The sheriff’s headquarters was dark and lonely. It had seemed more alive while Ciro and Jane were working, but Jane had finished setting up her lab, and after Lynx was done analyzing the first part of the data Fenn had collected, Ciro presented the sheriff with a thick stack of papers, then announced that he was going to go die. He and Jane, neither of whom had slept for almost twenty Ionu hours, collapsed together on one of the spare beds.

Reyer envied them. She wanted to sleep, but between the pain in her back and her concern for Vas and the others, it was proving to be impossible.

If she couldn’t sleep, then she wanted tea. Any tea. She was desperate enough to put up with bottom-of-the-barrel garbage, sealed in an anonymous white packet with a label that said nothing but “tea.” She knew Fenn had some, but she hadn’t dared ask how old it was. She assured herself that if it was sealed properly it should still be good—or, rather, as good as that kind of tea could be.

But if Fenn was still awake, she could ask him to open the door to the attached hangar so she could get to the box of green tea Ito had given her.

That thought was motivating enough to get her to move. She used the arm of the couch to pull herself to her feet. After waiting for the inevitable flare of pain to pass, she walked out of the break room and over to the stairwell.

The light in Fenn’s office was still on. Since the door was hanging open by an inch, it cast a long beam across the floor.

Despite this encouraging sight, Alix walked carefully down the stairs.

The injury to her back had happened so long ago that she didn’t have to think about how to move or what would hurt. Pain had shaped how she interacted with everything, and by now, it was normal.

If things had been different, if she had been moving any faster, she might not have heard the voices coming from Fenn’s office until it was too late.

“I’m sorry. Should I come back another time?”

It was a male voice. She didn’t know it.

She crept down the rest of the stairs.

“No. This is fine.”

That was Fenn. His calm tone was unmistakable.

“I know it’s ridiculous for me to be showing up at this hour—”

“Ionu tends to make people partly nocturnal, Mr. Croft. Since we’re both awake and here, what can I do for Ashtell this fine morning?”

“I’m not here on behalf of Ashtell.”

There was a silence. Reyer hadn’t known the sheriff long, but she could still picture the blank expression he was probably giving Mr. Croft.

“Where’s your deputy?”

“I don’t know. I let him off hours ago. I assume he’s home in bed, but if not, and presuming he’s not doing anything illegal, that’s none of my business.”

“May I sit down?”

There was the scrape of a chair inching over the dusty floor.

“Are you going to be here all night?” Croft asked.

“Probably.”

“May I ask why?”

“You can ask. There’s no guarantee I’ll answer.”

Reyer smiled as she hid herself in the shadow near the door. She didn’t want to be in the direct line of sight if Mr. Croft decided to leave suddenly.

“Sheriff, I’m not your enemy. All of this ‘no comment’ stuff is going to be tiresome. Can we at least be civil?”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Ah. Yes. I’ve been warned about my incessant rudeness—”

“Let’s not forget your tendency to overreact.”

“—but refusing to say too much to a lawyer doesn’t strike me as incivility, so much as prudence.”

Croft’s laugh sounded relaxed and light. “Who’s the peacekeeper here? Shouldn’t I be refusing to answer your questions?”

“I haven’t asked any.”

“Not tonight, but I looked up Okoth for you.” The man continued after a brief pause. “I’m sorry, Sheriff. I don’t know what happened to him. He used to work as an overseer in building four, but one day he didn’t show up for work. He was put on report and duly fired the next day, but no one has seen him to tell him the news.”

Reyer heard the sound of a piece of paper being handed off.

“All the information is there,” Croft said. “I’m afraid Ashtell doesn’t know any more than that.”

“Is this all the information they have, or is this all they’re willing to share?”

“We do have more, but most of it’s protected. I got you all the public information I could.”

“Tell me, Croft, do privacy rights extend to a dead man?”

“I have no reason to think he’s dead. Do you?”

Reyer moved closer to the opening. She felt like she was missing part of the conversation. She was; she was missing everything that wasn’t being said.

Fenn, who was watching the lawyer’s face, caught some of it. What he saw, he didn’t like.

He said, “Thank you, Mr. Croft. I appreciate your help.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Sheriff.” Croft hesitated, then said, “There’s something else I’d like to talk to you about—again, if you have the time.”

“I thought you weren’t here on behalf of Ashtell.”

“I’m not.” Croft appeared uneasy. When he started speaking, he led in with a sigh. “Did you know I’m the only barred lawyer on this entire planet?”

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

“Most people would say it’s still one too many.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to argue with yourself if you have to.”

“And I’d charge double.”

Fenn still didn’t smile. That slightly riled Mason’s otherwise placid soul, but he did his best to ignore it.

The lawyer continued, “I heard from an acquaintance that you recently picked up five people who were, allegedly, smuggled onto the planet and, if I’m understanding this correctly, might be associated with the Uprising?”

Fenn’s answer was a speck of a second too late. “Who’s this acquaintance of yours?”

“Dumi Hatanori.”

“I asked Mr. Hatanori if he wanted to personally press charges when the altercation took place. He said no. Has he changed his mind?”

“If he has, he didn’t mention it to me. Are they still in custody?”

“Yes.”

“May I see them?”

“Do you have a warrant?”

The silence was a long one.

Mason Croft laughed again. You couldn’t tell if Fenn was joking from his expression, so there was a hope that he might be. But there was also enough doubt, the laugh died at the end. “Do I need one, Sheriff?”

“It would help.”

“Fenn, this isn’t the proper place for a ‘no-comment’ answer.”

“I’m not declining to answer. I’m declining your request to see them.”

Croft sat forward in his chair. “They have a right to a lawyer.”

“I resent the allegation that I didn’t make them aware of that. They know they have a right to a lawyer. They waived it.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Maybe they think one lawyer is one too many.”

Mason threw one arm over the back of his chair and rested his cheek on the knuckles of his other hand. From this languid position, he gazed at the man across the desk.

“You know, you and I are a lot alike.”

Fenn raised an eyebrow.

The lawyer continued, “We do our best work when we say ‘no comment.’ We watch the edges of society. We both know the law, and we both know how to use it.” Croft waited until the sheriff offered him a nod before he went on. “And we’re both unique on this planet. I’m the only lawyer…and you’re the only lawman.”

Croft waited in vain for another nod, but this time the man’s stillness felt intense, like Fenn was standing motionless at the edge of a drop.

The lawyer moved his head and let his arm fall. “It must be hard to be the only peacekeeper on a planet of two-thousand people. You watch over all of us, to keep us in line. But who watches you, Sheriff?”

“Not you, Croft.”

“Not yet.”

In defiance of the tense atmosphere, the lawyer tapped a fingernail on the arm of his chair.

He was still tapping when the door behind him was thrown open.

Eve Wyss stood inside the room, still holding onto the door and panting for breath. Croft had jerked to his feet in surprise, but Wyss didn’t seem to see him. She spoke to the sheriff as if he was the only person there.

“Fenn! It’s Creed—”

But then she saw the infinitesimal shake of his head. She shut her mouth and pressed her lips together.

Jun stood up. “If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Croft. This woman appears to have some urgent business she has to discuss with me—”

This woman? Wyss’s face scrunched up slightly in her confusion, but she kept her lips sealed. Her eyes darted over to the lawyer.

“—I would be happy to finish our conversation tomorrow morning.”

“Of course,” Croft said. “Whatever it is, I hope the news won’t be too awful.”

“Well, I won’t find out until you leave, so I beg you not to keep me in suspense for long.”

Mason smiled at the man’s artistry. “Good night, Sheriff.” He nodded to Wyss as he left.

As he crossed the lobby, he felt around in his pocket until he found his com. He pulled it out and raised it to his mouth.

“They’re at the hospital,” the lawyer said. “Get over there now. All of you! Tennama is with them.”

Alix waited as long as she dared to make sure the lawyer was gone. Then she pulled herself away from the shadow where she’d been hiding and went over to the office door. Her hands were trembling so much, she fumbled with the handle as she opened it.

Eve and Jun both looked up when Reyer entered.

“Fenn,” she said, “I need your com.”