Star Wars_ The Han Solo Trilogy 03_ Rebel Dawn - A. C. Crispin [47]
Han watched the line of Corellians shuffling into the waiting transport, and shook his head. “Some people are just too dumb to live, Chewie,” he said.
Or too desperate, the Wookiee rejoined.
“Yeah, well, just another reminder to me that stickin’ your neck out is a good way to get your head chopped off,” Han said, disgustedly, as he turned his back on the doomed Corellians and began walking away. “Next time I think about doin’ that, pal, I want you to give me a Wookiee love-tap that will put me on my butt. You’d think after all these years I’d learn.…”
Chewie promised, and, together, they walked away.
Despite the fact that he had his undersized hands full running Besadii, Durga the Hutt refused to give up his search to find his parent’s murderer. Six members of the household staff had died under rigorous interrogation, but there was absolutely no indication that any of them had been involved.
If the household staff was innocent, then how had Aruk been poisoned? Durga had another conversation with Myk Bidlor, who confirmed this time that there were traces of X-1 in Aruk’s digestive tract. The lethal substance had indeed been eaten.
Durga terminated the communication, and went for a long undulation, roaming the halls of his palace, thinking. His expression was so forbidding that his staff—already highly nervous, and understandably so—fled before his approach as though he were an evil spirit from the Outer Darkness.
In his mind, the young Besadii lord was going over the last months of his parent’s life, mentally ticking off every moment of every day. Everything Aruk had eaten had come from their own kitchens, prepared by the staff of chefs—including the ones now deceased. (He made a mental note to hire two new chefs.…)
Durga had had the entire kitchen and the servants’ quarters scanned for any trace of X-1. Nothing. The only place that they’d picked up even the smallest hint of the substance had been on the floor in Aruk’s office, not far from his usual parking spot for his repulsor sled. And that had been just the barest trace.
Durga frowned, contorting his birthmark-stained features into something resembling a demon-mask. Something was niggling at him. A memory. Niggling … wiggling … niggling …
Wiggling … wriggling! The nala-tree frogs!
Suddenly the memory was there, sharp and clear. Aruk, belching as he reached for yet another live nala-tree frog. Up until now, Durga had never considered the possibility that the poison could have been delivered by means of a living creature—after all, it seemed only reasonable that the creature would die from the poison long before it could be ingested.
But what if nala-tree frogs were immune to the effects of X-1? What if their tissues had been filled with ever-increasing amounts of X-1, without affecting them?
Aruk had loved his nala-tree frogs. He’d eaten them every day, sometimes as much as a dozen of them every day.
“Osman!” Durga bellowed. “Fetch me the scanner! Bring it straight to Aruk’s office!”
The Chevin appeared briefly, acknowledged the order, and then vanished. The sounds of his running feet faded into the distance. Durga began undulating at top speed toward his parent’s sanctum.
When he reached there, he was only seconds ahead of the panting servant, who was carrying the scanning device. Durga grabbed it from his hands, then rushed into the office. Where is it? he thought, looking wildly around.
Yes, there! he realized, heading for the corner. Standing in the corner, forgotten, was Aruk’s old snackquarium. He’d used