“No need,” said Roland. “I’ve found that group you hired me to look for.”
“Already? Good.” Wayne raised his eyebrows. “Describe them to me.”
“Big fellow named Hunter, gigantic. Strong enough to throw two men around at the same time, one in each hand, but he doesn’t really like to fight. Avoided it, I think.”
“Go on.”
“Steve. He’s a young man, dark like a Spaniard or a Moor, but not exactly.”
“You ever hear of Cathay?” Wayne was amused. He had only glimpsed Steve Chang, but he knew that he was of Chinese descent. Even in this age of sail, the Chinese and Europeans had not mixed much except for a few sailors and traders.
“Of course. Maybe I’ll sail there someday.” Roland shrugged offhandedly.
“Maybe you will. Who else?”
“They have two women with them. One is named Jane, the other Rita.”
“Yes, that’s them.” Wayne had not known about Rita, but he said nothing about her. He did not want Roland to know he was surprised. Obviously, Hunter had changed his team a little to fit their particular destination.
“You promised me extra pay if I disrupted Hunter’s party somehow.”
“That’s right. What are you going to do?”
“It’s what I’ve already done.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“The lady Rita seems to enjoy my company. She sneaked off with me last night and I put her up alone in a room. We are breakfasting together and, even now, she is waiting for me to hurry back.”
“Excellent!” Wayne smiled. “Yes, yes. Very well done.” He knew that Rita’s separation from Hunter would trigger the robot’s First Law imperative to find her. That would interfere with his search for MC 2 and give Wayne and Roland a better chance of finding MC 2 first.
“I rather enjoy her company myself.”
“Good. Keep her away from Hunter as long as you can. And she likes you. Even better.”
“I can do that. But, uh…” Roland grinned and held out his hand.
Wayne nodded and pulled a few more coins out of his pocket. He did not have much left, but could not afford to admit that, or even look reluctant. Before he saw Roland again, he would have to find some more money. For the moment, he tossed the coins to Roland casually, as though they meant nothing to him.
“So,” said Wayne. “Have you seen anyone who fits my other friend’s description?”
“The man you call by his initials, MC 2.” Roland took a careful glance at the coins before slipping them into a pocket. “I haven’t seen him, but I’ve put the word out among my friends and shipmates. They don’t know why I want him, but they’ll tell me if they see him. A short, slight fellow, you say, likely to be poorly dressed and a bit confused?”
“Yes,” said Wayne. “For all I know, he may be desperately searching for a pair of pants.”
Roland laughed. “That poor, eh? What happened to him? Press-gang grab him in England and let him escape here?”
“Something like that,” said Wayne. “He’ll try to blend in. He won’t know right away that anyone is here looking for him, but he’ll run if he finds out I want to speak to him.”
“He knows Hunter as well, I presume?”
“Not personally, no.”
“Even better. Well, I must be off. Rita may not wait for me forever.”
“Good job, Roland,” said Wayne. “The longer you can keep Rita from returning to Hunter, the more compensation I will have for you.”
“Well enough.” Roland gave him a brisk, cheerful wave and strode away.
Wayne watched him go, wondering if he could get enough money to keep Roland happy. MC 2 might not return to normal size for a day or two, and even then he might escape Wayne’s notice for quite some time. Wayne didn’t know how much he might eventually have to pay Roland so that he would continue distracting Hunter from the search for MC 2.
When Steve left Hunter, he began improvising. Somehow, when Hunter was leading the team, his inexorable robot logic stifled Steve’s spontaneity. Alone, Steve felt more relaxed and able to follow his intuition without having to explain everything to Hunter.
Steve walked up and down several side streets, staying close to the waterfront without confining himself to it. He watched where people went and how they were dressed, gradually identifying some parts of town as more crowded and rougher than others. He saw which streets were thoroughfares and which ones only drew people who had business there.
On one block, a particularly impressive building caught his attention. A two-story wooden structure, it boasted a new coat of brown paint and a carefully tended bed of flowers along its front wall. An awning over the front entrance shaded some tables and chairs from the tropical sunlight. None of the other taverns he had seen was this elaborate. He was startled to see a man in modern clothes sitting at one of the tables, whom he suddenly recognized as Dr. Wayne Nystrom.
Steve stopped where he was, then quickly dodged to one side, behind a large bush growing by the side of the street. Then, sure that Wayne hadn’t seen him yet, he peered through the big leaves on the bush. Roland, who had been talking to Wayne, was just leaving, giving Wayne a quick wave as he walked away. Steve tensed, waiting to see which way Roland would go, but he walked away from Steve up the narrow street.
Steve saw that Rita was not with either one of them. That worried him, though he would have preferred to see her with Wayne; Steve doubted he would hurt her. He understood, though, that Wayne was using Roland to sabotage Hunter’s search. That much was obvious.
Steve glanced over his shoulder and waited for a couple of passersby to move on. Wayne was still sitting at the table. Steve pressed the button on the communicator pinned to his shirt and spoke quietly.
“Hunter, Steve here. Wayne Nystrom is here and Roland is working with him. I’ve seen them together, but Rita wasn’t with them.”
“Give me your location,” said Hunter. “We will join you as soon as we can.”
“He’s getting up,” Steve said suddenly. “He’s walking away. I’ll tail him, Hunter, and keep talking so you can track me. He’s turning…toward the waterfront.”
“What is the name of your street?” Hunter asked. “We can intercept him.”
“Uh-” Steve glanced around but saw no signs anywhere. “I can’t tell. I don’t see a sign. This place is pretty haphazard compared to a city like Mojave Center.”
“I understand. Continue speaking and I will follow your signal. Your voice will be clearer than the static and background street sounds alone.”
“Here goes,” said Steve, as he moved down the street at a safe distance behind Wayne. “I don’t want him to see me because that will really put him on the defensive. I don’t know if he has Rita locked up somewhere or if she’s still with Roland.”
“When I have caught Wayne,” said Hunter, “I believe we can learn something about her. Wait for me to join you. Otherwise, I fear that he will escape you. Also, I am concerned that a real fight may attract attention and alter the behavior of the locals. I do not want to risk their involvement.”
“He may get away anyhow,” said Steve. “I can’t follow him too closely. This street doesn’t have enough people on it for me to hide among. If he turns, he’ll see me.”
“Your signal is much stronger,” said Hunter. “We are walking as quickly as we can without attracting a great deal of attention.”
“He just turned onto the waterfront. He’s walking west and looking at stuff in the booths and shops.” Steve shifted into a jog as Wayne moved around a corner.
By the time Steve had rounded the corner, Wayne was out of sight. Steve looked around frantically, then saw him again, idly examining a clay pot that was for sale.
“If it’s a choice of grabbing Wayne or losing him, which should I do?”