“Only that Hill was upset because she was left out by Housman.”
“Alex, we all knew about that before this thing happened. Well, some of us did. Archie sent a couple messages back, telling us about it.”
“You never mentioned it.”
“We had enough to deal with. People were looking for a scandal. We had Greene, Hill’s stalker, on our hands. All we needed was something else, one of our own people cutting her short. You know how that would have played out? The media would have claimed that Hill did it as an act of revenge. That she’d taken the shuttle out and rammed it into the station. Or that maybe Housman was responsible. They might have decided he didn’t want to lose credit for the discovery, that he desperately wanted the Exeter and knew he’d lose his shot if we found out it was Charlotte who actually found the pods. So he killed her and himself and everyone else to keep it quiet.”
“How do you know that’s what happened? That it wasn’t either Hill or Housman?”
“Because I knew both of them. Housman wasn’t the most considerate human being on the planet, but there’s no way he would have killed anybody. Nor would Charlotte. No, the truth is somewhere else. And I didn’t want to ruin the reputations of two decent people because we didn’t have an answer.”
XXXVI.
Rain was falling when we came out of the DPSAR building. The weather matched our mood. Alex didn’t say much on the way home. I’d committed to going out on the Riverwalk that evening with Chad. And the reality was that I was going to need him that night. “Charlotte just never sent the message,” I said. “I guess it’s time to face that.”
Alex stayed silent but he let me see that he agreed.
“What are we going to do about ?”
He pushed back in his seat. “I’m going to tell them that we thought we had something, but it fell through.”
“Where do we go from here, Alex?”
“Good question. I think there was a conflict between Housman and Charlotte. There must have been a confrontation about the way he wrote the paper. I can’t imagine any way it wouldn’t have happened. Charlotte wasn’t someone who would have backed off and let him take all the credit. She probably told him if he didn’t rewrite the thing she’d dispute his claims. And she had witnesses on board who’d have backed her up.”
“So he goes nuts, takes the shuttle, and the station?”
“If he did that, what are his chances that the place would wind up in the black hole?”
“I don’t know. It certainly seems possible. Housman would have been able to put the numbers together.”
“If he can bring it off, he leaves a mystery behind, and nobody has any answers. Certainly nothing to refute his ambition to walk in the footsteps of Galileo.”
“Alex, you really think he’d have been willing to sacrifice his life, and kill everybody else on the station, to do ?”
“The only thing I can say, Chase, is .”
“So we’re left with that or the aliens?”
“Or Charlotte.”
“Yeah. Personally, I prefer the aliens.”
We canceled the Riverwalk stroll. Instead Chad took me to the Emporium dance hall. It’s located on a pier off the north end of the beach. Music gets piped in. It’s traditionally soft and warm, exactly what you’d want if you had the love of your life in your arms. We’d been out on the floor only a few minutes when he asked me what was wrong.
“Nothing,” I said. “What makes you think there’s something wrong?”
“You usually generate a lot of energy, Chase. You’re dialed down tonight.”
“Oh. I guess I’m a bit tired. It’s been a long few days.”
“You need to get out from under that Octavia business.”
“Probably.”
“You making any progress at all?”
“I think we’ve hit a wall.”
“I’m sorry to hear it.” A gorgeous redhead swirled past and caught his eye momentarily.
“She looks pretty good,” I said.
He grinned. “Not in your league.”
“Right.”
He leaned close and let his lips explore my cheek. “I wish I could help. Do something.”
“So do I, Chad.”
We danced through the evening. Chad wasn’t great on his feet. He never had been, but he was okay. For some reason, though, on that night he was more relaxed and affectionate than I’d seen in the past. I was lost in his arms, and I got the impression for the first time that we weren’t simply two people on a date, but that we’d become a couple.
“Chase,” he said, “you’re a sweetheart. I’ve never known anyone like you.”
I’d heard it before, of course. Usually it sounds like a guy trying to set himself up for the evening. But there was a ring of intensity to it that night. He stopped short of saying he was in love with me, although I thought several times it was coming. However that might have been, I’d never seen him look happier. And simultaneously more nervous. He was trying to decide how far to go. Eventually he suggested we take a break. The walls were lined with chairs, so we went over and sat down. “I love having you back,” he said. “I wish you worked for me.”
“That’s very nice of you, Chad.”
“We could go riding around in your interstellar chasing down classic books.”
“You’d have to buy a yacht. The belongs to Alex.”
“I was hoping it was yours.”
“I don’t have that kind of money.”
He leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine. “I know,” he said. “I was just kidding. Though I’d love to be alone with you in the . You and I go out together and look at another star. Maybe we could lease a vehicle.”
I was thinking that Alex would let me take out, but the prospect of explaining why I wanted it made me feel a bit squirmy. “Eventually,” I said, “we could probably arrange something.”
“You know, there’s a good side to all this, if the hunt for that space station is really over.”
“What’s that?”
“Maybe you won’t be disappearing anymore for weeks at a time.”
When I got to the country house in the morning, Gabe was seated in the dining room enjoying pancakes. I’d eaten breakfast at home, but I always start my workday with a cup of coffee, which gives me an excuse to wander into the dining area and join the conversation. That usually tells me what’s coming up. On this occasion, though, Alex was apparently still asleep. “I haven’t heard anything from him yet,” said Gabe. “He was wandering around the building during the night. What happened yesterday? He went over to McGill’s bar and spent half the evening there. That’s totally unlike him.”
“Veronica wasn’t with him?”
“No. Not that I know of. You guys were gone most of the day. Did something happen?”
“Not really. But I think the Octavia project is over.”
“You mean, without a resolution?”
“Yes.”
“Why? What happened, Chase?”