“Including that there was five million in it up-front for you if you came through okay?” June said.
“Well . . . maybe after a couple of drinks? . . . Yes, it’s possible.”
June looked from one to the other in a way that asked what more needed to be said. “So Elaine goes back and tells Balmer, and they come up with the idea that the original Sarda doesn’t have to go through with the negative side of it at all. With a little bit of help, he can preserve himself. And more. For a share of the proceeds, they can help him collect the dues that he’s figuring should be his anyway, since he’s taking the risks. It makes sense . . .” Sarda made a face that said he wasn’t so sure. June broke off and looked at him questioningly.
“That mightn’t be the way it was,” he pointed out. “It could have been me. I might have come up with the idea after I found out that Elaine works with a medical hypnotist, and offered them a share because I needed the help. Or maybe I thought the whole idea up, tracked Balmer down as a necessary accomplice, and Elaine was drawn in later. See my point? Maybe you’re not being fair to them.”
Kieran found himself warming toward Sarda. And yet he could only conclude that the other Sarda—the original—must have been a very different animal. It was as if, in some Jekyll-and-Hyde kind of way, the process brought out different aspects of the same personality. Or maybe it was the different psychological factors operating before and after.
June hesitated and thought about it. “But it works the same either way,” she observed. “Balmer sets Sarda up with a posthypnotic suggestion that will cause him to forget everything concerning the plan moments before he comes out of the machine. Elaine switches a body from somewhere for the original Sarda, connects it up, and inserts a patch of simulation code into the monitoring computer so that it carries on generating the right readings. It would probably be late in the evening on the day we had lunch—after the authentication procedure. Then she goes upstairs to the R-Lab and removes the graphic . . .” June looked inquiringly at Sarda. “Would she be able to get into Quantonix to do it?”
“With authorization from me to enter the building, and given the right access codes? The place was quiet that night. Yes, I could see it being possible.”
June turned to Kieran with an air of finality, as if that ought to clinch everything. Sarda’s expression said that he couldn’t fault it. They waited expectantly. Kieran stared back at them with an enigmatic expression. There was a short silence. “What do you think?” June asked finally.
Kieran took a few more seconds to be sure of his thoughts. “I think there has to be more to it,” he said. After giving them a moment to register that they were not home and dry yet, he explained, “A three-way split of the five million that had been lodged in the Lowell Barham Bank? Yes, it’s enough to get you through a cold winter or two, I’ll give you that. But would it really justify established, professional people getting involved in the complications and risks of something like that? And why is Sarda-One still here, fooling with cards and credit accounts? If he cleaned Leo out as soon as the payments were in the bank, why stay around waiting for something to mess up? Why didn’t he just grab what he’d got and run?”
“Maybe . . . to create more mischief first,” June offered. “Getting even with his envied alter ego . . . I don’t know, Kieran.”
“I can’t see it.” Kieran shook his head.
“So what do you think?” Sarda asked him. It was a strange question—asking Kieran to guess what he himself might be up to.
“There must be more to it,” Kieran said again. “They’re holding out for bigger pickings yet. But time isn’t on our side for finding out what. As soon as whatever it is is in the bag, they’ll be gone.”