Star Wars_ Tales From Jabba's Palace - Kevin J. Anderson [61]
When he turned the next corner, he saw Quella and Ah Kwan walking quickly away from him.
“Good evening,” he snuffled cautiously.
Both humans whirled to face him; Ah Kwan grabbed the handle of his knife again.
“Yeah?” Ah Kwan’s eyes shifted from Gartogg to each of his burdens and back. “What do you want?”
Gartogg spoke as slowly and carefully as he could, with a minimum of snuffling. “See anybody?”
“Anybody like who?” Ah Kwan demanded.
“Is that the same guard?” Quella asked. “The one who chased us? Is that him?”
“You got me,” said Ah Kwan. “All the Gamorreans look alike to me.”
“Killer,” Gartogg said clearly. “Looking for killer.”
“He wants to know if we saw a killer,” said Quella.
“How recently?” Ah Kwan grimaced at the kitchen boy. “He’s been dead for some time.”
“This not dead,” said Gartogg, jiggling the limp monk slightly. “Just meditating.”
“You think the same person killed them both?” Quella asked.
“Meditating,” said Gartogg, still struggling to speak plainly. “This one.” He wiggled the monk again.
“You think he’s right?” Ah Kwan asked quietly.
“Aw, who knows around this place?” Quella clutched Ah Kwan’s arm. “People get killed here all the time. Let’s go, all right?”
“Yeah.”
“See killer?” Gartogg snuffled uncertainly.
“No, we didn’t see anybody.” Ah Kwan shrugged. “It’s been a long night. We were down in the audience chamber. That Jedi Knight got thrown to the rancor, but he survived.”
“Jedi came here?” Gartogg had missed something else good.
“Yeah, and he killed the rancor.”
Gartogg grunted in shock. “Killed rancor?”
“It was a great fight,” said Quella.
“Not so loud,” Ah Kwan whispered. “Someone might think we like that Jedi.”
“Jedi killed rancor?” Gartogg repeated.
“Yeah, but Jabba’s taking him with the smuggler and the Wookiee to the Great Pit of Carkoon.”
Gartogg snuffled thoughtfully.
The two humans nodded politely and walked away arm in arm.
Gartogg studied the rotting kitchen boy, then turned to the monk’s immobile face. “That it? Eh? Mm!”
Grunting and snuffling sternly, he shifted his burdens slightly and headed for the sail-barge docking area. It would be a good place to sit down with his two companions. The mystery would require more thought and he didn’t have much time.
Thumping footsteps woke Gartogg in the docking area. He had dozed off for a few minutes, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall between the other two; they too sat propped on each side of him. As Ortugg stopped in front of him, Gartogg struggled to his feet.
“Gartogg!” Ortugg glowered at him. “What are you doing here?”
“Solved mystery!” Gartogg gurgled sleepily.
“Yeah? Well, make it quick. I sent Rogua and the other guards down to the dungeon to drag the prisoners up here.” Ortugg pointed to the motionless monk. “You got another one? So who killed them?”
“Not killed—meditating.”
“Speak in complete sentences, you idiot!”
“Conspiracy!” Gartogg drew himself up proudly.
“Eh?” Ortugg cocked his porcine head, eyeing Gartogg with more regard than usual. “You uncovered a conspiracy?”
“Aha!” Gartogg shouted. “You wanted to kill Ak-Buz the Weequay sail-barge captain, because he might have invited me on board himself!”
“What?” Ortugg blinked blankly.
“But you didn’t kill him. Instead, Porcellus the cook put him to sleep with special sleeping recipes in the plastifoam appetizer!”
“Plastifoam? That’s packing material, not an appetizer. Why—”
“Not finished!” Gartogg declared, holding his head high. He nodded toward Phlegmin. “Kitchen boy was friend of Ephant Mon!”
“Yeah, so?”
“I know because he was found near Ephant Mon’s quarters!”
“But what about it?”
“Ree-Yees said so!”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Ortugg demanded.
“Conspiracy!”
“Go on, get to the point!” Ortugg glared angrily.
“So, Malakili the rancor keeper needs no extra rancor food!”
“Gartogg, you bag of rancor droppings! What