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The story so far: Grim Khonsu is a serialised sci-fi detective noir story, set aboard a vast generation ship. When Avelie Peron convinced Grim to investigate the changes in her partner Xavier, Grim didn’t realise he’d become embroiled in the death of a possible smuggler, the death of a prominent scientist, and an attempt on his life by Regina the Rodent. And the rat’s attempt isn’t random — her sister has connections with the Perons.
But how does the dead scientist, Lin Leven-Jacobson, fit the case? Maybe a conversation with her partner will give Grim some answers.
Riya Leven-Jacobson worked from an office over in Star4. I hopped on a fore-bound spine then walked star-wards. It was easier than getting a cross-trolley.
If anywhere looked like the original Khonsu, I reckoned it was Star4. It retained the grid system, with rooms and groupings all standard size. In Star4 they did things by the book. Structure was important.
LJB had places all over Tre, and a smattering on other levels, but Riya used a private suite. From the data Lola pulled, I reckoned it would be much like my place, with a work area and a personal space behind. Riya didn’t use it as her main residence — she had the place with Lyn for that — but data suggested she pulled regular all-nighters.
There was a call screen on her door. It was still configured to the standard chime.
“Yes?” I wasn’t sure if that was Ryia’s voice or a synthetic.
“Riya Leven-Jacobson? My name’s Grim. If you’re not too busy, I’d like to talk to you. It concerns your partner. I understand this might be upsetting, so if you’re prefer to arrange a more suitable time, I’m amenable.”
“You refer to my late partner.” It wasn’t a question. “And you’re the individual who discovered her body.” Again, a blank statement. There was no emotion in the voice.
“Yes. On both counts. Are you free to talk?”
“I’m in a position to spare you a few minutes.” The door clicked. “I can offer you refreshments.”
“Straight water would be great. Chilled if possible.”
The room was almost factory-preset. The work-bench to the left was uncluttered, the various devices arranged like props. The work-stools were plain and untarnished. There was a plant in a corner, some grey-brown stem sprouting waxy green leaves that might’ve been alive, might’ve been fake. It was the only thing that showed any kind of life.
Except for Riya Leven-Jacobson herself. Maybe. The woman stood by a basic refreshment box, over to the right of the room, her back to me. She stood rigid as the machine whirred, only moving when it beeped, and even then she only extended one arm. She turned as she lifted the glass from the machine, beads of moisture soaking into her white gloves. The gloves disappeared beneath the sleeves of her fastened white lab-coat. As she approached I caught a sensible, high-necked grey top and straight grey trousers beneath the lab-coat. She had sensible grey shoes on her feet. They didn’t make a sound as she reached the work-bench. She placed the glass on a coaster at one end before taking two sensible steps to the stool at the other end. She sat with a straight back, hands in her lap.
San Leven-Jacobson might’ve looked attractive if she’d smiled. If she’d let her hair loose, or applied a touch of colour, she might’ve passed for almost glamorous.
But Riya wasn’t into frills. She was a scientist to her core.
“You wanted to ask me some questions,” she said.
I lifted the glass, took a sip. When I placed it back on the coaster I leaned against the work-bench, and thought I saw a flicker of something in her eyes.
“Prefer to think of it as a chat,” I said. “Considering what’s happened, I don’t want to be a burden.”
“That is beyond your control. As to what has happened, despite some interesting theoretical work in the field, there is no way to change the past.”
“Very philosophical. My line of work, it’d be a lot simpler if people learnt to let the past be.”
Riya’s head dipped in a kind of nod. Might’ve been agreement, might’ve been a hint for me to continue. When she didn’t speak I took it as the latter.
“Lin’s tangentially related to a case I’m working on,” I said. “I can’t divulge too many details — client confidentiality — but I can tell you it concerns someone she used to work with. Case is far too murky at the moment.” I shrugged. “Happens a lot. Usually find there’s a random piece of information somewhere, pulls everything into focus. Don’t know what that’ll be, so I have to plough on, look into every possibility. You understand, right?”
“You’re building a solid database before analysing the situation.”
“More succinct than I put it. Sure. So any data you have, I’d appreciate it.”
Another micro-nod. “And the case involves Xavier Peron. That is the connection.”
“You’re smart. Yeah, it involves Xavier.”
“Do you believe he had a hand in her demise?”
I wasn’t sure if the softening of her eyes was real or only in my imagination. I told myself Riya wasn’t cold-hearted, was only analytical. And Lin had been similar. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn they slept in separate beds.
“Uncertain,” I said, in response to the woman’s question. “Keeping an open mind. That’s why I need more data.”
“Very prudent.”
She didn’t expand. And she didn’t offer any information.
“You don’t like Xavier, do you, San Leven-Jacobson.”
“I have had very few dealings with the man. He is none of my concern.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
“If you interpolate, it does. The man is none of my concern, and so I have no need to view him with either like or dislike. He means nothing to me.”
“Not even if he was responsible for your partner’s murder?”
“My understanding is that the exact circumstances of her demise are not yet clear.”
“And that’s a deflection.”
I rested my arm on the work-bench again. She glanced at it, nostrils flaring for a moment. Then her cold gaze snapped back to my eyes.
“Lin is dead, San Grim. Nothing can change that. There is no way to effectively reanimate dead tissue and bring a body back to life. Lin is no more. While this necessitates an alteration in my own circumstances, I have no desire to dwell on the nature of her passing. She is gone, but life continues for me. She is … was a woman of science. She would desire me to continue with my work and studies. She wouldn’t want her circumstances to adversely affect me.”
If the attitude was an act, Riya had it down pat.
“And what of her work and studies?” I asked. “I’m sure she was into something important. Does that work die with her?”
“The scientific method demands careful, comprehensive record-keeping. The work she undertook can be continued by anyone with the abilities to do so.”
“And by anyone who has access to those records, right?”
“I believed that was implicit in my words.”
“Sure. Thought science was all about making things explicit, but what do I know?” I waved a hand. “So Xavier could continue their work, right?”
There was a moment her face almost cracked. I pushed the advantage.
“They still worked together, right? Not as closely as they used to, but still connected.”
“Xavier Peron works in a field that intersects with Lin’s interests.”
“Intersected. Corpses don’t have interests.”
Her mouth twitched. “I stand corrected.”
“And, with their intersecting interests, they communicated, right?”
“As I said…”
“They communicated regularly. Didn’t they, San Leven-Jacobson?”
“Lin was a professional in her field, as is Xavier Peron.”
“Sure. But they were different people. Way I understand it, Lin was pure theoretical. Xavier was more interested in practical application. I got that right?”
She gave another minuscule nod, but said nothing.
“Both forward-thinking, though,” I continued. “Science is always pushing, right? But theory’s one thing, practicals another. Probing taboo what-ifs as a mental exercise is different to playing things out in the physical.”
“Do you have a point in your ramblings?”
“Thing is,” I continued, “it can be tricky to separate the two — theory and practice, I mean. Take relationships. Might be sensible, logical reasons for two people to get together, but then day-to-day reality intrudes. Something that works on one level becomes complicated on another. One person talks about abstract matters, but the other pulls those matters into something more concrete. That kind of thing, it causes friction.”
The woman watched me. Her hands rested in her lap, but every so often her fingers twitched.
“And people change. Way I understand it, experiments work by changing one variable at a time and comparing results. But involve people, and those variables multiply exponentially. They’re not controllable, either. Make a comment one day, it’s taken one way. Make the same comment the next, to the same person, in the same surroundings, but something’s changed inside them, and it’s taken in a totally different way. Might not be important, but it might be something that alters the whole relationship, right?”
She didn’t speak. Her fingers rubbed at a button on her lab-coat, teasing a stray thread.
I leaned forward. “What did Xavier do to Lin, Riya? When she realised he was using their research in questionable ways, when she raised her concerns, how did he react? How did he keep your partner close, Riya? What did he do to her?”
Riya swallowed. With her long neck, she reminded me of a cornered bird, like they showed on those nature things.
I didn’t want to eat her up. But I needed information.
“Her work was ground-breaking, wasn’t it?” I continued. “Lin was fearless. She didn’t let emotions guide her work. And Xavier’s similar. Only, he’s not purely about the research, right? He’s made Per-LB a success, which means he knows how to play the game, how to get the right people on-side. Knows how to manipulate people. And when Lin realised he was taking her research into … let’s call them ethically questionable avenues, shall we? When Lin realised he was entering these waters, she wanted to back out, only Xavier knew her too well. He knew how to pull her back, right?
“And now, Lin’s gone. Sure, we don’t know the details yet. But the whole matter’s suspicious. And I know you say it’s all in the past, but you still want to know. You cared for her, so you want to know the truth, even if you’re not ready to admit that to yourself yet.”
Her fingers worked at that thread. The button twitched as the thread grew.
“And you don’t want Lin’s death to mean nothing. If Xavier’s responsible, you want him to pay. And if he’s not — well, you need to know, one way or the other, right? It’s an unanswered question that’s been bugging the black void out of you already, and it’s going to continue bugging you until you get some kind of closure.”
Riya closed her eyes. Her thumb and finger tugged the thread free. She let it drop to the floor. Her fingers twitched.
“I can help you, Riya. But only if you help me.”
She took a deep, trembling breath before opening her eyes.
Riya Leven-Jacobson looked at me, and she told me what she knew.