The Tau Ceti Transmutation (Amazon) Read Online Free

ok?”
    Valerie lifted her head back up. “Um…yes. Sorry. I got distracted. So, how about you? How did you get into investigation?”
    I leaned into the cab’s plush bench. “That’s a long, boring tale. I doubt you’d be interested in hearing it.”
    “Oh, nonsense,” said Valerie. “I’m sure there’s a compelling story behind it.”
    I snorted. “Well, that’s very kind of you, but I assure you there isn’t. My job isn’t nearly as exciting as you seem to think it is.”
    “What Rich is trying to convey,” said Carl, “is that he’s struggled to find a profession that evokes the same passion in him that baking has evoked in you.”
    “Oh. Well, I suppose I can understand that,” said Valerie. “But private investigation seems like a rather odd back-up plan.”
    I shrugged. “What can I say. I’ve always loved mysteries. I just expected there to be more of them in this gig, and for them to be less pet-oriented.”
    Valerie raised an eyebrow, but I didn’t elaborate. Stories about my occasional cat-scapades weren’t exactly the panty-dropping tales of action and adventure women craved from potential mates.
    Got that right, said Paige. I’d almost rather rehash your Smashblocks high scores. Almost…
    Carl took the lead, quizzing our client about a few more details related to her apartment and the state of it post-break-in, but the ear which I half-lent toward the conversation didn’t pick up anything of interest. Soon enough, the car slid to a stop in front of a glossy, steel high-rise.
    “This is it,” said Valerie. “I’m on the fifth floor.”
    We unbuckled ourselves and followed Valerie into the residential tower, a sleek, retro-style building with polished black marble floors, chrome light fixtures, and muted grayscale paint choices. A lift zipped us up to the fifth floor, where we stopped in front of a snow-colored translucent Pseudaglas door. Valerie pressed her thumb into a small reader at the side, and the door winked open.
    A vacuum bot buffed the speckled tile floor as we entered, but upon spotting us it spun off and hid in its charging alcove in the corner. Unlike the modern, austere entryway and hallways of the apartment building, Valerie’s place was warm and inviting. To my right, plush sofa chairs lounged over a thick, fuzzy rug, one with a swirled floral pattern full of bright yellows, muted oranges, and earthy browns. To my left, padded highchairs rubbed elbows at an eat-in bar outside the kitchen—a roomy, modern space filled with stand mixers and gadgets giving credence to the idea that Valerie actually prepared her own food. Light flooded into the open-concept living space, streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows on the opposite side of the entrance.
    “Nice digs,” I said. “From your choice of apartment buildings, I was afraid you’d be the modern décor type.”
    “Thanks,” said Valerie. “I find traditional stylings are more aesthetically pleasing even if they’re harder to maintain, but the bots take care of that, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?”
    “I don’t care much about the looks,” I said. “But I do prefer a seat to have a cushion on it. Maybe on planets that pull less than a couple Gs people can survive on unpadded chairs, but it’s an unnecessary cruelty around here.”
    “So, I’m guessing you’ll want to look around?” said Valerie.
    I nodded. “Carl, you want to start with the kitchen?”
    “Seeing as I’m better suited to the task than you are, I probably should,” he said. “Miss Meeks, could I see your palm?”
    “I suppose,” she said, extending her hand before her. “What for?”
    Carl took her hand gently, glancing at each of her five fingers before releasing her. “Well, I can cycle my optical sensors to filter different wavelengths of light into my detectors. By varying the filters, I can see fingerprints on surfaces—something Rich isn’t able to do given his organic limitations. While we don’t have the