[Jedi Apprentice] - 11(20)

Zan Arbor waved her hand at the room. “I don’t feel comfortable with all this. But the conference is paying for it. I’m used to a more… practical environment. I spend most of my time in my lab.” She turned luminous gray eyes to them. “What can I do for you?”

“We are investigating a murder,” Qui-Gon said. “Someone you spoke with at the Senate. His name was High. He posed as a Senatorial aide and gave you a card for Didi’s restaurant - “

“Of course, I remember,” Zan Arbor said immediately. “He had one green eye. He praised the food and atmosphere of this place. I don’t know Coruscant very well, so I followed up on the tip.”

“Why did you leave the cafŠ so abruptly tonight?” Qui-Gon asked.

The scientist gave a low laugh. “Because my guests were miserable. It was not what I had been led to expect. I know that sounds snobbish, but I was trying to make a good impression. The conference has a number of grants for scientific projects. I need funding.” She shrugged slender shoulders. “So we came back here and the hotel accommodated us.” She paused. “But why should my dinner have anything to do with this person’s death?”

Instead of answering, Qui-Gon asked another question. “You are friends with Senator S’orn?” “Yes.”

“And you know that her son died, and how he died, I presume,” Qui-Gon said.

Zan Arbor nodded, but a frosty look took over her warm gaze. “Of course I do. I hardly think it’s your business. That was a great tragedy for Uta.”

“Not for you, though,” Qui-Gon stated.

She gave him a hard look. “No. I was sorry for my friend, but it was not a personal tragedy. What are you implying?”

“Nothing at all,” Qui-Gon said easily. “We are just investigating. Could I have a list of the guests at your dinner?”

“Why?” Zan Arbor asked, irritation now coloring her even tone.

“Because someone attacked the owner and his daughter after your party left,” Qui-Gon answered. “I don’t think it’s necessary, but later it might help if we could question them.”

“I hardly think…” Zan Arbor’s irritated tone ended in a shrug. “Why not. I have nothing to hide.” She crossed to a desk and scrawled some names on a durasheet, then handed it to Obi-Wan. He tucked it in his tunic.

She sat down again. “Can I ask you what Ren S’orn’s murder has to do with this Fligh person, or the attack at the cafŠ?”

“Maybe nothing at all,” Qui-Gon said.

The scientist’s gaze was cool. “I think I’m beginning to understand. You don’t want information from me. You think I may be involved.”

“I did not mean to imply that,” Qui-Gon said.

“Yet here you are,” she pointed out crisply. “I assume you know who I am.”

Qui-Gon nodded.

“I’m not accustomed to someone coming to my private quarters and linking me to a murder. Murder is not a topic that is familiar to me. I live in the world of transgenic research. So you must forgive me if I’m a little confused and upset.”

“Of course,” Qui-Gon said. “Murder is an upsetting topic.”

Zan Arbor gave a brief smile. “Especially for the victim. Let’s finish this. What else do you need to know?”

“Why didn’t you report the theft of your data pad?” Qui-Gon asked. “You must have been upset about it.”

“I was not upset. I have backup of all my files on data cards.”

“Uta S’orn was upset,” Qui-Gon said.

“She had a reason to be,” Zan Arbor answered, an edge to her voice. “She had private information on that data pad. She was forced to resign before pushing through an important piece of legislation.”

“Do you happen to know what that is?” Obi-Wan asked. He had been content to watch Qui-Gon ask the questions. But the legislation had come up before, and he was curious to know what it was.

“Yes. Uta told me all about it. I wasn’t that interested, frankly. My head is full of science. But apparently she was trying to put together a coalition of planets to join together to fight some sort of black market tech gang. She probably had all the votes she needed. But her resignation changed that. Without her to hold the alliance together, things will probably fall apart. Are we through?”

Obi-Wan did not look at Qui-Gon, but elation surged through him. This was a crucial clue. The Tech Raiders had a reason to want to discredit Senator S’orn. She was trying to pass a law that could lead to their destruction. Helb knew both Fligh and Didi. Here was the link. No doubt Helb had recruited Fligh to steal the Senator’s data pad. Fligh had gone further and stolen the scientist’s; most likely for his own profit. All they had to do now was figure out how Didi was involved.