Gomez asked slowly, “Where did you take Jill Bernardino?”
    Dunkirk blinked, grimaced. “I’m not supposed to tell.”
    Terri said, “You have no choice.”
    â€œWhere did you take her?” repeated Gomez.
    â€œGlendale Sector.”
    â€œA little more specific, por favor .”
    â€œHotel Santa Clara.”
    â€œA true dump,” observed Jake.
    â€œWho’d you turn her over to?”
    â€œNight clerk.”
    â€œName of?”
    â€œMarsh Glendenny.”
    â€œA certifiable lout,” said Jake.
    â€œ Sí ,” agreed Gomez. Hunching his shoulders, he leaned even closer to the truth-drugged Dunkirk. “You were supposed to grab Jeffrey Monkwood too?”
    â€œThat’s right, mate.”
    â€œSame client?”
    â€œFar as I know.”
    â€œWhat’s the connection between Monkwood and Jill Bernardino?”
    â€œWell, as I understand it, this bloke was putting the blocks to her, know what I mean?”
    â€œWhat else?”
    â€œYou can search me.”
    â€œWhen you got Monkwood—where were you to take him? Same hotel?”
    â€œNo, him we got to drop off at the Sheridan Hotel in the Long Beach Sector.”
    â€œTurning him over to who?”
    â€œCharlie Menken. He’s the manager.”
    Gomez asked him, “What about me and my partner?”
    â€œYou two blokes we are just going to snuff out.”
    â€œWe better move along, Sid.” Jake nodded at the monitor screen that was showing him what was taking place up in the chief’s office. “I don’t think Bascom’s going to be able to stall the minions of the law much longer.”
    Stepping back, Gomez said, “Hate to leave you with this pendejo , Terri.”
    â€œIt’s okay,” she said, smiling. “You and Jake had better scoot out one of our secret exits.”
    Gomez was handling the controls of the skycar, guiding it through the darkening twilight toward the Glendale Sector of Greater Los Angeles. “Okay, amigo ,” he said, “this is how I see things. On the one side we have these European Teklords who’ve banded together to pull off something muy importante and on the other side there’s Johnny Trocadero, notorious local Tek kingpin, and possibly other native Tek luminaries. Somehow Jill got herself caught smack in the middle.”
    Jake was in the passenger seat, a small reader/scanner held in his hand and a listening bug in his ear.
    â€œ Amigo? ” said his partner after waiting for a response.
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œI was laying out my astute analysis of this whole business—and you thus far have failed to reply. Even polite applause would be appreciated.”
    â€œSorry, Sid.” He tugged out the listening bug and tapped the reader/scanner. “Been listening to a transcript of the thoughts that Terri and her crew gleaned from what passes for a brain in Dunkirk’s robot.”
    â€œ Cosa? ”
    Jake touched a key and the voxbox in the reader began speaking. “… man on the vidphone screen is a big fellow, tall, hefty, in his fifties. Not too smart, though, not used to doing this sneaky stuff. Look at him, he didn’t even think to blank the screen. And we can see part of the room he’s in, too. Half of an animated poster showing on the wall. Says Supp Starv Cent .”
    Jake turned off the little machine. “That’s part of the bot’s recollections of one of the people who contacted Dunkirk to set up Jill’s kidnapping.”
    â€œ Dios .” He gestured at the reader. “That doesn’t make sense,