Chapter Fifteen
"Something has happened, Geordi. I feel it…" Data muttered, his fingers drumming and his gaze fixed straight ahead, staring out the automatic taxi's rain-streaked window.
"Data, I'm sure she—" Geordi tried, but he trailed off when the next turn revealed a semi-circle of police vehicles hovering in front of the racetrack's main building. Their flashing blue and red lights cast an eerie strobe-like glow against the haze of lingering rain. "What do you think they… Data, wait!"
Geordi reached out a hand, but Data was up and out of the taxi the instant the doors unlocked.
"Tasha!" he called against the wind, his voice cracking into a higher, far more panicked register. "Tasha Yar! Tasha, please answer!"
As an android, Data could maintain the speed of the fastest humanoid sprinter without tiring or needing to catch his breath. To Geordi, it seemed Data's fear for Tasha propelled him even faster. By the time Geordi had managed to slam the taxi's door and take a step toward the parking lot, Data had already burst through the line of cop cars and vanished into the building.
"Data!" he shouted anyway, racing after his friend at his own relatively plodding pace. "Dammit!"
Despite the reassurances he'd repeated to Data in the taxi, Geordi had been every bit as anxious about Tasha as his friend, his imagination spitting out worst-case scenarios as if hijacked by some sadistic holodeck villain. In his mind's eye, he'd seen countless accidents play out – Ned tripping and Tasha reaching to help him up…Ned brushing her hand with his finger…Tasha falling; her body stiffening; her staring, startled eyes as lifeless as the fly on Ned's counter…
The police weren't actually at their vehicles, making it unsettlingly easy for Geordi to slip past the flashing barricade and through the building's open doors into a cavernous wood-paneled lobby. That's where he found them – a busy crowd of uniformed police officers talking into comm units, tapping at their padds. And beyond them, Tasha's voice rose over the din.
"Geordi! Over here!"
Relief shot through him – relief so powerful, the engineer had to lean against the wall for a moment before he could trust his legs to keep walking. Edging past the preoccupied cops, Geordi spotted Tasha, Ned and Data by the shuttered betting booths. Beside them stood a very pleased-looking police lieutenant and a stern Starfleet admiral he didn't recognize.
"Geordi!" Tasha waved him over. "Geordi, we did it! Ned and I solved the case! Earth and Starfleet security are rounding up Tilly's murderers as we speak!"
"Wha…?" Geordi blinked behind his VISOR, looking from Data's expressionless face to Ned's hesitant smile. "Then, Data was right. Dilly really is innocent?"
"It's not that simple, Commander," the admiral said, crossing her arms. "But, perhaps we should give Ms. Yar and Mr. Tompkins a chance to finish their explanation. For the record."
"Of course, sir," Tasha said and straightened her shoulders, unable to completely wipe the glow of victory from her features.
The facts were these:
After striding into the building, Tasha and Ned had been met by the racetrack's manager and escorted to his second-floor office. There, the chatty Bolian had willingly told them all he knew about Dilly and Tilly's relationship just as he'd told the police the night before. He'd bubbled over with racing-world gossip, happily sharing personnel files, racing stats, and holofootage he'd pulled from the track's archives. Along with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of tea and snacks.
During this incongruously jovial meeting, the two investigators learned Dilly Gherkin had been working as a jockey for five years, steadily climbing her way toward stardom, when Timothy "Tilly" Tillingham fell into her path.
More accurately, he'd been hurled from the stands onto the racetrack by a Ferengi's hired muscle.
Dilly and her horse, Sucrose Intoxication, had been running several lengths ahead of the pack at the time. But, rather than dodge the sudden obstacle, the skilled jockey had chosen to stop mere meters from the win that could have made her career, using her lead to herd the terrified man to the edge of the track. While the remaining horses charged past in a rush of clomping hooves and dust, Dilly had shielded the shaken stranger until the medics arrived. She'd lost the race, but saved the life and earned the undying devotion of a shy, determined, somewhat obsessive finance lawyer.
Unfortunately, she'd also earned the burning resentment of the Ferengi Tilly had been investigating and the Ferengi's Earth-born business partner, both of whom had bet heavily that Dilly's horse would come in first.
"That was the connection," Tasha proudly explained to her friends as the admiral and the police lieutenant nodded their heads. "The link between Tilly's investigation and the so-called "accident" that ended Dilly's racing career."
"Right, the accident..." Ned winced at the memory. "The way I heard it, Dilly's horse got spooked by some sound – comm system feedback or something. He reared unexpectedly and threw her into a nest of camera drones, shattering her hip, shoulder and spine. It was passed off as a technical glitch at the time, a genuine accident. But recovered footage shows that human business guy was there that day – and that time, he bet heavily against her even though she was favored to win."
"The police have reopened the case," Tasha told them. "But, this also explains why Dilly always blamed Tilly for her fall. The closer she and Tilly became, the more Dilly was targeted by the creeps Tilly was investigating – ultimately at the cost of her dreams and her job."
"That hurt her," Ned admitted. "A lot more than the broken spine. But Dilly refused to be intimidated. After that awful fall, Tilly was ready to quit. He tried to surprise her with a proposal and a horse farm, but she insisted he continue his investigation, putting their shared dreams on hold until the cheating creeps could be brought to justice. She came to work with me at the Pie Hole, and he warped off to Ferenginar."
"Which, we know, was a red herring," Tasha continued. "As Tilly himself revealed, that Ferengi was 'small potatoes.' Which leads us to our real murderer—"
"The Ferengi's human business partner," Ned said.
Geordi frowned. "But didn't Tilly say that guy was on Risa? How could he be the killer if he was off-world when Tilly was killed?"
"Ah," Ned said. "That would seem a perfect alibi – if not for one thing. Our last missing piece."
"The racetrack manager let us use the human's image from his security footage and send it to the Risan hospitality secretary," Tasha said. "She identified the man as Jem Dro-Keeli, a known gambler with a history of sketchy real-estate dealings."
"Apparently, she's been cooperating with Tilly's investigation for a while now," Ned told them. "In fact, she'd already done a fair bit of digging on her own, in anticipation of Tilly's arrival there."
"Turns out," Tasha revealed, "Jem Dro-Keeli has a Deltan grandmother!"
She lifted her chin, looking to Geordi and Data for their reactions. Geordi seemed appropriately flabbergasted, but Data's face seemed even blanker than before. Tasha's lips tightened against her teeth.
"So, what are you saying?" Geordi asked. "Dro-Keeli is a telepath?"
"He's untrained, and his abilities aren't nearly as strong as a full Deltan's would be," Tasha said keeping her eyes on Data a moment longer before shifting to share Geordi's enthusiasm. "But he did inherit telepathy and the ability to manipulate others via pheromones. Particularly…human females."
"Lt. Todd here talked to Dilly about him," Ned said, indicating the police officer. "Dilly swears she doesn't remember the guy, but I do. I saw that man in the Pie Hole the day before Tilly and you Starfleet folks came to town. He chose a large booth and stayed there though the entire lunch-hour rush. I remember, he kept calling her back to refill his water glass. At one point, he touched her face. Even from the back, I could tell how uncomfortable he was making her. But when I headed over, he headed out. If I'd known then who he was…what he was actually doing, I—"
"It's not your fault, Ned," Tasha said. "And it's not Dilly's either."
"That's right," Lt. Todd agreed. "Our department's mind-crimes expert confirms: this was a malicious, criminal violation. Without her knowledge or consent, Jem Dro-Keeli raised Dilly Gherkin's paranoia and sense of possessiveness to a level of temporary insanity. It was his malevolent influence that prompted her first to attack, then to stalk and murder Tilly."
Geordi furrowed his brow. "Wait – then Dilly did actually inject the poison?"
"Technically," Lt. Todd admitted. "But it is now apparent that she was under irresistible telepathic influence. Mind Crimes found her brain didn't even form memories of the incident."
"A perfect patsy," Geordi realized, his lip curling with anger. "Dro-Keeli used her like a puppet…eliminating the threat both she and Tilly posed to his criminal activities with one fatal blow."
"Dro-Keeli's manipulation of her mind and pheromones also explains why she was so flirty with Data that day," Tasha added. "And why she completely lost her shit when Tilly told her he had to leave for Risa so soon after returning from Ferenginar. Dro-Keeli even provided the poisoned hypospray. Stuck it in her uniform's pocket while she was refilling his drink."
She stood straighter and clasped her hands behind her back, looking Data square in the face.
"You were right, Data," she said. "Dilly's not responsible. You were right to believe her all along, and I apologize for doubting you. Is that what you've been waiting to hear?"
Data flinched just slightly and seemed to swallow. But he didn't respond or meet her eyes.
Tasha angrily looked away.
"Unfortunately, Dilly Gherkin's not the first to fall foul of Dro-Keeli and his pals," the police lieutenant said. "Cracking this case has shed light on a string of other financial and telepathic crimes we've been scrambling to connect. Now we have Dro-Keeli and his partners in custody, the whole tangled map is falling into place. You're a hero, Ms. Yar. You and Mr. Tompkins both."
"I agree," the admiral said, and held out her hand for Tasha to shake. "You've done well, Ms. Yar, given your...unusual circumstances. Strange as your and Mr. Tompkin's story might be, I'm inclined to believe you are who you claim to be."
Tasha's eyes widened and she clasped the admiral's hand a bit harder than she'd intended. Ned glanced at his gloved finger and shyly sank his hands into his pockets.
"You mean—!"
"I can't promise you'll be reinstated as Security Chief," the admiral said. "Or guarantee a starship posting. But I'll do what I can to get you back to active status. Lieutenant."
Tasha snapped to attention, blinking hard against the sting of unexpected tears.
"I appreciate that, Admiral. Thank you."
The admiral nodded smartly and marched off, followed by Lt. Todd who also took a moment to shake Tasha's hand, then Geordi's, before rejoining the rest of the busy police officers.
"So, Tasha," Geordi said, smiling. "Seems like Starfleet's willing to welcome you back! It must be a relief to— Wait…" He frowned and turned, scanning the bustling lobby with his VISOR. "Where's Data?"
"What do you mean?" Tasha stepped forward, scanning the crowd along with him. "He was just—"
"Over here!" Ned called, waving them toward the back exit.
Through the rain-spotted windows, they glimpsed Data's distinctly Holmesian coat and hat. He strode under the awning overlooking the muddy track, swiftly approaching a taller figure, nearly obscured by the stands.
A shadowy silhouette dressed all in black…
"My great-uncle!" Ned gasped, and raced out into the windy wet, trailed closely by Tasha and Geordi.
"Tasha," Geordi called after her. "Tasha, wait!"
The black-clad figure mumbled something to Data - something Geordi couldn't make out over the wind. Then, tipping his hat to Ned, he faded back into the shadows among the seats.
"Another anti-climax, I fear," Data said flatly, turning to face his friends as they approached. "It seems your would-be stalker has completed his observations, Tasha. He wished me to inform you he has determined the 'balance' can best be maintained if you continue to live the life that has been returned to you. He is, therefore, returning to his home on Cuore dei Cuori colony, with a promise never to approach you again."
The android lifted his chin, unconsciously mirroring the posture Tasha had struck mere minutes before. "You did it, Tasha," he praised. "You saved Dilly and solved the case. It is a pleasing outcome, and I am proud of all you have accomplished in this short time…on your own. I… I only wish…"
He blinked rapidly and swallowed hard. Steeling his features, he turned and strode stiffly back to the lobby, the door swinging closed behind him.
Ned and Geordi glanced at Tasha, who scrubbed her hands through her hair.
"All right, I'll go talk to him," she said, taking the lead as the two men fell in behind her.
But they didn't find Data in the lobby, or any of the side corridors. By the time they burst into the front parking lot, Data had already gone - sprinting through the rainy haze at a speed no human could hope to match.
Geordi sighed and clenched his fists, staring after his friend until the android's distant silhouette had vanished over the hill.
"Data..."
To Be Concluded...
References Include: Star Trek: The Motion Picture; TNG: Violations, The Price, Tin Man.
Next Up: The Conclusion! And, maybe an epilogue. Stay tuned, and thanks so much for your patience with me and my stories. Your thoughts, comments and reviews are always welcome! :)