Bactine (41 page)

Daniel beckoned the waiter and ordered two glasses of Vernian wine. Melia looked at Daniel as if he was some deity personified.

Before the waiter got their glasses, he also took Wenston's order and then went inside, to return from there very quickly. On a small table in front of them, he placed two glasses. They looked like champagne glasses, long and thin. Their contents however had nothing to do with champagne. It seemed to light up from inside its orange colour, and there seemed to be small blue and pink bubbles floating in the wine.

Daniel lifted his arm from Melia's shoulders. He took one glass and handed that to the pretty woman next to him. "A glass of wine for a very beautiful lady." In the light of the torches and lamps he could not miss her blush. He took his own glass and carefully touched hers with it. The sound the glasses made was as from the finest crystal.

Melia's eyes were magnets to Daniel's as they both raised their glasses and carefully sampled the Vernian wine.

Daniel had never tasted anything like it. He tried to describe the experience to himself, but he simply lacked the words for it. He felt how his free hand slipped into Melia's, their eyes unable to break the gaze.

Melia's eyes were shining as she slowly lowered the glass. Her lips, dark red, glistened from the thick wine. Somehow she got hold of Daniel's index finger and lifted that to her lips. She gently brushed his finger over them and then slowly licked the wine from his fingertip. Only then she seemed to grasp what she was going and turned red again. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, quickly peeking over to Wenston and Ophy.

The two others had seen nothing, or at least did not show they had. They looked fully enveloped in each other.

"I am not," said Daniel, "and you are even prettier when you blush." The cling sounded again as he touched her glass with his. As they sipped from the wine again, the amazing experience happened again, as if something more than just the wine took possession of his senses. He was almost certain that Melia underwent the same experience.

She shivered.

"Are you cold?" Daniel asked.

She shook no as she put the glass down. "No... It is just so... overwhelming."

Daniel put down his glass and touched her lips with his finger again. And she licked it, as she had done before. But now she did not blush.

"I had not expected to see you again," she then said, holding his hand. "When I saw you this evening, Daniel, I hesitated. Maybe you would not want to see me anymore, and I didn't know..."

"I saw you too, Melia. And I was afraid of addressing you, I have to admit. I also was not sure if it was really you. Your hair is different, and your dress."

"You noticed..." She smiled. "Do you like it?"

"Yes. I do. And to be frank, Melia, so far I have not found anything about you that I don't like."

"Please, Daniel, always be frank with me."

Something in her eyes, or maybe it was something in her voice, made Daniel slowly lean over to her, and when their lips met, she closed her eyes. The kiss lasted for a long time. When it finally broke, Melia's eyes seemed like stars when she opened them.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Daniel, I..."

"Sssst..." Daniel whispered. "Not now. A few more minutes..."

Melia nodded.

They both picked up their glasses again and toasted to each other. In silence they enjoyed the wine and the feeling of being together again, in the small garden.

Only when they had finished their wine, they noticed that Ophy and Wenston were asleep in their seat. Wenston sat up sort of straight, his head hanging back. Ophy lay curled up on the seat, half in his lap.

Daniel tried to wonder about that. It looked as if all they'd had was a glass of water, so that did not make sense. The Vernian wine however was not only thick in the glass, it also made thinking thick. He was failing gloriously in getting thoughts to connect.

"Daniel..." Melia touched his hand. "I have to say something..." She was talking as slowly as Daniel felt in his head.

"What do you have to say something, dear Melia?" He had the feeling there was something odd in what he said, but couldn't capture it.

"It is about you and me. And you," Melia said, doing her utmost to keep making sense.

"Ah. About us," Daniel understood.

"Yes," Melia agreed, "about us. Or about not us, actually." Melia took both Daniel's hands. "You see, I like you very much, Daniel. But you told me about your life this night. Evening." For a moment she seemed to focus, as if that would improve her speech. "Yes. And I really, really want to love you, Daniel, but your life is so dangerous. You go and you... go... and... you do dangerous things. Like pirates. Fighting." Slowly she nodded. The wine was making this hard, but also easier. "And I can't live in that fear, Daniel. I want a man to... to... come home every day. Without being scared of pirates and fighting. You see?"

Daniel thought hard. What she said seemed to make sense, and yet... "I think I see," he said before his mind had made itself up.

"Good. I am glad you understand. I'm not sure if I do," the pretty woman said. "I want to... uhm... oh- I want you to know that this was a wonderful evening, Daniel. I also think that I am not very sober anymore."

Daniel felt the same. "Yes, Melia. This was a magnificent evening." His mouth had some trouble with 'magnificent' but he managed it. "I am glad you are so honest and upright. I also enjoyed the kiss very much." He nodded for a while. All that talking spread the cotton in his head like nothing else could, it seemed. "Maybe I should see you to a carriage and make sure you get home safely, Melia."

They both agreed and got to their feet. They were grateful for the support of each other as they shuffled past the chair where Ophy and Wenston were still sleeping.

Daniel saw something on their table he could not interpret. He reached down, grabbed it, crumpled it up and stuffed it in his pocket, after which he and Melia left the establishment...

-=-=-

The next morning Daniel desperately needed a shower and something against a hangover. He slowly recalled the previous night. Somehow he remembered that he had kissed Melia one more time before she had left in a carriage. He had needed another carriage to get home. His feet refused to take him anywhere, apart from the last few stretches to the apartment and his bed.

After the shower, he dressed and headed out to a restaurant. A good breakfast chased the ghost from his head. He was about to leave when he found something in his pocket. It was a scrap of paper with a print of a ship on it. As he unfolded it, a small something fell out of it. Daniel picked it up from the floor and looked at it. "Oh crap..."

Daniel went back home and from there to the house of Huajo Dogom ko Tzuy. He had to know if the man was tied to Rayko's disappearing, and what he was doing in the drug scene. Daniel had a few small weapons with him. The attack of the previous day had shaken him up enough to choose for that. He didn't like carrying arms around people, but this situation called for drastic measures. As he was on the way, bits and parts from the last night came and went, until the carriage came to a stop.

Daniel recognised the house of the ship owner. He left the carriage and walked up to the reception house. After holding his ring against the metal plate, he waited. To his surprise the door was answered rather quickly.

"Sir?" a servant asked. Daniel had never seen this person before.

"My name is Daniel Zacharias, and I would like a word with Seigner Dogom ko Tzuy."

"If you would care to wait here," the servant nodded, allowing Daniel to step inside, "I will go and see if the Seigner has time for you."

He'd better, Daniel thought. He was going to talk to this man, time or no time. But he understood that using the official way was better than to storm in there like a mad bull. Unless the official way got him nowhere.

After a few minutes the servant returned. "The Seigner can see you, Mr. Zacharias."

The servant guided Daniel through the tube and into the main house. Huajo was behind the desk in his conservatory again.

"Mr. Zacharias, what an unexpected surprise," the fat man said. "Tea please, for Mr. Zacharias."

"No, thank you," Daniel said, "I might not stay here that long."

Huajo looked at the visitor. "This sounds somewhat alarming, or pressed for time at least, sir. How can I help you?"

"Last time I was here, Seigner Dogom ko Tzuy," Daniel said, "I told you about Rayko Dandra ko Galem. That she went missing. Yesterday someone tried to murder me."

"Oh..." Huajo looked genuinely surprised. "That is very bad news. Are you unharmed, sir?"

"I am, yes."

"And, if I may ask of you, why does this attempt on your life bring you to me?" The man either knew absolutely nothing, or he was a perfect actor.

"The man who tried to kill me, Seigner, had a tattoo on his arm. It was a ship, and beneath it was written 'Tzuy'." Daniel threw the words at the man, who actually leaned back a bit.

"I am truly sorry, Mr. Zacharias," Huajo said, "but I am confident that people who sail on my ships are not the kind that go around killing people as they please."

"Perhaps not as they please, Seigner," said Daniel as he leaned on the desk, looming over the man. "But perhaps as someone else pleases."

"Sir, I beg of you... are you implying that I would have my hand in some filthy business? I am strongly opposed to matters like that, I hope you can believe this, Mr. Zacharias."

Daniel got up and reached into his pocket. "Maybe this means something to you. Seigner..." He unfolded a piece of paper on the man's desk. On it was the print of a ship. And the word 'Tzuy'. Then Daniel slowly put a broken glass capsule on the paper. "In this capsule, in case you don't know, were drugs. Drugs served on a paper with the name of your ships."

Huajo stared at the paper and the capsule as if they were about to bite him. "What is this, Mr. Zacharias? Where did you get this?"

"So you know what this is?" Daniel asked.

"It is some scrap of paper from an insolent who uses the mark and name of my ships. And what is this glass thing, I would like to know." Huajo picked it up carefully and examined it.

Daniel's initial feeling of victory dwindled a bit. The man behind the desk seemed really not aware of what the broken vial had contained. "Don't tell me, Seigner, that you have never seen a vial that contained liquid drugs."

Huajo almost dropped the vial. "Drugs? Are you meddling with drugs, Mr. Zacharias? I must say I am shocked!"

"I am not. You are," Daniel said, although he was less convinced now.

"Sir, I try to remember you are not from our planet, so I shall take that as a reason for this. You are deeply offending me, Mr. Zacharias. The house of Dogomo ko Tzuy is not dealing with drugs and other substances of that kind. I am sorry to admit that there are rumours of other ship owner's houses that deal in that shady area, but my house is not one of them." Huajo put the vial on his desk and got up. "You should believe me, Mr. Zacharias. If you do, you are welcome to stay. If you do not, I must ask you to leave."

Daniel wasn't sure, but he decided that this all was circumstantial evidence.

"You are not too well versed in our language, Mr. Zacharias," Huajo said. "The word Tzuy means 'going to the sea'. My great-grandfather added that to our name long ago, as we have always been ship owners. Tzuy is therefore a common word in any town that has a harbour, as you probably understand."

Daniel nodded. "I can see reason in that, sir. But there still is the attack. And the tattoo on the arm of the man who did that clearly showed one of your ships. The design is unmistakable, and under that also was the name Tzuy. That is hardly a coincidence."

"Allow me a moment, Mr. Zacharias." Huajo took a hydger from the desk and called someone. Daniel noticed that the device was the size of his own. Huajo's stubby fingers would have a problem handling anything smaller.

"My administrator for personnel will be here in a short while, Mr. Zacharias," Huajo said as he sat down again. "If you could wait, and please have a seat... If you can describe the man who attacked you, I am sure my administrator will be able to identify the man."

Daniel calmed down slightly and sat in the chair behind him. Huajo called for some tea, which was accompanied by pieces of fresh fruit pie. The situation was very awkward, but Huajo did not seem to have a big problem with it: he chatted about business things, commented on the weather and ideas for a new boat he was working on. That made time pass quickly.

"Seigner," a servant announced, "Mr. Confrey is here."

"Ah, good, show him in, show him in."

Mr. Confrey was an average sized man. He had blond hair, blue eyes and a very calm disposition. He also had a big bag with him which contained loads and loads of papers. Files on everyone who was working for his employer, or who had worked for him.