Simoom Rising

Chapter Nineteen

HARMONY

It's weird, but I'm going to miss this interrogation room when this is all over. There are eighty-four ceiling panels, fifteen wall panels and ten and a half floor tiles. I counted them every morning waiting for Vestra and Mac to get here. What caused that big brown splotch on the wall? Did one of the Pats smash a prisoner's head into the wall? Is it a blood stain? And what's with all the scratches on the metal table? It looks like someone tried to write something. Maybe it was a message from a long-ago prisoner. When Mac droned on and on, I'd try to figure out the message and when I couldn't I began to make messages up: "Be stoic and brave," "Keep your back straight," "It will all be over soon." Stupid things, clichés really.

Vestra is upset with me this morning—so upset she can hardly breathe. They're in the control booth now; how many mochas has Mac had already? He seems jittery to me. I know who Mac is, Vestra. I finally placed him. I know he was in those meetings with me and Caraq—standing by the door in full visor and helmet, as if I would contaminate him. What has he said about me?

Nothing? You won't answer? You're trying to block me out now, deny our connection. It's far too late, Love, for that. Ask me your questions, I'll tell you everything now.

I know New Earth Sec is coming—we're running out of time.

Go on, ask me. Ask me.

"Commander Harmony," started Mac through the microphone. "Did you give the order to kidnap and kill the aid wo—?"

"Go on Vestra," I shouted, speaking over Mac, looking directly into the camera, looking directly at Vestra sitting so sad beside Mac in the control room. "Ask me what you want to ask me. Did I notice that Moses Caraq liked how I looked? Yes. Did I notice he had a soft spot for sob stories about lost and sick children? Yes, but it's not as if I had to make up those stories I told him, or even exaggerate them like Mancy did. They were all true. And I told him as many stories as I could, not just about my kids, but of all the other Pitter kids." Vestra's jealousy reached me. She was just beginning to understand she'd have to share me. "Ask me Vestra!" I screamed at her.

Vestra reached across, I knew this, I could feel this, in the control room, she reached across and spoke into the microphone, before Mac had a chance to react. Her voice through the sound system cracked: "Did you try to seduce Caraq?"

I smiled at her. "Absolutely. I would have done anything to help Travers."

"Did you sleep with him?" Again, I could hear her struggle to speak.

I shook my head. "As Detective MacAndrew knows, we were never alone during our talks. Caraq kept his distance physically."

"So," I heard Vestra start. Here came the question she really wanted to ask me. "You and Caraq were never..."

"Together? No, Vestra, no." I felt a great relief flood over Vestra, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint her again. I'm not that noble. "I told you, there was no opportunity. But even if there had been, I wouldn't have purposefully linked with him. If I had, he would have instantly known how we were running the blockade, who was helping us on the Plat, about the tunnels. I didn't want to snitch on the council and we needed those supplies. We were trying to survive."

Mac nudged Vestra away and we both fell back on our chairs. He came back on the sound system: "That's old news. We found the tunnels. We've dealt with your Plat contacts. I want to know about the aid workers. Whose idea was it to ask for them? Caraq's? Omari's?"

I looked straight in the camera. "No, it was mine."

DORIC