reason. I’ll find out. I’ll get off this shit hole and find out. Kelly must have had access to a shuttle to get to the Strine Station.’
Erlin sat up straight.
‘You don’t want to kill him,’ she said.
‘I’ll be the judge of that. Now, will you tell me where exactly Kelly went or do I have to pose my questions a little less pleasantly?’
Erlin stared at him for a long moment then shrugged. ‘You’ll change your mind when you get the full story. When you find out what’s been done to you.’
Ansel stared at her.
Been done to me?
‘You still haven’t answered my question,’ he said.
Erlin shrugged. ‘For what it’s worth, he’s gone to the mountains. They’re a day away.
There’s a waterfall with a trail going up beside it, which leads eventually to the place where their Book of Statements is kept. The place has religious significance to them, which was why Kelly wouldn’t let Hendricks take him there in the shuttle.’ Erlin paused then went on. ‘Serban Kline . . .
he’s the one who went to the frame for multiple murder wasn’t he?’
He replied, ‘In total Serban Kline killed a hundred and eight women. He was clever and it took ECS years to track him down. They found him with his hundred and ninth victim. He’d had her for two weeks. They managed to give her back her face and body, but they never managed with her mind. In one of her more coherent moments she chose euthanasia.’
They motored on through the darkness.
When the morning sun broke the sky into its striated patterns, they had reached an area where the river widened and low trees with leaves big as bedspreads grew on the banks. Erlin woke from where she had made herself as comfortable as possible in the bottom of the boat, stretched, and gazed around. Ansel peered at her gritty-eyed and said nothing. She returned his look for a moment then opened her pack. Ansel had his gun pointed at her in a second. She ignored him and took out a food bar which she munched on contemplatively.
‘What does ECS want with you?’ Ansel asked eventually.
‘I specialize in parasites. After they got Kelly’s deposition they wanted it checked in a hurry. I suppose I was the best they could get hold of at short notice.’
Deposition?
Ansel felt too tired to work it out. What possible evidence did Kelly possess, and of what?
‘Take the tiller,’ he told Erlin.
While she obeyed, Ansel lay down in the bottom of the boat and, clutching his thin-gun, closed his eyes and cued himself for light naps. No way would she get the drop on him. Anything untoward and he would be instantly awake. The engine was off and the sun high in the sky when Erlin shook him awake.
‘We’re at the waterfall,’ she told him.
Ansel lay there with his head aching and that foul taste in his mouth. The last time this had happened he’d put it down to being hit by Hendricks’s stunner. Now he wondered if it was a result of the symbiont in his stomach. He sat up carefully and blinked until his vision cleared. He looked at the waterfall, then turned to study Erlin. His gun was still in his hand.
‘Why didn’t you take it?’ he asked her.
‘There is no need. Will you listen to what I have to say now?’
‘I’ll listen, but not just yet,’ said Ansel. He holstered his weapon and studied the waterfall.
It descended from the mountains down a giant’s staircase, each step no more than five or ten metres. It bore the appearance of something constructed, but a glance at the surrounding mountains showed they bore the same shape, being naturally terraced. Pointing at a small jetty projecting into the deep pool below it, he said, ‘Take us over there.’
Erlin switched the motor back on and took them slowly towards the jetty. It soon became evident that there was another boat moored there.
‘Kelly’s,’ said Erlin as she finally brought their boat athwart the jetty.
The boat was the twin of theirs. As they moored next to it Ansel
Erlin sat up straight.
‘You don’t want to kill him,’ she said.
‘I’ll be the judge of that. Now, will you tell me where exactly Kelly went or do I have to pose my questions a little less pleasantly?’
Erlin stared at him for a long moment then shrugged. ‘You’ll change your mind when you get the full story. When you find out what’s been done to you.’
Ansel stared at her.
Been done to me?
‘You still haven’t answered my question,’ he said.
Erlin shrugged. ‘For what it’s worth, he’s gone to the mountains. They’re a day away.
There’s a waterfall with a trail going up beside it, which leads eventually to the place where their Book of Statements is kept. The place has religious significance to them, which was why Kelly wouldn’t let Hendricks take him there in the shuttle.’ Erlin paused then went on. ‘Serban Kline . . .
he’s the one who went to the frame for multiple murder wasn’t he?’
He replied, ‘In total Serban Kline killed a hundred and eight women. He was clever and it took ECS years to track him down. They found him with his hundred and ninth victim. He’d had her for two weeks. They managed to give her back her face and body, but they never managed with her mind. In one of her more coherent moments she chose euthanasia.’
They motored on through the darkness.
When the morning sun broke the sky into its striated patterns, they had reached an area where the river widened and low trees with leaves big as bedspreads grew on the banks. Erlin woke from where she had made herself as comfortable as possible in the bottom of the boat, stretched, and gazed around. Ansel peered at her gritty-eyed and said nothing. She returned his look for a moment then opened her pack. Ansel had his gun pointed at her in a second. She ignored him and took out a food bar which she munched on contemplatively.
‘What does ECS want with you?’ Ansel asked eventually.
‘I specialize in parasites. After they got Kelly’s deposition they wanted it checked in a hurry. I suppose I was the best they could get hold of at short notice.’
Deposition?
Ansel felt too tired to work it out. What possible evidence did Kelly possess, and of what?
‘Take the tiller,’ he told Erlin.
While she obeyed, Ansel lay down in the bottom of the boat and, clutching his thin-gun, closed his eyes and cued himself for light naps. No way would she get the drop on him. Anything untoward and he would be instantly awake. The engine was off and the sun high in the sky when Erlin shook him awake.
‘We’re at the waterfall,’ she told him.
Ansel lay there with his head aching and that foul taste in his mouth. The last time this had happened he’d put it down to being hit by Hendricks’s stunner. Now he wondered if it was a result of the symbiont in his stomach. He sat up carefully and blinked until his vision cleared. He looked at the waterfall, then turned to study Erlin. His gun was still in his hand.
‘Why didn’t you take it?’ he asked her.
‘There is no need. Will you listen to what I have to say now?’
‘I’ll listen, but not just yet,’ said Ansel. He holstered his weapon and studied the waterfall.
It descended from the mountains down a giant’s staircase, each step no more than five or ten metres. It bore the appearance of something constructed, but a glance at the surrounding mountains showed they bore the same shape, being naturally terraced. Pointing at a small jetty projecting into the deep pool below it, he said, ‘Take us over there.’
Erlin switched the motor back on and took them slowly towards the jetty. It soon became evident that there was another boat moored there.
‘Kelly’s,’ said Erlin as she finally brought their boat athwart the jetty.
The boat was the twin of theirs. As they moored next to it Ansel
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