Look Out For Space (Seven For Space) by William F Nolan Read Free Book Online

miners."
    "I'm no stoop-assed miner," I snapped, climbing down from the fugg's humped back. "I'm here to see your boss, the one they call Half-cat. Where is he?"
    "First, the passpoem," the raw kid said.
    I sighed, and began spieling: "Suns will fade and moons will die, "I said, "but love like ours stays ever new. In the vaulting arc of sky … there's none else here but just us two."
    The kid tipped up the rifle. "Second verse," he prompted. I gave him a hard look.
    "Lovers through the breadth of time, yearning for a fairy's kiss; Yea, this simple bit of rhyme, binds us in eternal bliss."
    "I'm embarrassed," the kid confessed with a sheepish smile as he lowered the stun rifle. "The thing is, our boss is nuts for 'fairy kisses. 'This one's the third passpoem in a row that has lovers in it who yearn for a fairy's kiss. Sometimes I think the boss is kind of spooky — if you know what I mean."
    "Yeah," I said. "I know what you mean."
    "But don't tell him I said so," whispered the young rustler. "Nobody kids the boss about his fairy kisses."
    "My lips are sealed," I assured him. "Now, where do I find your boss?"
    The raw kid grinned at me. "You don't find Halfcat," he said. "Halfcat finds you."
    * * *
     
    Which is why I ended up sitting alone and bored at the mouth of anion mine watching my tethered fugg nibble Baileyweed with one head and glare at me with the other.
    There was no love lost between us.
    A scuffle of rocks behind me. I swung around, staring into the dark cave mouth, as a shape materialized there. All I could really see at this point was a pair of slanted yellow eyes shining out of the tunnel. Cat's eyes.
    "Name?" barked a snarling voice attached to the eyes.
    "Samuel Temperance Space," I said. "I'm a private investigator."
    "What do you want with me?"
    "I was told you could possibly aid me in locating a —"
    "I don't aid people; I eat people," said the shape.
    That shook me a little, but I bulled on. "As I understand it, that's not your usual pattern." The yellow eyes were closer. "Admittedly, I was told that you once ate an Earth policeperson, bones and all, but I assumed that this was as extreme case, brought on by —"
    "You assume too much, peeper!"
    I backed slowly toward my fugg. "Well, then, I'll just be heading home. I can see you're in no mood to trade."
    "Trade?" The yellow eyes narrowed.
    "I brought in some prime grade High-L. Hard to come by these days. Thought I could maybe swap it for the info I need."
    Halfcat emerged into the waning light of day — and I could see where he got his nickname. Below the waist he was a common biped, but his head was furry, with long, pointed ears; his mouth stretched back over curved fangs and his slanted yellow eyes were indeed catlike. Now, at the mention of High-L, those eyes were glowing.
    "How come a squiff like you carries High-L?"
    "I've got my contacts," I said. "Do we deal or don't we?"
    "What you want, shamus?"
    I was amused by his subtle use of the ancient slang term for a private detective.
    "Like I said — info."
    "About what?"
    "A missing asteroid. I know you … deal in them. If you took it, I want to buy it back; no questions asked. And I'll pay a fair price on behalf of my client."
    "Describe the rock."
    I gave him the specs.
    "Too small," Halfcat snorted. "We don't pick up pebbles. No percentage in it."
    "Who could I talk to? You must know who handles the smaller stuff."
    "Maybe I do. But first …"
    "A jolt of L, right?"
    "Don't play smart with me, peeper. I'm doing you a big favor just talking to you, when I could snort the L and have you for dessert!"
    I remembered McKabe's advice about not getting Halfcat sore and fished out a plasflask of L, tossed it to him. I was impressed with the fact that he caught it in his teeth.
    He split open the flask with a central fang, dumping the colorless powder onto his long, pink cat's tongue. Then he threw back his furry head and snorted.
    I watched the High-L take him into Limbo, that wacko mental state