Dagny pretended to take him seriously. “No, no. Who could have gotten in here unnoticed, let alone assaulted him without a racket that’d rouse a bureaucrat at his desk? Wahl was a strong man, well able to defend himself. If nothing else, he’d show bruise marks.” Weightily:-“But you hinted at a few, hm, anomalies. What?”
“It’s rather vague. The medical team leader said something to me about a general discoloration. It could be from lying for hours in that cold water.” Erann’s visage never stirred. “Does he have any theory?” Dagny pursued. Her pulse throbbed.
“She.” Haugen made the correction as if it were important. Well, his ego needed shoring up, poor bastard; and its stability was a public concern, when all Luna needed a competent person in charge. “Who knows, at this stage? Probably suicide is ruled out. But some kind of brain failure, nerve cells misfiring, sudden unconsciousness?” His tone went shrill. “Maybe we do not know everything that space conditions, Moon conditions, can do to humans.” Ever so faintly, Erann smiled. He was Lunarian. And he was human too! She turned directly to him. “Do you have any ideas?” she asked.
The fair head shook. “Nay. I can but share in the sadness.”
Haugen’s control gave way. “Do you?” he grated. “You’re in your grandfather Brandir’s household. You know how glad he’ll be of this.” The Authority in confusion and dismay, Dagny thought; its new chief ill-informed and indecisive; the upshot, paralysis, while the barons strengthened themselves and their position; quite likely thereafter, the Authority backing down, the Federation left with scant choice but to go along, as the Selenarchs made good their tremendous claim. “What were you doing here, exactly now? What did you do?”
Erann raised a hand. “Were my lord not overwrought, I would ask satisfaction for gratuitous insult,” he said, as stiffly as his soft accent allowed. “I forbear, and point out that I have been years in friendship with the Wahl family.”
“That’s true, you know,” Dagny reminded Haugen. “When Leandro and Pilar lived here, they’d have schoolmates over fairly often, Lunarians among them.” To Erann: “That’s the last time I saw you till today. I happened to come on business while one of those parties was going on. How long ago was that? Three years? What’ve you been up to since?”
“I proceed with my studies, and, as honored Haugen said, otherwise have the pride to attend the lord Brandir at Zamok Vysoki.” That must have come put in the course of police questioning, Dagny realized. The vice governor had not been on the Moon in those earlier daycycles.
“When were you last here, before yesterday?”
“About the time you spoke of. My lady, this is wearisome and profitless.”
Dagny ignored the complaint. “Yes, that figures. After the kids, your friends, moved out, you had no more reason to visit.” Friends? She recalled the boy Leandro as bearing a dislike of most Lunarians, whichhe did not always succeed in masking. The girl Pilar had felt otherwise, but then Pilar got shipped off to Earth … “What was your reason this trip?”
“I have explained it was a private affair. The lord Wahl wished it thus, and I keep faith.” Erann rose to loom above her. “My lady, your greatness entitles you to much, and I say naught more save that I have said enough, have done my duty toward this troublous occasion, and now I will begone.”
“Not yet,” Dagny said. “We need a few words together, the two of us. Sr. Haugen, may we be excused? Meanwhile, I’ll be obliged if you can get contact made with Selenarch Brandir. Use my name and, explain itfs crucial. Quantum encryption, of course.”
The Earthman gaped. “Madame, I—What is this?”
Dagny gave him look for look. “You asked if 1 could help. I believe I can. Kindly let me do it my way.”
“I must p-point out that you have no official standing.”
“I have one hell of a long record, senor. ‘
His glance dropped. “Well, I will see what I can do/’ he mumbled.
“Muchas gracias.” Dagny stood up, “Come along, Erann.”
The youth tautened. “Nay. I depart.”
Dagny kept her tone light. “There’s a guard at the door. He doesn’t let anybody by without Sr. Haugen’s okay. Why begrudge an old lady a few minutes’ chat? Do come along, dear.”