Edge of Dawn (43 page)
Authors: Melinda Snodgrass
“Make sure he eats some breakfast, okay?”
Weber, looking poleaxed, watched her enter the elevator. The doors closed on her broad smile.
Richard watched as Mosi and Weber ate some of Franz's
casse-croûte.
He gave Mosi time to brush her teeth and get into her pajamas, then went into the room to bid her good night. Richard sat on the edge of the pretty canopy bed. Mosi sat up and wrapped her arms around his waist. He returned the embrace.
“There are still monsters ⦠out there, aren't there?”
“Yes.”
She nodded. “We'll fight them.”
“Yes, we will. Good night, Mosi.”
He returned to the living room. Kenntnis stood at the side of the B
ö
sendorfer grand piano, and Richard realized it was silent. When the alien had been intact, his presence pulled soft chords from musical instruments all around him. Since his capture and illness, the sounds had been discordant. Tonight it was silent. Richard wondered what that might portend.
Weber sat on the couch, arms outstretched along the back. “So, couch for me? Or are we taking the twin beds?”
“Kenntnis will sleep there.”
“The master bedroomâ¦?” Weber's voice trailed away.
“Is mine. Ours.” Richard held out his hand.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
Richard moved to the desk in the office and looked at the books, the paperweight, the bookends. Jeannette, poised at his side, waited for him to speak.
“Grenier's?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Get rid of it. All of it. Please.”
“Of course, sir. May I throw it away?”
“Be my guest.”
Richard fell silent and studied the room, noted the artâone Impressionist painting and a number of Renaissance pieces. The predominantly red-toned geometric-style Oriental rug underfoot.
“Jeannette, I'd like to keep the Degas, but I want to replace the others with some of the modern pieces from my apartment. They're nowhere near as valuable, but they're more to my taste. They're in storage right now. Maybe you could send Estevan?”
“Of course. What would you like done with these pieces?” She indicated the art currently on the walls.
“We have plenty of wall space on the various floors. No reason why other people can't enjoy them.”
“Very good.”
“Also, do we have any other rugs? Something less dark. You know my taste.”
“We have photos of all of Mr. Kenntnis's possessions. I'll narrow it down to a few choices and bring them to you.”
“That would be great.” He went to his chair and readjusted it back to his height.
Jeannette paused at the door. “It's good to have you back, sir.”
“Good to be back.”
“May I ask you a question?”
“Certainly.”
“Why now?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why are you making changes now?”
Richard met her eyes squarely. “Because Lumina is mine.”
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MELINDA SNODGRASS
was a story editor and executive script consultant on
Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Her acclaimed episode “The Measure of a Man” was nominated for the Writer's Guild Award for outstanding writing in a drama series. With George R. R. Martin, she cocreated the popular Wild Cards series of shared-world novels and anthologies. She lives in New Mexico. You can sign up for email updates
here
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TOR BOOKS BY
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Contents
Tor Books by Melinda Snodgrass
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE EDGE OF DAWN
Copyright © 2015 by Melinda Snodgrass
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Chris McGrath
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Tor
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is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to [email protected].
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-0-7653-3816-7 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-3781-2 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466837812
First Edition: August 2015