16.
VIKRAM
Vikram and Cassie walked up to the lobby and hung around at the outskirts for a while, watching as the media swarmed, organizing themselves for the arrival of the most important delegations. Vikram had an eagle-eye, and he stood closer to Cassie than was really appropriate. This was the prime place for someone to cause a spectacle by attacking her, though, and he didn’t plan on taking any risks.
“I want to see them,” Cassie said, arms folded and shoulders hunched. She was on a mission, and he was worried what it was. “I want to see them and see what they have to say for themselves.”
He frowned. “Maybe you should wait until afterward, until you’ve had time to process it and come up with a plan.”
“I’ve known they were responsible the whole time, I’ve been planning this since it happened. I just needed the proof.”
“This isn’t exactly proof. There are more than ten Tevisians on Tevis, and all of them were affected.” She might be right, she probably was right, but he was nervous about her confronting anyone when they’d already killed her friend and tried to kill her twice.
He wasn’t afraid to admit that he cared more about her safety than punishing the people who’d killed Archie.
“It’s all the proof I need. I have to make a move at some point, otherwise the conference will be over and I still won’t know what happened.”
“But here? In front of everyone?”
“I’m just going to speak to them, not call them out.” She paused, spotting them across the lobby, entering from a different elevator. “Come on. This is our chance.”
Vikram wanted nothing to do with it, but he stuck close to Cassie’s shoulder, body tense and ready for something to happen. People watched as she crossed the lobby, and he didn’t believe anyone would think the smile on her face was real.
The leader of the Tevisians’ smile was false, too, as she approached, and Vikram was on edge just reading the animosity in their body language. “Rugul,” she said, extending her hand. “I haven’t gotten around to speaking to you yet. I missed you at the opening lunch.”
Rugul took her hand, looking down his nose at her even though he was shorter than she was. “How unfortunate.” The sarcasm wasn’t masked at all.
It only made her grin harder. It was so forced it made her look a little unhinged. “I thought so.” Her voice was sickly sweet. “I’ve been asking everyone, but have you heard anything from the police about Archie’s killer yet?”
She was baiting them, but she couldn’t have known if everyone had information yet. Just because she hadn’t been told didn’t mean everyone else had. “I haven’t.”
“Nothing at all? I thought they might be more forthcoming with information to people who weren’t so directly involved.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, lip curling. “I haven’t heard anything.”
“Don’t you think their lack of transparency is quite appalling?”
“I’m sure they have their reasons.”
“And wow, I wonder what those reasons could be?” Her sarcasm was much more subtle, and he tensed beside her when Rugul gripped his upper arms.
She’d told him the many reasons she thought the police were withholding information and not investigating properly several times. She thought they were scared of incriminating someone who was an ally, or of incriminating someone who was on their side in this debate—they had no desire to legislate on anything outside of economic rules, imposing trade taxes on people—and allowing Archie to be seen as a true martyr figure.
The IU were looking out for themselves first and foremost, under the guise of needing to keep information on the case close to their chests.
Cassie was their main witness and she’d never been interviewed. It was obvious they were slacking off.
They just wanted it swept under the rug. Claim he was a lone gunman and he was taken care of straight away.
Vikram wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d tried to plant some of the stories about his supposedly failing marriage in the journalists’ heads.
“Are you trying to insinuate something?” Rugul asked.
“Certainly not. I don’t know why you’d want to cover up something about Archie’s death at all.” Her act was beginning to crack, and she clenched her fist and her side for just a moment.
“That was an insinuation, I’m sure. Do you have something to say to me, little girl?”
She opened her mouth, ready to give him a piece of her mind, but Vikram rested a hand on his shoulder. He shouldn’t be interfering with her like that, especially not in public, but he wasn’t going to let her embarrass herself when the press were giving increasing looks in their direction, either.
She scowled at him, and he gave her a measured look, dropping his hand. She listened, even if she obviously didn’t want to, turning and walking away from the Tevisians without saying another word.
“You don’t need to micromanage me,” she muttered.
“I didn’t want journalists to see you angry.”
She ran hands through her hair when her back was to them. “Thank you.”
“Don’t worry about it.”