Infinity Beach - Jack McDevitt [145]
The media portrayed her in a similar light: a helpless passenger on a scientific research mission who’d needed rescuing when, shortly after emerging from hyperspace, the engines had run wild.
She received requests for interviews, guest spots on several panel shows, and lucrative offers for exclusive accounts of events on the Hammersmith. All of which she declined.
Ben Tripley had left a message for her at home. She ran it and was surprised when he looked at her sadly and only wished her well. Her heart sank. She had expected him to take her to task for destroying his father’s reputation, to point out he’d warned her something very much like this would happen. But he avoided the recriminations and only said he understood this was hard on everybody. And he expressed his regrets for Emily. “I don’t know what happened,” he said, “I can’t imagine what happened. But I’m sorry. I wish it could have been otherwise.”
How could she respond? You were right all the time? I don’t know what happened either, and maybe your father is completely innocent, but the damage is done. Maybe if your father and Kane had spoken up when they came home about whatever occurred out there, everything would have been okay. It’s not my fault.
After a long time she recorded a message, thanking him, telling him she was confident that when the investigation was complete, his father would be vindicated. She watched it through, decided it was a disaster, and deleted it.
She delayed calling Sheyel because once again she didn’t know what to say. She had no appetite for lying to him, but her agreement with Canon Woodbridge prevented disclosure. Still, she needed to talk to someone, and Sheyel seemed to be the only person left.
She punched in his code. Moments later his dragon chair appeared, and then he walked into the image and eased him-self into it. “Kim,” he said. “It’s good to see you.” He wore a dark brown robe.
They exchanged pleasantries, although she could see he was anxious to hear about the flight of the Hammersmith. He looked more pale and drawn than when she’d seen him last. He was losing ground.
“I can’t tell you much,” she said. “I just wanted you to know I’m okay.”
“I understand.” His silver hair and beard had become straggly. She suspected he hadn’t adjusted well to the news about Yoshi. “You lost a friend,” he said.
“Solly Hobbs. Yes.”
“I read what he did. Such friends are rare.” He reached beside him and picked up a cup. Steam was rising from it. “What will you do now?”
Good question.
“I think I owe Ben Tripley an apology,” she said.
“When are you going to do that?”
“Maybe tomorrow if I can get an appointment.”
“You’re going up there personally?”
“Yeah. I think I should. Anyway I want to get a closer look at the Valiant.”
“The Valiant?”
She hadn’t meant to say that. But what the hell, he already knew. “The ship in the mural,” she prompted. “You remember the model?”
“Oh yes,” he said. “How could I forget?” There was, she thought, something very strange in his eyes, but she let it go. Probably the light.
She got through to Tripley’s secretary, who said she could make room for her next afternoon toward the end of the day. Kim consented, and put in a call to Tora Kane.
Tora came right on. Strictly audio. “Yes, Kimberly. What did you want?”
The key to the Hunter logs, Kim thought, had to lie with the captain’s daughter. There was no one else.
“I wanted to apologize,” she said. “I know this has been a difficult time.”
“I really needed somebody to explain that to me.” She paused, and Kim could hear the ocean in the background. “Was there anything else?”
“Yes. I wanted you to know that I don’t believe your father’s in any way responsible for the deaths.”
“That comes a little late.” Her fury was barely restrained. “You’ve ruined his name. You know that, don’t you? You’ve destroyed him.” With no warning her voice broke. She swallowed, waited, took a deep breath. “Everything he lived for, everything he did, it’s all gone now. And what they’re saying about him is a