Reith yawned. "Too complex for my simple mind. Dearest Wart Hog, can we please go to bed now? I'm all in."
XIII - Ram Keshavachandra
The rest of the journey brought Reith no worse perils and pains than being dragged by Alicia through half the shops of Mishé, while the Cosmic crew shot the street scenes demanded by Motilal. When the crew was once more settled in the Visitors' Building at Novorecife, to await the arrival of the space ship Ceará, Reith and Alicia went to see Stavrakos, to ask what further services might be required.
The producer waved them away. "We don't need you. Just stay in the neighborhood, so we can find you if anything comes up."
"I'd like to get the balance due me," said Reith.
Alicia added, "And my salary for the last two weeks?"
"Oh, for God's sake!" shouted Stavrakos. "I'm being driven nuts, between temperamental actors, a sorehead new director, your finicky head cop at this stupid compound, and a mountain of paper work. Don't you two start on me! I'll get to your checks as quick as I can. Why don't you go off to that ranch of yours for another honeymoon?"
So Reith moved Alicia's possessions to the ranch. He also took home the monster key to the city of Vasabád. The following morning saw Reith and his groundsman, each holding one end of the key against the masonry of Reith's main fireplace, while Alicia gave directions: "A little more to my left ... No, you've got it too high. Down a couple of centimeters ... Fergus, your end's higher than Khudmet's ... Now it's lower ..."
"My arms are giving out," grumbled Reith.
"It won't be long now." At last she stepped forward and made pencil marks on the stones. "When we go in to Novo, you can order a pair of hooks from the blacksmith, and Khudmet can drill holes for them."
Reith visited the compound more or less daily. He tried several times to reach Stavrakos; but the producer was always in conference. When Reith encountered other members of the crew, they smiled vaguely, as if he were someone they had met but could not quite remember.
After twenty-odd years on Krishna, Reith had become too important a personage to angle for gratuities at the end of a tour. Nonetheless, he was used to having his tourists express their appreciation by clubbing together to buy him a gift or giving a party in his honor. As for as the Cosmic people were concerned, though, he seemed to have become invisible. Reith accepted this neglect philosophically, but it made Alicia furious.
"After all the work you did and the risks you ran!" she fumed. "They're the world's most self-absorbed narcissists! I'd never have stayed with them after the first month, if the job hadn't given me a chance to get back to Krishna and find you."
Reith smiled. "Don't give them a second thought. After all, I've got you. Wouldn't trade you in for all of Cosmic Productions—properties, rights, and people, including Cassie and Fodor's pair of cuties."
Driving to Novorecife the next morning, with Alicia curled up beside him in the gig, Reith said: "If that bastard doesn't ante up today, I'll begin to think he's trying to take off without paying what he owes us. If you ever have to jump into a river to rescue a drowning person, don't hand Kostis your wallet to hold while you do it."
Ahead, they glimpsed the silver spire of the Ceará above the sand-colored wall of the settlement. Alicia frowned. "Amazing luck, that the crew gets back to Novo to find a ship ready for takeoff a ten-day later. What's Kostis doing about the people that the ship won't have room for?"
"Doing?" said Reith. "Nothing. Kostis Stavrakos and Hari Motilal grabbed two berths and let the rest of the crew scramble. Cassie made it; the rumor is that she offered the port captain certain—uh—inducements. Those left behind will have to wait. Meanwhile Stavrakos and his new director will be back on Terra, editing the rough cut and adding special effects."
Reith and Alicia hurried to the Customs and Security Building as soon as they had stabled their aya. They found people rushing about, standing in line, shuffling papers, inspecting luggage, loading supplies, and going through all the manifold preparations for an interstellar flight.
Reith and Alicia looked around for familiar faces and sighted Michelle Fodor, relaxing in a lounge chair behind the pages of a book.
Alicia hailed her. "Why, Michelle! Are you one of the unlucky ones left behind?"
Michelle smiled. "No, I am ze lucky one. I decided to stay on Krishna. Mr. Castanhoso, he says he will process my permit as soon as ze ship takes off."
"My goodness! Why?"
Michelle shrugged. "Wiss Attila dead, I have no husband. So I look around. I see zere are many more men zan women here. Some would be glad to get a wife who know how to make zem 'appy. I have one picked, but of course I do not tell him. I only hope he will turn out a more conventional man zan Fodor, who was very difficult. Nancy and I were friends, en quelque fagon; but ze arrangement still made for—how you say—a bit of strain."
There's your practical Frenchwoman, thought Reith. "Good luck, Michelle! Have you seen Kostis?"
"No; not today."
Reith and Alicia wandered about, watching for the producer as they bade farewells to the travelers. After half a Krishnan hour, Reith said: "Lish, how would it be if I stayed here, while you go back to the Visitors' Building and bang on Stavrakos's door? He can't be wearing a helmet of invisibility!"
"Okay," said Alicia and vanished into the crowd.
Reith waited. The first bell sounded, warning passengers to board. There was a stampede towards the gate, where Assistant Security Officer Joao Matos stood checking papers and calling, "Get in line! Em fila de pessoas! Não empurrdo! No pushing! You there, go back to the end, or you shan't board today!"
The would-be queue jumper was Cyril Ordway, who slunk back to the end of the line with his lower lip thrust out and coat collar turned up. Since his arrival at Novorecife, he had kept out of sight. He and Reith ignored each other.
Reith shook hands with Randal Fairweather, who playfully punched Reith's shoulder, saying: "You lucky bastard! You know, my shrink warned me against remarrying any of my exes; said such reunions usually don't work. If he's right, and you and Alicia break up again, let me know and I'll come running!"
"It's a deal," said Reith, who found that he liked the actor in spite of himself. "But don't hold your breath in the meantime!"
Reith was seized and avidly kissed by Cassie Norris, who employed her tongue like an anteater raiding a termite nest. She whispered: "If I was gonna be here longer, boy, what I'd show you!"
Next, he shook the left hand of Ernesto Valdez, whose right arm was still in a sling. The last passengers were passing through the gate when Stavrakos and Motilal bustled up, documents in hand. Reith caught Stavrakos's arm. "Hey! Where have you been?"
"Little argument over spaceport fees," said the producer, "in the head cop's office. G'bye, Fergus—"
"Wait! You haven't paid the second half of my fee. I've been trying to catch you—"
"Don't worry, old pal. I deposited a draft to your account in the bank on my way here. I'm no deadbeat; your money's safe."
Although the producer's words had the ring of sincerity, Reith turned and walked rapidly out of the building. Outside, he broke into a run.
At the bank, Reith found a queue leading to the teller's cage, and he realized this was pay day. He took his place at the end of the line and fidgeted while the customers transacted their business with agonizing slowness. For a while, his inhibitions held him back from bulling his way to the head of the line. He had just worked up the courage to demand attention out of turn when a familiar, thin-lipped face appeared in the doorway behind the teller.