The Only Witness Page 3

  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-Con 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 g
uests 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."

  CHAPTER 5

  Zanita sat quietly for another long moment. When she looked up, there

  were tears in her eyes. "There is a set of documents," she said slowly. "I

  think I can get them for you. But you must promise me that you will not

  link my name to the testimony in any way."

  "Of course not, Zanita," Lena assured her. She squeezed her mother-

  in-law's shoulder. "I know the violence and corruption are not your doing."

  Zanita seemed to become empowered while her mind worked. It reminded

  Qui-Gon of Lena. "It will take me some time to get the documents. Perhaps

  by tomorrow night," she said. "I must be very, very careful. If Solan were

  to suspect - "

  Suddenly a loud voice boomed just outside the library door. Qui-Gon's

  face registered concern. It was a man's voice, and it sounded angry.

  Lena let go of her mother-in-law's arm and put a finger to her lips.

  Without wasting a second she got to her feet and ducked behind a heavy

  curtain covering the library's transparisteel portal.

  A moment later the door slid open and Solan thundered into the room.

  "Mother," he said sternly, looking at her as if she were a child who needed

  scolding. "What are you doing in here?"

  Zanita looked evenly at her son. She was not a child, and it appeared

  that she did not appreciate being treated like one. "I was just having a

  moment to myself," she replied simply. Her face showed no sign of fear.

  Solan tapped his foot on the floor impatiently. "You are the hostess

  of your son's birthday celebration," he stated. "It is not appropriate for

  you to slip away to have a moment to yourself. If necessary you can do that

  when the party is over."

  "Stop bullying me, Solan. This is my house, and I'll do as I like."

  She looked her son in the face.

  Solan blinked and stepped backward. "Juno needs you in the kitchen,"

  he said more quietly. "He is not clear about which service platters you

  would like to use for dinner."

  "Fine. I will go and discuss it with him," Zanita replied.

  "Good. Then come back to the party."

  Zanita did not acknowledge the fact that her son had just given her

  an order. Instead she followed him easily out of the library. She did not

  turn around as the door quietly closed behind her.

  After waiting a few moments, Lena left the room as well. Minutes

  later she met up with the Jedi in the guard station.

  "I assume you heard all of that," she said. "He infuriates me,

  talking to his own mother like that. Sometimes I wish she'd really put him

  in his place." Her voice quieted. "But I suppose that might get her killed.

  "

  Lena paused while her quick mind moved on to the next thought. Her

  eyes were suddenly lit with excitement. Qui-Gon wasn't sure if it was the

  thrill of escape or the result of the meeting with her mother-in-law.

  "Isn't it great?" she asked, perhaps a little too brightly. "Zanita

  is going to help us. I knew she would. Leave it to a woman to understand

  that the violent ways of the crime world can only lead to destruction and

  hate."

  Qui-Gon could not help but think of Jenna Zan Arbor, a mad female

  scientist who had conducted horrible experiments on live human subjects -

  including him. He knew many women who lived lives of crime and violence.

  But he didn't say anything.

  "Anyway, I'm very relieved. The meeting couldn't have gone better."

  "It does look as though your mother-in-law is willing to help you get

  testimony," Qui-Gon agreed. "Let's just hope she keeps her word."

  Lena nodded as she turned back to the security screens. "We still

  have to get out of here without being discovered," she said. She looked at

  each screen in turn, noting the whereabouts of everyone in the house. Qui-

  Gon knew she was trying to figure out the best time to leave.

  "Follow me," Lena said after a moment. She slid open the guard

  station door and peered into the hallway. She motioned to the Jedi, and

  they all stepped out of the room. Zanita was still in the cooking quarters

  with Juno, so they left through another, rarely used entrance at the side

  of the mansion.

  As they made their way outside, Qui-Gon considered the Cobral family.

  On the surface they appeared like any other family - close and loving, but

  not without tension. Beneath the surface, however, lay dark ties. There was

  fear there, and possibly hatred as well.

  Of course, this did not entirely surprise Qui‑Gon. A family that

  ruled a planet with corruption and violence was bound to have a sinister

  web woven within it.

  Distracted by his own thoughts, Qui-Gon did not sense any nearby

  danger. It was Obi-Wan who cried out first.

  "Look out!" he shouted, pushing Qui-Gon and Lena away from their

  landspeeder.

  As the three of them tumbled to the ground, a huge metal statue

  thundered down where they had been standing. It crashed into the front end

  of their landspeeder, missing them by mere centimeters.

  Their vehicle was destroyed. And if not for a few seconds of warning,

  they might have been killed, too.

  CHAPTER 6

  The Jedi and L
ena were still on the ground when Zanita and Juno came

  rushing out the cooking quarters door. Qui-Gon felt Lena tense at the sight

  of the servant, and for a brief moment Juno glared at her. But his face

  shifted quickly into a look of concern.

  "Are you all right?" he asked, holding out a hand to help her up.

  Lena got to her feet on her own and brushed herself off. "Fine," she

  replied briskly. She casually scanned the area to see if anyone else was

  coming. It was a good thing they had parked their vehicle on the opposite

  side of the mansion from the entertaining quarters.