I put the script in our storage room and told her we’d get back to her. I followed her outside, watched her leave, and then went over to Picariello, who was standing beside the old-fashioned two-door azure skimmer. “Okay,” I said. “What have you got?”
The guy was wearing a grin a mile wide. “Don’t you recognize it?” he asked.
He gazed admiringly at the vehicle. He was still in his early years, with curly red hair, blue eyes, and lips hopefully parted while he waited for me to say something. The skimmer had been around awhile. And it was a style that no one had used for a long time. “No,” I said. “Why should I? Did it belong to somebody of significance?”
His disappointment did nothing to dim the glow of his features. “Matt Olander,” he said. “It was his when he was young. Before he got caught up in the war.”
Olander had been a close associate of Christopher Sim. I caught my breath and recalled seeing something about the sale a few weeks earlier. It hadn’t made much of an impact at the time because we weren’t involved and Gabe had just gotten home. I’d have preferred that Alex do the confirmation, but I didn’t want to take a chance on losing the opportunity. I took Picariello inside, sat him down with some coffee in the conference room, and got some details on the skimmer from Jacob. Then, while he waited, I went out and checked the numbers. Everything fit. As well as his ID. The vehicle had belonged to Olander, and Picariello was the current owner.
There were a few remaining details that had to be confirmed. But it looked good. Picariello had gotten a decent price. The skimmer should give him a substantial pickup and would provide us with a good commission and a ton of PR.
I told Picariello that Alex would get to him later that day, moved the skimmer into our shelter, and gave him a moderate advance in exchange for a document awarding exclusive sales rights to Rainbow for sixty days. Then I took him home. When I got back, Alex had not yet returned.
I went inside and started work on some appraisals. A short time later Jacob informed me Alex had arrived. I said okay and stayed with the appraisals until eventually I noticed he hadn’t come in. I looked out a window and saw him standing beside Olander’s vehicle in a near state of shock. I don’t recall ever seeing him look so excited about one of our auction pieces. He asked where it had come from. When I told him, he wanted to know whether I’d checked Picariello’s ID.
“Yes, Alex. He was who he said. And he is the owner.”
“You had him sign over the sales rights?”
“Yes.”
“Did you give him any money?”
I told him how much.
“Excellent.” He opened the driver’s door, took a deep breath, and touched the front seat, where the young Olander would have sat. He needed a few more minutes, and then told me it looked good.
“You’re drooling, Alex.”
“I guess I am. Obviously the thing still works?”
“Yes. You planning on buying it?”
He smiled but managed to look depressed. “I’d love to. Think we have the money anywhere?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Not for this.”
He pressed the hood with his fingertips. “Touching history.” He went inside, leaving me standing beside the vehicle. It was a small two-seater, with soft coloring, blue as the late-afternoon sky. Exactly the kind of skimmer I’d have imagined for one of Sim’s friends. It exemplified the reason I’ve so enjoyed working for Gabe and Alex. There aren’t many jobs with that kind of ecstatic moment.
Later, Alex congratulated me and told me I could expect a substantial bonus.
Good by me, but I’d already gotten one.
XIV.
A friend is a second self.
—ARISTOTLE, NICOMACHEAN ETHICS, 350 BCE
An hour later Alex was on his way to Molly’s Top of the World to take Veronica to dinner.
I went outside and took pictures of myself standing beside Olander’s skimmer. I thought about moving it back under the trees, but if it broke down or something else went wrong I’d have been in serious trouble. So I left it where it was. I’ve kept the photos. Gabe wasn’t in at the time, so when Chad stopped by a bit later—he had some business with the Andiquar Central Library—he became the first visitor I showed it to. One of the pictures still hangs on the wall while I’m writing this. It shows me in the driver’s seat, with the door open. And there’s one with Chad and me standing in front of the vehicle, which is not on the wall. I was tempted to get a video of myself sitting in it cruising around the property, but I just didn’t want to take a chance on a breakdown. The rule at Rainbow is that I take control of the company’s artifacts, but I don’t mess around with them.
Chad didn’t stay long. He had something going on in Salazar. Shortly after he left, we had a call from Karen Randall. “Returning Mr. Benedict’s call,” she said.
She blinked on in my office, seated in what appeared to be a rocker. She was outside, on a porch, wearing casual brown slacks, a red shirt with a white Andiquar police monogram, and a wide-brimmed hat.
“Alex is not here at the moment,” I said. “He’s currently working on a project regarding Octavia. I understand you were a close friend of Charlotte Hill’s.”
“She was like a sister.”
“I’m sorry you lost her. She must have been a remarkable woman.”
Karen had long blond hair, and obviously kept in shape. “I saw the media reports,” she said, “about people looking into it again. I’m glad to hear they haven’t given up.”
“To be honest, Alex isn’t hopeful about getting any answers, but he’s giving it his best shot. He’d like to be able to figure out what happened and put the families involved at rest.”
“I hope he’s able to do it. Chase, I don’t really know anything about what happened, other than what I’ve read.”
“That’s all right. Can I take some of your time to talk about her?”
“Sure.”
“Thank you. Is it okay if I record the conversation?”
“Of course. I don’t see any reason why not.”
“What can you tell me regarding your relationship with Charlotte?”
“We went to school together, and were in the same Girl Troopers unit. We were both on the college swim team. I kind of lost touch with her when we graduated from Andiquar and she went on to work on her doctorate. I eventually became a nurse.”
“You were both chess players?”
“We both loved the game. But I could never play at her level. I can’t imagine what she might have done had she not gotten cut off the way she did.”
“When did she get her doctorate, do you know?”
“I believe it was a year before she went out to Octavia.”
“If you’d been a physicist, would you have done that?”
“I don’t think so. A two-year assignment in a dark place where you’re stuck in a station with three guys. They were all kind of old. I like parties; I like being around people; I like going out for walks on the beach. I wanted to tell her I thought she was crazy.”
“But you didn’t?”
“I don’t really remember what I said, Chase. It wasn’t my call, anyway. She never asked for my opinion.”
“Why did she do it? You have any idea?”
“She thought it was a good career move. Her mentor, Del Housman, had a big reputation. And the wormhole thing would be huge if they could make it pay off. So she thought it was a great idea. And she was right, I guess. Housman did make it happen. But it cost them. Cost them all.”
“Did you know Reginald Greene?”
“I know of him.”
“Did you ever meet him?”
“Once.”
“Was it at a party?”
“No. Charlotte and I were coming out of the university library. He was going in.”
“Did you stop and talk?”
“I don’t think so. Keep in mind, Chase, this is a lot of years ago. As best I recall, we just walked past each other. Nobody said anything.”
“How did you know it was Greene?”
“She told me. After he was gone. They didn’t say hello to each other. Didn’t even seem to recognize each other.”
“Did she say anything else about him?”
“I think that was when she first mentioned him. Told me he was a former boyfriend.”
“And . . . ?”
“That’s all I remember.”
“Okay. Did you hear anything from her after she got the Octavia assignment?”
“Oh yes. I got messages fairly regularly.”
“How regular was that?”
“About once a month.”
“Did you keep the messages?”
“No. I wish I had. If I’d known I’d never see her again . . .”
“What did she write about?”
“They were vids. Not written.”
“Okay.” Hypercomm vids were expensive.
“Mostly they were about how much she missed life at home. How frustrating it was to ride out all the time in the shuttle and go looking for the little beanbags or whatever it was they were shooting out of the cannon. But she said she had no right to complain. That she didn’t expect they could solve the thing right away.”
“But eventually they did.”
“Yes. She got annoyed because they were constantly using the same numbers over and over. That kept them looking in the same place, and it just never worked. She talked about how stupid it was to keep doing the same thing over and over with the same negative result. By the way, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention that to anyone. The families of the two physicists are probably still rattled by all this and Charlotte wouldn’t have wanted to have them find out that she’d been criticizing them.”
“I understand.”
“Eventually Housman apparently did come around. They located the beanbags a lot farther out than anticipated.” A long silence followed. “I miss her,” Karen said. “She was a good friend.”
I was looking at the monogram on her shirt. “What’s your connection with the police?”
“I do public relations. I did some media work for a while, but I never cared that much for it.”
“You said you were a nurse.”
“That lasted a couple of years. They just didn’t have much use for me.”
“What kind of media work did you do?”
“I wrote commercials.” Her aspect softened. She was glad to change the subject. “I didn’t last long at that either. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life selling toothpaste to people. Or trying to explain why the police can’t be everywhere. Charlotte would not have approved.”
XV.
Only the foolish and the uncaring make guarantees.
Circumstances change, the world moves on,
While wisdom, and sometimes decency,
Require constant adjustments.
—REV. AGATHE LAWLESS, SUNSET MUSINGS, 1402
Jacob informed me there was an incoming call from Skydeck for Gabe. He wasn’t in the building so I took it. “He’s not available at the moment. I’ll have him get back to you.”
“Please inform him the Mary Kaye is in port.”
“All right,” I said. “Thank you.”
I asked Jacob to relay the message and went back to work. Gabe blinked on a few minutes later. He was at the Emporium, shopping for a birthday present for Alex. “Let’s get them back, Chase,” he said. “You’re welcome to sit in on this if you like.”
We reconnected with the caller. “My understanding,” she said, “is that you wish to speak with the AI? Is that correct?”
“Yes,” said Gabe. “If that can be arranged.”
“We have authorization from the owner to connect the AI with you or with Chase Kolpath. But before we go any further, we need identification. Please go visual.”
I told Jacob to comply, and Gabe and I were suddenly looking at a young woman seated behind a desk. Gabe was on a bench outside the store. She smiled and said hello while we held up our IDs for her. She needed a moment to get the magnification correct. “Okay,” she said. “That’s good.”
Then the visuals were gone. A deep male voice said hello to us and informed us he was the Mary Kaye AI. “My name’s Boomer. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gabriel. And Chase. What can I do for you?”
Gabe leaned forward. “Twenty years ago, Boomer, as you may recall, your vehicle was the Venture.”
“Yes, I am aware of that.”
“The pilot at the time was Rick Harding. During those years, he acquired an artifact, a trophy of some sort with an inscription using an alphabet that no one has been able to identify. During the last few years, the trophy was lost. We’ve been hoping that you might be able to help us locate it. Or at least help us identify the object.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Boomer, you’re the AI. There wouldn’t have been much that happened on the Venture that you weren’t aware of.”
“Forgive me for interrupting, Gabriel. But I was not in service here at that time.”
Gabe growled. I couldn’t still see him, of course, but his frustration was adamant. “How long have you been in service on the Mary Kaye?”
“I became operational in 1422. Thirteen years ago.”
“Do you know what became of the AI that you replaced?”
“I do not. I never had any connection with him.”
• • •
We tried to get back to the Kayes. But they were out somewhere playing golf and not taking calls. “Okay,” I said. “Gabe, did you get the present for Alex?”
“Not yet.”
“Well, good luck. By the way, when you get home, we have a surprise for you.”
“For me, Chase? Tomorrow’s Alex’s birthday. Not mine.”
“You’ll like it,” I said. “See you when you get here.”
• • •
Gabe descended into the parking area about twenty minutes later. I hurried outside to be with him when he discovered what else was there.
“Hi, Chase.” He got out of the vehicle, his eyes locked on Olander’s skimmer. “We got visitors?”
“No. That’s the surprise I mentioned.”
“What is?”
“The skimmer. Take a look.”
We walked toward the shelter. “It looks old.”
“It’s been around awhile.”
He went inside and stood staring at it. “I don’t think I’d want to ride in it. Why are we interested? Whose was it?”
I smiled at him. “Matt Olander.”
He caught his breath. “Really? You’re not kidding me?”
“No. That was his, as far as we can determine. When he was in college.”
“Beautiful.” His manner abruptly changed, darkened. “Who owns it now?”
“Alfonso Picariello.”
“I don’t want to ask the next question.” He walked over to the skimmer and touched one of the door handles. “What is it doing here?”
I wasn’t happy about his tone. I guess I’d hoped he had adjusted. “It’s up for auction.”
“Alex?”
“One of his clients.”
His appraisal had turned into a glare. He started for the house. “Let’s go in and see if the Kayes have gotten home yet.”
• • •
Jordan and Donna were still unavailable. Gabe told me to let him know when they got home. Then he went back to his quarters. A half hour later Alex arrived. “I assume,” he said, “he saw the skimmer?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” He looked at me, read me, and understood that his uncle’s reaction had not been a good one. He nodded, went to the back of the house, and knocked on Gabe’s door.
There was no indication it had opened until I heard their voices. Gabe said, “Yes, I saw it.” And Alex told him he understood he wasn’t happy.
The door closed, but I could still hear them though I couldn’t make out what they were saying until I went out into the corridor.
�
��. . . Sorry I’m creating a problem,” Gabe said, “but I’m just not going to be able to live with it.”
“Gabe, it’s what the company does.”
“I know. But I don’t want to sit here and watch it happen. Artifacts like that are part of history. They should be available to the public. Not stored in some millionaire’s showroom.”
“Gabe, I’m not responsible that there are collectors. If we weren’t handling the sales, someone else would.”
“I understand that. But that doesn’t mean I have to live with it. I’m sorry, but I’ll be out of here in a few days.”
“No. It’s your property, Gabe. I’ll move Rainbow to another place. Just give me a little time.”
The door opened and the voices became clearer. “This is not what I want, Alex.”
“Me neither. But I don’t see what else we can do.”
• • •
A few minutes later, Donna Kaye returned our call. I let Gabe know. “I’ll be a couple of minutes,” he said. “Stay with her, Chase.”
“He’ll be here in a minute, Donna.”
“Do you know why he called? Is there a problem?” She blinked on, wearing casual clothes and seated in front of a bookcase.
“More or less. Boomer wasn’t the AI when Harding owned the yacht.”
“Oh my,” she said. “I didn’t know that.” She looked to her right. “Jordan?”
He stepped into the picture. “Hi, Chase. I guess we screwed up again. I’d forgotten. But yes, that’s right, we did remove the original AI.”
“Do you know what happened to him?”
“Actually, he was a female. I think the name was Sandy. Do I have that right, Donna?”
“I have no idea.”
“Yeah. That’s correct. It was Sandy.”
“Can you tell me what happened to her?”
“Damned if I know. My brother runs the business. Let me ask him and I’ll get back to you.”
Gabe arrived just in time to see Jordan’s response: “Luke says she was sent to the Gracia Confidants’ Retirement Home. It’s in Grangeville. And, guys, I apologize for the Gracia problem. I just wasn’t thinking.”
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