The Piece of Paper
Posted on Fri Mar 3rd, 2017 @ 10:02am by Commander Jordan Gunning
Mission:
Lie Of Omission
Location: Jordan Gunning's Shuttle [Archa IV]
Someone was looking out for him.
Jordan Gunning looked at the little laminated envelope which had been fixed to the egress hatch of his shuttle. Nothing written on it, too small to be a bomb, too thin to contain much. He took a pair of disposable gloves from his jacket pocket and used them to prise it off the door.
He slipped the envelope apart, fully expecting to get a face full of acid or something equally unpleasant. As it turned out there was just a piece of thick paper with some names written on it in a neat, exacting hand. One had been coarsely underlined, clearly by someone less used to using pen and paper. A couple of letters were obscured but Gunning could make out the name Kal Eck.
It always amazed Gunning that there weren't more people with the same name on Archa IV since most of them were named like 'cheat' words from Scrabble. A very brief search of the planet's business directory threw up a Kal Eck who lived in Peluu. Some kind of nightclub owner by the look of things and a further computer search found a number of articles and tours of his gaudy mansion in the hills.
He seemed like a thoroughly objectionable chap - just the kind of person that Gunning was looking for.
The question remained though. Who had attached this piece of paper to his door and what was the piece of paper? It looked formal, like someone might send out to a banquet or a function but it was ragged at the edges. Perhaps whatever it was had been torn off. That would be typical.
He searched a few of the names together, trying to hook them into the same company if possible. Much as he hated the Archan press after the events of the last couple of days, they were pretty damned thorough. Every society party was documented to the Nth degree and a number of frankly obtrusive photographs.
Bingo.
One of those 'where are they now?' puff pieces on Shara Ir showing her engagement party. Cha Ep, not on the list, but why would he be if he was one of the betrothed. He tried a few different searches on the piece. Most of the names checked out - whoever had left the paper was pulling Gunning toward this man, Kal Eck.
And away from Shara Ir...
Jordan Gunning
Private Investigator
