“Sarge, can you explain what’s happening with the competition today?” asked Harrison, the next morning.

“Since I am part of the bowling contingent, let me explain,” said Dino. “I need to continue practicing talking to non-Rheinon.”

I waved assent. After all, we should listen to the diplomat occasionally.

“Today will be the first half of Round Two of the Intergalactic Bowling Competition. There will be a total of six games played. Three will be in the morning, and three in the afternoon. And then the bowlers will do it again tomorrow for the second half of Round Two.”

“A lot of this information I already know,” said Harrison, “but I want to make sure I have it absolutely right before I scrutinize the participants.”

“Looking for something out-of-place?” I asked.

“Always,” said Harrison. “So how many teams will be competing?”

“The first round of the competition culminated in one team being chosen from each world. So there will be five teams in Round Two. After the two days of Round Two competition, based on the total of twelve games, the top two teams will go on to Round Three to determine the winner of the tournament,” said Dino.

“Clarify this point thing I’ve been hearing about in regards to the BRITE Alliance,” said Harrison.

“Worlds are awarded points for many things. This competition is the last way to gain points to determine the next galactic administrator. It is very unusual for the points to be so close. There are two worlds that have the highest totals, with Tristor slightly ahead. However, if Tristor does not win the tournament, they will most likely come in second.”

“Hence, the Tristorian bowlers dropping like flies,” said Harrison.

Dino looked at me.

I knew he didn’t understand Harrison’s comment. “The murderers seem to be targeting Tristorian bowlers.”

“Ah, yes, that is a reasonable conclusion,” said Dino.

I twisted the ring on my right hand while we waited for the second round to begin at Revolutions.

“Well I, for one, will be keeping an eye on anyone near a Tristorian,” said Harrison, before he left us.

“Ambassador, what do you really think of Harrison’s theory about Tristorians being targeted?” I said.

“It is not a bad concept. Politics have created stranger happenings.”

Why did it always come down to politics? I wondered. “So why do you think Skitem-Carry was killed? Oh, and has he been replaced?” The bowling congress would require the appropriate number of officials.

“Yes, there is a new official. As for why Skitem-Carry was killed, this puzzles me also. The other deaths were of bowlers, so their murders are somewhat understandable. But Skitem-Carry was an official, so I am at a loss for an explanation. You might continue to inquire why he was late that one morning,” said Dino.

“Anyone in particular who might know why he was late that day?” I asked. And why does he want me to focus on this bit of information?

Dino shook his head—at least that’s what I thought he did. “This is an unsolved question, as far as I am concerned.”

Was Dino trying to tell me something? “Why don’t you watch the bowling? I’m going to wander about.”

Dino sat on an extra chair behind one of the tables. Because of his diplomatic and sidekick status, he didn’t need to stay in the stands. I walked around the second floor studying the players.

At the end lane, I encountered Harrison. “I had this feeling you wanted to say something earlier.”

“Yes, I did. However, I’m not very comfortable with what I want to say,” said Harrison.

“Spit it out. How bad can it be?” I had no idea where his thoughts were going.

Harrison blew out a breath. “I think Brian should be a person of interest in the slaying at The Peak. If you believe Ugon didn’t do it, then Brian is the only other viable possibility.”

I now understood his discomfort. “There’s no way I can believe Brian is a murderer. Why would he do that?”

Harrison shook his head. “I don’t know, but you should keep an open mind, Sarge.”

I thought for a moment. “Why don’t you go and look at the physical evidence that was collected. I don’t mean look at the pictures—go look in the evidence boxes. Maybe something will strike you.”

Harrison paced. “And, Sarge, when I took a closer look at the tapes from The Peak, I noticed something. Brian went to the bathroom earlier, just after he arrived at the restaurant. When he entered the men’s room the first time, there was a bulge in his jacket pocket. When he left the washroom, the bulge seemed to have disappeared.” Harrison’s suspicions were obvious.

“Were the tapes clear?”

“Not really.”

“So you might be mistaken?” Not very tactful on my part, I realized. I needed to remember how good a detective Harrison had always proven to be.

“I don’t believe so. I’ll send you copies of the footage I found.”

Obviously, my reluctance to embrace Harrison’s observations began to irritate him.

“I trust you, Harrison. I promise to examine your evidence closely. Now, go check out the boxes.”

Harrison perked up. “I’ll do that right now,” he said, and took off.

This whole discussion made me uncomfortable but, like Harrison had pointed out, I needed to keep an open mind.

Reaching Dino’s location, I noticed he watched only one team. “What are you up to?” I asked.

“You humans have a unique way of throwing the ball. I find it fascinating. I hoped I would be able to figure out the different bowling styles. There are different ones, aren’t there?”

“Yes, there are. Some bowlers use a hook ball, some a straight ball, and some use both.”

“Both?”

It didn’t take much to confuse a non-bowler. “If the hook ball is used for the first throw and the bowler doesn’t get a strike, then they’ll probably use a straight ball for the second.”

“Ah, that explains a lot. We, Rheinon, like to look for patterns, and I was not finding one.” Dino continued. “For you, what has been the hardest part about bowling with this different setup?”

“The pattern of twelve pins is certainly unusual—we’re used to ten. And the scoring of twelve frames, instead of ten, leads to an unusual total. Four hundred and thirty two is a lot higher than three hundred. I realize this is because of the base twelve nature of bowling, but it still confuses me from time to time.”

“I understand what you are saying,” said Dino.

“I still find it hard to believe every world developed the sport of bowling.”

“Actually, only the Bremen, Tristorians, and Itlans did. The Rheinon learned how to bowl after the Alliance standardized the game.”

“Since we all had different numbers of digits, we had to decide on a format. And that was convenient for the Bremen and Rheinon—with twelve fingers. Since humans have ten fingers—like Tristorians—nothing was changed when you joined the Alliance.”

“I assume you understand how the Rheinon bowl. However, do you see patterns in how the Bremen, Itlans, and Tristorians bowl?”

“I have a good understanding of their techniques,” said Dino.

“Care to enlighten me?”

“I cannot really do that until the competition is over.” And we both laughed. Our worlds really weren’t that different.

“Excuse me, Dino; I need to make a call.”

I caught my vet between examinations. “Dr. Cabin, I understand the medical examiner gave you the news about Maori?”

“Yes, he called. When Dr. Inder mentioned poison, it all made more sense because Maori had looked perfectly happy and healthy before your mother showed up yesterday.”

“Dr. Cabin, I know you did a great job healing her. Now we have to find out how she came into contact with this alien substance.”

“We certainly don’t have any here at the clinic. I’ve never treated an alien animal. I don’t even know if aliens have pets.” A frown creased his forehead.

“I have no idea either. Have you had alien visitors lately?” I needed to ramp up my investigative mode.

“Actually, we had a fairly large group come through yesterday. I believe I mentioned that to you. They were all well-behaved and curious.”

“Yes, of course.” I remembered him telling me about the tour, but I’d taken little notice at the time. “Are those the only alien visitors you’ve had recently?”

“Yes. It’s an unusual occurrence, but a very interesting one.”

“Do you happen to have a list of who was in the group?”

“Actually I do. The tour was arranged through the Tourism Bureau, and they sent me a list ahead of time.”

“Good. Please send me your list.”

“Do you think one of them had something to do with Maori’s poisoning?”

“I don’t know.” The situation perplexed me. “I can’t imagine why anyone would want to kill my dog, but it’s a good place to start since we have alien poison involved. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

Turning back to Dino, I noticed Carl Hender standing a few feet away, glancing in my direction. So I decided to join him.

Carl hesitated and then he said, “Ma’am, I would like to thank you for introducing me to Dr. Akers. He had time to squeeze me in yesterday, and we had a meaningful discussion. I think he’s going to be helpful.”

“That’s good. I’m glad we could offer some assistance.” Carl actually had a slight smile.

“I must apologize to you. Even so soon, Dr. Akers made me realize the police are not to blame for my wife’s death. I was overreacting from grief and needed someone to attack.” His shoulders relaxed after he uttered those comments.

“Thank you, Carl.” To further ease his discomfort, I knew the moment required a change of subject. “How is the officiating going?”

“We haven’t had too many problems, and they were mostly minor.” He shook my hand. “I should join the other officials. Thank you again.”

“See you later.” I watched him walk away, and thought about the unimaginable death of a spouse. I needed to discuss the topic with my mother—for more than one reason. After the first three games, I took a short break to do my research on the list from Dr. Cabin. When I returned, I found

Dino on his com.

In a moment, he said, “Detective Sergeant, we have a problem. Two Itlans are asking for asylum. And it has developed into a diplomatic crisis.”

“I thought you said the notion of asylum was unknown on your worlds?”

“It is. However, I believe Ambassador Takka relayed the concept after we played that game last night.”

I needed to rethink my introduction of games to aliens. “So what’s going to happen?” I said.

“Various diplomats are working with your government. That is all I know. I will not be joining the discussion as it is felt I am too close to humans.”

Was Dino regretting his sidekick status? “You are caught in the middle—I can see that.” I looked around. “Any upsets in the bowling?”

“The sixth game is almost finished. The current totals are close. The second half of Round Two tomorrow is going to be exciting.”

Dino had accurately described the running totals on the electronic scoreboard he pointed to.

We watched the last game of the day finish.

“Ma’am, why do a lot of people have body coverings with a head covering attached?” He pointed to the bleachers.

At first, I didn’t know what Dino meant. “Ah, it took me a moment to figure out what you were asking. Since it rains so much in Vancouver, we generally protect ourselves from the moisture in one of two ways. We can use an umbrella, or we can wear a coat with a hood that we pull up to cover our hair. Humans don’t seem to like getting their hair or skin wet, unless they are swimming, or showering, or some such thing.”

“Sorry, the translator was a little slow in telling me the meaning of umbrella. I had not considered the concept of water being an annoyance. Most of our worlds are dry, and we do not have the same amount of hair covering our bodies as humans,” said Dino.

From my knowledge of other races, Dino’s observations were correct. It amazed me how difficult it was to think outside the box, or the skin, in this case.

Would having benign weather affect their behavior?

“Do you like to travel?” Dino asked.

His abrupt question surprised me. “I have traveled to a few countries on Earth. Not to as many as I would have liked, though. I’m hoping to visit more.”

“How about off-planet?”

“I’ve only been to our moon, which isn’t very far, but I’ve certainly thought about our new friends—The Alliance.” I smiled at Dino. “Visiting those planets would have given me a much better understanding during my current investigations.”

“You are correct. Now tell me what is going to happen next in the bowling competition.”

“Most bowlers, actually probably all, will head off to the other bowling alley for some practice, and probably take a meal break there. As you know, the second half of Round Two is at Starlight tomorrow. So the bowlers will want to get in some practice tonight. Lane conditions are often quite different between the alleys.”

“Shall we go over there and watch?” said Dino.

“I think that’s a good idea.”

By the time we reached the front door of Revolutions, Dino’s com rang. After a short conversation, he said, “I cannot go with you. The diplomats are having a crisis regarding the asylum seekers and want my advice.”