“Are you absolutely certain,” said Duncan anxiously, “that no one can overhear us?”
“You’ve been seeing too many historical films, Mr. Makenzie,” Ivor
Mandel’stahm replied. “This isn’t the twentieth century, and it would take a singularly determined police state to bug every auto jitney in Washington.
I always do my confidential business cruising round and round the Mall.
There’s absolutely nothing to worry about.”
“Very well. It’s imperative that this doesn’t go any further. I am fairly sure that I know the source of the titanite. What’s more, I have a very good idea of the Terran agent-who has apparently already made some substantial sales.”
“I’ve discovered that,” said Mandel’stahm, a little glumly. “Do you know how substantial?”
“Several tens of thousands of so lars
To Duncan’s surprise, Mandel’stahm. brightened appreciably.
“Oh, is that all?” he exclaimed. “I’m quite relieved. And can you give me the name of the prime a-ent? I’ve been operating through a very close-mouthed intermediary.”
Duncan hesitated. “I believe you implied that no Terran laws were being broken.”
“Correct. There’s no import duty on extraterrestrial gems. Everything at this end is perfectly legal-unless, of course, the titanite is stolen, and the Terran agent is an accomplice.”
“I’m sure that isn’t the case. You see-and it’s not really as big a coincidence as you might think-the agent is a friend of mine.”
A knowing smile creased Mandel’stahm’s face. “I appreciate your problem.”
No you don’t, Duncan, Id himself. Tt was an excruciatingly complicated situation. He was quite sure now why Calindy had been avoiding him. Karl would have warned her that he was coming to Earth and would have advised her to keep out of his way. Yes, Karl must have been very worried, up there on little Mnemosyne, lest Duncan stumble upon his activities.
It was essential to keep completely out of the picture; Calindy must never guess that he knew. There was no way in which she could possibly link him with Mandel’stahm, with whom she was already dealing through her own exceedingly discreet intermediary.
Yet still Duncan hesitated, like a chess master over a crucial move. He was analyzing his own motives, and his own conscience, for his personal and official interests were now almost inextricably entangled.
He was anxious to find out what Karl was doing, and if necessary frustrate him. He wanted to make Calindy ashamed of her deceit, and possibly turn her embarrassment to his emotional advantage. (This was a rather forlorn hope;
Calindy did not embarrass easily, if at all…. ) And he wanted to help
Titan, and thereby the Makenzies. All these objectives were not likely to be compatible. Duncan be ian to wish that titanite had never been discovered. Yet, undoubtedly, there was a brilliant opportunity here, if only he had the wit to make his moves correctly.
Their auto jitney was now gliding, at the breathless speed of some twenty klicks, between the Capitol and the Library of Congress. The siqht reminded
Duncan of his other responsibility; already it was the last week in June, yet his speech still consisted of no more than a few sheets of notes.
Overpreparation was one of the Makenzie failings; the “all right on the night” attitude was wholly alien to their natures. But even allowing for this often valuable fault, of which he was well aware, Duncan was beginning to feel a mild sense of panic.
The problem was a very simple one, yet its diagnosis had not suggested a remedy. Try as he could, Duncan had still been unable -to decide on
a basic theme, or any message from Titan more inspiring than the usual zero-content official greetings.
Mandel’stahm was still waiting patiently when they passed the Rayburn
Building-now encrusted with a vast banyan tree brought all the way from
Angkor Wat; it was hoped that within the next fifty years, this would do the job of demolition at vir tm-Pv no nublic expense. There were times when aesthetics took precedence over history, and it was generally agreed that -unlike the old Smithsonian-the Rayburn Building was not quite hideous enough to be worth preservation. (But what would that vegetable octopus do next, the professional alarmists had worried, when it had finished this task? Would the monster crawl across Independence Avenue and attack the hallowed dome?)
Now the jitney was cruising past the prone hundred meters of the Saturn V replica lying on what had once been the site of NASA Headquarters. They could not spend all day orbiting central Washington; very well, Duncan told himself with a sigh … “I have your promise that my name won’t come out, under any circumstances?” Yes,”
“And there’s no risk that-my friend-may get into trouble?”
“I can’t guarantee that He won’t lose any money But there will be no legal problems-at any rate, under Terran jurisdiction.”
“It’s not a ‘he.” I leave the details to you, but you mipht make some tactful inquiries n.bout he vi-(-president of Enigma Associates,
Catherine Linden Ellerman.”
STAR DAY
Though be tried to convince himself that he had done the right thing-even the only thing-Duncan was still slightly ashamed. Deep in his heart, he felt that he had been guilty of betraying an old friendship.
He was glad that some impulse had kept him from mentioning Karl, and with part of his mind he still hoped that Mandel’stahm-and Colin-would run into blank walls, so that the whole investigation would collapse.
Meanwhile, there was so much to be done, and so much to see, that for long periods of time Duncan could forget his twinges of conscience. It seemed ridiculous to have come all the way to Earth-and then to sit for hours of every day (in beautiful weather!) in a hotel room talking into a Cornsole.
But every time Duncan thought he had completed one of the innumerable chores they had given him before he left home, there would be a back-up message reopening the subject, or adding fresh complications. His official duties were time-consuming enough; what made matters worse were all the private requests from relatives, friends, and even complete strangers, who assumed that he had nothing else to do except contact lost acquaintances, obtain photos of ancestral homes, bunt for rare books, research Terran genealogies, locate obscure works of art, act as agent for hopeful Titanian authors and artists, conjure up scholarships and free passages to Earth-and say “Thank you” for Star Day cards received ten years ago and never acknowledged.
Which reminded Duncan that he had not sent off his own cards for this quadrennial occasion. Since ‘76 was a leap year, Star Day was
therefore looming up 223 in the near future-to be precise, between June 30 and July 1. Duncan was glad of the extra day, but it also meant that there would shortly be three days in five where no business could be done. For July 1, being at the beginning of a new quarter, was of course a Sunday; and the Sunday before that was only June 28. It was bad enough, in an ordinary year, to have two
Sundays at the end of every 91-day quarter, with only a Monday and Tuesday between them-but now to have another holiday as well made it even worse.
There was still time to mail cards to all his Terran friends-Ambassador
Farrell, the Wasbingtons, Calindy, Bernie Patras, and half a dozen others.
As for Titan, there was really no hurry. Even if they took six months to get there, the cards, with their beautiful gold-leaf Centennial stamps (five so lars each, for heaven’s sake, even by second-class space mail!), would still be appreciated.
Despite these problems, Duncan had found some opportunities to relax. He had been on personal tele tours of London, Rome, and Athens, which was the next best thing to being there in the flesh. Seated in a tiny, darkened cubicle with 360 degrees of high quality sound and vision, be could easily believe that he was actually walking through the streets of the ancient cities. He could ask questions of the invisible guide who was his alter ego, talk to any passers-by, change the route to look more closely at something that took his interest. Only the senses of smell and touch remained immobile-and even these could be tele extended for anyone willing to foot the bill. Duncan could not afford such a marginal luxury, and did not really miss it.