Infinity Beach - Jack McDevitt [183]
He welcomed her with a hearty handshake, his glance meanwhile returned upward. He smiled at Woodbridge, and proceeded to go on for several minutes about the advances of science and technology and how important it was that the Republic remain at the forefront of scientific research.
“Periodically, we at the Progress Directorate like to take time to honor the people who lead the charge.” He seemed to think that was an especially telling phrase, because he delivered it again. “—Who lead the charge into the future. Today we want to express our appreciation to Dr. Kimberly Brandywine, for special contributions in the field of cosmology.” Woodbridge produced a small white box and held it out to him.
Edward took the box, opened it, and extracted a silver medal with a red ribbon, which he held so the audience could see. “The Brays Stilwell Award for Special Achievement,” he said. His hand moved in a graceful arc ending at her lapel, to which he affixed the medal. “Congratulations.” He shook her hand, and shook Woodbridge’s hand.
Kim had never heard of the Brays Stilwell. She said thanks, felt a rush of gratitude, and smiled at Woodbridge and at the Councilor.
Edward told her he knew she would continue her fine work. Then he shook a few more hands, glanced at the time, and disappeared.
The people in the audience approached her to look at the award and wish her well. “It’s nice,” she told Woodbridge. “Thank you.”
“It’s really quite a high honor,” he said. “The highest we can give. But nobody’ll ever really know why you got it. Except you, me, the councilman, and a few staff people.”
She wasn’t sure herself why she’d gotten it.
He put his hands on her shoulders, as if he were sending her off to battle. “Now, can I talk you into having lunch with me?”
It had just begun to get dark when Kim arrived at Tora Kane’s home. Tora was standing at the pad, sipping a drink, when the taxi touched down and Kim stepped out. “Good evening, Brandywine,” she said.
Kim nodded and looked at the cab. “Should I have it wait?”
“It wouldn’t hurt.”
It was a pleasant evening toward the end of April, just after sunset. The air was filled with the scent of the woods. A pair of squirrels stopped chasing each other around the bole of an ancient oak to watch the two women.
They climbed onto the porch and Tora invited Kim to sit down. She picked out a rickety wooden chair; Tora took the swing. There was a pitcher and an extra glass on a side table. “Blue riggers,” said her hostess. “Would you like one?”
“Thank you,” Kim said, determined to avoid returning the woman’s surliness.
Tora filled a glass and held it out for her. “How did you find out where they were?”
“The logs?” Kim shrugged. “It seemed like a place that would have appealed to him.”
“Hidden in a museum? On public display? Oh yes, he liked that.”
The blue rigger was quite good.
Kim met her eyes. “You knew all along, didn’t you? You knew what happened on the Hunter”
“Yes,” she said. “I knew.”
“You’ve seen the logs?”
“No.” She put her drink down. Rocked back and forth. Stared into the growing dusk. “No. I had no wish to see the gory details. But I knew what happened. He was tortured by it.”
“What about Mount Hope? What’s the rest of the story?”
She opened a drawer on the side table and took out a disk. “He knew that somebody would eventually do what you have done, somebody would get at least part of the truth. If it hadn’t been you, it would have been somebody else.” A lamp burned inside the window. “My instructions were that, if the logs were found, this statement should be made available to the authorities. That’s not you, but it seems that you’re the logical person to receive it nonetheless.”
Kim took it. “Do you want to watch it?”
“I’ve seen it.”
Kim slipped it into a jacket