The Dark Lady

instincts urging me to join the two humans in front of me.
    “What's the matter, Leonardo?” asked Heath, suddenly noticing my posture. “Did you injure yourself?”
    “No.”
    “Then what's wrong?”
    “Nothing,” I said, not wishing to discuss my observations in Peres’ presence.
    Heath stared at me, shrugged, and continued walking. We came to the tavern a moment later, and gratefully entered its cool interior. It was relatively empty, with two groups of men clustered around two large tables, drinking and engaging in desultory conversation. Around the periphery of the room sat three other men, hard-faced and unsmiling, dressed in nondescript browns and grays, seated at small individual tables. One of them toyed with a glass of whiskey, the second was playing solitaire, and the third, somewhat older than the other two, was simply sitting with his elbows propped up on his table, his hat drawn low over his head, his eyes closed. Something about them fascinated and terrified me, and I moved closer to Heath, glancing furtively at each in turn.
    “Well, Mr. Peres,” said Heath, walking to an empty table, “what does one drink on Acheron?”
    “I'll take a brandy,” replied Peres as he and I joined Heath and sat down at the table. “But visitors usually prefer beer, at least until they adjust to the climate.” He stared directly at me. “I don't know what the hell you drink.”
    “I think Leonardo could use a glucose solution,” remarked Heath, turning to me. “I've never seen you so pale. You must be dehydrated.”
    My hue reflected my fear, of course, but I did not dare say so. “I will be fine as soon as I recover from the heat,” I replied. “I would like a glass of water, please.”
    “Water it is,” said Heath, looking down at the tabletop computer and frowning. “I see the buttons for brandy and beer, but I can't find water listed here.”
    “It doesn't work anyway,” said Peres. “Not all that much on Acheron does. I'll take care of it.”
    He walked to the bar and returned a moment later, carrying our various drinks on a tray, which he set on the table in front of Heath, and slightly beyond my reach. Heath, seeming more amused than offended by his attitude toward non-humans, simply passed the water over to me.
    “So tell me, Mr. Peres,” said Heath, drinking half of his beer in a single swallow, “how did Sergio Mallachi die?”
    “He was killed right here in this tavern.”
    “By some killer he was hunting down?”
    “I suppose you could say so,” replied Peres.
    “That sounds like a very ambiguous answer,” noted Heath.
    “He was a killer, all right— but that's not why Mallachi came after him.” Peres sipped his brandy. “It was over the woman. She had left Mallachi a few months ago and hooked up with this youngster, and Mallachi came here looking to kill him. Called him out right there in the middle of the floor, and the Kid killed him.”
    “Well,” said Heath, “nobody ever said being a bounty hunter made him a good insurance risk.”
    “True enough,” agreed Peres.
    “And you say he was killed by a young man?”
    “Right. Everyone just calls him the Kid.” Peres smiled a knowing smile. “Not many men use their real names out here on the Frontier— especially if they're wanted by the law.”
    “And the woman?” asked Heath intently. “What happened to her?”
    “She's right here,” replied Peres calmly.
    “Here?” repeated Heath, startled. “In this building?”
    Peres shook his head. “No. Here on Acheron. She's down the street, locked away in the jail.”
    “What did she do?”
    “Not a damned thing,” said Peres.
    “Then I don't understand... ”
    “The Kid's still on Acheron,” explained Peres. “He's out in the desert somewhere.”
    “You're sure?”
    Peres nodded. “As long as his ship's here, we know he hasn't left the planet.”
    Heath nodded toward the three men. “Then what are these bounty hunters doing here? They should be out looking for him.”
    “The Kid has used Acheron as his headquarters for close to five years, and he knows those mine tunnels better than anyone. A man would have to be crazy to go in there and try to dig him out, especially when we've got better ways to bring him back.”
    “You're using the woman as bait?”
    “That's right.”
    “How do you know he won't leave without her?”
    “There's two more bounty hunters out by his ship.”
    “If his hideout is well equipped, he could stay out there for