The Secret War - 1st novel in the Shadow Series

Chapter 23 .

Vai

I called my father when we got back to our quarters. He didn't answer. I sent him a message.

«Owen has been arrested. I gave the police a statement that will hopefully lead to his innocence.

I sat on my bed and looked through my volo recordings. I chose the most recent one that should show the girl the previous day when she was in the museum. There was me in front of the K'thaktran wall display. I spoke. But it was like I was having a conversation with myself. There was nothing where she stood. Her voice was not recorded on my volo.

I went back to the first day Owen and I saw her. The day she got on the elevator and went to level 8. Owen was on the recording. I was on the recording. Warpaint was on the recording, but no girl. The volo hadn't recorded the levels indicated above the elevators to show the girl stopped on level 8. It did show the elevator door close before we reached it, but according to the recording the elevator was empty. It did record our conversation about the girl.

That was impossible. Unless she was a ghost. I knew she wasn't a ghost. Maybe Owen was right and she was a wizard. But wizards only existed in fairy tales. There had to be another explanation. If she wasn't showing up on my volo recordings, it made sense that she also wouldn't be on the surveillance. How had she managed to do it?

"Warpaint."

"Yes, sir."

"You saw that girl yesterday in the museum, right? You said you did. You saw her that first day I went down to the museum too, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Playback the recordings of those days."

"I can't, sir."

I stood up to face him. He stood nearby the foot of my bed.

"What do you mean you can't?"

"Your father has programmed me to only . . ."

I held up a hand. "Since when?"

"After we arrived on the Shadow."

After the tailor shop incident and he made Warpaint erase his memories.

My okulus beeped as a call came in from my father. I answered it.

"What do you mean you gave a statement to the authorities? You should have called me first."

"Sorry, but he's in trouble."

"That's not your concern. You . . ."

"He's my friend," I interrupted. His mouth pinched tight. His eyes narrowed slightly. I didn't give him a chance to lecture me. "He didn't steal from the museum."

"He has broken the law before."

"I know," I said. "Smuggling onboard chocolate. And he did it this time too. The officers found it in his room, but, father, he admits to that. He didn't steal from the museum."

"Hold on," my father said. His fingers opened a file on his okulus. "The records say he is denying the museum theft, but that he does admit to smuggling onboard chocolate." He looked at me. "Owen and you both mention a girl, but a girl has not been seen on the surveillance."

"I know. I looked through my volo recordings hoping I could prove she was on level 6, but she's not on my volo recordings either. Father, I'm not making her up. I spoke with her yesterday in the museum, but my volo recording looks like I'm talking to myself. She isn't seen or heard. Warpaint has seen her too, haven't you, Warpaint?"