Episode 68

Murder and Sabotage

No one had heard anything. The bridge had been continuously occupied. And yet, an explosion had ripped open the door to the forward missile compartment. She reflected on the possibilities in front of her. Four men. Two watches. As she weighed the two alternatives and reached a conclusion, Doctor Benbow entered the room. He caught her eye and nodded. Good. It was time to bring this charade to an end.

She cleared her throat. “I believe I should clarify matters. I am here not only as a representative of the High Admiral, but also as an AID agent. The latter position, incidentally, is my primary employment.”

“The Directorate!” someone was heard to murmur amidst the general hush.

“Ascendancy Intelligence.” York nodded. She looked at the survivors and registered their responses. Bagby's mouth hung agape; so did Mason's. Gordon had lifted his head in shocked surprise; Ival and Wooten appeared to have taken the announcement in stride. They watched him steadily. Lee Chun and Hing Poy appeared as inscrutable as ever, except perhaps for their sharpened gaze. Shumway scowled at his hands. Barngate sat straighter, his eyes weighing.

“I am here concerning a case of murder,” she continued. “To be specific, three hundred and ninety-five counts of it. At the moment, the murderer is sitting among us, or to be more precise, I should say the murderers. Mr. Chun, you look rather surprised.”

“I don't know.” Chun looked bewildered. “I thought it was an accident.”

“How about you, Shumway?”

“How should I know?” he growled without meeting her eyes.

“Wooten?”

“It's plausible, ma'am.”

“Chief Barngate?”

“Yes, I can see it now,” Barngate agreed reluctantly. “I hadn't thought so before, but I can see it.”

“See what?”

“That it must have been murder, murder and sabotage.”

“I have to agree with you on that.” She could feel the tension in the room. Everyone was on edge, waiting, scarcely breathing. She was waiting too, but for something else entirely. “It's just a matter of naming the killers.”

“Name them, Miss York,” Hull directed. She smiled to herself. The captain had run out of patience. She couldn't blame him. But she was less concerned about the killers than she was about their accomplices. Had she frightened them sufficiently yet? Would they lunge for the bait?

“Albert Barngate and Jarrett Shumway are your killers, Captain.”

“You're crazy,” snarled Shumway. Barngate said nothing but stared at her with barely concealed enmity. His jaw muscles tightened. The others appeared stunned, shocked by the enormity of the charge.

“I assure you, I am entirely sane, Mr. Shumway. Directorate operatives undergo regular tests of our mental stability due to the unique stresses of our job. But do allow me to applaud you, or more truthfully, you, Chief Barngate. It was rather clever to select two men from House Dai Zhan as your second watch. Your foresight was impressive. You genuinely had me doubting the evidence that pointed to you.”

Barngate straightened his back and seemed to regain his composure. “You're making a terrible mistake,” he said calmly.

“Am I?”

“Without question, Miss York,” a voice came from the doorway.

It was Jona Norden, Draco's maintenance chief, who walked confidently into the room, a blaster cradled in his hand and a pair of masks dangling from his belt. He pointed it in Tregaski's direction, who at first sight of the weapon had begun to draw his stunner.

“Raise your hands and sit down, Lieutenant,” Norden hissed softly. He wore his customary smile upon his slender face, but his eyes were as cold as space. “You too, Lieutenant Wexby.”

As Tregaski hesitated, Hull ordered him to stand down. “Comply with Mr. Norden's request, Lieutenant.”

“Aye aye, Captain,” Tregaski answered grimly. Holding his hands up near his ears, he found a seat and sat down, his eyes riveted on Norden all the while.

“Ah, that's better.” As Norden moved to the side, David Apgar, the big deckhand, came through the doorway. He was carrying a weapon similar to Norden's.

“I suggest you may wish to reconsider Captain Barngate's assertion concerning who made the mistake, Miss York of the Ascendancy Intelligence Directorate.” Norden said with a smile.

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