Kiva finished cleaning up, turned off the shower, toweled off, and opened the door to find Sergeant Pitof directly on the other side.

“You know there’s an easier way to find those people,” Pitof said.

“You fucking listened at the door?” Kiva said, incredulous.

“Yes.”

“What did you hear?”

“Most of what was said after you turned on the speaker.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Just because we had sex doesn’t mean I stop doing my job, Lady Kiva.”

Kiva opened her mouth and then closed it. “I have no good response to that,” she said, finally. “Now tell me what you mean about there being an easier way to find these people.”

“Everyone who arrives at any imperial station for permanent immigration has to let customs know where they are staying. Immigration needs to keep track of them until they are cleared for permanent residency.”

“So customs knows where they are.”

“Probably.”

“Sometimes people lie about where they are going.”

Pitof shook her head. “You have to present your hotel reservation or the name and address of the people with whom you are staying before you leave customs, and check in once you arrive.”

“And then you walk out the door and are never heard from again.”

“At the very least you’ll be one step closer to finding them than you are at the moment.”

“So how do I talk to customs?”

“You don’t. I do.”

“Why would you help me?”

“There’s no reason I couldn’t help you. Just as long as you know that I’m going to report everything I do for you to my boss.”

Kiva arched an eyebrow. “Probably not everything.”

“No, I’ll report the sex too.”

This gave Kiva pause. “Isn’t it actually unethical to fuck the person you’re trailing?”

Sergeant Pitof shrugged. “I was told to keep you close.”

Kiva laughed at this. “I think I like you, Sergeant Pitof. You’re my kind of asshole.”

“Thank you, Lady Kiva. Now tell me those names again. I couldn’t really make them out over the sound of your showering.”

* * *

Taffyd and Chun Lewyyn were staying on Imperial Station, at a moderately priced hotel called the Primrose. That was no good for Kiva; she was stuck on Hub. She’d deal with them later. She was waiting for information on Geork Broshning when she heard a crash and then screaming in the hotel lobby. Kiva reached into the closet for a robe and then opened the door and looked down three floors into the hotel atrium, and the crumpled body there, looking up at the ceiling of the hotel, sixteen stories up.

“Found him,” Sergeant Pitof said, from the room. She put on the other robe and walked out into the walkway to show Kiva the information on the tablet, which included a picture of Broshning.