Infinity Beach - Jack McDevitt [54]
“Not bad. We think we’ve uncovered Gabrielli’s private residence.”
“Gabrielli?”
“One of Hox’s advisors. If it’s true, we may finally be able to find out why they had Rentzler murdered. Well, you don’t care about that.” She held a heated cloth to her face, offered one to Kim, and sat down in a canvas chair. “Kim,” she said, her tone suddenly regretful, “we all lost people in that business. I won’t pretend that what happened to my father and me compares to losing your sister the way you did, but his life disintegrated too.”
“In what way?”
“A lot of people were dead. There was talk about antimatter. Everybody else who’d been on the mission vanished. It all sounded like a conspiracy. And people like to have someone to blame. He was the only one left alive, at least the only one they could find. So they blamed him.”
“It doesn’t appear in the record.”
“His friends got cold. People he’d known for years backed away from him, looked the other way when they met on the street. Some tried to get up a lawsuit but there was no proof. Eventually he left the valley, but it followed him. Forgive me, but people like you would show up asking questions. No accusations, but the implications were always there.
“My father was a decent man, Kim. He’d never hurt anybody, and he wouldn’t have been part of any of the things that were being talked about.”
“Like stealing fuel cells.”
“Yes. Like stealing fuel cells.” Tora got up, poured a couple of cups of coffee, and held one out to Kim. “I’m afraid I just don’t know anything that would help.”
Two people came in, got introduced, went back out. Kim said: “You don’t think there’s any connection between the return of the Hunter and the Mount Hope event?”
“I don’t. I can understand why people want to tie them together. But they checked the Hunter. All the antimatter that should have been there was there. Everybody forgets that. My father did nothing wrong. He had everything he wanted in life. He had no reason to steal fuel cells. Or anything else.”
“So what do you think happened?”
“I don’t have a theory. I know my father was ruined by it all. He never piloted another ship. Did you know that?”
“Yes,” she said. “I did.”
“With Tripley dead, the Foundation halted its flights, and nobody else would hire him. Oh, they didn’t mention Mount Hope. Just don’t need any captains right now, thank you.
“Look, Kim, I know it hurts. But if you want my advice, let go.”
“You had a call from Dr. Flexner, Kim.”
She took off her jacket and dropped it over the sofa. “Okay, Shep. See if you can reach him.”
“It was just a few minutes ago. He was in his office.”
She picked up a glass of apple juice and slipped into her commchair.
“He seemed upset,” Shepard added.
“In what way?”
“Irritable. Angry. Anyway, we have a connection.”
The walls vanished and she was sitting in Matt’s office. He did indeed look a trifle mussed. “Hi, Matt,” she said.
“Hello, Kim.” He was seated behind his desk, writing. “I’ve got a question for you,” he said, not looking up but putting the pen down.
“Go ahead.”
Now his eyes rose to meet hers. “What did you do to Benton Tripley?”
“What do you mean?”
“I got called in by Phil this morning. He apparently got a call from Tripley. Tripley is in a rage.”
“Why?”
“It wasn’t exactly clear why. But it has to do with you. When you were making the presentation, did you ask him about the Mount Hope incident?”
“We talked about it.”
“Did you imply that his father was involved in criminal activity?”
She tried to remember the conversations. “No,” she said. “Why would I do something like that?”
“That was going to be my question.”
“It didn’t happen.”
“Good. Because whatever benefit we got from giving him the Morton Cable Award, we’ve more than lost.”
“Matt—”
“Did you really break into his house?”
“No!”
“He says you did.”
Kim felt her temper rising. Take a deep breath and don’t lose control. “I looked at the property in the Severin Valley. But it’s not his place anymore. That whole area’s abandoned.”
“Are you sure about the details?