that is. Not a shred of imagination in this body. Ask anyone. They'll tell you. Nose ain't got no imagination. Anyway, I'll leave you to look over that little lot."
"Okay. Okay, yeah, do that." The envelope was bulky.
"You want me to keep digging?"
A metal butterfly clasp held the envelope shut, but the flap wasn't stuck closed. "Is there anything else to dig for?"
"Oh, sure. Always is. But it's up to you. Say the word and we'll call this a done job."
"No." He had no right to be digging up other people's business. But he would dig anyway. "No, if there's more, find it. Stay on top of it. Okay?"
"You've got it. I'll be in touch." Nose opened the door.
Maryan came in as the private investigator went out. She said nothing while she watched Nose leave.
"Who was that?" She wrinkled her straight nose. "He looks like a bum."
"Some sort of computer type." He'd have to be careful or he'd be telling lies he didn't have to tell. "You know what slick dressers those guys are."
Maryan glared. She let her well-worn briefcase slip from her fingers and thump on the carpet. "That dog of yours makes an ugly front office statement."
"Beater likes watching people come and go."
"He's an ugly mutt."
Sebastian smirked. "You're right. That's part of his charm."
"He doesn't like me."
Time to change the subject. Sebastian jutted his chin in what he hoped was a playful way and waved. "Hi, Sis. Good flight?"
"Lousy flight. Lousy town. When I saw Mt. Rainier, I thought I was going to throw up. Everything's so goddamn clean here it makes me want to spit on the sidewalks."
"You don't like it here."
"And you've got a goddamn lousy sense of humor."
Sebastian smiled thinly. "I do try. And I didn't ask you to come to Seattle."
"Someone's got to see what the fuck you're up to." She marched around his desk and threw her tall, thin body into his chair. Her badly crushed, red linen suit might as well be burned. Her short brown hair with its silver streak at one temple was gelled back and did nothing to soften the unhappy lines around her eyes and mouth.
Sebastian knew a twinge of guilt. "You worry too much, Sis. And you look beat. Kick your shoes off. How about a—"
"Gin. Over ice. No vermouth."
He made the decision that this was one time not to mention that she drank too much. "Coming up." A freestanding, cylindrical pillar of steel contained the bar. A single finger's pressure, and it spread open, jawlike, from an invisible seam.
"When I finally realized how far you were taking things here I knew I'd better find a way to get us out, and quickly. What d'you think you're playing at?"
Maryan had always been there for him. "Knock it off, Sis, there's a good girl." She'd come through when he'd been a lost kid of not even twenty and there'd been no one else to turn to. Without her he'd have had a harder time making it through college and through more rough times than he wanted to remember.
"Is it true?" Her voice assumed the brittle quality she rarely used on Sebastian.
Slowly, he poured gin into an etched crystal glass.
"Is it?" She coughed. "Hurry with that, will you?"
Sebastian brought her the gin. "Sounds like you picked up a bug on the plane."
"We ought to be expanding the airline."
Sometimes his adoptive sister's propensity for subject-hopping irritated Sebastian. "The airline's on target and in good hands." He believed in as much autonomy as possible for the men and women who ran the essentially separate divisions of Raptor.
Maryan closed her eyes and drank.
"I'm going to have a car brought around for you. It'll take you to my place. Sleep till tomorrow. You look as if you need it."
Her dark gray eyes snapped open again. "I asked you a question."
"You're pushing, Maryan. I don't like it when you push, you know that."
She bared her small teeth. "I want this place closed down. I want it closed and I want us out of this town—out of this state— now."
He tolerated a great deal for the sake of a lot of old times. "If you want
"Okay. Okay, yeah, do that." The envelope was bulky.
"You want me to keep digging?"
A metal butterfly clasp held the envelope shut, but the flap wasn't stuck closed. "Is there anything else to dig for?"
"Oh, sure. Always is. But it's up to you. Say the word and we'll call this a done job."
"No." He had no right to be digging up other people's business. But he would dig anyway. "No, if there's more, find it. Stay on top of it. Okay?"
"You've got it. I'll be in touch." Nose opened the door.
Maryan came in as the private investigator went out. She said nothing while she watched Nose leave.
"Who was that?" She wrinkled her straight nose. "He looks like a bum."
"Some sort of computer type." He'd have to be careful or he'd be telling lies he didn't have to tell. "You know what slick dressers those guys are."
Maryan glared. She let her well-worn briefcase slip from her fingers and thump on the carpet. "That dog of yours makes an ugly front office statement."
"Beater likes watching people come and go."
"He's an ugly mutt."
Sebastian smirked. "You're right. That's part of his charm."
"He doesn't like me."
Time to change the subject. Sebastian jutted his chin in what he hoped was a playful way and waved. "Hi, Sis. Good flight?"
"Lousy flight. Lousy town. When I saw Mt. Rainier, I thought I was going to throw up. Everything's so goddamn clean here it makes me want to spit on the sidewalks."
"You don't like it here."
"And you've got a goddamn lousy sense of humor."
Sebastian smiled thinly. "I do try. And I didn't ask you to come to Seattle."
"Someone's got to see what the fuck you're up to." She marched around his desk and threw her tall, thin body into his chair. Her badly crushed, red linen suit might as well be burned. Her short brown hair with its silver streak at one temple was gelled back and did nothing to soften the unhappy lines around her eyes and mouth.
Sebastian knew a twinge of guilt. "You worry too much, Sis. And you look beat. Kick your shoes off. How about a—"
"Gin. Over ice. No vermouth."
He made the decision that this was one time not to mention that she drank too much. "Coming up." A freestanding, cylindrical pillar of steel contained the bar. A single finger's pressure, and it spread open, jawlike, from an invisible seam.
"When I finally realized how far you were taking things here I knew I'd better find a way to get us out, and quickly. What d'you think you're playing at?"
Maryan had always been there for him. "Knock it off, Sis, there's a good girl." She'd come through when he'd been a lost kid of not even twenty and there'd been no one else to turn to. Without her he'd have had a harder time making it through college and through more rough times than he wanted to remember.
"Is it true?" Her voice assumed the brittle quality she rarely used on Sebastian.
Slowly, he poured gin into an etched crystal glass.
"Is it?" She coughed. "Hurry with that, will you?"
Sebastian brought her the gin. "Sounds like you picked up a bug on the plane."
"We ought to be expanding the airline."
Sometimes his adoptive sister's propensity for subject-hopping irritated Sebastian. "The airline's on target and in good hands." He believed in as much autonomy as possible for the men and women who ran the essentially separate divisions of Raptor.
Maryan closed her eyes and drank.
"I'm going to have a car brought around for you. It'll take you to my place. Sleep till tomorrow. You look as if you need it."
Her dark gray eyes snapped open again. "I asked you a question."
"You're pushing, Maryan. I don't like it when you push, you know that."
She bared her small teeth. "I want this place closed down. I want it closed and I want us out of this town—out of this state— now."
He tolerated a great deal for the sake of a lot of old times. "If you want
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