Page 73 of Skinwalker's Bane
“And they may have alerted someone. That someone probably dismissed the concern, because these day, with extra energy coming in from outside the ship, through the scoops, not every kilojoule can be accounted for the way it used to be.”
“That’s what Haydn meant about being responsible. It was his idea,” she said slowly. She drew in a breath and let it out, then strung her fingers together and squeezed. “I’m sorry about your housemate. Corin. Bellish sounds like a nightmare. I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.”
Adam shook his head. “There was a point, somewhere in the beginning, when Corin reached out and took the first dose, all by himself. He made that choice. And to be honest, it’s just like him.” Adam’s expression hardened. “He’s a slob around the apartment. He takes shortcuts when he can, even if more work falls on other people. I’ve ignored it for years, because out on the skin, he’s brilliant. His size and weight don’t matter out there. He moves as freely as any of us and he’s fast, thorough and conscientious…and now I think he was so good out there, because he knew how pathetic he was inside the ship.”
“He could be himself, out there?” Devin suggested.
“Something like that.” Adam sighed and scrubbed at his hair again, leaving it tousled. “Maybe he took the Bellish in the first place because he thought he could be even better out there. The fool,” he finished, his voice harsh.
Bishan had given the Bellish to Corin. “What will they do to Bishan?” Devin asked.
“Nothing, not until they know he’s actually the one. They will have to look into it.”
Devin considered that. “It could take days.”
“Unless Bishan breaks down and confesses,” Adam said grimly. “He’s not Corin, though. He’s not going to crumble at the first question.” Something flickered in his eyes.
“What happened today?” Devin asked him.
“Ask me later,” Adam said. “Right now, I need a drink in the worse way. Spiced ale. A big one.” He went over to the terminal.
Devin pulled up another screen and tapped in the communications code from memory.
“Who are you calling?” Adam asked.
“You’ll see. Don’t stand where the screen can see you,” she added.
“You’re not calling Bishan are you?” he asked, alarmed.
“Shh…”
“Devin—”
“Too late,” she said as the screen connected.
Bishan looked surprised. “Devin! I thought you were tucked up at home.” He tilted his head. “That looks like your kitchen.”
“I am at home,” she said flatly. Looking at Bishan now, she could hear Corin’s voice. “Big teeth, twinkling eyes,” Corin had said. There was no one else working in the Hawk’s administration office who would fit the description.
At first she had not believed it could be Bishan even despite the specific description. Now, looking at him, she thought it might be possible. It would be just like him, she decided, just as Adam had decided that in hindsight, Corin’s downfall had been perfectly in character. Devin had ignored all the little signs for years. Bishan cut corners wherever he could. Lying came naturally to him. He could juggle dozens of lies to hundreds of people and not trip over any of them. Devin had seen him do it. That took a skill that developed through practice. With that sort of skill, what else could Bishan be lying about?
The most telling fact though, was Bishan’s utter insistence upon appearances. Everything had to look good, right and proper…he didn’t actually care what truth laid underneath so long as the appearance of goodness was shielding it.
It only took a second for the awareness to filter through her thoughts, as Bishan looked at her, his surprise still showing. Then she borrowed Haydn’s on-the-nose tactic. “Tell me, Bishan, how long have you been destroying minds and lives with your endless supplies of Bellish?”
She watched him carefully. The screen was a good one, with very high resolution. She could count the pores on Bishan’s nose. She watched as something flickered in his eyes and was gone.
“What in the world are you talking about, Devin?” he asked, his tone jolly, his smile still firmly in place.
That smile. Even a perfectly innocent person would not smile in response to such a direct question.
“You evil, twisted…sickman,” Devin breathed. “If I had caught even a hint of what you do in your spare time I would never have hired you. It makes my skin crawl that I’ve stood close to you.”
Bishan’s smile didn’t fade. It turned off as if he had thrown a switch. His eyes narrowed. “You did know, woman.”
“Excuse me?” Her lips were thick and stiff again.
“All that money I used to get you set up? Where did you think it came from? Not from my spreadsheet, that’s for sure. You never bothered to ask, did you? Because you didn’t want to know.”
