Starbase Human by Kristine Kathryn Rusch Read Free Book Online

here about Sonja Mycenae,” she said.
    Sonja. The nanny he had fired just that morning. Well, fired wasn’t an accurate term. He had deliberately avoided firing her. He had eliminated her position.
    Deshin and Gerda had decided that Sonja wasn’t affectionate enough toward their son. In fact, she had seemed a bit cold toward him. And once Deshin and Gerda started that conversation about Sonja’s attitudes, they realized they didn’t like having someone visit their home every day, and they didn’t like giving up any time with Paavo.
    Both Gerda and Deshin had worried, given their backgrounds, that they wouldn’t know how to nurture a baby, but Sonja had taught them that training mattered a lot less than actual love.
    “I understand she works for you,” the detective said.
    “She work ed for me,” Deshin said.
    Something changed in the detective’s face. Something small. He felt uneasy for the first time.
    “Tell me what this is about, Detective,” he said.
    “It’s about Sonja Mycenae,” she repeated.
    “Yes, you said that. What exactly has she done?” he asked.
    “Why don’t you tell me why she no longer works for you,” the detective said.
    “My wife and I decided that we didn’t need a nanny for our son. I called Sonja to the office this morning, and let her know that, effective immediately, her employment was terminated through no fault of her own.”
    “Do you have footage of that conversation?” the detective asked.
    “I do, and it’s protected. You’ll need permission from both of us or a warrant before I can give it to you.”
    The detective raised her eyebrows. “I’m sure you can forgo the formalities, Mr. Deshin.”
    “I’m sure that many people do, Detective,” he said, “however, it’s my understanding that an employee’s records are confidential. You may get a warrant if you like. Otherwise, I’m going to protect Sonja’s privacy.”
    “Why would you do that, Mr. Deshin?”
    “Believe it or not, I follow the rules.” He managed to say that without sarcasm.
    The detective grunted as if she didn’t believe him. “What made you decide to terminate her position today?”
    “I told you,” Deshin said, keeping his voice bland even though he was getting annoyed. “My wife and I decided we didn’t need a nanny to help us raise our son.”
    “You might want to share that footage with me without wasting time on a warrant, Mr. Deshin,” the detective said.
    “Why would I do that, Detective? I’m not even sure why you’re asking about Sonja. What has she done?”
    “She has died, Mr. Deshin.”
    The words hung between them. He frowned. The detective had finally caught him off guard.
    For the first time, Deshin did not know how to respond. He probably needed one of his lawyers here. Any time his name came up in an investigation, he was automatically the first suspect.
    But in this case, he had nothing to do with Sonja’s death. So he would act accordingly, and let the lawyers handle the mess.
    “What happened?” he asked softly.
    He had known Sonja since she was a child. She was the daughter of a friend. That was one of the many reasons he had hired her, because he had known her.
    Even then, she hadn’t turned out as expected. He remembered an affectionate, happy girl. The nanny who had come to his house didn’t seem to know how to smile at all. There had been no affection in her.
    And when he last saw her, she’d been crying and pleading with him to let her keep her job. He actually had to have security drag her out of his office.
    “We don’t know what happened,” the detective said.
    That sentence could mean a lot. It could mean that they didn’t know what happened at all or that they didn’t know if her death was by natural causes or by murder. It could also mean that they didn’t know exactly what or who caused the death, but that they suspected murder.
    Since Deshin was facing a detective and not a beat officer, he knew the police suspected