Promised Land Read Online Free PDF

it. Who would want to frame me?
    Eventually, he switched off the circuit, and he looked up at us again. He waited a moment or two, stony-faced, and then he spoke.
    â€˜You were right,’ he said to Denton. ‘They had inside help. Tyler’s missing too. Tyler , the damn fool. I’ll make damn sure he never gets to spend it, wherever he is.’
    â€˜He’ll head for Penaflor,’ I suggested helpfully. ‘They don’t like New Alexandrians on Penaflor.’
    Charlot ignored me. He didn’t change his expression, nor did he inject anything into his voice, but I’d never before seen him radiate such powerful emotion. ‘ Wherever he is,’ he repeated.
    He turned to Denton. ‘Find him,’ he said. And then, to me: ‘The Hooded Swan lifts in two hours. Get ready. Socoro’s on board. The captain and I will join you as soon as possible.’
    â€˜Nick’s on Earth,’ I said.
    â€˜I know that,’ he said testily. ‘Miss Lapthorn will be acting captain. You didn’t think you’d get the job, did you?’
    The nastiness in his voice was quite unimportant and unnecessary. The news was enough to curl me up.
    Denton left with me.
    â€˜How come you get in on all the big secrets?’ I asked him. ‘Are you really the chief of police masquerading as a hireling?’
    â€˜No,’ he said. ‘I’m Charlot’s bodyguard.’
    â€˜Bloody hell,’ I said. ‘I didn’t even know he had a bodyguard. Does he need one?’
    â€˜Not much,’ said Denton. ‘At least, he doesn’t think so. But while he’s on planet he has to be looked after. Same applies to all the other top Library personnel. New Alexandria values its people very highly.’
    â€˜But you only guard him when he’s here?’
    â€˜I’m a cop,’ he said, ‘not a private bodyguard.’
    â€˜Strikes me,’ I said, ‘that he’s an awful lot more vulnerable offworld than on.’
    Denton shrugged. ‘We can only do so much. He doesn’t like his body being guarded. In a way, it’s a bum job, because he won’t let me close enough to be effective, but if somebody bumps him off while I’m standing around on the wrong corner, I carry the can.’
    â€˜Great,’ I said. So that was why he spent so much of his time helping walls to stand up straight.
    Then another thought struck me. ‘Say,’ I said. ‘Suppose, just for the sake of argument, that there was something going on at that colony. Something against the Law of New Rome? Where are you then?’
    â€˜You’re imagining things,’ he said.
    â€˜You mean that Charlot is above the law?’
    â€˜That’s not what I mean at all.’
    â€˜Now there,’ I said, ‘is what I call hypocrisy. Do you mean to say that if I gave you evidence that Charlot was breaking the law, you’d act?’
    â€˜Show me the evidence,’ he stalled.
    â€˜I might just be able to do that,’ I said. ‘There’s something about this kidnap business that smells. It makes no sense.’
    â€˜Yeah?’ said Denton, not sounding too convinced, or even interested. ‘Well, I tell you what, I’ll buy you a drink the night you get back from Chao Phrya, with or without the girl. And you can tell me what happened. And then we’ll see who gets to say “I told you so.” Okay?’
    â€˜You reckon that Charlot’s told us the story straight?’
    â€˜That’s what I reckon.’
    â€˜Okay,’ I said. ‘It’s a deal.’ I chalked up the date in my mental agenda. I don’t often get a chance to say ‘I told you so’ to a cop.
    All cops with purposeful strides are optimists.

CHAPTER FOUR
    If I were asked to prepare a list of lady captains I have known and loved, the list would not be very long. In fact, I would be hard pressed to come up with any candidates at