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Carefully Roman examined the robot. The machine had been torn apart arms and
legs ripped off, command unit excavated and thrown across the roof. The
destruction was wanton, far more than would have been necessary to dis-
able the machine. And whoever had done it had been very strong.
Indignation began to gather. There was an offense here, and not to Amalia
Jensen, but rather to the honor of
Maijstral's employer.
Roman drew his gun and clicked its setting to "Lethal."
72 / WALTER JON WfLUAMS
The green light on the roof elevator showed it wasn't locked- He stepped to
the elevator and pressed the down button.
The living room was a mess- Furniture was overturned, papers scattered about,
planters were smashed. Bright blos-
soms lay dying on me carpet. Roman's nostrils flickered in disapproval.
In the hallway another robot lay in pieces. One of
Jensen's shoes lay in a comer, its mate nowhere to be seen. There was some
blood on a heavy vase, evidence it might have been used as a club. Roman
looked closely.
There was short, dark hair on the vase that seemed consis-
tent with Khosali fur.
Roman stood for a moment in the midst of the devasta-
tion and pondered events. He had come to tell Miss Jensen that her commission
had been successful, if a bit messy, and to make arrangements for the sale and
the delivery of the artifact. Getting involved in vandalism and violence was
not a part of his job.
But something had happened here, something that possi-
bly was related to Maijstral's commission. He decided he should try to find
evidence of this, one way or another.
He had barely commenced his search when he heard the sound of a flier dropping
to the roof. His gun at the ready, Roman slipped into the kitchen, where he
could get a view of the elevator -
The elevator went to work silently, its a-grav field
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%20Jewels.txt (49 of 171) [10/16/2004 5:37:55 PM]
file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Walter%20Jon%20Williams%20-%20The%20
Crown%20Jewels.txt bringing the passenger down. Roman, his ears pricked, heard
Pietro Quijano's voice.
Page 39
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"Miss Jensen? What happened to Howard? Oh."
Howard, Roman presumed, was the name of the robot on the roof. He clicked his
pistol to "Stun," then put it back in its holster.
"Miss Jensen?"
THE CROWN JEWELS I 73
Quijano almost jumped out of his skin when Roman glided silently out of the
kitchen. Hoping to ease his mind, Roman smiled at him, tongue lolling from his
long muz-
zle. Quijano glanced anxiously to the elevator and door, looking for a place
to run.
Quijano spoke Human Standard through clenched teeth.
"Who are you? What happened here?"
"I was hoping," Roman said, moving closer, "you would be able to tell me the
answer to that last question."
Quijano looked relieved. "Are you police? Is Amalia
Miss Jensen is she all right?"
"I don't know." Roman glided closer to Quijano, his feet moving noiselessly
across the rubble. "It looks as if she has been abducted. Would you have any
idea why?"
Several complex expressions passed through Pietro
Quijano's face. From these, Roman gathered, Quijano had, first, a very good
idea what might have happened, and secondly, that he had no intention of
conveying this information to anyone he didn't know and trust, even someone he
assumed to be a policeman. Perhaps especially a policeman.
"No," Quijano said. His eyes were darting toward the exits again. "1 I don't
think I don't know at all."
"Are you sure?" Roman said.
Quijano looked at Roman sidelong. He took a breath and braced himself,
apparently taking heart from the fact that Roman hadn't actually attacked him.
He stood with his arms akimbo and looked belligerent. "Say. I don't believe I
know you. And if you're from the police, shouldn't you show me your
identification?"
Roman gave a passable imitation of a human sigh as he tried to put the young
man at ease- "You're right, sir. I've been neglecting the formalities."
He might as well admit he had run out of ideas.
74 / WALTER JON WILLIAMS
Roman reached inside his jacket, brought out his gun, and shot Quijano at
close range, terribly overstimulating his nerves. Roman caught the unlucky man
before he fell,
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