“Nobody walks out of the Viisiiviisii,” she commented absently.
“If you follow that line of reasoning,” Bergovoy was continuing, “it makes sense that whoever wanted to see the last of this guy would do their best to make sure nobody finds him.”
She pondered the speculations. Somehow, it didn’t quite jell. Something was missing, something that lay somewhere between motive and manipulation.
“I can see the envious wanting to get rid of the competition or somebody they dislike. That’s one thing. But eliminating a rescue team means taking on the Commonwealth Authority. The first is personal; the second implies much greater concerns.”
Bergovoy was clearly interested. “What greater concerns?”
She sighed heavily. “If I knew that, we’d have a pretty good idea who’s responsible. Thank you for your help, Tarik.” She started past him.
“One more thing, Administrator.” The mechanic was smiling humorlessly. “If you do find out who’s responsible, you will at least let me know, won’t you?”
Her expression was grim. “If I find out, Tarik, everyone will know.”
Though she spent much of the rest of the day dealing with those administrative matters that absolutely, positively required her personal attention and could not possibly be put off, she was no nearer clearing her work backlog than when she had started. New data arrived faster than it could be processed. It kept her hard at work after dark. No one wanted to travel home in the dark. Under cover of the rain-swept night the stealthy inhabitants of the Viisiiviisii crept inside the town limits, only to melt away again at the first sign of cloud-masked daylight. In the dark and rain, even modern safeguard technology sometimes failed to offer sufficient protection to those who had the nerve to venture outside their cosseted homes and places of work.