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“Turner is a basket case, did you know? Is that why you sent her on a break?” Jayna was dismayed by how unconcerned Theo was by the nature of his crew member’s problem, not to mention acting unusually cheerful, but otherwise okay.
He paused and gave her his full attention. “Define basket case.”
“She said she was hearing voices, urging her to divert from our course and return to the original one, out into the galaxy. She said she had nightmares last night of being trapped on this ship alone, with something chasing her. Nearly as bad as Abrall down there in the engine room to tell you the truth.” The lieutenant hadn’t sworn her to secrecy and it was Jayna’s duty to report the matter to their superior officer. Turner’s brief account of the issues plaguing her were much worse than anything Jayna had experienced so far.
“I can’t replace her either. We have such a small crew and we’re all needed.” Theo began walking again, more slowly. “Pretty much all of the crew are having a reaction to this damn ship. Seems like more than a coincidence.”
“Or it could mean nothing,” Jayna said, wondering what Theo had experienced. “It’s an unusual assignment, taking an abandoned ship in for salvage and there being so few of us aboard. Still, I wouldn’t have expected this crew to have flights of fancy.”
“What has Soames reported? Anything?” Theo asked as they approached the original captain’s suite.
Not surprised her laxness in coordinating with her fellow security officer was coming back to bite her, Jayna rapidly considered her options. She opted for the truth and was disconcerted she’d contemplated lying for even a minute. Misleading her superiors wasn’t how she rolled. “I didn’t touch base with him this morning as it happens. But he hadn’t said anything yesterday.”
“Check with him after we’ve searched the cabin,” Theo said, his tone displeased.
“Of course. Although our subaural com doesn’t work reliably in every part of the Mebsuta C.” Standing with the captain as he keyed open the suite’s door, she asked, “What are we looking for here?”
Eyes bright with enthusiasm, Theo turned to her before crossing the threshold. In a low voice, he said, “There was a fragment of video before the computer cut out. They’d received a distress call and Herron was excited about what he was hoping to find. The relevant point here is he was clutching a notebook of some sort and I’m betting it’s in here. He might have made physical notes—from the bit of conversation I overheard, I gather he was a smuggler at some point so I can understand him not wanting to keep too many records on the ship’s computer, where the authorities could easily find them.”
Jayna found his enthusiasm surprising but there was no time for more reflection as she stepped into the cabin behind him. Her stomach roiled and she held the pulse rifle tight, although it wasn’t going to help her with ghosts or whatever was going on here. To her surprise and relief, the first cabin was entirely normal, no cold spots and nothing out of place. As Theo went to the bedroom cabin beyond, she squared her shoulders and checked the child’s room. Again, nothing. No bitter cold assaulted her and the toys and books were all in their places on the shelves. No words were scrawled on the bulkheads and she didn’t hear voices.
Shaking her head, she said to herself, “I’m going space happy on this damn derelict.” Lingering for a moment, she was summoned by Theo’s raised voice.
“I could use some help here.”
“Coming.” Jayna joined him in the relatively spacious bedroom and whistled. “They really indulged themselves here. Quite a use of precious space.” The room was neat, no loose clothing or personal items anywhere, which was odd the more she thought about it.
Theo was rummaging through a set of drawers built into the hull. “Nothing so far. Can you check the other room and the kitchenette?”
“You think he hid his secret diary in the kitchen?” she asked with a smile. “Who does that?”
“An ex-smuggler trying to evade the authorities maybe.” Theo’s answering grin was charming, as his cheeks dimpled and his eyes sparkled. “Humor me, okay?”
Down, girl. Yes captain Theo Knox was attractive and she had no immunity to his good looks. The fact had been proven enough times already in his cabin or hers on their home ship. In fact even now there was a definite stirring of warmth and interest at her core but she wasn’t planning to act on it while they were aboard this small ship and facing potential danger. “All right, the kitchen it is.”
Although she had no expectations of success, Jayna took her assignment seriously, going methodically through all the drawers, checking the small oven and the stasis keeper and even the recycler, all of which were empty. Next she tackled the pantry, which held dozens of small spice bottles, a few staples and five large canisters. Not having seen the video which was motivating Theo to conduct this odd expedition, she had no idea whether the notebook in question would fit into a canister or not. Backing into the cramped kitchen space, she searched for a container large enough to empty the canisters into.
The family must have taken most of their meals in the wardroom with the rest of their crew but rank has its privileges, one of which had been this private space to reheat rations and do a little cooking. Had Angelee had gotten cooking lessons from her mother during the long cruises?
With a shiver Jayna realized she’d been standing beside the stove for at least three minutes, thinking about the young girl. Rubbing her neck, she said, “Aw fuck this, the salvage broker has to clean anyway,” and went into the pantry. She dumped the first container on the floor and a cloud of golden ramaphil flour rose. Coughing, she took the next canister and upended it. Taziksturran rice cascaded to the deck, the hard shells bouncing all around her boots. The canister was unusually heavy and she checked inside, to see a small notebook wedged into the container.
Triumphant and a little disbelieving, she worked the book out of the canister. It was a tight fit but eventually Jayna got it loose. Setting the now empty container on the shelf, she picked the notebook out of the pile of flour and rice where it had fallen once she pried it from the canister and blew the cover clean. Curious, she opened the book at random and stared at the dense writing covering the pages.
“What did you find?” Theo asked from the doorway.
Jayna managed to suppress her guilty flinch. “Just located this a minute ago. Is it the notebook you saw in the video?”
With a broad grin, Theo reached to take the book, raising his eyebrows at the mess she’d made. “Commendation for you, officer. That’s it, I’m sure. Same black cover with a gold insignia.” He offered his hand to help her step away from the mess without slipping.
Deliberately she moved on her own, raising her space booted foot and planting it carefully on clean deck. “Shall we see what we’ve got, sir?”
Not at all abashed, Theo withdrew his hand. “I hope he didn’t write in some damn code.” Going into the main room, he sat in the big chair and leafed through the pages. “Written in archaic Basic but he had terrible handwriting. It’s going to take me a while to tease anything out of all this.”
Jayna dusted her hands, which had a residue of flour and rice. “Maybe not in here? It’s uncomfortable being in their private space for too long.”
“As if the Herrons will come walking in any moment to accuse us of trespassing?” He raised his eyebrows in surprise but closed the book with a snap and left the chair. “I yield to your sensitivities.”
Feeling foolish but eager to get out of the suite, Jayna crossed the to the portal and triggered the door, which slid aside slowly. To her heightened awareness, the door seemed almost reluctant to allow them to leave and she gave it a shove and burst into the corridor. Theo followed more slowly. The portal remained open as if inviting them to change their minds and he activated the controls three times before it closed.
