“Which is to say, the lock was forgotten?”
“Yes.”
“By yourself?”
“Yes.”
“It is permitted to inquire cause of unusual excitement?”
“It was a step I’d never taken before.”
“Yes. Why taken, please?”
“I’m working on a difficult and complicated contract, Captain Ind’dni. I needed time alone to think it through.”
“Precise nature of said contract?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you.”
“To be sure. Professional ethics. Understood. And then the two entered? Through unsafed door?”
“Yes.”
“Time of said entry?”
“About thirty or forty minutes ago.”
“So much for method. Sorry to learn that entry security of this Oasis is not what it should be. Now, motive?”
“Isn’t it obvious, Captain Ind’dni? Rape and robbery.”
“In that order? How very curious.”
“No, I’m wrong. Forgive me, Captain. I’m still upset.”
“To be understood.”
“I assume it was for the rip first. When they found me here, the rape was added.”
“Much more reasonable assumption, madame. And then?”
“There was a struggle.”
“Evidence of same most explicit.”
“Yes, I was lucky. I managed to survive.”
“One against two?”
“Yes.”
“And they armed?”
“With this. Take it, please.”
“Thank you, madame. You seized it from them?”
“I was lucky, or they were careless.”
“And killed your assailants?”
“In self-defense.”
“Lethal-Just, to be sure. Describe them, please.”
“Is that necessary, Captain Ind’dni? You have only to look at them.”
“But surely you are humorous, madame. You know there is nothing to see.”
“What!”
“You are so surprised? How very odd.”
Gretchen leaped up and turned. The squad broke its cluster and permitted her to look.
Two clean skeletons lay on the floor. The bones were dry and polished. There was not a particle of flesh. There was not a drop of blood.
She was speechless.
“Like that woman in the dump,” one of the squad muttered. “Only no beetles this time.”
Subadar Ind’dni cut him off with a sharp gesture. To Gretchen he said smoothly, “Surely not accomplished with this burner, madame? Flesh drills, yes. Penetration drills, single or several, yes. But complete disintegration? And of flesh and blood alone? You will understand my astonishment.”
“I… Yes, Captain.”
“I am acquainted with every form of Lethal by violence, madame. Surely you are, too. Never before have I seen anything of this sort. Have you?”
“I… Never… Until now.”
“And yet you allege this is your work. I have very special cause to beg for very careful answer. This is your work?”
“I… Yes.”
“It is permitted to inquire how accomplished? This is most important, madame; more important than you know.”
“It is permitted.”
“Thank you. Then… ?”
But he had given her enough time to gather herself. In those few moments she had accelerated and improvised everything she would say in the next half hour.
“Unfortunately, I can’t tell you, Captain Ind’dni.”
“No? Why, madame? Again I must warn you. This is of much importance and danger; more danger than you know.”
“The weapon I used is new and secret. In fact, it is the crux of the contract on which I’m working. No one has seen it yet and no one may see it. That’s why I had to dismiss my staff tonight.”
“Ah. And you used contract weapon on your assailants? Not the laser you presented to me?”
“Yes.”
“Producing this effect?”
“Yes.”
“You have never used it before? Elsewhere? At another time? Be very careful, madame.”
“Never. That’s one of the things I was trying to puzzle out tonight; how to test it in secret.”
“And then came this most opportune rip.” Subadar Ind’dni’s tone was tinged with irony. “I congratulate and thank you, madame. Frankly, I found it difficult to believe that you had fought off two assailants, disarmed them, and killed them with their own laser. You are most formidable lady, but not physically.”
“Forgive the clumsy lie, Captain Ind’dni. I’m trying to protect the contract, and I’m rattled.”
“To be understood, madame. Alas, protection no longer possible. I must have the contract weapon.”
“It’s out of the question.”
“It is not my choice, it is constraint of Legal. Weapon must be produced. You know that, madame.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You are adamant?”
“I must be.”
“You place us both in most difficult position.”
“I know mine.”
“Then consider mine. I am dealing with most distinguished colleague of great honor and respect. That is the one hand, but here is the second. I am required by Legal to gather all existing evidence, both factual and verbal, to complete case for prosecution.”
“Of course.”
“But you will not produce lethal weapon.”
“I can’t.”
“Then what am I to do? Your refusal requires me to follow homicide procedure.”
“I suggest you do whatever the procedure requires.”
“Then you are under arrest, madame.”
“Lethal-One? Lethal-Two? Lethal-Just?”
“You persist in making difficult case doubly compounded, madame. Never before have I—You are above suspicion, but the—No. No. The charge will be none of them. I charge you in an invented category. It is… What to name it? Ah. Yes. It is Felony-Five.”
Gretchen burst out laughing. She had brought it off. “Bravo, Captain Ind’dni! Have you improvised a procedure to go with a Felony-Five? Will I be confined? Can I get bail?”
“I continue to invent in face of most unkind laughter. You are under extended house-arrest. We will call it Guff-arrest. You may continue professional practice, but you will not leave Guff under any circumstances without hukm (which is Hindu for sanction) from me.”
“Thank you, Subadar.”
“Although I am not of your quality, madame, I do have resources. I warn you that I will uncover this most secret contract weapon, if it exists.”
“If it exists? You doubt my word, Captain?”
“I do not apologize. Disbelief is the Bombazine syndrome, but that is not the case now. You are, alas, involved in one of a series of most malignant outrages, of which I hope you have no knowledge.”
“This is a surprise. What outrages, Captain Ind’dni? I haven’t heard of any lately.”
“They are not yet matters of record.”
“Why not?”
“Because they are too outré for belief.”
“I see. At least I think I understand. All the same, I thank you for your courtesy, Subadar. I’ll do everything I can to cooperate. This is a damned nuisance, isn’t it?”
“Most sadly I agree, madame. And I am afraid that both of us will be much sadder when I have finally all questions firmly answered.”
“When you do, I hope you’ll tell me,” Gretchen prayed fervently. Her psytech skill at construction and design had taken a temporary leave of absence. Emotion will do that to the human animal.
7
After her final report (which most definitely was not the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth) to Chairman Mills Copeland, Ms. Nunn received his thanks and check and went directly to the scent laboratory, which she entered without announcement. Dr. Shima was doing demented things with flasks, pipettes, and reagent bottles.
Without turning, he ordered, “Out! Out! Out!”
“Good morning, Blaise.”
He spun around, revealing a mauled face. “Well, well, well,” he smiled. “The celebrated Gretchen Nunn, I presume? Voted ‘Person of the Year’ three times in succession?”