Adikor was hugely sad, too. Hed been crying off and on for most of the morning. Not blubbering, not wailingjust crying, sometimes even unaware of it himself until a fat drop splashed down onto his arm or hand.
Rescue teams had searched exhaustively in the mine, but theyd found no sign of Ponter. Theyd used portable equipment to scan for his Companion, but had been unable to detect its transmissions. Humans and dogs had passed through drift after drift, trying to catch the odor of a man who might be unconscious, lying hidden from view.
But there was nothing. Ponter had vanished utterly and completely, without a trace.
Adikor shifted his weight in his chair. The chair was made of pine boards with a back that flared out and arms that had wide, flat rests on which a drinking tube could easily be balanced. There was no doubt the chair was useful. Its makerAdikor forgot the womans name, but it was branded on the back of the chairdoubtless felt she contributed sufficiently to society. People needed furniture; Adikor had a table and two cabinets made by the same carpenter.
But what would Adikors contribution be, now that Ponter was gone? Ponter had been the brilliant one of the pair; Adikor recognized that and had accepted it. But how would he contribute now, without Ponter, dear, dear Ponter?
The quantum-computing work was dead, as far as Adikor could see. With Ponter gone, it couldnt go on. Othersthere was that female group across the ocean in Evsoy, and another male one on the west coast of this continentwould continue work along related lines. He wished them luck, he supposed, but although he would read their reports with interest, part of him would always regret that it was not Ponter and him making the breakthroughs.
Aspens and birches formed a shady canopy around the deck, and white trilliums bloomed at the trees mossy bases. A chipmunk scurried by, and Adikor could hear a woodpecker tapping away at a trunk. He breathed deeply, inhaling pollens and the smells of mulch and soil.
There was a sound of something moving; occasionally, a large animal would wander this close to a home during the day, and
Suddenly, Pabo came tearing out of the back door. Shed detected the arrival, too. Adikor flared his nostrils. It was a persona mancoming.
Could it be?
Pabo let out a plaintive whimper. The man came into view.
Not Ponter. Of course not.
Adikors heart hurt. Pabo made her way back into the house, back to the front, to continue her vigil.
Healthy day, said Adikor to the man now coming up on the deck. It was no one hed ever seen before: a stocky fellow, with reddish hair. He wore a loose-fitting dark blue shirt and a gray pant.
Is your name Adikor Huld, and do you reside here in Saldak Rim?
Yes to the former, said Adikor, and obviously to the latter.
The man held up his left arm, with the inside of his wrist facing Adikor; he clearly wanted to transfer something to Adikors Companion.
Adikor nodded and pulled a control bud on his Companion. He watched the little screen on his unit flash as it received data. He expected it to be a letter of introduction: this perhaps was a relative visiting the area, or maybe a tradesperson looking for work, transferring his credentials. Adikor could erase the information easily enough if it were of no interest.
Adikor Huld, said the man, it is my duty to inform you that Daklar Bolbay, acting as tabant of the minor children Jasmel Ket and Megameg Bek, is accusing you of the murder of their father, Ponter Boddit.
What? said Adikor, looking up. Youre joking.
No, Im not.
But Daklar iswasKlasts woman-mate. Shes known me for ages.
Nonetheless, said the man. Please show me your wrist so that I can confirm that the appropriate documents have been transferred.
Adikor, stunned, did just that. The man merely glanced at the displayit said Bolbay charging Huld, transfer completethen he looked back at Adikor. There will be a dooslarm basadlarman old phrase that literally meant asking small before asking largeto determine if you should face a full tribunal for this crime.
Theres been no crime! said Adikor, fury growing within him. Ponter is missing. He may be deadI grant you thatbut if so, it was an accident.
The man ignored him. You are free to choose any one person to speak on your behalf. The dooslarm basadlarm has been scheduled for tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow! Adikor felt his fist clenching. Thats ridiculous!
Justice postponed is no justice at all, said the man as he walked away.
Chapter 10
Mary needed coffee. She rolled out of her single bed, made her way to the kitchen, and set the coffeemaker to its task. She then stepped into the living room and pushed the play button on her answering machine, an old, reliable silver-and-black Panasonic that made loud clunkings when it started and stopped rewinding its tape.
Four new messages, announced the cold, emotionless male voice, and then they began to play.
Howdy, Sis, its Christine. I just have to tell you about this new guy Im seeingI met him at work. Yeah, I know, I know, you always say never get involved with anyone at the office, but, really, he is so cute, and so nice, and so funny. Honest to God, Sis, hes a real find!
A real find, thought Mary. Good grief, another real find.
The mechanical voice again: Friday, 9:04 P.M. That was just after six Sacramento time; Christine must have called as soon as shed gotten home from the office.
Hey, Mary, its Rose. Havent seen you for ages. Lets do lunch, eh? Dont they have a Blueberry Hill up at York? Ill come up there, and well gothey closed the one near me. Anyway, I guess youre out right nowhope youre having a great time, whatever youre doing. Give me a call.
The machines voice: Friday, 9:33 P.M.
Christ, thought Mary. Good Christ. That would have been precisely when when
She closed her eyes.
And then the next message played: Professor Vaughan? said a voice with a Jamaican accent. Is this the home of Professor Mary Vaughan, the geneticist? Im sorry if it isntand I hate to be calling so late; I tried the York campus, on the off chance that you were still there, but only got your voice mail. I had directory assistance give me the numbers for every M. Vaughan in Richmond Hillthats where an article I found about you on the Web said you live. Marys outgoing message said only, This is Mary, but the caller had presumably been buoyed by that. AnywayGod, I hope I dont get cut off herelook, my name is Reuben Montego, and Im an M.D.; the camp doctor up at Incos Creighton Mine in Sudbury. I dont know if youve seen the news reports on this yet, but weve found a He paused, and Mary wondered why; hed been burbling to this point. Well, look, if you havent seen the reports, lets just say weve found what we believe to be a Neanderthal specimen in, ah, remarkable condition.
Mary shook her head. There were no Neanderthal fossils from anywhere in North America; the guy must have some old Native Canadian material
Anyway, I did a Web search on Neanderthal and DNA, and your name kept coming up. Can you
Beep. The guy had indeed exceeded the maximum message length.
Friday, 10:20 P.M., reported the robotic voice.
Damn, I hate these things, said Dr. Montego, coming on again. Look, what I was saying was, wed really like you to authenticate what weve got here. Give me a callanytime, day or night, on my cell phone at
She didnt have time for this. Not today, not anytime soon. Still, Neanderthals werent her only interest; if it was a well-preserved ancient Native bone, that would be intriguing, toobut the preservation would have to be remarkable indeed for the DNA to have not deteriorated, and