Suicide, Inc

CHAPTER 15

Ruiz made a gulping sound. “Listen, Constiner,” he said, stopped still on the thermocarpet, “I haven’t actually committed any crime. What I mean is, taking money from a crook like MacQuarrie, a gambler who fleeced poor-”

“Oscar, Oscar,” said the Trinidad Law Bureau agent, “I don’t give a snerg’s ass about your halfwit dipping into that casino’s petty cash.”

“As I already mentioned,” reminded Smith.

“Nope, I want you for entirely different reasons,” said Constiner. He tugged a stungun from beneath his tunic with his left hand. “You, Smith, I don’t need, and so-”

“Are you the one, Deac, who caught up with Hal Larzon?”

Snorting, the lawman said, “Don’t talk like a schmuck. I don’t work that way and neither do you.”

Smith said, “If you want Larzon’s piece of the puzzle, you’ve got to find the folks who bumped him off.”

“I’ll tell you, Smith, this whole frumus is getting to be a pain in the toke,” admitted Constiner. “It was already too cute going in and it keeps getting trickier and trickier.”

“TLB figures the secret belongs to them and not to Westerland’s next of kin?”

“Westerland worked for the three-planet government when he cooked this particular notion up,” he replied. “All we’re talking about is a simple legal point here. Any invention you come up with while working for somebody is naturally the employer’s. Fact is, I’m the only one in this whole mess who has any real right to-”

“Jennifer Westerland doesn’t agree with-”

“Aren’t you cured of that broad yet? Don’t tell me you still believe the crap she-”

“What about me?” intruded Ruiz. “You two are squabbling and cutting up touches while I’m suffering a hell of a lot of anxiety and discom-”

“You’re coming with me,” Constiner explained, “and Smith’s going to stay here.” He aimed the stun-gun at Smith.

Zzzzzzummmmmm!

It was Constiner who stiffened and then fell to the floor.

“Forgive me, one and all.” Smiling, Cruz appeared in the doorway where the TLB lawman had been. “I find I sometimes can’t resist these melodramatic entrances.”

“Allowable under the circumstances,” said Smith, stooping to take both guns away from the fallen man.

Ruiz’ breath came sighing out. “I take it this guy’s on your side, Jared?”

“He is. Cruz, Oscar Ruiz.”

Cruz gave him a lazy salute with his metal hand. “Reason I dropped down was to urge one and all to speed things up. The battle is spilling ever closer to our position.”

Smith told Ruiz, “Grab your stuff.”

“Violence,” muttered Ruiz, trotting into his bedchamber, “my whole damn life has been ringed with violence.”