“All right, I will. Rick blew up on the signal deck. Those staterooms belong to the ship’s officers, and the bridge is at the end of the corridor. The explosion sounded loud to us because we were in the same room, but it would have been muffled by walls and distance for the officers on the bridge. Even so, the captain would have sent someone to investigate as soon as someone could be spared. Where you there when he arrived?”
“What are you getting at?”
“That someone would probably have found them there; she would certainly have had a few questions for him, and he would have had a few more for her. The officer would have asked them what happened. You know them both a great deal better than I do. What would they have said?”
Chelle looked thoughtful.
“Basically, they would have had four choices. First, they could have said they didn’t know, that they had heard the explosion and come to investigate.”
Chelle nodded. “That sounds good.”
“It could sound better. Charles Blue is a first-class passenger, so his stateroom must be on A Deck, B Deck, or C Deck. The elevators won’t run if the distance is less than four floors. Would he, an elderly man, be one of the first to arrive?”
“I suppose not.”
“Virginia’s even worse. Her cabin’s on J Deck. If she were there, she wouldn’t have heard the explosion, or would have heard a sound so faint that it could’ve been anything. So she just happened to be on A Deck talking to Charlie when they heard the explosion and ran up the stairs to check it out together. They could tell that story and stick to it, but they’d certainly come under suspicion.”
“And there’s what’s-her-name.”
“Susan. Correct.”
“Second choice. Admit that they had been present but say the shot had been fired by someone else. That someone would almost certainly be Susan.”
“We saw it. You and I both did. So did Trinity.”
“And Jerry, and Gary Oberdorf. It couldn’t possibly have worked, in other words. Too many witnesses.”
Chelle nodded. “What’s the third choice?”
“Say nothing at all. Stand mute. If they had done that, you would have been questioned. Were you?”
Chelle nodded.
“Did you say Charlie did it?”
“Hell, no. I didn’t know who he was. I told them this nice old guy had been trying to save my life, and he’d shot the guy who kidnapped me.”
“At which point the nice old guy would have been locked up until we made port and the whole mess could be turned over to the police.”
“Which didn’t happen.”
“Correct.”
“But if he said he did it, wouldn’t they lock him up anyway?”
“Not if he had a get-out-of-jail card. Kiss me, and I’ll explain.”
It was a lengthy kiss, during which his hand slipped into her robe.
Followed by more kisses.
REFLECTION 18: What Happened—and Might Happen
I have not yet explained it to Chelle, but it seems to me that there is only one explanation and that it is a fairly obvious one. Charles Blue is a double agent. He could not simply have told Captain Kain he was, he had to be the real thing. Captain Kain would then radio South Boswash, trying to be circumspect. (Or so one hopes.)
God only knows who he talked to there, but he was clearly told to keep hands off and mind his own business; and that is what he did.
Was Charles Blue armed? Yes, certainly. Susan saw his gun, or at least saw a telltale bulge in his clothes. By taking her gun and shooting Rick, he wiped out his more dangerous opponent and disarmed the less dangerous one. Furthermore he positioned himself to blame Susan, should that become necessary. He may well tell the Os that she killed Rick.
If he does not, how will he explain his actions? He may find it difficult—but he may not. Rick refused his orders, and that alone could be enough. If it is not, he will point out that Rick was anxious to kill Chelle; with Chelle dead, all chance of resurrecting the knowledge Jane Sims took to the grave would be lost. Better to lose Rick, who had botched his assignment, than Chelle, who may still harbor information of great value. I don’t think Charles Blue will have much trouble with the Os; he may well be commended.
Note that all this assumes that Rick did not get that information—that he was so eager to kill Chelle that he was willing to lie about it, to me at least. That was almost certainly the case; he had clearly continued to question her after Charles Blue arrived, which he would not have done if he had what he needed already. He would, in fact, have killed her as soon as he had it.
If Rick believed that Charles Blue was a fellow agent—as he unquestionably did—would Rick not have feared Charles Blue’s report? Charles Blue would report that he had tried to preserve the life of the woman who carried the information they sought (information that could surely be obtained by a brain scan), but that Rick had panicked, defied his order, and killed her. Rick must have foreseen that difficulty before I regained consciousness. Once he had foreseen it, his course would have been plain: kill Charles Blue and report that Charles Blue had killed Chelle. He would have one more body to dispose of—six bodies instead five would be no great increase.
What about the authorities here, Charles Blue’s human employers? Chelle cannot know anything that they do not already know. They financed the research, and Jane Sims willingly became an Army officer; so they have it. Even if they didn’t have it before debriefing Chelle (but they did) they certainly learned anything she may have known at that time. After learning it they would certainly have wiped it.
Their reasons for classifying her as mentally and emotionally unstable are quite plain; she shelters a secondary personality. Since its cause is organic, mere psychiatric treatment will not benefit her. Surgery might cure her—but it might kill her, too, and it would be fiendishly expensive. Better to let her go, which is what they did.
Would it have been better to take Rick alive? Almost certainly not. Who knows what may be learned from his wreckage? If he had been captured, he would very likely have killed himself in way that would have destroyed all the information of interest. Provision for that would be an elementary precaution. As things stand, the NAU still has Chelle for bait. If another Os agent bites, so much the better. She will be in danger, clearly. But her father and his NAU employers will do their level best to keep her alive and sane. The fishermen have found a fine lure. They will want to keep it.
But do I?
19. BACK TO BOSWASH
The building manager met Skip and Chelle in the little lobby beyond the dedicated elevator. “I hope you’ll like it, sir,” he said. “We didn’t have a lot of time.”
“It’s whether Chelle will like it.” Skip glanced at her; she smiled but did not speak.
“Everything’s on approval, you understand—all the furniture as well as the pictures. Ms. Moretti charges a base fee for her work, but the furniture and pictures can be returned for full credit. That’s individual pieces or everything. It’s strictly up to you.”
Chelle said, “I’m sure I’ll like it.”
And Skip, “Let’s see it.”
“It’s terribly—ah—plain.” The building manager looked apprehensive. “Simple, you know. Made by Navajos, mostly. The same sort of furniture they built for the first missionaries hundreds of years ago. Functional and sturdy.”
“I like that chair.” Chelle pointed. “And the settle with the serape over it. Isn’t that what you call it? A settle?”
Skip shrugged.
The building manager said, “I’m sure you’re right, contracta.”
Skip held out his hand for their cards, received two, and opened the door.
Chelle followed him in, shutting it behind her. “This is the penthouse? You said that. Very posh!”