Kieran sometimes said that Sherlock Holmes had been wrong in his much-repeated quote that “When you have eliminated the impossible, then what is left must be the truth.” When the impossible was eliminated, what was left was the possible. Only in the simple, artificial world in which Holmes existed did that always leave a single, straightforward alternative to be considered. In the real world it almost always left several, all equally plausible. The problem lay in finding which was correct. Sometimes it left nothing at all, which meant starting out again, all over. Real police work, and real science, began where Holmes left off.
She wondered how Kieran was doing in following up with Trevany. That seemed an even more slender hope. And they didn’t have a lot of time.
10
“Well, I’ll be! What gives, partner? I didn’t even know they’d let you back on the planet.”
Mahom Alazahad was six foot three at least, a coal-black Sudanese with the shoulders of a bull, chest of a gorilla, and handshake like a power vise. He greeted Kieran in a loose purple robe embroidered with flourishes of silver thread, a bright red fez sitting in a nest of fuzzy hair, and a grin like an organ keyboard splitting his ample, fleshy features. On a previous visit, Kieran had denied having anything to do with a series of strange misfortunes that befell a security company that had been getting over-zealous in persuading Alazahad of his need for business protection.
“Good to see you too, Mahom. How’s the machinery moving?”
“Oh, you know how it is. Just trundlin’ along. How about you? Still seeing that gorgeous woman you got—lives out on Nineveh, by the lake?”
“You bet.”
“And how are you doing, guy?” Mahom leaned down to administer Guinness a couple of powerful pats on the shoulder. “Hey, lookin’ good, boy! Lookin’ good. Is this man still causing all kinds of trouble?”
“Actually, I’m here for purely domestic and respectable reasons this time,” Kieran said, letting his gaze wander around the vehicles lined up on the lot, and the collection of miscellaneous machinery in the yard by the office building behind.
“Yeah, right. That’s how it always starts.”
“I do believe I detect skepticism.” Kieran looked pained.
“Who from? Me? What are you talking about? Okay, so, what’s going on?”
Kieran led the way over toward a selection of pricey but better equipped, high-performance models that he had spotted, grouped to the side for the more discerning. “It’s time I found myself somewhere a bit more permanent here, Mahom—Mars is the center of a lot that’s going on. That means I’ll need to be able to get around. What have you got?”
“You name it. If I haven’t got it, I can get it—and for you, Knight, a better deal than you’re gonna find anyplace else. What did you have in mind? I’ve got a hot contact in personal flymos right now.”
“Leave the flymobile for later. Let’s stick to wheels for the moment.”
“I hear you.”
“Fast but maneuverable. A good looker is always nice, but no fake cosmetics. Something tough that’ll handle well off the road and deal with the soft patches. Full satellite com and nav, emergency backup on all essential systems. Probably gas or hydrazide turbine-electric. Military-spec shocks and suspension; pivot axle; individual wheel drives are a must. Forget induction pickup, optimizing overrides, and any smart automatics.”
They stopped in front of a Euromco Brigadier: gold sheen with dark strip inlays, sleek but with rugged foundations, tan upholstery. Kieran looked it over, then looked at Mahom inquiringly. Mahom shook his head. “Rich kid’s toy. Okay for picnics and day trips around the domes. But the forced-flow oxidizer will kill your range out on the surface.” He put a hand on Kieran’s shoulder to draw him to the dark blue Kodiak next to it. Guinness stiffened and growled a warning note.
“It’s okay. Just say hello again for a second,” Kieran said. Mahom stretched down a hamlike hand for Guinness to check over with his nose. “Friend,” Kieran told Guinness. “Remember? Keep it in your filing system this time. Friend, okay?” Guinness wagged his tail, evidently happy.
“Degenerate hydrogen reactor driving a closed-cycle turbine,” Mahom said. “That’s the way things are going to go. One recharge will last a year. Take you around the planet.”