A Gathering of Widowmakers (The Widowmaker #4) (2 page)

"I think you're looking at it all wrong," said Kinoshita. "He gave you life, he trained you to take over for him, and he turned you loose. You haven't seen him or heard from him since then. He's kept his distance, and kept his hands off. He has no control over you, and he doesn't want any."

"I know," said Jeff, as the vehicle left the city and turned toward the spaceport. "I can't explain it—but how would you feel if you came face to face with your god, your creator, if you knew he wasn't on some higher plane of existence but was made of flesh and blood and was probably watching your progress through the life he gave you?"

"Honored."

"I'm honored. But it's also disturbing to know that everyone else came into life one way, and I came from a blob of protoplasm in a lab."

"You ever see a holo of a sperm and an egg?" asked Kinoshita. "On those occasions that they're lucky enough to crash into each other, the next step is to become a blob of protoplasm. All you did was eliminate one step from a generally disgusting process."

"You're probably right, but I can't help feeling uncomfortable when I think about it."

"If it was me, I'd be much more uncomfortable knowing that so many men and women out here on the Inner Frontier want me dead."

Jeff shrugged. "That's just business."

"You're the third clone of Jefferson Nighthawk," said Kinoshita. "I've never asked you before, but doesn't it ever bother you that the first one was killed by his enemies after just a few weeks on the job, and the second got shot up pretty badly in under a year? That's what I'd be worrying about."

"Then you'd die," said Jeff.

"I don't follow you."

"If you feel any uncertainty, any fear at all, you hesitate for a fraction of a second. You can't help it—and that's all the edge most of your opponents need. As the old gentleman explained when he was training me, every man and woman walking around with a weapon is undefeated in mortal combat. You can't afford to ever underestimate them or give them an advantage, and that's what you give them the second you think about what might happen if you lose."

Kinoshita stared at him for a moment. "That's why you're the Widowmaker and I'm just the hired help."

"I don't pay you anything."

"All right, then—I carry your water."

"I don't understand that expression."

"It doesn't matter," replied Kinoshita as the spaceport came into view and the vehicle approached the main entrance.

"Stop putting yourself down," said Jeff. "The old man told me you were a good lawman and a successful bounty hunter."

"That's what I thought, too," said Kinoshita. "Ten seconds after I saw the first Widowmaker clone in action I realized that I was out of my depth and damned lucky to still be alive. What if one of the bad guys had those skills? That was when I pledged my life to serving the Widowmaker." He smiled ironically. "Little did I know just how many of them there would be."

"How did you choose which one to serve?"

"There's never been more than one Widowmaker around at a time."

"What about—?"

"The old gentleman, as you refer to him?" said Kinoshita. "He turned the Widowmaker franchise over to you. He's off growing flowers and watching birds."

"I was about to say, what about the clone who survived? Only the first one died."

"He's out of the Widowmaker business too. Pity, too—the two of you would have made one hell of a team."

"I work alone," said Jeff. "Except for you."

"We have arrived," announced the robot driver as the vehicle came to a stop at the spaceport's main entrance.

"Which way to the private ships?" mused Kinoshita, searching for the correct color codes.

"Freeze," said Jeff softly.

"What is it?" asked Kinoshita, suddenly motionless.

"MacKenzie Platt," said Jeff, staring at a tall man who was walking toward an exit.

"Son of a bitch! There's paper on him—75,000 credits last time I looked!"

Jeff nodded. "As soon as we get to the ship, I'll send a message to the local authorities that he's here."

"He didn't spot you," said Kinoshita. "Why don't we just follow him until the crowd thins out and burn off the back of his head from a nice safe distance?"

"He hasn't killed anyone. They want him for robbing a couple of banks on Winslow IV—the wrong people's banks, obviously."

"I'm almost certain they want him dead or alive."

"That's
their
business."

"If you don't want him, why did you tell me to freeze?"

"I didn't want him to spot us, or I might have had to kill him here in the spaceport. There's too much likelihood that some civilians would get in the way."

"Civilians?" repeated Kinoshita. "You make it sound like we're in a war."

"Damned right we are," said Jeff, heading off to the private ship hangar. "And the next battlefield is Giancola II."

2.

Giancola II was an unimpressive little planet, as were so many of the worlds of the Inner Frontier. The soil wasn't much good for farming, the ground didn't hold a lot of treasure, the mountains were too low for climbing and too lacking in snow for skiing, the oceans and rivers were filled with fish that humans couldn't metabolize, there were no indigenous sentient species, the climate was unexceptional.

"Why did anyone ever settle here in the first place?" muttered Jeff as he checked the computer's readout prior to disembarking.

"It was a neutral world where we held a lot of meetings with various alien species at the end of the Tamorian War," answered Kinoshita. "Some of the folks involved just stayed here. It does some banking, a little shipbuilding, and it has a pretty good hospital for cases that either can't make it back to the Oligarchy, or don't want to."

"It's a dump."

"You've spent your whole life out here on the Frontier. This looks like most of the other worlds you've seen."

"That's right."

"Then what are you comparing it to?"

"I was created on Deluros VIII," said Jeff, referring to the Oligarchy's capital world.

"I didn't think you'd know what you were seeing," said Kinoshita.

"I was born a fully-formed adult with an adult's education and memories. The memories weren't mine, and I soon began replacing them, but I was always cogent, always aware of my surroundings and what I was doing." Jeff paused "You lived there for years. Do you ever miss it?"

"The conveniences, sometimes. The crowds, the cost, the corruption, the total impersonality of it, never."

"Then Giancola II should be just your speed."

They emerged from the ship and walked into the small spaceport. A robot that was literally part of the Customs kiosk greeted them.

"Welcome to Giancola II, garden spot of the Inner Frontier," it said with minimal inflection while Jeff fought the urge to argue with it. "Are you here for business or pleasure?"

"Business."

"May I inquire the nature of your business?"

"That all depends," said Jeff.

"On what, sir?"

"On whether the laws of Giancola II say that I am required to tell you."

"Yes, sir, you are."

Jeff placed a disk on the counter. It began to glow as the robot scanned it with a long metallic forefinger.

"I am a licensed bounty hunter. As you can see, the particulars of my license are appended to my passport."

"Still checking . . ." murmured the robot. "Your passport and license are in order. I have transmitted this information to our local law enforcement officials, so that there will be no interference in the execution of your duties."

"Nice choice of words," remarked Jeff dryly.

"I do not understand, sir."

"That's all right. Check my friend's passport and we'll be on our way."

The robot examined Kinoshita's disk. "Sir, I must alert you that your bounty license will expire in forty-three days."

"I know," said Kinoshita. "I'll take care of it."

"You are cleared to pass through the spaceport. Enjoy your stay on Giancola II."

Jeff and Kinoshita, tired of eating in the ship's galley, stopped at a small restaurant in the spaceport, then took an aircar into the only city on the planet, which was also called Giancola, after the member of the Pioneer Corps who had originally opened and mapped the world.

"You'd better make a note to renew your license," remarked Jeff as they skimmed a few inches above the surface.

"I'm thinking of letting it lapse," replied Kinoshita. "If you ever need my help, we're in deep shit."

"Whatever makes you happy," said Jeff with a shrug. He looked ahead and saw they had almost reached the city.

"Take us to the best hotel in town," he instructed the aircar.

"I am incapable of making value judgments," replied the aircar.

"Okay, take us to the most expensive hotel."

"Yes, sir," said the aircar, altering its course and heading off to the southwest. In another moment it came to a halt in front of the Da Vinci Hotel and hovered motionless until its occupants stepped out.

A robot doorman walked up to take their luggage, then froze when it saw they didn't have any. Jeff walked by it without giving it a second look and approached the front desk.

"May I help you?" asked a middle-aged woman.

"A real live human being," said Jeff. "You're the first I've seen since I landed."

She smiled. "There are a lot of us, really there are. But the spaceport is fully automated. Have you a reservation?"

Jeff shook his head. "No. I'd like a suite if you have one available, and my friend will take a room." He pressed his thumb down on a Spy-Eye scanner. "Charge both and all extras to my account at the Far London branch of the Bank of Deluros."

"Yes, sir. Suite 319 will respond to your thumbprint or voiceprint. If your friend will please give me his print and say a word or two."

"Beautiful day," said Kinoshita, placing his thumb on the scanner.

"Room 320, sir," she said. "You'll be right across the hall from each other. How long will you be staying?"

"I'm not sure," answered Jeff. "I wonder if you could do me a favor?"

"If it's within my power," responded the woman.

"I'm looking for someone, and I have reason to believe he may be on Giancola II."

She glanced down at a hidden screen on her side of the registration desk, then looked up disapprovingly. "You are a bounty hunter, Mr. Nighthawk."

"My credentials are in order. I'm here after a very dangerous man."

"May I ask what he's done?"

"Murder, extortion, probably treason. He's killed at least nineteen people, including a couple of kids."

"He sounds like a terrible man," she said. "I wonder what makes someone do things like that?"

"I don't know," replied Jeff. "I tend not to meet them until after they've committed their crimes."

"It sounds like an awful way to make a living."

"It has its compensations. And its satisfactions. Anyway, let me give you his name and—"

"Just a minute, Mr. Nighthawk," she interrupted. "If he's all that you say, then he doubtless deserves whatever you're going to do to him. But we don't want any violence in the hotel. I'll tell you if he's registered here, and if he isn't, I'll try to help locate him—but in exchange, I want you to promise not to do anything on the premises. That's my
quid pro quo
."

"Fair enough," agreed Jeff. "The man I'm looking for is Jubal Pickett. If the name is unknown to you, I can show you a holograph."

"Jubal Pickett?" she repeated, surprised. "You must be mistaken."

"Why should you say that?"

"He's an wonderful man! He donated a wing of the hospital, he paid for improvements in the spaceport, and he doesn't even live here permanently."

"There's paper on him on a dozen worlds, ma'am," replied Jeff. "The last three lawmen and bounty hunters who tried to bring him in are dead."

"Mr. Pickett?" She shook her head. "I'm sure there must be some mistake."

"I'm afraid there isn't." He turned to Kinoshita. "Have the ship's computer transmit some of the warrants to the desk here."

Kinoshita gave a brief order to his pocket computer, and an instant later the woman stared at her hidden screen, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"I don't believe he could have done those things—not Mr. Pickett!" she said adamantly.

"With all due respect, that's not my concern," said Jeff.

"That I don't believe it, or that he didn't do it?" she said quickly.

"Both."

"And what if he's innocent?"

"They don't put out dead-or-alive warrants on innocent men," said Jeff. "He's been judged, and he's killed the first three men who tried to bring him to justice." He paused. "I assume he's staying here?"

"I will not be a party to this," she said adamantly. "And I hold you to your promise: you will not kill or harm anyone on the premises."

"As far as I'm concerned, you've answered me," he said. "Since you kept your part of the bargain, I'll keep my part. No violence in the hotel or on its property." He walked to the airlift, followed by Kinoshita. Just before it took them to the third floor, he turned back to the woman. "If you were to warn him, I would consider that an abrogation of our agreement."

A moment later he entered his suite, motioned Kinoshita to join him, and sat down on a couch made from the leathery hide of some alien animal.

"Tomorrow morning we'll go hunting for his house," said Jeff.

"But he's staying here."

"Not a chance," replied Jeff. "He knows there's paper on him. Any bounty hunter who comes to town is going to stay in this hotel, and his holograph is all over the Inner Frontier. He might chance it for a night, but we know he's been on Giancola for at least six days. No, he'll have a place out of town, and since he's been an angel to the hospital and spaceport, none of the locals are going to tell us where it is."

"Then why didn't the woman downstairs tell us he was here and buy him a little time?"

"She kept her mouth shut because for all she knew you had a Truthtell pen trained on her and would know if she was lying. If she was a little smarter she'd have lied about something trivial when we were checking in, and then she'd have known for sure." He paused. "And she won't warn him, because she's sure if she does I'll come back and kill her."