Silver Master Read Online Free PDF Page A

Shaw?” she managed.
    Alarmed by the sound of her too thin, too tight voice, Araminta tumbled across the desk and bounded up her arm to perch on her shoulder. Automatically, Celinda reached up to pat her, taking comfort, as she always did, from the contact.
    â€œLike I said, this is routine.” Alice rezzed a pen and prepared to take notes.
    â€œAm I the first person you’ve interviewed in connection with this murder?” Celinda asked warily.
    â€œYes, as a matter of fact, you are,” Alice said.
    Damn, it was happening all over again, Celinda thought. Her short career at Promises, Inc., flashed before her eyes. She would have to leave town and find another job, just as she had four months ago. There were only four large city-states on Harmony. Two down and two to go. At this rate, she would soon be running the kind of low-end dating service that advertised in the Personals section of cheap tabloids.
    â€œMiss Ingram?” Alice’s voice was sharp.
    Davis did not move. He just stood there, watching her. Celinda forced herself to shake off the dread that threatened to demoralize her. Stay focused . Maybe you can manage this. Maybe your life is not about to go to green hell again.
    â€œSorry, Detective,” she said politely. “What was the question?”
    â€œYou were about to tell me where you were last night between twelve and three,” Alice said.
    Celinda moved one hand in a vague gesture. “Where I usually am at that time of night. In bed.”
    There was a short beat of silence.
    â€œWas there anyone else in the household?” Alice asked.
    Probably diplomatic cop talk for Are you sleeping with anyone who can give you an alibi? Celinda thought.
    â€œNo,” she said. “Just Araminta.”
    Alice looked up from her notes. “So there’s no one who can vouch for the fact that you were home alone?”
    Celinda started to say no and then stopped, brightening a little. “My landlady, Mrs. Furnell. She lives right downstairs. I have to walk past her front door to get outside the building. Trust me when I tell you that she would definitely remember if I went out late at night or if I came in at an odd hour.”
    Alice did not look impressed, but she made a note. “Were you a frequent shopper at Jackson’s?”
    Celinda shook her head. “Yesterday was the first time. I was just browsing, but Araminta went straight to this widget and started playing with it. She seemed to want it, so I bought it for her.”
    It was the truth as far as it went. Celinda saw no need to add that she would never have gone into the shop in the first place if Araminta hadn’t made a great fuss when they walked past the window.
    â€œThank you.” Alice flipped the notebook shut and looked at Davis. “That does it for me. What about you? Is that the missing relic you were hired to find?”
    Davis studied the red plastic object in Celinda’s hand. “It fits the description I was given.”
    â€œWhat, exactly, was the description of this missing item you’re looking for?” Celinda asked.
    â€œI’ve got a photograph.” Davis went back to his chair, reached down, and opened the slim briefcase he had brought with him. He took out a glossy print.
    Celinda looked at the picture. The relic in the shot was, indeed, identical to the one in her hand. In the photo it appeared to be lying in a metal drawer, the kind that museums and banks use to store valuables.
    So much for hoping that Davis didn’t know the relic was valuable. Easy come, easy go, she thought.
    Alice rose from her chair. “I’ll leave you and Miss Ingram to talk about that red doohickey. Believe it or not, I’ve got some actual police work to do.”
    â€œThank you, Detective,” Davis said. “You’ve been very helpful.”
    â€œGee, thanks, Mr. Oakes.” Alice did not bother to veil the sarcasm in her voice. She slung the