Night Lamp (34 page)

Yamb’s face fell. “Impossible. Even if I could, I would not dare, after the repercussions of the first case.”

“How so?”

“Asrubal arrived from Fader a few days later. He was in a vicious mood. As soon as he entered the office he demanded my ledgers, and I assure you that my soul went numb. However, I feigned insouciance and politely produced the ledgers. At once he looked them over, muttering under his breath to Dame Waldop, who stood by nonplussed. Suddenly Asrubal bent down and smelled the pages. He looked up at Dame Waldop with an expression which chills me as I think of it now. He declared in a low rasping voice: ‘These ledgers have been copied!’

“Dame Waldop cried out: ‘Impossible! Who would do such a thing! Come; let us examine the machine. The meter will provide us the facts.’

“The two went into the back room and studied the meter, but I had no fear in this regard, since I had disconnected it during my unauthorized use. They emerged from the room with Dame Waldop leading, shoulders thrown back in vindication. ‘As you see, the count is correct. Your nose, in this case at least, has misled you.’

“Asrubal turned to study me, with a disturbing intensity. ‘Well, then, Yamb! Did you copy these ledgers?’

“ ‘Of course! Every week I copy them upon the computational machine! It is my duty, so that the information is instantly available to Your Honor! It is a simple matter. For instance, I call out “Export,” then “Transactions,” then utter the particulars of the transaction. It is a fine and satisfactory system.’

“ ‘I daresay. Did you copy the ledgers on the copying machine? Come; tell me at once! These documents are of cardinal importance!’

“I felt his gaze boring into my brain, but I have perfected a manner of guileless innocence which persuades the keenest inquisitor that I am a mooncalf, with nothing more weighty on my mind than a taste for well-buttered parsnips. I believe that I made this impression upon Asrubal, and left him baffled though still as dangerous as a coiled fire-snake. He questioned me for a time, but I only simpered and licked my lips in an unctuous manner which everyone finds disgusting. Asrubal finally turned away, throwing his arms into the air. For a time he continued to bedevil Dame Waldop, who denied all his imputations. In the end he deleted the information from the memory banks of the business machine, then he snatched up my ledgers and left the office. He was in a fury and his face was like sculptured bone.”

“Did Jamiel indicate what her plans might be?”

“No. She went to the terminal and took outward passage. I was told that Asrubal made extensive inquiries, but I gather that he learned nothing definite.”

Maihac produced a hundred sols. Yamb cocked his head to the side. “You bring forth that money with the careless ease of a wealthy grandee, to whom a thousand sols is little different from a hundred.”

“Not exactly. Do you have something more to tell me?”

“Only the story of my life and the color of Dame Waldop’s knickers, which I glimpsed one day when she slipped on a bit of fruit, which I had discarded, and fell flat on her fundament.”

“You have nothing else?”

Yamb heaved a sigh. “Nothing whatever.”

Maihac handed over the hundred sols. “You will need this while you prepare for a new career.”

“No fear in that direction,” said Yamb complacently. “I will assist my Aunt Estebel at Primrose Consolidators for a time, until Dame Waldop discovers that I have installed a number of mysterious shortcuts, so that I am indispensable. She will fume and curse, but in the end she will order me back to work. My response will be languid; this time she has gone too far and some of her allusions have been a bit close to the knuckle. I shall tell her so. Further, I will recommend a substantial raise in salary, a handsome new desk near the door, with a plaque identifying me as ‘Superintendent of Finance’ or some such tide.”

“You live an adventurous life,” said Maihac. “Where is the IPCC office?”

Yamb opened the door and ushered Maihac out into the late afternoon. He pointed up the street. “Go to the second cross-lane. There, with the pedicure salon to one side and a great black bangle-blossom tree to the other, you will find the IPCC.”

At the IPCC office Maihac identified himself to the young agent and inquired for messages. As he expected, the officer produced an envelope inscribed with his name.

The message read:

Tawn Maihac: I have shipped out aboard the Lustspranger of the Demeter Line. A message addressed to the main office of the Demeter Line on Old Earth will reach me, and I will join you at the rendezvous you suggested.

Gaing Neitzbeck

Maihac left Loorie aboard a packet of the Swannic Line, which took him to Galley’s Junction on Virgo AXX-1 Thirteen, where he transferred to a tourist cruise ship, which took him to Ocknow on the world Flesselrig, the commercial and financial node serving much of the back sector. Maihac went directly to the main offices of the Natural Bank, where he was referred to one of the under-supervisors. This was Brin Dykich, who contrasted notably with Huber Thwan of Loorie. He was slim, personable, cooperative and wore no mustache. He took Maihac into his office, ordered in tea and asked how he could be of service.

“You will at first think my request irregular,” said Maihac. “Perhaps even startling, but when you hear the background, I think you will see that all is in order.”

“Please continue,” said Dykich. “You have at least excited my interest.”

“I am a former officer of the IPCC, retired in good standing. I am trying to lay a criminal by the heels. He is a thief, a swindler and a murderer; he is a Roum from the world Fader; his name is Asrubal of Urd House and he maintains an account in at least two branches of the Natural Bank—here and at Loorie.”

“And you want information in regard to the account?” Dykich’s tone was neutral. “Obviously, I cannot oblige you even though you have my sympathy. I have met Asrubal, and, quite candidly, I find him a nasty piece of work.”

Maihac placed his documents on the desk. “This is my authority.”

Dykich read the documents carefully, then looked up at Maihac. “This is a very powerful instrument. It gives you discretionary control over Urd House monies, even though they have been initialized into Asrubal’s sub-account.”

“That is my understanding.”

Dykich pursed his lips dubiously and re-read the document. “Well, the instructions are clear. I presume that you wish to inspect the account?”

“Yes, if you please.”

Dykich brought the relevant numbers to his screen. Maihac studied them for a moment. “Naturally, you are aware that there is a draught of three hundred thousand sols, issued against Asrubal’s account, which still seems to be outstanding.”

“I have noticed the reference.”

“The draught was not funded at Loorie, and apparently it was not funded here.”

Dykich looked over the screen. “True. We discharged no such draught. It is still extant and as good as cash.”

“With accrued interest and dividends over three years, how much is it worth now?”

“Roughly four hundred thousand sols.”

“I want to protect this money from any attempt by Asrubal to sequester it. How can this be done?”

Dykich reflected. “It is not a simple process, but it can be done. On the strength of this authorization, I can transfer an appropriate sum into a modified escrow, payable only upon presentation of the draught, which is made out to ‘Bearer.’ ”

“Then please do so.”

“Very well. I will calculate the exact amount, which should be close to four hundred thousand sols, and which, as you will notice, almost wipes out Asrubal’s account.”

“Asrubal will not be pleased. Make sure that neither he nor anyone else of Urd House can gain access to the account.”

“I will place a stipulation to this effect.” Dykich picked up the document and read it once more, with great care. He shrugged. “So be it. But I must make a certified copy of the document, which you will sign, for my own protection.”

The copy was executed to Dykich’s satisfaction. Maihac asked, “I take it that you have not seen Asrubal recently?”

“Not recently. Certainly not for months, perhaps longer. Now that I think of it, a message was left here about a year ago; the exact date being—” Dykich rummaged in his drawer and brought out a buff envelope. He studied the imprinted date. “It was left a year ago. Asrubal has not been here since then.” Maihac reached out and took the envelope from Dykich’s reluctant fingers. Before Dykich could protest, Maihac had opened the envelope and extracted the message. He read aloud:

“To Asrubal of Urd:

With the house where the woman died as my focus, I searched the area in concentric circles and finally came upon facts which I believe to be significant to a ninety percent surety. The only alternate hypothesis (ten percent probability) is that the boy died by drowning in the river.

Far more likely, he was taken up by a pair of anthropologists named Hilyer and Althea Fath, and conveyed to their home in the city Thanet, on the world Gallingale. Public records make this opinion highly probable.

Terman of Urd.”

Dykich stared at Maihac. “Are you well? You are pale as a ghost!”

“Jamiel is dead,” muttered Maihac. “Asrubal has killed her.”

“There’s not much more to tell,” said Maihac. “The message which Terman had left with Brin Dykich shocks me to this day when I think of it. I had hoped that Jamiel might have escaped Asrubal—but he had caught up with her. I can’t bear to think what happened next. My life became focused upon two persons: Jaro and Asrubal. Even while I sat in Dykich’s office, I wondered why Asrubal should be so anxious to track down Jaro. After long brooding, the answer came to me. It could only be that Jamiel had put the bank draught and the incriminating ledgers into a safe place, and died before Asrubal could wring the truth from her. The boy had escaped and might possibly know the hiding place. The chance was remote but Asrubal could not neglect it; he could never feel secure until he had destroyed the ledgers and canceled the bank draught.

“Terman might or might not have communicated with Asrubal. I traveled to Thanet at once, and was much relieved to find that you were alive, well and in good hands. The Faths were raising you to the best of their abilities. Gaing joined me; he went to work in the terminal machine shop; I was hired as a security officer; between us we screened all incoming passengers. We gave special attention to ships arriving from the direction of Flesselrig and Nilo-May.

“Time passed; nothing happened; Asrubal never showed himself, nor did anyone else who might have been a Roum.

“I became edgy. Were my theories out of phase with the facts? I could not see where I could have gone wrong—unless Terman, after leaving his message with Dykich, had never again made contact with Asrubal, so that the information regarding the Faths had never been passed on. Perhaps Terman had died, or been killed, or had decided to settle permanently somewhere among the worlds of the Reach, rather than return to Fader. I communicated with Brin Dykich at Ocknow; he reported that no one had approached him in regard to the bank draught, nor had any further payments been made into Asrubal’s account. I wondered what was going on. Finally I decided to try my luck with the Faths, and to become acquainted with my son. By this time I had learned of his truncated memory, which of course troubled me. Still, the memory might return and recall the circumstances surrounding the death of his mother, and what had happened to the ledgers and the bank draught.

“I went to a dealer in curios and bought several exotic musical instruments, including a froghorn, which I tried to play. It was very difficult and sounded the same whether I was playing good or bad. I registered at the Institute and undertook one or two of Althea’s classes, where I casually mentioned my interest in exotic instruments. Althea instantly became interested in me, and nothing must do but what I come out to Merriehew to meet her family. We spoke of her adopted son and Althea could not restrain her pride for this boy who was turning out so nicely. I tried to find out where they had come upon this paragon, but Althea only stuttered and mumbled and changed the subject.

“I began to visit Merriehew regularly. In general, the evenings were successful, despite Hilyer’s suspicions, which were automatic, even though I deferred to him and listened politely to all his opinions. I even brought over my froghorn and played for them. I pleased everyone but Hilyer, who was probably jealous of me, and also because I was a spaceman, and hence a vagabond. On several occasions I turned the conversation to your origins, but Hilyer and Althea were always evasive. Why, I could not understand at the time. It’s no wonder that they considered me a bad influence—so much so that their invitations came to an end.

“Time was passing. I felt that I must do something positive, and soon. I left Gaing in charge and took passage to Nilo-May aboard a freighter. This was a mistake; the passage was cheap but it was slow. I finally arrived at Loorie where I discovered that changes had been made. Dame Waldop no longer ruled Lorquin Shipping. The new manager was a thin young woman, with eyes like flint pebbles and hair cropped short. Aubert Yamb had married his cousin Twee Pidy and was now employed at Primrose Consolidators. He was not too pleased to see me and he had little news to report. About two years before, Dame Waldop had departed Loorie for parts unknown. Yamb had seen nothing of Asrubal for an even longer period, and had no information as to his whereabouts. At the space terminal I searched the records and verified that Terman of Urd had taken passage from Loorie to Ocknow. I did the same; and for the next two years traced Terman as he moved from world to world in his search for Jaro. It was slow tedious work and very chancy; in the end the trail petered out and I was left with nothing to show for three years of effort. I decided to return to Thanet and try again to learn from the Faths where they had found you, even though I suspected that they would tell me nothing.

“Back on Gallingale, I found things worse than ever. The Faths were dead and Gaing had seen no sign of Terman or Asrubal or anyone else of interest. And that is about the whole of it.”