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Pe
There's nothing here to sell anyway, sha
Which leaves us with a search, i said.
You got it, boss.
OK, genius, search it for what?
She flashed a smile, and started typing rapidly on a keyboard. Her programs don't have restricted access, only the files. So let's see.the data on the screens began to change as she called up various system menus. her head swivelled round like a vigilant owl as she checked the ever-changing display formats. «gotcha!» a sharply pointed fingernail tapped one of the screens. This is the one. According to the log record she was using it the day before she died.long columns of purple and green numbers fell down the screen. sha
Gold?i queried.
Davis Caldarola gave a small start. I only just caught it out of the corner of my eye. And he covered fast, turning it into a perplexed scowl. Interesting.
Yes, sha
And Pe
Way ahead of you, boss.the screens were ru
In my own mind I was starting to assemble a theory, segments of the puzzle manoeuvring round each other, slotting together. There was a strong sense of conviction rising, buoying up my flagging confidence. Progress was coming too fast for it to be mere coincidence. Eden.
Yes, Chief Parfitt.
Tell me about the asteroid rock you digest; does it contain gold?
Yes.
And other precious metals?
Yes. Silver and platinum are also present in small quantities.
«But everything is relative,» I whispered. Eden digests over two hundred thousand of to
Davis Caldarola had turned even paler. Do you separate these precious metals out and store them in the silos in the southern endcap?i asked.
Yes.
What is the current quantity stockpiled in the silos?
I am holding one thousand seven hundred and eighty to
«I never knew that,» Sha
Me neither, i said. It wasn't in any briefing I received. In fact, I doubt the JKSP board even knows about it. I expect the information that Eden could extract precious metals as well as ordinary ones was hidden away in some technical appendix that nobody ever looked at, that's if Maowkavitz ever bothered to mention it at all.
Why?sha
Well, Davis?i said heavily. Why don't you tell us?
I didn't know, he blurted.
I don't believe you, Davis. It was an extremely subtle deception; and one which must have been pla
His jaw worked silently, then he slowly lowered his head into his hands. «Oh God, you've got this all wrong.»
So put us straight, i said.
It was never for personal gain. It was all for Boston, everything she did was for us.
She was going to reveal the existence of the precious metal stockpile after independence,i said. Then it could be used for Boston's buyout of JSKP shares.
You know?he asked in surprise.
It seems logical.
Yes. It was all so beautifully simple. Only Pe
And what you don't know, you can't act upon, i said. Neat.
She just wanted what was best, he insisted staunchly.
How many other people knew?i asked.
Only the four of us. Pe
I expect she's right. So you and she knew; who were the others?
Antony Harwood and Eric McDonald.
Not Bob Parkinson? He is Boston's leader now, after all.
Davis Caldarola let out a contemptuous snort. No way! She said she didn't trust him any more. Not since this row over the timing. She said he was showing his true loyalties now the crunch was coming. I know she didn't want him as a trustee any more, she was going to replace him.
OK, I know Harwood. Who's Eric McDonald?
He used to be in charge of the Cybernetics Division, before JSKP brought in their management whiz-kid Steinbauer. Eric is still up here; he got shunted sideways into the cloudscoop operation, supervising the microgee industrial stations which produced the pipe.
Steinbauer didn't know?
No. Hell, he's not even a Boston member.
I looked enquiringly at Sha
Most likely, yes, boss.
So what was the last file Maowkavitz reviewed?
She consulted one of the screens. Now that's a fu
The data on the screen didn't mean anything to me. Run the gold search program, i told her.
Her finger stabbed down on the enter key.
Bingo.
Can you actually see Steinbauer yourself?i asked rolf.
Yes, sir; he's in his office, two down from the one I'm using.
What's he doing?
Using the computer, I think. He's sitting at the desk, anyway.
OK, under no circumstances are you to approach him.i turned the jeep onto one of the main roads ru
Boss, sha