The Only Witness

4

Qui-Gon entered the back room just in time to see the message flash a final time. Then the computer went dead.

Lena sank into a chair. “They’ve erased the evidence,” she said. “They’ve erased everything.”

For a moment Lena’s determination was replaced by desperation. Qui-Gon was surprised to feel a similar desperation coming from Obi-Wan. He gazed at him thoughtfully. This was unusual behavior for his Padawan.

Qui-Gon turned his attention to the matter at hand. “Was the computer connected to a network of some kind?” he asked.

“I don’t think so,” Lena said. Then she shook her head firmly. “No. Rutin would not have kept the information here if it was.”

“And no one else had access to the information?” Qui-Gon questioned.

“Well, the information was no secret within the family. They all know what’s going on, but they are careful not to leave a trail. Solan makes sure of that.” Lena stood up and walked back into her bedroom, talking more to herself than the Jedi. “Still, Rutin managed to construct a trail. Any of them could, but Solan…”

Qui-Gon could see that Lena was already recovering from the setback.

She was formulating a new plan. Qui-Gon could not help but admire her resolve. And yet, if she loved her husband as she claimed, she was remarkably strong in the aftermath of his death. He thought perhaps she was deceiving them.

“They all know,” Lena said again, louder. “And one of them might just help.” Lena turned and began picking her way back toward the lift.

“Come on,” she beckoned the Jedi. “I may need your protection even more now. We’re going to the Cobral Estate.”

“Really?” Qui-Gon asked. “Are you sure that’s the best plan of action?”

“Only my mother-in-law lives there now. She’s not part of the family business. Taking the risk will be worth it. It has to be.”

In the basement of the building, Lena and the Jedi climbed into a large landspeeder. Within moments they were zipping outside the city, toward the home of Lena’s mother-in-law, Zanita Cobral.

“We’ve always gotten along,” Lena explained as they skimmed the surface of the planet. “Rutin was her favorite son. He was the youngest. Losing him was devastating for her, for all of us.”

Qui-Gon had trouble focusing his attention on Lena from his seat in the rear. As he forced himself to stay present, in the back of his mind he wondered if coming on this mission had been a bad idea. It called for subtle judgments he wasn’t certain he was equipped to make. He felt as if he was moving through a fog of unclear emotions.

“Zanita may be the only person on the planet who is not under Solan’s thumb,” Lena said to Obi-Wan. “She’s the only one who can help. I just hope she wants to.”

The Cobral Estate sat on a high ridge overlooking Rian. When the large home was within sight Lena activated a transparisteel roof, which quickly covered the travelers. Then she pushed another button and the transparisteel turned a dark shade of gray.

“When we reach the gate you’ll have to duck down,” Lena said. “The Cobrals don’t like strangers.”

Qui-Gon wondered how much the Cobrals would like seeing Lena. Even though she’d said that she and her mother-in-law were on good terms, her presence might stir things up rather than settle them.

At least they had someone to remind them of Rutin. But who did Qui-Gon have to remind him of Tahl? No one had known her as he had. Fresh memories came to him every day. There was no one to share them with.

Crouched in the back and covered by his own robe, Qui-Gon felt Lena tense. He could tell it was not just apprehension about the meeting with Zanita. Something else was happening.

“That’s Solan’s speeder,” she whispered to the Jedi. “And his brother Bard’s. The whole family is here.”

Qui-Gon raised his head enough to see a number of luxury vehicles parked in the bay outside the mansion. There was no doubt that the Cobrals possessed extraordinary wealth.

“Maybe we should come back later,” Obi-Wan suggested gently from the front seat.

“No. I don’t have time,” Lena said with her familiar resolve. “We’ll sneak in, and I’ll find a way to get Zanita alone. Or maybe I’ll find what I need on my own and we won’t need her help after all. We might be able to get additional information. Having several of the Cobrals present could turn out to be a good thing. “

Or a deadly one, Qui-Gon thought.

Lena parked her speeder at the far end of the row, next to a metal statue.

“We can get in through the galley,” she said, motioning with her head toward a small entrance.

Qui-Gon watched as Lena and Obi-Wan moved silently into position by the galley door. Moments later a cooking servant emerged. He did not notice as Lena slipped her foot into the door, preventing it from closing. When the servant rounded the edge of the building, Qui-Gon slipped into the galley after Lena and Obi-Wan.

The entrance had been too easy.

The cooking quarters were vast, with rows of gleaming countertops and food storage units. Servants bustled about, busily preparing a large meal.

Lena waited until most of the servants had their backs to the door, then pulled up her hood and walked through the quarters. She carried herself with such authority that nobody bothered to ask who she was or where she was going.

Soon after entering a spectacularly long hallway covered in lush, thick carpet, she ducked into a small room and pulled Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in after her. The room held several holoscreens.

“This used to be a guard station,” Lena explained. “But when her husband died Zanita didn’t think she needed as much protection, so it’s no longer used.”

Qui-Gon felt slightly relieved. At least there was an explanation for the easy entrance.

Lena adjusted one of the holoscreens until it showed a large dining room filled with people.

“It’s Bard’s birthday,” Lena said with relief. A large Fregan birth celebration banner lay across the dining table. “I should have remembered.”

The crowd milled about the room, smiling and carrying glasses filled with red liquid. At first glance it looked like any other party. Qui-Gon looked harder.

“There’s Zanita,” Lena said, pointing to a tall older woman dressed in a black gown covered in tiny smokats. A large scarf was wrapped attractively around her head like a turban. In spite of her age she was easily the most striking person in the room. Qui-Gon was surprised by her commanding presence and the way she set people around her at ease—laughing, smiling, and making sure they were taken care of. Then something else caught his eye.

“Is that Solan?” he asked quietly, pointing at a scowling man in the corner.

“Yes, how did you know?” Lena asked. Qui-Gon raised his eyebrows but said nothing. His eyes stayed trained on Solan. Like Zanita, the frowning man was surrounded by a large group of people. But none of the people near Solan seemed to be enjoying his company. They simply stood nervously by.

Suddenly Solan stood. A woman next to him rushed to take his empty cup and napkin. Someone else asked if they could get anything for him, but he brushed them off with a wave of his hand. Solan approached the guest of honor, a man shorter than him but who otherwise bore a striking resemblance to him. It was the middle brother, Bard.

Casually tossing an arm over Bard’s shoulder, Solan interrupted the conversation and steered him toward the outer edges of the party. He spoke in hushed tones.

“They’re all afraid of him,” Obi-Wan remarked.

Qui-Gon was glad to see the stiffening shoulders of the younger brother had not escaped the attention of his apprentice. “Exactly,” said Qui-Gon. “Even his family is fearful.”

Lena held up a hand to silence the Jedi. “Zanita’s leaving the party,” she whispered. “This is my chance.”

Without another word Lena slipped out the door, leaving the Jedi to watch her on the holoscreen. She made her way down the long hallway toward the library. It was a large room, with towering shelves of important-looking books and polished furniture. Zanita was inside, apparently taking a moment to relax.

Qui-Gon felt a strange unease. In spite of Zanita’s pleasing manner he did not think the meeting would go well.

Obi-Wan leaned close to the screen. Lena entered the library unseen by the other guests.

The look on Zanita’s face when she saw her daughter-in-law was one of sheer pleasure. The older woman stood and embraced Lena, holding her close for a long time.

Obi-Wan fiddled with the projection controls beneath the screen, tuning out the party guests until all they heard were the voices of Lena and Zanita in the library.

“But, my dear, why would you hide from your family?” Zanita asked, her voice filled with concern.

“I was afraid,” Lena explained. “And without Rutin, I didn’t know what you would think of me.

“You will always be a Cobral,” Zanita said solemnly, looking thoughtfully at her daughter-in-law. “But why were you afraid?”

Lena hesitated, then lowered her voice. “I am afraid because I think Solan had Rutin Killed.”

Zanita staggered back before sinking onto a large, comfortable-looking sofa. Her skin paled and she reached a shaking hand toward Lena.

“It was my greatest fear,” Zanita whispered as tears sprang to her eyes. “I did not want it to be true. And yet, when I look into my heart, I know you are not lying.”

She pulled a piece of embroidered cloth from her pocket and wiped her eyes before going on. “I tried to stop Solan, to make him see reason, but it was too late,” she sobbed again. “And now Rutin is gone.”

Kneeling beside her, Lena comforted Zanita as best she could. She also told Zanita all she knew of Rutin’s plan to end the crime ring. “I know it will not be easy for you to hear, but now I am planning to testify against the family. Rutin’s dearest wish has become mine as well. I want to stop the violence,” Lena explained, looking into her mother-in-law’s eyes. “And I need your help.”

In the guard room, Qui-Gon detected a slight quaver in Lena’s voice.

He could not fault her, of course. She was asking Zanita to join her in betraying her own family—her own children.

Zanita kept her eyes on her lap, but let go of Lena’s hand. Her commanding presence seemed somehow diminished as she sat unmoving on the sofa. At last she looked up at the portrait hanging on the library wall. It was a picture of three men, the Cobral brothers. Rutin stood proudly in the center.

“Yes,” she breathed. “It must stop.”