Page 71 of Mongrels United
“She’s just wrapping up. I’m storing the feed, so you can listen later,” Luus said. “Youshouldlisten.”
Grady raised her brow.
“She’s talking about the shard that holed the ship in 525.”
Grady sighed. “She’s another let’s-stop believer.”
“You just put one of them in prison,” Luus pointed out.
Grady knew Luus was avoiding speaking Vasanta’s name so she wouldn’t feel guilty about imprisoning one of the people they’d all worked closely with, but she didn’t feel guilty.
Not much.
Yet his careful avoidance of Vasanta’s name brought back to Grady the interview she’d had with the woman in the Guard station. Vasanta’s fury and disdain.
Two let’s-stop people in a matter of weeks…
“Glennis,” Grady said. “Could you give me a summary on this Camilla Lippi, please? Two hundred words. Who does she know, etc.”
“Cross match with Vasanta?” Luus asked.
“Yes. Then send it all to Lieutenant Westcott. We have better things to do.” She glanced at the time readout on her desk. “Tomorrow,” she declared firmly. “Go home, all of you.”
“Only if you go, too,” Luus said, his tone just as firm.
Grady shook her head. “Not happening, not even with your clumsy attempt at extortion, so lose the sad eyes, Luus. Go home and kiss Merrill. Go on.”
Luus grinned and shut down his screens. “We’re heading to the game tonight. Should be a good one. The Mongrels against the Panthers.”
Grady was genuinely startled. “You’re actually going to the Arena?”
“Hell, yeah, boss. More fun that watching on a screen.”
“I didn’t know you even liked tankball.”
“I didn’t much, but we started watching a few weeks ago,” Luus said. He paused. “You’ll be there, right? You’re at every Mongrels game, they say.”
Grady cleared her throat. “Noteverygame. Sometimes I have to work.” What she didn’t say was that she didn’t want to leave Nash alone tonight. He had been extraordinarily quiet for days, barely rousing to talk, even with her. He hadn’t completed any interviews, either, and hadn’t explained why. She had left him alone and worked on her pad at the little table, figuring he would eventually tell her what was wrong.
No, she wouldn’t desert him tonight.
Luus waved. “Well, maybe, then.”
* * * * *
Nash had come to enjoy walking everywhere, which he found ironic because his father had apparently liked walking, too. But today, he stalked through the Esquiline, heading for the Field of Mars, his temper up. Walking would deal with his temper, if he could just stop the flow of thoughts provoking it.
He was heading for the Aventine, to thump on Camilla’s door and demand to know if she was out of her tiny little mind.
Nash had caught Camilla’s speech in the Aventine Markets about the shard and the meaning behind it. She had spouted all the rhetorical and political nonsense the shard usually generated. What was out there? Maybe, other intelligent life. And where did they and the shard come from? A living planet, somewhere nearby.
Maybe they were passing human-suitable planets every day, and the one they were aiming for might be totallyunsuitable. They didn’t even know if therewasa planet in the Beehive. Why spend more centuries on this ailing, unreliable ship, when they could walk around in the open, and live where they wanted. Spread out and own as much land as they wanted….
If it had been anyone else on the short little stand, spouting all the let’s-stop crap, Nash would have ignored it. That it was Camilla Lippi waving her skinny arms and speaking in her refined contralto had irritated him. And the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Camilla wasn’t into politics. So what the hell was she playing?
Having the ship look at her too closely, the way public figures were poked and prodded, would reveal too much of Camilla’s very private lifestyle.
As Nash stepped into the main route through the Field of Mars, he blew out his breath. Why did he care if Camilla made a fool of herself and exposed her dirty secrets to the world?
