Dead Man on the Moon (22 page)

"Well, this'll give you a little break," Ilene said as if he hadn't spoken. "Open the box."

Noah looked at her for a moment, then put his hands on the box lid. It was chilly. He opened the flaps and a small cloud of cool mist puffed up. Inside the box was a series of clear polymer bags, each designed to keep the contents cold. He pulled one out and held it up. There was something hard and white inside.

"Most people bring flowers," Ilene said, "but hey—I've always been different."

Light dawned. "Fish!" Noah said. "It's fish."

"Just like I promised. Trout, tilapia, and a couple pieces of salmon. I even had them cleaned and scaled for you."

"This is great, Ilene!" Noah rummaged around in the box. There was enough to feed a dozen people. "Wow. What can I do to repay you?"

"Ticket," she replied promptly. "For your show tonight?"

"Already done. It's waiting for you at the box office."

She leaned forward and kissed him. Her mouth was warm and insistent. Noah hesitated, then put an arm around her. Ilene moved into his embrace and slid a hand through his hair. Noah shivered and brought his own fingers up to touch the smooth skin of her face. Ilene's breasts pressed into Noah's chest. Their lips parted, and Ilene's eyes grew bright with anticipation. She let a hand drift across Noah's shoulders and down the muscles of his arms.

"You're so hard," she whispered, her breath brushing his ear. "So sexy."

"My roommate's in the bedroom," he said, though his groin was tightening. He knew she could feel it—her body was moving against his.

"I don't share," she replied with a small smile. Her right hand slipped lower, plucking at the waistband of his trousers. "Do you think he'll come out soon?"

Noah swallowed, feeling both aroused and uncomfortable. Growing up a large household had made him hypersensitive to privacy issues, and he didn't relish the idea of Wade getting an eyeful. But Ilene's warm hands and soft lips were making him wonder why he cared.

"I don't know," Noah temporized. "He might."

Ilene's fingers dipped lower and found what they were looking for. Noah inhaled sharply as she massaged him with gentle intensity. Almost on their own, his hands slid around the curves of her breasts. She slitted her eyes like a contented cat and kissed him again. Her fingers continued to move. Noah realized he was panting even as the kiss continued. His heart sang in his ears and Ilene's silky, skilled massage increased in speed and intensity. Noah ran his hands over her breasts, through her soft hair, down her back. He felt as if he could pull himself into her, pull
through
her. His body tensed, ready to burst, ready to—

She pulled away so quickly Noah stumbled. He regained his balance, still panting slightly.

"You were right," she said. "Your roommate might come out."

For a moment, Noah considered picking her up and planting her on the coffee table, Wade or no Wade. Then reason returned and he nodded, not quite trusting himself to speak. His groin ached.

"But let me adjust that for you," Ilene said in a low voice. She gently twitched Noah's waistband back into place and, with a quick tug, moved his erection so it wasn't so noticeable. "We can do a better job with that later, big guy. And I do mean
big
guy."

Noah realized he was blushing hotly. "It's not—I'll just— I mean . . ."

"Enjoy the fish. I'll see you after the show." She kissed him lightly on the cheek and vanished out the front door. Noah looked after her, wondering what the hell had just happened. Aching hardness continued to grip his groin, and he glanced at the bathroom. The door had a lock on it, and he could get a few minutes of guaranteed private time in there. Then he shook off the idea. Experience had taught him that it would be better to wait, that finishing by himself what Ilene had started would lessen his desire to see her that night.

But it would be a damned long wait. On the other hand, maybe that was a good thing.

The bedroom door opened. Wade went into the bathroom without looking at Noah and clicked the door shut. Wade. Viktor Riza's death. Noah had people to see, a crime to solve. And after that, he had a show to put on. Thoughts about Ilene would have to wait.

Noah left the apartment, his mind going over what he had learned from Wade. Bredda Meese was Indigo's lover, and Indigo was Wade's supplier of Blue. Wade, Bredda, and Viktor had been taking Blue and having sex mere hours before Viktor's death. There had to be a connection. Noah had to admit that a drug dealer sounded pretty good as a murder suspect, then forced himself to stay open-
minded. It would be a mistake to make assumptions without proof.

A short train ride brought Noah back to Dai Memorial Park in the Dome, where he did a quick visual scan of the area. People wandering, trees growing, water rushing. Someone had mowed the grassy areas, and the smell of fresh-cut lawn permeated the air. Noah called up Bredda's picture on his monocle again and continued checking the park. No sign of Bredda, and Wade's description of Indigo fit half the students currently in the Dome. Still, it was the beginning of a new semester, and it seemed likely Indigo would be out and about, meeting up with old customers and finding new ones. Noah thought a moment, then ducked into Xiao Yen Hall, where the security offices were located. He emerged a moment later wearing a light, flesh-colored glove on one hand and an earplug in one ear. A small pistol nestled in his pocket, and he carried what looked like a giant toy gun. The latter consisted of length of plastic pipe with a stock on it. Noah scanned the Dome again, and his eye fell on two young men walking down one of the paths, engaged in serious conversation. With a subtle gesture, he pointed his glove at them.

"...
have you known?"
said a male voice in his ear.

"Since we were in grade school"
replied a second.
"Geez, Kick, I'm your best friend. How could you think I wouldn't know?"

Pause.
"I guess I didn't think about it. It's just... I was afraid to tell you."

"Why? It's nothing to be ashamed of. Takes a little getting used to, but not a big deal. Long as you don't try to convert me."

Rick snorted and kicked at a rock.
"Not likely. I think you have to be born like this."
Another pause.
"So it really doesn't bother you?"

"Nope."

"What a relief"
Rick sighed.
"Not everyone would stay friends with an admitted Barry Manilow fan. You know, there was talk of cloning him back in
—
"

Noah dropped his hand and the voices faded. The directional mike in the glove was working perfectly. And as long as the conversations took place in a public spot like the Dome, he didn't have to worry about warrants or being accused of invading privacy. Legally, there
was
no privacy out here.

Noah picked out a bench, sat down, and kept a lookout for Bredda and brown-haired Caucasian males in their late twenties. Of the latter he saw plenty, though none of them were engaged in conversations of any interest. None of them mentioned the word Indigo or talked to anyone who called them by that name.

An hour passed, then two. Noah was getting hungry and he had to go to the bathroom. He grimaced. One disadvantage of not having a partner on a stakeout was that you occasionally had to leave the scene for biology breaks, and Murphy's law ensured that the moment you popped into a restroom, the person you were hunting would stroll down the street. Noah sat and waited, growing more uncomfortable as time passed. His bladder began to pulse, and it was hard to sit still. He shot a speculative glance at the copse of trees where he'd screamed into his sleeve. Maybe he could duck back there and .. .

Bad idea. He didn't know what the penalty for indecent exposure was on Luna City, but he doubted it would be any fun to find out, especially for a deputy.

Noah got up and drifted toward Xiao Yen Hall, trying to keep an unobtrusive eye on the park as he went. He was about to dash up the stairs into the building when something tugged at the corner of his eye. Less than thirty meters away, under the shade of an ash tree, was Bredda Meese. Her sharp, angular features matched her picture, and her spiky hair stood out like an angry pine tree. She was talking to a rather younger man—a freshman or sophomore, Noah judged. He had black hair and was too young to be Indigo. Who was
he?
Noah's heart raced, and choices flashed through his mind. He could try to grab Bredda and
interrogate her right now. He could wait and follow her. He could bide his time and see if Indigo showed up.

He could run inside and use the restroom faster than he had ever done in his life.

Why does this kind of thing always happen when you have to hit the toilet?
he thought, trying not to dance around on the building steps.

He discarded the restroom idea—too easy for Bredda to wander away while he was gone. Instead, he went back to his bench and sat down, bringing his head lower than the joggers, walkers, and lopers on the pathway, partially hiding him from view in case Bredda recognized him. He set his obie to record, then pointed his gloved hand at Bredda and her companion. Their voices instantly sprang into his earplug.

". . .
so much better with Blue,"
Bredda was saying.
"You just go on and on. It's the biggest mind-fuck ever."
She put her hand on the young man's shoulder in a gesture that reminded Noah of Ilene.

"I've heard it's addictive,"
the young man said slowly.
"I mean, it's probably fun, but
—"

"It's only addictive if you use it too much"
Bredda countered.
"And it makes a woman
really
appreciative."

"Is it expensive?"

"Don't worry about that, Todd. I can get you a taste for nothing."
Bredda leaned in to Todd's ear and whispered something the microphone didn't pick up.

Run away, Todd,
Noah thought.
Run far and fast.

Todd, however shuddered, then flushed and grinned.
"Yeah?"
he said.
"You'd do that?"

"Oh yeah. But only with a guy on Blue. You won't believe how it'll blow your mind."
She backed up a step.
"But if you don't want to, I'll understand. I know this other guy who
—"

"No,"
Todd said quickly. He stepped forward and put an arm around her.
"I'm game if you are."

"Then let me talk to my supplier,"
she said with a grin.
"He's just a phone call away."

Click. Pieces fell into place with a precision that set Noah's heart to pounding. This was what he loved. This was the
good
stuff, the moments that made the hours of scut work worthwhile. Noah's mind worked furiously as Bredda raised a hand to her ear, a common gesture for people making a call through an obie. Blue was highly addictive, and no matter what Bredda said, it didn't take long for the jonesing to set in. Three or four uses brought on strong cravings. Seven or eight guaranteed a full-blown addiction that was harder to break. A few people got hooked after a single shot. And this was clearly Bredda's angle. She— probably at Indigo's instigation—tempted new customers into her bed, but only if they used Blue. This provided Indigo with a steady stream of customers and gave both of them a tidy cash flow.

The problem with Bredda and Indigo's setup was the transient nature of Luna City's population. Eventually most of their addicted customers would graduate, transfer, or drop out of school, forcing Bredda and Indigo to continually recruit new buyers. Noah wondered if they tried to push Blue on women. He shook his head. Probably not. When it came to Blue, male addicts outnumbered females by something like ten to one.

Viktor, Noah realized, may have figured out this little scheme when he ran into Indigo with Bredda and Crysta the night of the murder. Maybe Viktor demanded a cut. Or maybe he just got pissed at being manipulated a step closer to addiction. After Crysta abandoned the group, Viktor and Bredda had gone down to the fishpond. Indigo went with them, or maybe he followed them. Viktor got angry at Indigo. They fought, but Viktor was already high on Blue. Indigo forced more Blue down Viktor's throat and drowned him, probably with Bredda's help.

Bredda was subvocalizing and the mike couldn't pick up what she was saying. Noah shifted again, trying not to think of the bathroom. If he left, Bredda might take Todd to meet Indigo somewhere else, and Noah would lose them.