That would make sense, she knew. Someone with a skimmer based at the port wouldn’t arouse suspicion when he entered and left the facility, even at odd hours. It shouldn’t be too hard for a patrol to pick him up. There weren’t that many independent bioprospectors working out of Taulau.
“Give me his name. Don’t worry. Whatever happens, your involvement won’t be brought up.”
Kamis grinned softly. The more she talked with him, the more she liked the soft-spoken little man. “Don’t care about him. Don’t care if he knows or not. It’s the guy I don’t know, the security guy who might be helping him out, who worries me.”
“I’ll see to it that you’re given protection. Discreet, of course. Just give me a name. I’ve met a couple, but by no means all, of the bioprospectors who work out of Taulau.”
He met her gaze unflinchingly. “You know one named Sethwyn Case?”
At his intolerable, excruciatingly painful words, more than her appetite summarily drained away. Nausea rose in her gut. She felt suddenly queasy. Hardly touched, the meal laid out before her had abruptly taken on the look and smell of warmed-over offal. Exerting a tremendous effort of will, she took a long swallow of her chilled drink without her hand shaking. In contrast, every bit of her insides seemed to be trembling.
“Are you sure you’re not, not mistaken in your identification, Clif? I’m certain you realize how important this is, what you’re telling me. You need to be very, very sure.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” he told her without the slightest hesitation. “It was Seth Case, all right. Both times. Unlike me, the guy’s pretty distinctive-looking.” He peered a little closer at her. “Is he one of the prospectors you know?”