Kris Longknife's Bloodhound, a novella Read Free Page A

Unfortunately, she is in custody and headed for her day in court.”
    The grandfather across from Taylor frowned.  “Musashi still has the death penalty, doesn’t it?”
    “Kris told me that she was aware of that before she surrendered herself.”
    “Hmm,” was all the grandfather offered.
    After taking a moment to weigh the general’s bland facade, Taylor went on.  “Were you aware that Alexander Longknife had three of the upper stories of his tower ready to be flooded with Sarin gas?”
    That struck a nerve.
    The general scowled.  “That man is going around the bend without a paddle,” he growled.
    “It seems so,” the agent in Foile agreed.  “The question is just how far around whicht bend he intends to go?”
    The general eyed Taylor for a long moment.  Taylor met him measure for measure. 
    “What has my great-granddaughter shared with you?” General Trouble asked.
    Taylor told him in as few words as he could manage.
    When he finished, the general took a final sip of his tea, set it down and fixed Taylor with a level gaze.  “You’re in a lot of trouble,” he said.
    “I’ll take that as a complement, coming from you,” Taylor said with an even grin.
    Trouble grinned right back.  Tiger to tiger.
    “So,” the old general said, “what do you plan to do about this?”
    “I intend to find out if there is a Fleet of Fools intent on making all the mistakes Princess Kristine’s Fleet of Discovery did not make,” Taylor said.
    “That will be a tough nut to crack,” Trouble said.
    “I’ve cracked a few tough nuts in my time,” Taylor answered evenly.
    “I imagine that you have.  An, no hard feelings on not getting to Kris before she made her try last night.”
    “I am glad that I failed,” Taylor admitted.  “I haven’t blown it very often, but if there was ever a situation where I needed to do a face plant, this was the one.”
    “So, assuming that you are not here to arrest me, what can I do for you?” the general said, relaxing into his sofa.
    “If you were Alexander Longknife and sending out a treasure fleet, what ship or ships would you send?  If we can identify the likely ships, I can begin to look for a weak link in the crew.”
    Trouble rubbed at his chin.  “Ships, especially merchant ships, are not my area of expertise.  You might want to talk to Kris’s brother, Honovi.  He may be a politician, but he’s a good one.  As of late, he’s been working on laws relating to merchant ship safety.  He might know what you need to know.  Then again, he might not.”
    “You’re the second person to suggest I have a talk with him,” Taylor said.  “Kris did as well.”
    “Then let me get you an appointment to see a very busy member of parliament.”  Trouble said, and began making the arrangements.
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 3
     
     
    Late that evening, Taylor Foile found himself ushered into a nursery where Member of Parliament Honovi Longknife was walking slowly back and forth, bouncing a tiny infant who seemed more colicky than happy with his father’s attention.
    “I’m sorry I could not see you sooner,” the young father whispered, letting his infant offspring grab his little finger and hold on tight.  A burp brought a smile to its tiny lips and another one to the father’s.
    “A new, unhappy tummy?” Taylor asked.
    “Terribly so,” the father said.  “The doctors assure us this is just a stage, but it cannot end soon enough for me.”
    Taylor raised a questioning eyebrow.
    “My wife and I are switching off nights.  Tonight I have the duty.  And yes, we do have hired help, but there are just some things a father and mother should do.”
    Taylor suspected that the Great Billy Longknife had had little to do with his own children’s upbringing.  Here was a new father in rebellion against the pattern.  Maybe not as vocal and public as the young princess’s, but cut from the same family tree.
    The father switched to Member of Parliament as he turned