Mica and Obi-Wan rushed to join her on the couch, anxious to offer support. Qui-Gon stumbled back until he was sitting, facing the other three. Lena looked so much smaller than she had before. Less capable of deception, somehow.
Qui-Gon felt himself diminish as Lena’s waves of grief washed into him, adding to the sea of sadness that never stopped pounding in his heart. Her words touched him deeply, and he had no more doubts about her sincerity. He, too, knew how the fact of a loved one’s absence could strike with as savage a blow as the first realization. He knew that moment when the future ahead seemed empty and impossible to bear.
“The loved ones we have lost are always with us,” Qui-Gon said. He was surprised to hear himself speaking, and surprised by his words. But they rendered comfort. Suddenly, it did feel as if Tahl were nearby, and the storm inside of him quieted a little.
There was a moment of thoughtful silence in the room. Obi-Wan gazed at his Master, his eyes full of compassion. And for the first time Qui-Gon did not feel the need to look away.
Lena’s grief seemed to lift, and she looked at the Jedi Master gratefully. “It’s true,” she said, nodding. “Rutin is looking after me even now. He must have sent this package some time ago and arranged to have it delivered today. I’m sure it is meant to help me find evidence. He must have known that any information on the computer would be a target. He knew I would need something more.”
Qui-Gon noticed that Mica paled as Lena spoke of the computer. He wondered if she was embarrassed that her plan hadn’t worked, or frightened by the possibility that more evidence existed.
The young widow took no notice of her cousin. Her tears had stopped and the familiar strength was returning. Lena gathered the boots from the table and held them in her lap. “I haven’t figured out the clue yet, but I will,” she said firmly.
“Just please don’t rush off like that again,” Mica told her. “You scared me to death. We searched the park for hours.”
Lena frowned. “The park…” she murmured.
Obi-Wan stared at the strange items on the table, then suddenly spoke. “Rutin had the package delivered to you here. So, he must have known about the hideout.”
“Of course,” Lena said. “Rutin was the one who secured this place. He was planning to hide here himself while he waited to be smuggled off the planet.”
Suddenly, Lena leaped to her feet, knocking the boots aside. “I almost forgot,” she cried, pulling a datapad from her pocket. “While I was out I went by my apartment to see if I’d received a message from Zanita. She sent this.”
CHAPTER 13
The sky outside the warehouse had darkened to a milky gray. Qui-Gon peered around the portal screens that masked the people inside from the streets below. It was getting late and the alleys were deserted.
“Meeting with Zanita is an unnecessary risk,” Qui-Gon stated as he left the portal and paced the floor. He suddenly felt that leaving the planet as soon as possible was the best course of action. “We have the clues from Rutin, and should work with that. We do not need to place you or your mother-in-law in further danger.”
“She’s taking a risk because I asked her to,” Lena argued. “I can’t just let her wait in vain.”
With a frown, Qui-Gon looked at the message on the datapad again.
TRANSPORT LOADING STATION, DOCK 12
10 P.M. TONIGHT
ALONE
FOR RUTIN
“I never should have gotten Zanita involved,” Lena lamented. “But it is too late to change that now. If I can go alone, I can talk to her and convince her that I’ve changed my mind. I’ll tell her I’m scared and have decided to leave the planet. Then we will all be safer.”
Qui-Gon had to admit that it was not a bad plan. It would buy them some time and could even help them get off planet easier. He nodded his assent.
“But we won’t let you go alone,” Obi-Wan said. Mica looked relieved to hear this.
“Of course not,” Qui-Gon echoed. “It is not safe.”
“It is the only way I can convince Zanita,” Lena argued. “She saw you at the estate. Surely she knows you are here representing the Galactic Republic. I will not be able to convince her I’ve changed my mind if she sees I am accompanied by Jedi!”
“We are here for your protection,” Qui-Gon said firmly. And to make sure you are what you say you are. Learning that Lena had returned to her apartment when she was alone had once again aroused Qui-Gon’s suspicions. She could have done any number of things while she was there. Though he accepted the sincerity of her grief, he would not lose sight of the fact that there could be pressures on her that he knew nothing about.