mother-of-the-bride ensembles. Randall was designing them. We talked about clothes. Doesn't that seem shallow, Lieutenant, that the last time I'll ever speak with my mother, I spoke of fashion?"
"No, it doesn't seem shallow. It seems friendly. Loving."
Mirina pressed a hand to her lips. "Do you think?"
"Yes, I do."
"What do you talk to your mother about?"
"I don't have a mother. I never did."
Mirina blinked, focused again. "How odd. What does it feel like?"
"I..." There was no way to describe what simply was. "It wouldn't be the same for you, Ms. Angelini," Eve said gently. "When you were speaking to your mother, did she mention anything, anyone who was concerning her?"
"No. If you're thinking about her work, we rarely talked of it. I wasn't very interested in the law. She was happy, excited that I was coming over for a few days. We laughed a lot. I know she had this image, her professional image, but with me, with the family she was... softer, looser. I teased her about George, saying that Randy could design her wedding dress while he was doing mine."
"Her reaction?"
"We just laughed. Mama liked to laugh," she said, a little dreamy now as the tranq began to work. "She said she was having too much fun being mother of the bride to spoil it with the headaches of being a bride herself. She was very fond of George, and I think they were good together. But I don't suppose she loved him."
"Don't you?"
"Why, no." There was a faint smile on her lips, a glassy gleam to her eyes. "When you love someone, you have to be with them, don't you? To be part of their life, to have them be part of yours. She wasn't looking for that with George. With anyone."
"Was Mr. Hammett looking for that with her?"
"I don't know. If he was, he was happy enough to let their relationship drift. I'm drifting now," she murmured. "I don't feel as though I'm here at all."
Because she needed Mirina to hold off on the float a bit longer, Eve rose to request water from the console. Carrying the glass back, she pushed it into Mirina's hands.
"Did that relationship cause problems between him and your father? Between your mother and father?"
"It... was awkward, but not uncomfortable." Mirina smiled again. She was sleepy now, so relaxed she could have folded her arms on the window ledge and slipped away. "That sounds contradictory. You'd have to know my father. He would refuse to let it bother him, or at least to let it affect him. He's still friendly with George."
She blinked down at the glass in her hand as if she'd just realized it was there, and took a delicate sip. "I don't know how he might have felt if they had decided to marry, but well, that isn't an issue now."
"Are you involved in your father's business, Ms. Angelini?"
"In the fashion arm. I do all the buying for the shops in Rome and Milan, have the final say as to what's exported to our shops in Paris and New York and so forth. Travel a bit to attend shows, though I don't care much for traveling. I hate going off planet, don't you?"
Eve realized she was losing her. "I haven't done it."
"Oh, it's horrid. Randy likes it. Says it's an adventure. What was I saying?" She pushed a hand through her lovely golden hair, and Eve rescued the glass before it could tumble to the floor. "About the buying. I like to buy clothes. Other aspects of the business never interested me."
"Your parents and Mr. Hammett were all stockholders in a company called Mercury."
"Of course. We use Mercury exclusively for our shipping needs." Her eyelids drooped. "It's fast, dependable."
"There were no problems that you know of, in that or any other of your family holdings?"
"No, none at all."
It was time to try a different tack. "Was your mother aware of Randall Slade's gambling debts?"
For the first time Mirina showed a spark of life, and the life was anger, flashing in the pale eyes. She seemed to snap awake. "Randall's debts were not my mother's concern, but his, and mine. We're dealing with them."
"You didn't
"No, it doesn't seem shallow. It seems friendly. Loving."
Mirina pressed a hand to her lips. "Do you think?"
"Yes, I do."
"What do you talk to your mother about?"
"I don't have a mother. I never did."
Mirina blinked, focused again. "How odd. What does it feel like?"
"I..." There was no way to describe what simply was. "It wouldn't be the same for you, Ms. Angelini," Eve said gently. "When you were speaking to your mother, did she mention anything, anyone who was concerning her?"
"No. If you're thinking about her work, we rarely talked of it. I wasn't very interested in the law. She was happy, excited that I was coming over for a few days. We laughed a lot. I know she had this image, her professional image, but with me, with the family she was... softer, looser. I teased her about George, saying that Randy could design her wedding dress while he was doing mine."
"Her reaction?"
"We just laughed. Mama liked to laugh," she said, a little dreamy now as the tranq began to work. "She said she was having too much fun being mother of the bride to spoil it with the headaches of being a bride herself. She was very fond of George, and I think they were good together. But I don't suppose she loved him."
"Don't you?"
"Why, no." There was a faint smile on her lips, a glassy gleam to her eyes. "When you love someone, you have to be with them, don't you? To be part of their life, to have them be part of yours. She wasn't looking for that with George. With anyone."
"Was Mr. Hammett looking for that with her?"
"I don't know. If he was, he was happy enough to let their relationship drift. I'm drifting now," she murmured. "I don't feel as though I'm here at all."
Because she needed Mirina to hold off on the float a bit longer, Eve rose to request water from the console. Carrying the glass back, she pushed it into Mirina's hands.
"Did that relationship cause problems between him and your father? Between your mother and father?"
"It... was awkward, but not uncomfortable." Mirina smiled again. She was sleepy now, so relaxed she could have folded her arms on the window ledge and slipped away. "That sounds contradictory. You'd have to know my father. He would refuse to let it bother him, or at least to let it affect him. He's still friendly with George."
She blinked down at the glass in her hand as if she'd just realized it was there, and took a delicate sip. "I don't know how he might have felt if they had decided to marry, but well, that isn't an issue now."
"Are you involved in your father's business, Ms. Angelini?"
"In the fashion arm. I do all the buying for the shops in Rome and Milan, have the final say as to what's exported to our shops in Paris and New York and so forth. Travel a bit to attend shows, though I don't care much for traveling. I hate going off planet, don't you?"
Eve realized she was losing her. "I haven't done it."
"Oh, it's horrid. Randy likes it. Says it's an adventure. What was I saying?" She pushed a hand through her lovely golden hair, and Eve rescued the glass before it could tumble to the floor. "About the buying. I like to buy clothes. Other aspects of the business never interested me."
"Your parents and Mr. Hammett were all stockholders in a company called Mercury."
"Of course. We use Mercury exclusively for our shipping needs." Her eyelids drooped. "It's fast, dependable."
"There were no problems that you know of, in that or any other of your family holdings?"
"No, none at all."
It was time to try a different tack. "Was your mother aware of Randall Slade's gambling debts?"
For the first time Mirina showed a spark of life, and the life was anger, flashing in the pale eyes. She seemed to snap awake. "Randall's debts were not my mother's concern, but his, and mine. We're dealing with them."
"You didn't
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