Reminded of his companion, he turned his head. Turpin’s eyes were on him.
“You’re very quiet,” Sheklov said.
Turpin gave a plump-jowled grin. “I figured you’d start talking in your own good time. Make the most of this ride, though. I do have a bug-free room at home, of course, but this car is even safer. And we’re coming pretty close to Lakonia now.”
He seemed to have recovered completely from his earlier nervousness.
“Frankly,” Sheklov said, “I was expecting you to ask
what brought me here. I gather you weren’t informed of the details.” He spoke easily in the language he had practiced non-stop during his briefing period.
“I didn’t question the decision,” Turpin said stiffly. “After all, I’ve been thoroughly absorbed by now, and your people” He bit something back.
“Go on,” Sheklov encouraged.
“All right I’ll have to get around to it sooner or later. Your people don’t seem to set much store by me nowadays.”
Sheklov displayed genuine surprise. “I don’t know where you got that impression! I’ve always heard that your complete assimilation has made you the most valuable single agent we’ve ever had here. Why else would they have called on you to cushion my arrival?”
Turpin didn’t answer but pressed his lips together in a thin line. Sheklov could gloss that expression easily enough. Because you’d have been told I was good, to bolster your own confidence; or because I’m to be eliminated and you’re to replace me; or because you’re expendable yourself, and meant to bring about our joint downfall; or because I’m suspect and you’ve been assigned to investigate me .
Turpin sighed. “Oh, what’s the point of worrying? I do as I’m told. that’s all. I laid on exactly the cover for you that was requested-you’re Canadian, timber-salesman, been down here sounding out a new pulp contract, recommended to Energetics General by your parent firm, looking for a supplier of- plastic glue for bonding chipboard, staying with me at Lakonia because we’re very eager to close that deal. Which is true: we’re short of foreign currency, as you know. There’s a bag in the trunk for you, with clothes, ticket-stubs, hotel bills, a raft of genuine material. Anyway, the fact that I speak for you will protect you from security.”
That sounded too pat. Sheklov was about to voice a question, when Turpin added, “And for extra insurance I’ll have you photographed with Prexy.”
He tossed that off casually also, but if it was a promise he could keep. Sheklov felt, he was entitled to be proud of his record. They had told him over and over how well established Turpin was, and though he reserved the right to doubt it until he saw it happen he was prepared to
believe that Turpin could indeed invoke the President to reinforce his cover.
“You brought up the purpose of your visit,” Turpin went on. “I imagine it’s to check me out. Don’t think I’ll be offended if you tell me.” .
There was overt bitterness in his tone. Sheklov saw in that a reason why the people Back There might have downgraded this man in their minds. But if they had, none of them had let slip the slightest suggestion of the fact.
“It’s nothing to do with you at all,” he grunted. “We’ve run into a problem we can’t solve. We’re at our wits’ end. And since we’ve looked everywhere else for ideas, we’re finally being driven to look for some over here.”
He wondered if his own skepticism showed in his voice.
He was thinking: Pluto! Hell! Half the people in this
country probably never heard of it, and the rest must be
old enough to remember Disney’s dog!
Turpin took a fresh cigarette. “Hah! It must be quite a problem, then. Explain! I want to know what’s so important that I have to risk everything I’ve built up in twenty-five years.”
Sheklov marshaled his words carefully. He’d rehearsed this introductory exposition many times, of course. He said, “As a senior vice-president of Energetics General, you must know as much as any one man about the defense system of this continent. Right?”
“Why not? We designed most of it. We still contract for its servicing. And have I ever failed to notify your people of our newest developments?”