Missing Person

The evening before, Pela and Daniel sat down together with Enola and Amanda, and worked over their background story thoroughly. All with the aim of presenting a working reason for searching for poor Natasja, without attracting unnecessary attention to themselves and their venture, including the discovered gold. At this stage in their operation they sure didn't want anyone starting to ask unnecessary questions about their whereabouts. Still they all felt the moral obligation to try to find out if the police had found the body of their late colleague.

Now, Pela and Daniel were visiting a police station down in Central Vega, just by the edge of the great melee called The Kasbah, sitting in a small, run-down office talking to an officer Ibram Ling. Ling was brawny and tall with shaved head and a nose which had been broken at least twice in a squarely face, and he was perhaps in his mid-forties, looking everything as one would expect a cop, save for not wearing a uniform at the moment. Ling was head over the missing person's detail.

"So how may I help you?" he asked, folding his hands in front of him on the desk in light brown plastic mimicking Scots pine.
"Since we're here, you know we're looking for someone who's gone missing," Daniel said and reached inside his jacket pocket, producing a worn photo picturing Natasja Shields. He placed it in front of officer Ling, in the latter's directions of view. "This is my ex-girlfriend, Natasja Shields. Nattie with friends and family," he said, whilst the policeman lifted the photo from the desk, regarding the head shot of Natasja. That was the best one they had been able to reproduce on such a short notice, an Instant of their late colleague with Caesar's Palace in the back ground, which Enola had taken with her compact camera, on that faithful day, when Natasja had only about four hours more to live. Just for fun, had they made shots of each other that day before they started digging, and today Pela was glad for that.

Not showing with a bat of his eye, if he recognized Natasja or not, officer Ling urged of Daniel to go on.
"She came here to play the casino about two weeks ago, I can imagine she needed some distraction after we had broken up. Apparently, she travelled with some friends, but parted with them already one of the first nights. I don't know these people, so I cannot contact them to try to find out more about her, but thing is, we lost contact with her some five days ago. I was trying to get in touch with her for financial reasons, but she was nowhere to be found. She had checked out from the hotel, she had been staying with, and there were no further clues. We had agreed upon that she should call me, but she never did. And yesterday Pela and I came here to try to find her, because naturally I'm worried."

"How old is she?" Ling asked.
"28," Daniel responded.
"She's green haired here, what was her natural hair colour?"
"Dark blond. Or light brown, depending on how you see it."
"Eye colour?"
"Blue."
"Height?"
"Four foot nine. Perhaps five."

"She's your ex-girlfriend, you say?" Ling asked, and Daniel nodded his head in confirmation. "Then isn't it possible that she's just over you. That she does not want contact with you anymore?"
"No, I cannot imagine that," Daniel said. "Because I owed her money. Quite a lot of money. And I cannot imagine any woman, no matter how pissed she is with her ex, turning her back on that amount of money. Besides, we never really were pissed with each other. We separated as friends."
"So says them all," Ling murmured and Daniel raised a brow.

"Pardon me?"
"Perhaps you're overestimating your, um, friendship with your ex. Perhaps she's not really that interested in staying in touch. It's not uncommon after all with former couples having quite a different outlook of why they split up."
"Now look here, officer," Pela cut in. "With all due respect, but we came here to see the police in a missing person's case. Had we wanted a marriage counselor, we had visited one of those. They're not exactly hard to find in Vega after all."
"These are alternatives I must research, Mrs. Valdez. So I hope I'm not offending you with questions I find necessary."

Groaning inside, Pela locked eyes with the police.
"Does it matter what relation Daniel Ferriello had with his ex Natasja Shields? He just wants to find her, he's worried! And he wants to give her said money, clear off his depths, so that he may go further on in life. And it's your job helping him finding her."
"I understand that very well," Ling said. "I just want to check, that there might exist the slightest chance, that this Natasja Shields does not really want to be found by her ex. Because in that case, there's not much we can do. Everyone has the right to choose hers or his company. And when it comes to the money, well, just enjoy them instead."

"So you don't want to help us?" Daniel asked consternated.
"I never said that," Ling responded whilst leaning forwards in his chair, putting down the photo on the desk again. "I just had this battery of questions I needed answered. Now, you say it was two weeks since she disappeared. Do you know for sure that she visited the casino?"
"Not sure," Daniel shrugged. "Just that she said she would. Why?"
"Because if she was at the casino, she should be found in the customer books. They are, by law, obliged to keep records of every visiting guest for two years. Both of those who plays the tables in the main hall, and those who rents or visit private boots."  

"I see," Daniel said, although he didn't. As a matter of fact, he had never set foot inside of a casino. Gambling was simply not his thing. But these were details beside the point. "Is it possible to trace her to an accommodation where she might be staying?"
"I'll see about that," Ling replied. "I'll also do some routine checks, which we do in these cases." Then he pressed a red button on an intercom unit and spoke into a small funnel mounted towards him.  
"Bancroft, can you come in here a moment?"

A crackling sound was heard in the com and in the next moment the door to Ling's office opened up and a tall, lithe and tar black woman entered. She wore the blue uniform of VPD – the Vega Police Department. Ling handed her the photo of Natasha and she reached out and took it, regarded the headshot of the archeologist.
"Anyone you recognize?" he asked.
"Can't say I do," Bancroft responded, as she was studying the picture with professional interest.
"Can you check with Lemuel, if they have someone looking like her in his li'l gathering. A Jane Doe, about five feet tall. Perhaps green hair like in the picture, however it could be any colour. Blue eyes. 28 years old."

"I'll see to that," Bancroft affirmed. "Can I take the photo?" she shifted her attention quickly from her boss to Daniel and Pela before facing Ling again.
"Yes, you may," Daniel replied. "For the time being."
"You sure are going to have that one back," Bancroft said. "Someone dear to you?"
"My ex-girlfriend. And it's more like I'm worried about her these days. It isn't like her to just disappear."
"I'll check around, the usual," the policewoman promised and Ling stood, indicating that the conversation was over.

"You may sit down and wait out in the longue," he said as he took first Daniel's then Pela's hand. "These first checks never take that long. And if we still have no clue, we'll file the errant for further research, and then we'll let you know, and we'll also ask for a phone number where we can reach you."
"Well, we're staying at the Lotus Ryokan in Versailles Heights," Pela told. "You can find us through their switchboard. And we're not leaving until we know what happened to Natasja."

Ling hesitated before asking Pela:
"What is your relation to this missing woman?"
"I'm just a friend," Pela replied, not pretending to hear the 'real' question, which was 'are you the new partner of Daniel Ferriello'. Instead she regarded Ling, as he wrote down the name of their hotel, before she turned to Daniel.
"We're sitting down outside, come!"

-------------  

As Louise was working the treadmill down in the gym, she suddenly felt eyes upon her. Turning, she saw Muriel's secretary Serendipity Gutiérrez watching her, a towel slung over her narrow shoulders and her canary yellow tank top wet with sweat as was her carroty curls. Louise stopped the machine.
"Hi," she greeted and Serendipity replied, using the same monosyllable as she came up to where Louise had been exercising.

"Can I ask you one thing?" the skinny secretary said as she dried off her sweaty face.
"Sure thing, go ahead!"
"Look, I don't want to sound as if I'm snooping around, but what's with this Sergeiowich deal?"
"What do you mean? As in Juliet Sergeiowich?" Louise tried not to show how she pulled her guards up. She kind of liked Serendipity, even if they weren't that close. Had the other woman learned about her telling upon Juliet for the Halie bullying? No, it was something else.

"Is it true, what I heard, that the President himself ordered Sergeiowich to bring up food to the mut, uh, Mrs. Kraitz?"
"Now, who says?"
"My boyfriend, Zac Vargas. He's a waiter, with majordomo Jensen's detail. He got to hear from Milton Jensen, the majordomo's son that is, that Magdon Betellio from the kitchen detail, was ordered to follow Sergeiowich, when she waited on those of the evening personnel, who for one reason couldn't make it down to the refectory that night. Apparently Mrs. Kraitz was one of them. And the chef was fuming like hell about that, considering it a personal insult that she had to wait upon a mutant."

"Some people are racists, apparently," Louise shrugged, not showing with a sign, what she thought about the chef.
"That's her private opinion," Serendipity responded. "I know you take it lighthearted, but a lot of people in here share her sentiments. They consider Kraitz hardly more than an animal. An ape. Regardless of anything, I want to know, if it is indeed true, that the President himself ordered Sergeiowich to do this."
"Yes," Louise heard herself reply. "Yes it is. Noriko Takeuchi told me."

"Interesting, hmm," Serendipity bit a nail. Then she smiled. "Screw that now for a while. Let the mighty ones play their power games and step into each other's areas of authorization. And then bitch about it. That's not our problem, right? Now, Zac has got some new, interesting music tapes. If you're off duty tonight about nine, you're more than welcome to our place to listen. We live on Sugarcane Street 19, my name on the resident's board. There'll only be some seven of us plus some wine."
"Why, thanks, I love to!" Louise felt genuinely glad over the invitation. Serendipity was completely honest in her friendliness, Louise could feel. It was not about gossip, she was done with that part.    

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"They had the body of poor Natasja in the morgue," Pela told later in the evening, when they sat in hers and Enola's room at the Lotus Ryokan, drinking tea after having had dinner at Amanda's parents. "We were able to identify her."
"So now what?" Amanda asked. She took several puffs from her cigarette whilst frowning at Pela. "She's still there?"
"Of course," Daniel said. "I'm getting in touch with her parents first thing tomorrow. So that they may come and get the body. I imagine, that I have to show up in person at the station again. Just to make sure our cover remains in place."
"What are you going to tell them?" Enola asked and drank from her tea.
"I'm thinking of it. I can't waver off the tangent of the truth that much after all. They have the right to know what their daughter was up to. And how it ended."

"Will you stick to the story of you and Naty having a relation?" Enola kept on.
"That's a bit," Daniel made a face, "well, it's not entirely untrue. We had a few trysts, starting about half a year ago, even if we hadn't been together in that sense the last two months. Then again, I imagine more or less everyone on the dig have been doing these kinds of things. Save for perhaps Augusta Rackham. Gee, it's hard to say someone's kids died. I can't imagine how to do it kindly."
"I can do it if you want me to," Enola offered. "After all it's more or less my fault, since I initiated this gold craze with my Venice dreams."

"It's nobody's 'fault', sister," Pela comforted her. "We were all in on doing this. Including Natasja. And who doesn't want to get their hands on gold? Even though most people know it can be a killer venture all the same."
"And if there's anybody's fault, it's Nigel of course," Amanda said, her voice oddly incensed, as she stubbed out her cigarette in the ash tray.
"Yes, and who could have predicted, that he would betray us?" Daniel added. "Especially not in such an unexpected way."
"I'll come with you if needed," Enola said, putting a hand on Daniel's whilst facing the other two as well. "Thanks, all of you. Now, Daniel, shall I call Natasja's parents?"
"I'd be forever grateful," the relief on Daniel' face was obvious. "And please, don't tell them about us."
"I won't," Enola said. "After all, I cannot see why that should be any of their business. Not the way it is now, at least."

Enola then shifted in her chair, removing her hand from Daniel's and went on.
"I've been in touch with Ernesto at the dig, informing him that Nigel has gone rogue, and told them to watch it. I also spilled the beans that he's a mutant. And it turned out, that Ernesto knew about this."
"What?" Amanda's brows nearly hit the ceiling. "Why hasn't he told any of us?"  
"I guess he considered that none of anyone's business. Or at least as long as Nigel kept doing his job well enough. I chewed him off quite a bit there, after all I'm his supervisor as the leader of the dig, and I told him, that I considered that at least I was in the right to know about Nigel's status. Finally, I advised Ernesto to watch out if Nigel might return, that they should arm themselves, perhaps even contact the authorities. I also told him, I was going to inform Tal Kilcairn, if I ever learned that something like this was kept from me again."

"Good," Daniel sounded jovial. "This means that we got him under the thumb. Prevents him from fuzzing about our little side venture, should he so wish. And same goes for Augusta for that matter, since these two've been thick as thieves ever since poor Ismail was killed."
"Now, we're only having to hope, that my father can arrange for us to be let into the Residence library," Amanda then said, whilst pouring her some more tea.
"You think that's possible?" Pela asked.
"I sure hope so. In any case, he has the ear of the president, so he should be able to make it."