by Random, Alex
Time hung heavily upon Alston, and before the day was over he was chafing at the enforced inactivity and his impatience was impossible to control. Anders reappeared at noon to bring him a meal, then left him once more, alone with his irritating thoughts and conjectures. By evening, Alston was desperate for some diversion. Anders returned before nightfall, and listened to Alston’s complaints.
“I warned you it would take some time to sort this out,” Anders said. “I cannot hurry the investigations. I must not arouse Graham’s suspicions. I have a number of men working on the case. But if you cannot knuckle under to this strict confinement then I’ll talk to the Governor about having you moved to a less exacting position. The trouble is, once you leave the palace you will come under the observation of Graham’s agents, and very likely Graham will learn that you are still alive. That knowledge would put him on his guard and I doubt if we could succeed in what we’re trying to accomplish.”
“Surely it is a simple matter to uncover Graham’s methods. Those two witnesses he had lying against me! I think they would soon give you the truth if you put pressure on them!”
“I don’t doubt they would, but I can’t get at them. You’re officially dead, Rex, and so your case is closed.”
“Perhaps so, but the case of Allie Carpenter’s murder can’t be closed,” he protested.
“It has been, with your name appended as the killer! I’m afraid you’re stuck with that disgrace until we are in a position to prove otherwise.” There was a grim expression on Anders’s face.
Alston sighed in exasperation and shook his head. “I wish I had the opportunity of trying to get the evidence,” he retorted.
“What would you do?”
“I’d take Graham by the throat and force the truth out of him!”
“Those tactics wouldn’t hold up evidence in a court, and you know it. Graham would plead that he made his statement under duress and we would be set back even farther than we are now. He doesn’t know you’re alive, and that fact alone gives us the advantage. Leave well alone, Rex, and curb your impatience. You’re not alone anymore! Bear that in mind and you’ll see it through!”
Alston smiled thinly and nodded. “I seem to have no choice. Don’t think I’m not grateful for what you’re doing, Frank! I appreciate the difficulties that face you. But I’ve been waiting for years to get something done, and all this has come rather quickly since my review of sentence. I’ve been praying for something to happen, and I didn’t bargain for what I got.”
Anders nodded grimly. “I want to prove your innocence as much as you do, Rex,” he said. “Apart from that, if Graham is guilty of anything then I want to see him caught for it. He’s been so ruthless with wrongdoers himself, and if he’s as bad as the men he arrests then an example should be made of him.”
Alston nodded, and when Anders left him he sat thoughtful for a long time, trying to work out what should be done. But he came up against a blank wall, and no matter how he tried to figure a way out of the apparent deadlock, he could come up with no logical solution.
The fact that Graham thought him dead did give them some advantage, if only to put Graham off his guard. An official enquiry into Graham’s activities might uncover some evidence of guilt, but Alston knew the Governor could not risk such an obvious step in case they failed to get what they were after. Graham held high office, and could cause a great deal of trouble if he discovered what they were after.
Once again time hung heavily upon Alston, and he wished he could leave the palace. He felt that he would do more good trying to uncover the facts for himself. He had great faith in Frank Anders, but he fancied he would make more progress.
When he thought of Carmel and wondered if the girl was grieving over his death he had to fight down his impulse to contact her. He felt strange inside, knowing that the few friends he had thought he was dead. He let a picture of Helga come to mind, and Kiev Wallace. They had been good friends! So had Carmel, but he had never treated her right. She had been in love with him and he hadn’t wanted love! He realised they could not have been friends only. It didn’t work between a man and a woman. But he had never been able to fall in love with any girl. There had always been a bar in his mind blocking off the tender emotions needed for love.
Frustration gripped him in an ever increasing hold, and he began to pace the floor again. Night came on and he went to the window and peered down at the gardens. He saw guards moving around, and he thought of the play complex, where he had spent so much time cursing his luck and wishing he were elsewhere. Right now he would have given a lot just to be there, doing his duty as usual.
He went to the door and found it unlocked. Anders hadn’t locked it! He opened it a crack and peered out. There was no one in Anders’s apartment, and he went through to look around. Anything to get out of that claustrophobic room! He paced the living quarters, his mind seething with frustration because he could not come up with any idea that seemed to have a chance of succeeding.
The communicator bleeped, startling him, and he stared at it for long moments, but he dared not answer, and waited tensely until silence returned.
Later he went to bed, but slept badly, and the long hours dragged by. He was standing by the window as dawn came, gaunt-eyed and grim. When the door opened at his back he turned quickly, to find Anders standing there, already dressed and looking as if he had been on duty all night.
“Not sleeping well?” Anders demanded.
“I feel stifled,” Alston retorted. “You’ll have to give me something to do, Frank, or this inactivity will drive me out of my mind.”
“That’s why I’m here.” Anders sat down on the foot of the bed and stared into Alston’s face. “I’ve been working all night, and I come up against a blank wall every time I try something. The trouble is, Graham’s agents have complete control. I can’t get at the witnesses I need to talk to and unless I do talk to them I can’t collect evidence.”
“So what can I do to help?” There was an eagerness in Alston’s voice which was all too obvious.
“I’m afraid of bringing you into it for fear that you may lose your life, Rex.” Anders sighed heavily as he looked at Alston. “I’ve been given special powers by the Governor. I can recruit whom I like to help me. I could take you, give you some official standing, and set you to work. But if it killed you I would blame myself for the rest of my life.”
“What’s the difference me dying on your investigation and being killed in the line of duty on the bridge of a starship? I’m prepared to take my chances. I am involved in this, Frank. My future is tied up in it. But how can we use my death as a weapon against Graham?”
“Rex, I’m beginning to think this business goes a lot deeper than just jealousy on Graham’s part and his desire to get rid of you because you’re an embarrassment from his past. I don’t know what he’s planning, but he’s intent upon marrying Carmel. I don’t think he’s in love with the girl. He means to use her as a stepping stone to greater power. Just how far he’s prepared to go I have no way of knowing. But I have to find out now I’ve started this investigation.”
“So what can I do to help?” Alston repeated.
“I’ll have to talk to the Governor again when he’s up. I’ll broach the subject to him. You’re out of circulation, with his full knowledge and approval, so we could use you. But the strength we have because you are officially dead would be lost the moment Graham discovered you’re still alive. He would then realise that we have been trying to get him hooked.”
“I could be disguised,” Alston said. “A couple weeks treatment in the hospital would change me so my own mother wouldn’t recognise me.”
“Would you go that far to help get Graham exposed?”
“I could always be changed back to myself later!” Alston’s tones were filled with determination. “I’m not concerned about that. But how could I help to get at Graham once I’ve changed my physical appearance?”
“We’d have to work that out. I’m at a dead
end myself, and unless the Governor can come up with some bright idea then I’m going to suggest that we use you.”
“I feel better already,” Alston said.
“Then I’ll begin to work out some details. It might mean you’ll have to go back to Earth to check on what happened at your court martial — the facts behind it, I mean, which didn’t come out at the trial.”
“Do you think you can swing this with the Governor?” Alston demanded.
“I think so! He’s given me a free hand, and as you are so closely connected with the whole business then I think he’ll agree we can use you, especially as you cannot return to the play complex to continue with your duties.”
“And I don’t want to be cooped up here for what may be weeks,” Alston said.
Anders nodded tiredly and took his leave, and Alston found he was better in spirits already. He dressed and prepared for the day, eating his breakfast with gusto when it was brought in by one of Anders’s guards. He was impatiently pacing the floor when Anders returned around the middle of the morning.
“Any news?” Alston demanded quickly.
“Yes, but you may not like it!” Anders went to the window and peered out, his shoulders slumped and his manner showing utter dejection.
Alston stared at him for a moment, half afraid to ask more questions. But he steeled himself against possible disappointment and went to his friend’s side.
“Well?” he demanded, sticking out his chin. “What’s gone wrong?”
“I spoke with the Governor! He doesn’t like the present situation any more than we do, and he wants to check out Graham right down to the last detail. But it seems Carmel spoke to him at breakfast this morning about Graham. She’s had a proposal of marriage from Graham, and she’s thinking of accepting him.”
Alston stared at Anders while the man’s face seemed to swim before his eyes, and he shook his head slowly. Anders nodded grimly.
“That’s the way it goes,” he admitted. “The Governor is afraid of doing anything about Graham now because Carmel may suspect it is because of her. It looks like we’re beaten, Rex. I’ve already been given instructions to stop my investigation of Graham and my special powers have been revoked. As far as I’m concerned it’s all over.”
“But what happens to me?” Alston demanded. “I’m supposed to be dead! I can’t just come back to life! How am I to be disposed of?”
Anders made no immediate reply, and Alston stared into his friend’s face, trying to gain some idea of what was passing through his mind. Anders shook his head slowly, and Alston tightened his lips. He was beginning to get a most unsatisfactory idea in the back of his mind, and he tried to fight it down.
“No,” he said tensely. “I’m not going to be disposed of because I’ve become an embarrassment, Frank! You go back to the Governor and tell him that justice must prevail. He’s lived by that code all his life, and just because his daughter is involved in this he can’t kick his principles out the window. I want to see him, Frank. Get me an appointment with him.”
“It won’t do any good, Rex,” Anders retorted slowly. “I’ve got orders to move you out of here tonight. It’s an unknown destination for you. I don’t know anything more, so don’t ask questions. But I promise you that I won’t stand by and watch you pushed against the wall because of the pressures that had been applied to the Governor. You have my word on that!”
“And how good is your word now?” Alston demanded. “Don’t you see that you could join me in whatever awaits me? If the Governor feels you might become a risk to the security of his daughter, as I have, then you’ll be in the same trouble I am. You’ve got to do something about Graham before it’s too late, Frank! Not just for my sake but for your own!”
There was tension in Alston’s tones, and his expression bore out his manner. This looked like the end of the road for him, and there seemed to be no guarantee that he would survive the quick changes of policy that were being planned. But he had no intention of submitting to the fate that awaited him. They would find that he was not a tame rabbit, to be disposed of without consideration. He would make his own bid for survival, and if he managed to get clear he would continue his personal investigation into the reasons for the smuggling charge and the murders that had been appended to his name. The only way they could stop him would be to kill him, and that fact seemed all too simple for them to handle. He was completely at their mercy …
CHAPTER NINE
When Anders had gone, Alston paced his room like a caged tiger. He felt that he was in a trap, with no way out. He was at the mercy of the Governor now, and if Carmel really decided to marry Graham then Ogden Paine would not investigate his future son in law. The unknown destination that awaited Alston that night could be a shallow grave in the forest, as Graham had planned it originally! But Alston was not going to die so simply. He cast around in his mind for ways of outwitting his captors. He was a captive, no matter which way he looked at it. No one knew he was still alive, so his death after this would go unnoticed. He realised that he had been neatly put out of the way, and wondered if it had been planned that way from the start. The Governor might have suspected that he would become an embarrassment, and this present situation took care of him completely.
He went through Anders’s department, looking for a weapon, because he had no intention of submitting tamely to death. But there was nothing he could use. He thought of the only two friends he had — Kiev Wallace and Helga Oren. But they could not help him, and there were the beginnings of fear in his mind by the time he figured out just how helpless he was. He felt that he could trust Anders, but his old-time friend could only obey orders, no matter what they were. There was only one slim avenue of hope, and it came to mind when he had exhausted all other probable outlets. Carmel herself!
Thinking about the girl, Alston felt a surge of relief. She would help him! She figured he was dead, and that was why she was turning to Graham! But if she learned the truth then her love for him would be the means of his salvation. But how could he get to her? He went to the door of the room and found it locked. Anders was taking no chances. Although he was given the run of the apartment, there was no way out of it.
Alston looked around, and his teeth clicked together when he saw the communicator. He would have to go through the switchboard, but as it was an internal call the operator wouldn’t question it. He took up the receiver, thankful it was a mere communicator circuit and not the videophone. The next moment the operator’s voice sounded in his ear.
“Put me through to Miss Carmel’s room please,” Alston said in formal tones.
“Who’s calling?” the operator demanded.
“Lieutenant Anders!” Alston had to take a chance on his voice not being challenged. He clenched his teeth while there was a pause, and then the operator spoke steadily.
“I’m connecting you now!”
Alston waited, and he could hear the ringing tones at the other end. Was Carmel in her apartment? It would be just his luck if she were out! But suddenly there was a click, and then line opened. Alston heard Carmel’s voice.
“Carmel Paine!” the girl said, and Alston closed his eyes for a moment.
It had been a lifetime, he imagined, since he had last heard her tones. It was difficult to accept that so much had happened in the meantime. He stifled a sigh of regret because of all the wasted evenings he had spent in her company, refusing to reciprocate her love. But if she still loved him and wanted him then he could save himself by admitting love for her. Even if he didn’t love her right now, he could learn to love her over the years, and he wouldn’t treat her badly.
“Hello?” the girl enquired.
“Carmel,” he said, trying to disguise his tones slightly. “This is Frank Anders. Can you come along to my quarters for a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Frank? Your voice sounds strange. Is anything wrong?”
“No. Sorry to talk with a mouthful of food, but I’m in a hurry and I
’m trying to do several things at once.”
“All right. I’ll come along and see you immediately.”
The line went dead and Alston smiled thinly. He replaced the receiver and stood thinking for a moment, his forehead beaded with sweat. Then he moved to the door of the apartment and waited. He needed a few clear minutes in which to talk to Carmel without interruption, and when the handle of the door was turned from the outside he tensed and prepared himself to talk fast.
There was a knock at the door then, and Alston moistened his lips. He didn’t want Carmel to go away, and yet he had to make sure it was she out there. The next moment he heard her voice.
“Lieutenant Anders, are you there?” the girl called sharply, and Alston smiled to himself at the sound of impatience in her tones.
“Carmel!” His voice was harsh. “This isn’t Anders! Are you prepared for a shock?”
“Who’s in there?” Carmel’s tones sharpened still more.
“This is Rex Alston!” he replied.
Silence followed, and Alston frowned. He listened intently, but could hear no sounds beyond the door.
“Carmel, are you there?” he called. “This is important. I am not dead, and I’m being held prisoner. I need to talk to you. Can you get into this room somehow?”
The silence outside continued, and Alston felt a pang of alarm.
“Are you still there, Carmel?” he demanded.
“Is it really you, Rex?” she replied.
“Of course! I’m not a ghost come back to haunt you, Carmel. Can you get a spare key and let yourself in here?”
“I’ll try! I think I can manage it! I’ll be back in a few moments.”
“Before you go, remember that my presence here is being kept secret. Don’t let anyone know I’m still alive, Carmel!”
“I won’t be long,” she said.
Alston relaxed a little then, and paced the room slowly as the moments went by. There was a strange lightness in his chest when he thought of the girl, and his hopes were higher now than they had even been. Presently he heard a sound at the door and turned to face it. The next instant a key clicked in the lock, and the door opened slowly. Carmel’s tense, pale face peered in at him, and for a moment they stared at one another. Then the girl uttered a little cry of shocked pleasure and came running into his arms.