Marmion made a grimace, which then became a hopeful grin. “Yes, and the chefs who’d know what to do with such provender. Take no offense, Sean, Yana, because I have enjoyed the unusual tastes and texture that only Petaybee can provide, but I’m likely to be the only one, bar Whit here, who would. Terribly spoiled the others are as far as their palates are concerned.” Then she frowned again. “Did you notice, too, Whit, that all Matthew’s boys look absolutely pooped? He’s had them running around night and day. Poor Braddock Makem looks transparent. Does he never let people have time off?”
“Where’re yours, Marmie? Whit asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.
She winked. “I don’t work them half as hard, but they find out twice as much. And,” she said on a sigh, “we’ll need every smitch of help we can find with Farringer the tie breaker.” Adak burst through the door.
“He’s dead!”
“Who’s dead,” everyone demanded simultaneously.
“That smelly Shanachie Howler!”
“Of what?” Sean asked.
“Smelling himself in a MoonBase cubicle, probably!” Yana quipped.
“Nah! Not a bit of it.” Adak shook his head and waved his hands in his excitement. “Get this! He was done in by the same thing as killed Lavelle!”
Yana locked eyes with Sean.
“There’s more, too!” Adak was almost spitting in his effort to get the second message out. “Satok had …” He turned his eyes to the roof again and recited, “An atrophied node in the cerebellum, only four hundred twenty-three grams of brown fat, and all his vitals was poisoned. Soyuk Ishunt, Clancy Nyangatuk, and Reilly also had atrophied nodes and poisoned organs.”
“Was the node in Howling’s case mentioned?” Sean asked.
Adak looked down, wrinkling his leathery brown face in deep thought. “Hmmmm … think it was, but it wasn’t atrophied none.” He took another breath. “And they’re sending some special medical equipment down. CAT scanner.”
Yana couldn’t help inhaling at that news and glanced at Sean for reassurance. He cocked an eyebrow in response, but his unworried attitude and relaxed posture still did not relieve her fears that his shape-changing abilities would somehow be revealed by scanning.
On the other hand, Marmion burst out laughing. “One thing sure,” she managed to gasp out, “there isn’t one built to accommodate Clodagh Senungatuk!”
That observation did provoke chuckles, and the tension in the room went down a few notches.
“But that’s probably the only good thought I can express,” Marmion went on, “as Nexie’s a biochemist and has”she paused, her expression darkening” ‘other methods’ more intrusive and certainly unpleasant.”
“We’ll see about that,” Whittaker said, his eyes narrowing. “Neither Clodagh Senungatuk nor Sean Shongili have committed any crimes against Intergal regulations. Even this house arrest is farcical. Integal cannot subvert CIS civil rights except in circumstances of armed conflict, and Clodagh’s squirt bottle doesn’t appear on any list of weaponry I’ve ever seen modern or ancient. Adak, you still got the secured channel?”
“Ah, hmm, well …” Adak looked wildly around the room at everyone except Sean, but somehow saw the brief nod.
“C’mon then,” Whittaker said, urging Adak to the door and laying an arm across the man’s shoulders as they departed. “Be back in a nano.”
Marmion looked considerably more cheerful. “Let’s hope he can get a message through all the static to the proper authorities. At first, I thought the pilots were just saying that to be obstructive. But it’s real now. Do you know what’s causing so much interference, Sean?”
“Sure,” he replied good-naturedly. “Atmospheric anomalies and the stratospheric turbulences caused by the crustal activity with some vigorous sunspots.” Then he paused and creased his brows a little. “Coaxtl told Nanook that the ‘home was changing.’ According to Bunny, Coaxtl also told that to ‘Cita when she was in her charge. But none of the track-cats, nor Clodagh’s, for that matter, are the least bit worried.”
“They never are,” Marmion said wryly.
“Oh, they have been,” Sean replied in mild reproof.
Marmion leaned forward, resting one hand lightly on his forearm. “How does she?”
She broke off at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Whittaker and Adak returned, neither looking very pleased. Whittaker almost slammed the door.