Firefly coup de grace, p.6
Firefly--Coup de Grâce, page 6
The young doctor—Simon, his name was—held out his hand. “Can I take a look?”
“You familiar with legal cases, doc?” said Captain Reynolds. “You got a malpractice suit or two you never saw fit to tell us about?” Still, he passed over the file.
“No,” said the doctor, calmly. “But I took a couple of graduate-level courses as insurance. Everyone does.”
“You ace ’em?”
“Top three,” said the doctor.
Well, this exchange was interestin’ to me. Somethin’ between these two made them like chalk and cheese. They didn’t like each other much, but they respected each other. And the young doctor… Well, you could tell from his voice, all clipped and careful, that he weren’t from the Rim. Sounded like my cousins. What was he doin’ out here?
“So you didn’t ace’em,” said Captain Reynolds.
“I got by.” The doctor turned to me. “Mister Jackson L. Carson versus First Commercial Bank of Yell City Inc. Was it a foreclosure?”
“Somethin’ like that,” I said. “Daddy was suin’ the bank for breach of contract. Jacky lost his farm to the bank after the drought hit, but his claim was that the clause shouldn’t have come into force because the bank had promised support from a relief fund and never came good. Said he woulda made it with that money. I ain’t so sure, given how the weather’s been the past year or two, but Daddy said there was a case to be made either way and he would make it. Pro bono, of course.” I sighed. “Sometimes I wonder whether Daddy ever got paid.”
“People lose their farms all the time,” said Captain Reynolds. “And by the looks of things, that’s happening all the time these days here on Abel. So what made this case so special?”
“Here,” I said. “Take a look at this.”
I showed them the map I’d made.
Thing was, Captain Reynolds wasn’t wrong. Awful lot of farms went under then, because of the drought, but not every piece of land that came up for grabs as a result attracted the same kind of interest.
“Here,” I said, pointing to a little plot of land with a red border round it. “That was Jacky Colson’s farm. And this whole area, with the green border,” I traced it with my finger, “that’s all been bought up over the past coupla years. Daddy didn’t like it. Was lookin’ into it. Same purchaser.”
“Go on, Annie,” said the Shepherd.
“Off-world company, name of Rising Sun Enterprises.”
“Off-world,” said Captain Reynolds. “Bet the folks who own it are back at the Core.”
“Some,” I said. “But First Commercial is local. Coupla other companies involved too, and you look through the directors of those, you’ll soon see a few familiar names. If you know Yell City as well as I do, I mean.”
“Runs deep,” said the Shepherd.
“Always does,” said Mal.
“This is why I think what happened was more than Young Bill Fincher shootin’ off his mouth and his gun,” I said. “Someone wanted to stop Daddy fightin’ his case. Because the bank woulda lost. And that would have… Well, who knows. But someone was worryin’ about that happenin’. That’s what I reckon. Whatever’s going on, something to do with this land out there. I heard the Collier gang been camped out that way, if you’re lookin’ for a place to start.”
“Doc,” said Captain Reynolds, “been readin’ a while. Drawin’ any conclusions?”
“Oh,” said the doctor, and a stammer crept into his voice. “Ah, um, Mal, I’m not… I’m not a lawyer—”
“Top three,” said Captain Reynolds.
“Not this branch of law—”
“Whatever the branch of law you’re practicin’ on the side, top three’s the best we got available. Shepherd’ll help.”
“Don’t mind takin’ a look,” said the Shepherd, easily.
Captain Reynolds turned to me. “Well, Miss Annie. Looks like we’ll be takin’ on this job for you, after all. But we got to have a conversation now—and a serious one—about you comin’ along for the ride.”
I set my jaw. “I ain’t debatin’ that.”
He looked at me with a fair deal of frustration. “These are bad fellas—”
“They shot my daddy dead.”
“Miss Annie,” he said, “what you don’t seem to be in the way of understandin’ is—”
“No, Captain Reynolds,” I said. “What you don’t seem to be in the way of understandin’ is that these are my terms, and I ain’t makin’ ’em lightly. I ain’t a fool. I ain’t a child. I can use a gun and I’m a fair shot. Most of all, I ain’t afraid of bein’ hurt. I been hurt once, bad,” I held up what remained of my left arm, “and I lived through that. I ain’t scared. My mind’s clear on what’s involved— and my mind’s made up too.”
Captain Reynolds threw up his hands. “ Gŏu shĭ, girl, are you always this gorram difficult?”
“Yes,” I said. “And you keep a clean mouth while you’re under my roof, Captain Reynolds, or you’ll be sleepin’ in the midden with the rest of the filth.”
I felt a hand upon my good arm. It was Zoë. Somehow I didn’t mind her touchin’ me. “Annie, would you show me to the kitchen? I’d like to check on that husband of mine.”
“I’ll ring for Maisie.”
“You know,” said Zoë, and I caught a note of something in her voice, “I think you should take me to find him. We’ll leave these fellas here to talk about what they’ve learned.”
“Very well, Miss Zoë,” I said. “Come this way.”
I led her out into the hall.
“You got a big garden here, Annie?” she said, when the door was closed behind us.
“A big garden and a fine one. Why you askin’?”
“Got a mind to do a little test,” she said. “But we’ll need a fair amount of space.” She winked at me and patted the pistol holstered at her side. “Dŏng ma?”
I felt a little old smile creep over my face. “Like I said, a fine big garden. I think you’ll find everything we need.”
* * *
Mal, watching them go, didn’t give the pair another moment’s thought. He turned back to Book and Simon, and said, “What do we think?”
“Think you might find yourself making some powerful enemies here, Mal,” said Book.
“Changin’ your tune, preacher?” said Mal. “I thought you were all for helpin’. Take care of the widows and orphans, ain’t that what your scripture tells you?”
“It certainly does,” replied Book. “But you can’t do much in the way of caring for them if you’re dead.”
“Do we think that’s likely?” said Simon. “I… I… I mean, I’m all for helping, if she needs help, but not…” His hand strayed— unconsciously perhaps—to the spot where Jubal Early had put a bullet into him.
“Don’t worry, doc,” said Mal, with some compassion. “You won’t be anywhere near the shootin’ this time.”
“Well, I thought that about being on Serenity,” said Simon. “Somehow the shooting always seems to find us, doesn’t it?”
“You’re welcome to leave, whenever you choose,” said Mal. “Might find life worse when you’re no longer on Serenity.”
“I know…”
“Not going to lie to you, son,” said Book. “Helping Miss Annie’s likely to put us on the wrong side of a gang of fellas already shown themselves willin’ and able to kill.”
“Not obliged to involve yourself, doc,” said Mal. “Stay here, keep your head down, no shame in that—”
“No, I’ll help,” said Simon. “If I can. She’s… she’s not much older than River, is she?”
“No,” said Book, putting his hand upon the young man’s arm. “Difference is—River has plenty of folks behind her.”
Simon gave him a grateful smile.
“Talk me through what we’ve learned so far,” said Mal.
“Need to be sure in a situation like this that we don’t go jumpin’ to conclusions,” said Book. “So let’s stick to the facts. We know who killed Isaac Roberts—Bill Fincher. We know he runs with a gang who are causin’ the devil’s own trouble out beyond the city. We know the sheriff won’t go after him while he’s runnin’ with this gang—but we don’t know why the sheriff is so reluctant. Annie says he claims he’s overstretched. There’s no reason not to believe him, given we know there’s been trouble out on the streets in the last few months. As for everythin’ else…”
“We know Roberts was about to go to court in opposition to some powerful people here on Abel,” said Simon. “So there’s motive to have him killed, I guess?” He sounded doubtful. “I don’t know, Mal. It all seems very circumstantial.”
“Maybe. But Roberts might have got himself on the wrong side of more’n people on Abel,” said Mal. “We can see the hand of some players back from the Core in all of this.”
“We’re surely moving well into conjecture now,” said Book. “We’ll need a mite more proof before we start throwin’ accusations like that around. I’m guessin’ we’ll need to make some friends here on Abel. Difficulty will be workin’ out whose on Annie’s side, and who’s on the side of Fincher’s paymasters.”
“If they really do exist,” said Mal.
“What do you mean?” said Simon.
“That girl out there, she’s had a bad shock. Lookin’ for payback, can’t blame her for that, believes there’s enemies at the door. Sometimes life ain’t so complicated. Bad man walks up to a good man, shoots him dead because that’s the kind of man he is. Sometimes a sheriff don’t get the job done because he can’t.”
“You think she’s seeing a conspiracy where there isn’t one?” said Simon. “I think I agree.”
“Guess we won’t know ‘til we find out, will we? And that’s what Miss Annie is paying us to do.” Mal tapped his fingertips against his cheek. “Some of us need to go out and about askin’ a few questions. Talk to this Jacky Colson, for one. Get his opinion on the whole business. Do we even know if his case is still going ahead?”
Simon shrugged.
“Speaking for myself,” said Book, “I’d like to know a little more about Rising Sun Enterprises. Interesting name, isn’t it?”
Simon, browsing through the files, said, “They’ve got offices here in Yell City. We could send someone along there?”
“Need to send someone they’d want to speak to,” said Mal thoughtfully. “They’ll close the door in the face of a man like me. We need someone speaks pretty, looks pretty…”
Simon sighed. “Please stop.”
“You offerin’, doc?”
“I’d said I’d help, didn’t I? What do you want me to do?”
“I’d say turn up there sayin’ you’ve a tidy sum of platinum you’d like to put in the pot,” said Mal. “Money opens doors like that—and you lookin’ all Core and shiny as you do, doc, reckon you’ll have them eatin’ out of the palm of your hand.”
“All right, all right, please, stop… talking,” said Simon. “I’ll go. But what are you planning to be doing in the meantime?”
“Me, Zoë, Jayne—we’ll be getting down to business. Go find Bill Fincher.”
“Any thoughts where he’ll be?” said Book.
“I’m thinkin’ we’ll start by takin’ a look up near the Colson farm,” said Mal. “Miss Annie said she heard the Collier gang holed up there. Might be worth seein’ what’s happenin’ out there anyway. All that land. Someone must have plans for it.”
“Um, one question?” said Simon, raising his hand like he was in some kind of seminar room or something. Book and Mal exchanged a look. One day, perhaps, he’d shed some of these manners. Or perhaps not.
“Knock yourself out, doc,” said Mal.
“You said you, Zoë and Jayne going out?”
“That’s my thinkin’,” said Mal.
“Wasn’t Annie pretty clear about going along too?” said Simon. “I… I mean, she more or less said that we wouldn’t get paid unless—”
“I appreciate her grit and I understand her anger,” said Mal. “But no.”
“Oh,” said Simon, glancing at Book.
“You got a problem with that, doc?”
“I… No…”
“Good.”
“I’ll leave you to break that news, Mal,” said Book. “Though I wouldn’t mind a ringside seat while you do it.”
“Thankin’ you as ever for your support, Shepherd.”
He was heading over to the door when it opened. Zoë looked in. “Sir,” she said. “Got something to show you out here.”
“Your husband and Jayne ate poor Miss Annie out of house and home yet?”
“Not yet, sir. But it ain’t that.” She nodded at Book. “Thinkin’ you might like to see this too, preacher.”
Zoë led them down the hall, with Simon tagging along behind, through the kitchen (where Wash and Jayne were feasting) and out into a big garden. “Pleasant here, Zoë, that’s for sure,” said Mal, “but I ain’t much of one for sittin’ outside.”
“This way, sir. Ain’t plannin’ on doin’ any sittin’.”
Zoë led him over the grass to the far side of the garden. On the back wall, someone had hung up a target. Mal went to inspect it. The two central circles were pocked with near two dozen neat round marks from a pistol. “You been practisin’, Zoë?”
“Ain’t me,” said Zoë.
“Then who…”
“I ain’t foolin’ when I say I’m comin’, Captain Reynolds.”
Mal turned to see Annie Roberts standing there, Zoë’s pistol in her one good hand. His eyes narrowed. “Zoë?”
“Set up a little test, sir,” said Zoë. “Curious to see what she could do.”
“I can shoot,” said Annie. “That’s what I been tryin’ to tell you—”
“Zoë!”
“She can shoot,” said Zoë, and shrugged. “I say we take her.”
“That’s plain foolishness and you know it,” said Mal.
“I still say we take her,” said Zoë.
Mal turned to Book. Here, surely, was someone he could rely on to speak sense. “Shepherd,” he said. “Tell her.”
“I’m inclined to agree with Zoë,” said Book.
“Huh,” said Mal. “Zoë, are you sure that’s all her own work?”
“Sir, I stood here and watched her put every single one of those into that target. Wouldn’t be disappointed with that myself.”
“That’s some good shootin’,” said Jayne, coming out of the kitchen towards them, holding the biggest gorram sandwich Mal had seen in some time. “You been practicing, Mal?” He saw both Mal and Zoë glance over at Annie. “No way,” he said. “No gorram way—”
“Why do I get the feeling that I’ve been set up?” said Mal.
“Might be because you have been, sir.”
“Ain’t that the gorram truth.” Mal turned to the girl standing by. “Well, Miss Annie, looks like you’re comin’ with us after all.”
“What?” said Jayne. “Now hold on a minute, Mal—”
“If that’s the case, Captain Reynolds,” said Annie, “looks like you and your crew’s hired.”
Simon burst out laughing. He quickly covered his mouth. “Sorry,” he said and gestured at Jayne. “It’s funny, that’s all.”
* * *
Watching Captain Reynolds tryin’ to get his people to take his orders was a sight to behold, and I will admit that there were moments during our discussion when I thought my decision to hire this fella and his band weren’t perhaps one of my better choices. Eight of ’em, all hunkered round the big old kitchen table, most of ’em with an opinion, most of ’em willing to talk over the rest of ’em to get that opinion out there and none of ’em willin’ to do much in the way of listenin’. It was noisy and certainly a long way round to gettin’ the job done, because, in the end, Captain Reynolds shouted at everyone to shut up, and when everyone did shut up, he then told ’em that he was the one in charge and they could do what he said or else they wouldn’t see a penny from this piece of work. I know as well as anyone that money talks, and money certainly talked louder than anyone around that kitchen table that day. They all shut right up.
“Here’s what’s happenin’,” said Captain Reynolds. “Me, Zoë, Jayne…” He glanced at me, shook his head, but carried on. “ And Miss Annie here—we’re off to find Bill Fincher. We’ll start with the old Colson farm, see what’s goin’ on up there, and whether the trail leads to the Collier gang. Meanwhile,” his eye fell on the doctor, “Inara, when she arrives, will be approachin’ the local Guild with an eye to gettin’ introductions into polite society for her friend, the wealthy investor—that’s you, doc, in case you’d forgotten.”
“Yes,” said the doctor, not entirely happily. “Yes. Right.”
“You got one of those covers of yours all set up, ready to go?”
Now that piqued my interest. Sounded like this young man was in the habit of using a cover story—but why? There was a tale there, I was sure. I wondered who would tell me, and then wondered whether any of ’em would. For all their bickerin’ and quarrelin’, Captain Reynolds’ crew seemed very tight, in their own way.
“Yes,” said the doctor, “that’s all fine. Kaylee’s been very helpful—”
Kaylee beamed at him. You didn’t need half a brain to see what was goin’ on there. I suppose the doctor was nice enough. Bit pretty for my taste, and awful gauche too. She was welcome to him—if she could get near him, poor girl. He looked the kind that scared easy.
“Glad to hear that,” said Mal. “Kaylee—you and Wash head down into town to find Jacky Colson, get his side of the story.”
“But Ca’pn—!” said Kaylee, and while she had been claimin’ that she didn’t want to get stuck goin’ around the rougher parts of town, even I—who’d only known these folks half-a-day at the outside—could see that it was more because she wasn’t going to hang around with her young doctor. Harder to tell whether he minded or not, since he was mostly keepin’ an eye on his younger sister.
