Work Rest Repeat by Frank Tayell

Author:Frank Tayell [Tayell, Frank]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Butch
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

“So who do you think—” Ely began.

“In there,” Arthur said loudly, pointing to an allotment where two other retirees were dismantling the opaque panelling surrounding it, “are the radishes. Of course, we can’t stimulate the gravity on Mars, but otherwise we’ve got the conditions just like they’ll be ten years after the completion of the first stage of terraforming. Not that nutritious, radishes, but if we can get the principles right for them, then we can apply it to potatoes and carrots. That’s the theory. Not my theory, I hasten to add, and not one I agree with.”

“Arthur, this killer—” Ely tried again.

“Not here, come on.” Arthur led Ely past another group working on a different allotment. “Peppery things, radishes. Of course, you won’t ever have tried one. You must come up when they’re ready. If they’re ever ready. The trouble is, that without insects to churn and digest it, we’ve been having difficulty getting the soil right. Hence the new irrigation system, which breaks down half the time. I said we should try and grow some worms. I was turned down. They said that it would work or it wouldn’t, whether here or on Mars. I said it would work better if we’d practiced it first. They just refused, so I doubt we’ll ever get any radishes. Shame that.” Arthur looked around. They were near the windows with no other retirees close by.

“Now,” he said, quietly, “it seems like you’ve got two sets of crimes here. Two very serious ones. Take all these little pieces you’ve got and put them together. You agree that, sooner or later, it’s only a matter of time before you know exactly when the crime happened?”

“At most, it will take a few days,” Ely replied.

“So you won’t find out until after the election. Tell me, why are you up here with me, now? I mean, why aren’t you going busy interrogating each of your forty-seven suspects?”

“Chancellor Stirling wouldn’t allow it. She said I could only interview five of them. I’ve blown one of those interviews already. I wanted some, well…” He was going to say ‘help’ but changed his mind. “Something more concrete, before I wasted any more.”

“Well, all right, what do you think is the most important thing that’s happened because of these crimes?”

“The impact on production,” Ely answered automatically. “We’ve lost two workers. And then there’s all that energy wasted on heating water It’s not just sabotage, it’s got to be some kind of wide-spread anti-production sentiment or–”

“No, no, no. I taught you better than that. Sabotage is just another way of describing the outcome. Forget the bodies, and the blood, and the loss of production. Think about motive. Who benefits from you not being able to interrogate whoever you want?”

“Well, the killer.”

“No, Ely, that’s just another label. Think! They’ve stopped all the transport to and from the Tower, haven’t they? I’ve still got my contacts, people still tell me things. No transports in or out until the killer is caught, right? That’s the most significant thing that’s happened.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.