me? If I can't leave, those people will come after me." Trembling, she started crying again. "Please, Jonathan. I want to get back to Hathor."
All this time he'd been hoping to persuade her to talk to Cat d irectly. But the shape she was in, it wasn't going to happen. Helping her to leave Astarte was the only way to be sure she'd be safe.
"Don't cry. I'll get you on a shuttle."
Gripping him tight, she whispered in his ear, her warm breath tickling him. "I knew you could help."
The buzzer sounded. What the hell? He wasn't expecting vis itors.
"Go into the bedroom, close the door and stay there." He waited for her to head into his room. After he heard the door click shut, he strode over to check the security monitor. Cat's face stared back at him. Now this was unexpected.
"Jonathan." Cat gave him a quick smile as she entered. "We've got to talk." She took off her black company-issued jacket and slung it over her shoulder.
"You have news about my father?" Jon asked.
"Got anything in your bar?" She gestured towards a set of glass shelves along the opposite wall. Lined up on them was an assortment of liquors, most of them souvenirs of his father's travels.
"What do you want?"
"You still have your father's Scotch?" she asked.
"Sure."
Brandon had gotten it during one of his infrequent trips back to the Earth system. Jonathan poured the amber liquid into a glass and handed it to her. He noticed she'd practically finished it before he'd poured his own drink. By the time he settled down on the couch across from her, her glass was empty.
"You want more?" he asked.
"No. I couldn't handle another one." Cat set the glass down on the table in front of her. "Look. I'm going to get to the point. You're interfering with our investigation."
"I'm trying to find out what happened to my father. What are you doing about it?"
Cat stiffened. "Brandon's also my friend. Besides, I told you he left for Hathor."
"Then why haven't we heard from him by now? You can't stop me. If that's why you came, you can leave now." He hoped the authority in his voice would sway her, but her e xpression didn't change.
"As Mine Security Chief I can stop anything I choose." Cat pointed towards a hunk of golden brown crystal sitting on a shelf above the bottled liquors. "I was with your father when he found that. When he showed it to me, I told him it was the most beautiful crystal I'd ever seen. And, b elieve me, Brandon and I found a lot of them."
Jonathan sighed. He'd heard this story before. All about the old days before his father and mother had met. Brandon and Cat had been freelancers working in one of the mining install ations on Hathor. Eventually they joined Novacorp and took over the mine on Demeter, making it the most profitable one in the system.
But he knew her reason for bringing up the past. It was the same reason she always brought it up. Cat had known his father long before he, his mother and his sisters were in Brandon's life. She wanted to remind Jonathan who had been there first.
"I do have news. The security monitor replay showed your father walking with a woman about an hour before the explosion," Cat said. "He was probably on his way to the shuttle."
"Do you know who she is?"
"Couldn't see her face. We were able to track her up to the explosion. Afterwards the monitor malfunctioned."
"It must've been the woman I told you about. Was there a man with her?"
"Jonathan, there was no couple on the shuttle plotting to steal from the mine. That friend of yours is lying." Cat looked away for a moment. "But, there's something I didn't tell you."
"What is it?"
"They found the Ops Director a few hours ago. His body was thrown into one of the shafts in Sector Eight. Not far from where your father was seen with the woman."
Jon's heart thundered in his chest. For all he knew, his father could be at the bottom of a min eshaft right now. Or maybe he did go to Hathor. There had to be a way to find out.
"If you can't confirm my father
All this time he'd been hoping to persuade her to talk to Cat d irectly. But the shape she was in, it wasn't going to happen. Helping her to leave Astarte was the only way to be sure she'd be safe.
"Don't cry. I'll get you on a shuttle."
Gripping him tight, she whispered in his ear, her warm breath tickling him. "I knew you could help."
The buzzer sounded. What the hell? He wasn't expecting vis itors.
"Go into the bedroom, close the door and stay there." He waited for her to head into his room. After he heard the door click shut, he strode over to check the security monitor. Cat's face stared back at him. Now this was unexpected.
"Jonathan." Cat gave him a quick smile as she entered. "We've got to talk." She took off her black company-issued jacket and slung it over her shoulder.
"You have news about my father?" Jon asked.
"Got anything in your bar?" She gestured towards a set of glass shelves along the opposite wall. Lined up on them was an assortment of liquors, most of them souvenirs of his father's travels.
"What do you want?"
"You still have your father's Scotch?" she asked.
"Sure."
Brandon had gotten it during one of his infrequent trips back to the Earth system. Jonathan poured the amber liquid into a glass and handed it to her. He noticed she'd practically finished it before he'd poured his own drink. By the time he settled down on the couch across from her, her glass was empty.
"You want more?" he asked.
"No. I couldn't handle another one." Cat set the glass down on the table in front of her. "Look. I'm going to get to the point. You're interfering with our investigation."
"I'm trying to find out what happened to my father. What are you doing about it?"
Cat stiffened. "Brandon's also my friend. Besides, I told you he left for Hathor."
"Then why haven't we heard from him by now? You can't stop me. If that's why you came, you can leave now." He hoped the authority in his voice would sway her, but her e xpression didn't change.
"As Mine Security Chief I can stop anything I choose." Cat pointed towards a hunk of golden brown crystal sitting on a shelf above the bottled liquors. "I was with your father when he found that. When he showed it to me, I told him it was the most beautiful crystal I'd ever seen. And, b elieve me, Brandon and I found a lot of them."
Jonathan sighed. He'd heard this story before. All about the old days before his father and mother had met. Brandon and Cat had been freelancers working in one of the mining install ations on Hathor. Eventually they joined Novacorp and took over the mine on Demeter, making it the most profitable one in the system.
But he knew her reason for bringing up the past. It was the same reason she always brought it up. Cat had known his father long before he, his mother and his sisters were in Brandon's life. She wanted to remind Jonathan who had been there first.
"I do have news. The security monitor replay showed your father walking with a woman about an hour before the explosion," Cat said. "He was probably on his way to the shuttle."
"Do you know who she is?"
"Couldn't see her face. We were able to track her up to the explosion. Afterwards the monitor malfunctioned."
"It must've been the woman I told you about. Was there a man with her?"
"Jonathan, there was no couple on the shuttle plotting to steal from the mine. That friend of yours is lying." Cat looked away for a moment. "But, there's something I didn't tell you."
"What is it?"
"They found the Ops Director a few hours ago. His body was thrown into one of the shafts in Sector Eight. Not far from where your father was seen with the woman."
Jon's heart thundered in his chest. For all he knew, his father could be at the bottom of a min eshaft right now. Or maybe he did go to Hathor. There had to be a way to find out.
"If you can't confirm my father
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