Echo (15 page)
“Because she knows we’re still looking around. I’ve been trying to find someone who knows what happened to Hugh Conover. I suspect that’s gotten back to her.”
“No luck with Conover?”
“Even his family doesn’t know where he is. He just said good-bye to everybody. Nine years ago. Every once in a while somebody gets a note from him. Says he’s doing fine. Hopes everyone’s okay. Leaves a code number they can reply to.”
“Have you tried contacting him directly?”
“I’ve tried. He hasn’t answered.”
We were getting ready to close for the day when Jacob announced Rachel was on the circuit. Alex took the call in my office.
“Mr. Benedict,”
she said,
“I’m not comfortable with what’s been happening, and I wonder if we might not reach some sort of agreement?”
She looked frustrated and less sure of herself than she had been.
“Mr. Benedict,”
she said,
“I’m not comfortable with what’s been happening, and I wonder if we might not reach some sort of agreement?”
She looked frustrated and less sure of herself than she had been.
“What did you have in mind, Ms. Bannister?”
She was seated on her sofa. A lamp on the side table glowed softly. She was dressed casually in green and white, and wore a woolly white sweater. I was off to one side, out of the picture as far as she was concerned. But I could see
her
.
her
.
“Did you find what you wanted?”
“I think you know the answer to that.”
“All right,”
she said.
“Look. I’d like to save us both some time. I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve no interest in keeping the tablet.”
she said.
“Look. I’d like to save us both some time. I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve no interest in keeping the tablet.”
“You’re willing to sell it to me?”
“I’ve destroyed it.”
“I hope you’re not going to tell me you dropped it in the ocean.”
“No. I was simply trying to discourage you from proceeding.”
“Why?”
“Since you are the one on the hunt, Alex—Is it okay if I call you that? Since you are the one on the hunt, you’re surely better equipped to answer that question than I am.”
Her eyes sparkled in the light.
“I’ll tell you honestly that I wish you’d let things alone. You can do no good, and you might do a great deal of harm.”
Her eyes sparkled in the light.
“I’ll tell you honestly that I wish you’d let things alone. You can do no good, and you might do a great deal of harm.”
Alex was seated in one of the two chairs that faced my desk. “Explain that. Tell me where the danger is. I’ll hold everything you say in confidence, and if I agree, we’ll drop the investigation.”
“How do I know I can trust you?”
“You probably can’t. It depends on what you have to say.”
Her eyes slid shut, and for a long moment, she didn’t move.
“Tell me what you know,”
she said,
“and I’ll try to fill in the blanks.”
“Tell me what you know,”
she said,
“and I’ll try to fill in the blanks.”
Alex straightened himself, gave the impression he was considering whether he wanted to comply. Then: “The language on the tablet can’t be identified. It’s possible it has a human origin, but there’s a decent chance the source is something else. We don’t believe the Mutes are involved although we’re in the process of checking that out now.
“It originally belonged to Tuttle. He’s only known for one thing.” A gust of wind rattled the windows. “So the tablet,” Alex continued, “gets advertised online, you’re surprised to see it, but you know what it is and what it means. I don’t know how that is, but you and he were friends. He confided in you. Hours later, your nephew shows up to collect it. Have I got it right so far?”
“Go on,”
she said.
she said.
“Since that time, you’ve done everything you could to prevent my getting a look at it. And you seem baffled as to why my curiosity should be aroused.”
She picked up a glass of wine from the side table, took some, and put it down.
“And why do you think I’ve been doing all this? I mean, the tablet is essentially worthless. The pictures you have don’t depict the reality. It’s in much worse condition.”
“And why do you think I’ve been doing all this? I mean, the tablet is essentially worthless. The pictures you have don’t depict the reality. It’s in much worse condition.”
“This is not about money, Rachel. Although if it is what we suspect it
might
be, then its value would climb considerably.”
might
be, then its value would climb considerably.”
“That’s certainly true.”
She looked steadily at him.
“Ah,”
she said suddenly,
“you think it’s all a con. You think I’m withholding the tablet to create the impression that yes, it
is
an alien artifact. Drive the price through the roof, sell the thing, then take the money and run.”
She looked steadily at him.
“Ah,”
she said suddenly,
“you think it’s all a con. You think I’m withholding the tablet to create the impression that yes, it
is
an alien artifact. Drive the price through the roof, sell the thing, then take the money and run.”
“I don’t believe that at all.”
“Very good. Because there’s nothing to it.”
“Which brings us back to your motives.
Why
are you keeping it hidden?”
Why
are you keeping it hidden?”
“Keep in mind that I’m no longer hiding it. It has been reduced to rubble.”
“I hope you are not serious.”
“I am.”
I was inclined to believe her.
I was inclined to believe her.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I’m sorry it was necessary.”
She took a deep breath.
“You’re recording this conversation, I assume?”
She took a deep breath.
“You’re recording this conversation, I assume?”
“I am.”
“Turn it off.”
Alex told Jacob to comply.
She waited, looking to her right, until she was satisfied she could speak freely.
“I assume you’re not alone.”
“I assume you’re not alone.”
Alex hesitated. “No,” he said.
“Please have her leave.”
I got up and started to walk out. Alex signaled me to come forward where Rachel could see me, and to sit back down. “Anything you wish to say to me, you can say to her.”
She thought about it.
“All right. I’d promised myself to take this matter to the grave. But I don’t want you stirring things up. Asking too many questions. So I’ll tell you what it’s about, provided”
—she looked from Alex to me—
“provided it goes no further. Not to anyone.”
She eased back into the sofa.
“Are we agreed?”
“All right. I’d promised myself to take this matter to the grave. But I don’t want you stirring things up. Asking too many questions. So I’ll tell you what it’s about, provided”
—she looked from Alex to me—
“provided it goes no further. Not to anyone.”
She eased back into the sofa.
“Are we agreed?”
It was Alex’s turn to think it over. “No,” he said. “I can’t possibly agree to those conditions. Not until I hear the explanation.”
“Then we’ll simply have to leave things as they are.”
“I’m sorry. Answer me this: Why is secrecy so important?”
“Because the danger is so great.”
“What danger?”
“Alex, you’re not being reasonable.”
“Tell me what the danger is.”
“I can’t do that. I’ve already said too much.”
And, incredibly, this woman, who had impressed me as being so tough, wiped tears from her cheeks.
And, incredibly, this woman, who had impressed me as being so tough, wiped tears from her cheeks.
She looked in my direction. Then, as though I were of no consequence, back toward Alex.
“All right,”
she said.
“I’m exhausted. I’m tired of carrying this burden on my own. Maybe it
is
best that you know.”
“All right,”
she said.
“I’m exhausted. I’m tired of carrying this burden on my own. Maybe it
is
best that you know.”
“Know
what
, Rachel?”
what
, Rachel?”
Rachel seemed to be having trouble finding words.
“Alex, you were—”
She swallowed.
“You were right. I did find another civilization.”
“Alex, you were—”
She swallowed.
“You were right. I did find another civilization.”
“Where?”
“That’s of no concern. Other than myself, nobody knows. And I’m going to keep it that way.”
“Why?”
“Alex, they’re far in advance of us. Of anything we’ve ever imagined. Sunset thought they were possibly millions of years old. He had a tendency to exaggerate, but he might very well have been correct.”
“How did Sunset happen to be with you?”
“I was with
him
. We were friends. I went with him once in a while.”
him
. We were friends. I went with him once in a while.”
“Okay. Then what happened?”
“They told us to go away. They didn’t want to be bothered by savages.”
“Savages.”
“That’s a direct quote.”
“They speak Standard?”
“Yes.”
“How’d they manage
that
?”
that
?”
“I don’t know.”
“The communication was by radio?”
“It was voices in the ship. Or, rather,
a
voice.”
a
voice.”
Alex shook his head. “An actual voice? Or something you heard in your head?”
“A voice. It told us to leave. Not to come back. And not allow any others ‘of your kind’ to intrude.”
“That’s fairly hard to believe, Rachel.”
“Believe what you want. Ask yourself what else would have kept Sunset silent. He knew what it would mean. Once the word got out, there’d be no keeping people away from the place. Even if we refused to make the location public, it would initiate a major hunt. Who knew what the outcome might be? Alex, these creatures were terrifying.”
“Why do you say that?”
“It was as if they got inside us. Took us over. Even today, so many years later, the mere thought of them—”
She shuddered.
She shuddered.
“How did you respond?”
Her gaze grew intense.
“What do you think? Yes, sir. We’ll do what you say. Won’t see any of us around here anymore. Good day to you all.”
She actually managed a smile.
“How would
you
have responded?”
“What do you think? Yes, sir. We’ll do what you say. Won’t see any of us around here anymore. Good day to you all.”
She actually managed a smile.
“How would
you
have responded?”
“Where’d the tablet come from?”
“They took over the ship. Took it down through the atmosphere and landed it in an open field.”
“That must have been disconcerting.”
“I know how this sounds. It’s nonetheless true. They told us we would not be harmed, but I’ll admit I wasn’t reassured.”
“What happened when you were on the ground?”
“The area was filled with ruins. Stone buildings. Magnificent architecture, but allowed to go to ruin. I asked what they were. Why they’d been abandoned.”
“What did they say?”
“That they were no longer needed. Then we were told to leave the ship.”
Her eyes grew large, and she shook her head.
“We opened up. Got out.”
Her eyes grew large, and she shook her head.
“We opened up. Got out.”
“And then?”
“They told us they wanted to do an analysis.”
“Of the ship?”
“I guess. Maybe of
us
. Damn it, Alex, I don’t know the answers to most of this.”
us
. Damn it, Alex, I don’t know the answers to most of this.”
“It sounds like a harrowing experience.”
“There is no word.”
Another pause. Then: “So what happened? On the ground?”
“A stream ran among the ruins. We stood and watched the ship for a while, but we didn’t see anybody, any
thing
go in. The tablet was set up in front of one of the buildings. A big place. Vaulted roof, what was left of it. Like a church. Or a temple.”
thing
go in. The tablet was set up in front of one of the buildings. A big place. Vaulted roof, what was left of it. Like a church. Or a temple.”
“And Tuttle removed it?”
“No. Not exactly.”
“How did you come into possession of it?”
“We asked them about it. What was it? What did it say? They indicated it was a date and dedication. They wouldn’t do a translation for us. Said we wouldn’t understand. But Sunset wanted to know if we could have it.”
“And—?”
“When we got back to the ship, it was waiting.”
“Rachel, did you ever actually
see
them?”
see
them?”
“No. We were alone the whole time. But not alone.”
“Did you ask any other questions? Like, how did they learn the language? Who were they?”
“I was too scared. It didn’t strike me at the time that I particularly wanted to ask questions.”
“What about Tuttle?”
“No. Not him either. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen him almost speechless.”
“Okay.” Alex scribbled something on a notepad. “You never went back?”
Her eyes rolled toward the ceiling.
“Are you serious? Would
you
have gone back?”
For a long few moments, no one spoke. Then she continued:
“Can I count on you to say nothing about this?”
“Are you serious? Would
you
have gone back?”
For a long few moments, no one spoke. Then she continued:
“Can I count on you to say nothing about this?”
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