Chapter 53 - The Kraken Gate
It was Ellen who knocked on the door of my bathroom, waking me up. I hauled myself out of the tepid bathwater, trying not to bring any of the layer of grey scum with me.
‘I’m sorry, Connie,’ she said, using my first name as she often did when we were alone. ‘I couldn’t let you lie in any longer. Harman came and spoke to me at breakfast a whole turn ago. He was most insistent.’
She’d thrown some of my clothes on the bed to speed things up. I was very grateful and told her so as we wound our way down into the underground complex. Ellen had to stop a couple of times to let me catch up. I’d put a fresh dressing on the wound in my leg last night and had dispensed with the cane this morning. The wound was healing, despite last night’s activities, but that didn’t mean that walking was comfortable.
‘I suppose he wants a first hand account?’
‘I tried to tell him,’ replied Ellen, ‘but he doesn’t listen to me. He treats me like a little woman. Probably thinks my place is married, and slaving away in my husband’s kitchen.’
‘It’s only because you’re beautiful, and I’m not.’
‘I love the complement, Connie, but you’re defending shabby behaviour.’
‘I know. I’m sorry. It’s not right, is it.’
Ellen shrugged. ‘No, but we’ve got a bigger problems. We need to work out who this traitor is.’
‘One step at a time, Ellen. Last night was a success. We narrowed down the list of suspects, but you’re right. It doesn’t mean a thing until we’ve got our man.’ I stopped Ellen at the bottom of the stairs that led to the gate’s control room and engine room. ‘Are you sure we don’t have time to speak with the rest of our team before we see Harman?’
‘I’m sorry, Connie. I had to dissuade him from coming to wake you himself.’
I shrugged. It wasn’t ideal. I was pretty certain the team would have more information that would prove useful, but I’d have to wing it for the moment. Ellen rapped sharply on the soundproofed door of the control room, through which we could just hear the invitation to enter. Director Harman was standing by one of the control desks with Professor Maddison and his niece. It looked as though they were winding up a situation report. Chancellor Gordon and Secretary Lampton were both present. The chancellor was looking down at the machinery through the observation window. He was rocking back and forth on his heels slightly, hands clasped behind his back. He didn’t turn as Ellen and I came in. Lampton was standing to one side, pretending to be busy with a notepad.
Harman didn’t look in our direction. Maddison spared a glance, but Dr. Jenniver Betz managed a brief smile before turning back to their discussion. Their lab coats were grimy. They looked as though they’d made an early start.
‘You’re telling me that the work is done?’ Harman was saying.
‘The couplers are fixed,’ replied the professor.
‘Then why can’t we run the damn thing again today?’
Maddison was about to speak when Jenniver put her hand on his shoulder.
‘We will run the gate again today, Uncle,’ she said, ‘but it will be a set of recalibration exercises only. You know how sensitive this equipment is. Professor Maddison’s team have to go through this every time there’s any change to the components.’
‘Tomorrow, then,’ Harman said through gritted teeth.
‘Tomorrow, Uncle,’ Jenniver agreed. ‘As long as the weather is clear and the telescope can get a fix.’
‘I pray to Draxil and Aripole that it is. I cannot tell you how irritating these delays are! Now, please would you leave so that I can discuss matters with Ms. Derringer and the chancellor.’
Maddison and Jenniver filed out. Director Harman finally acknowledged our presence. ‘Congratulations, Ms. Derringer!’ he exclaimed. ‘I hear that you repelled a force of five or six saboteurs last night, practically single-handed.’
‘Come, Director,’ the chancellor said, still staring through the window. ‘You’re overstating things. It was a handful of ruffians! Lieutenant Scott and his men were on hand, should things have spiralled out of control.’
I bit back an angry retort. I would have liked to hear the chancellor’s assessment if he’d been in the observatory with me and the bomb.
‘I’m sure they were, dear Chancellor,’ Harman said cheerfully. ‘Nevertheless, the attackers were obviously very determined, so I’m extremely grateful that Ms. Derringer and her team were able to cope. Who were they, anyway? Nallians?’
‘No, Director Harman, I don’t believe so. Two of them were from the group who set on Master Curson and me in Lannerville Town. The barkeep claimed they were local thugs.’
‘I see. Now,’ he added, fixing me with a gimlet-like stare over the bridge of his spectacles, ‘I gathered from Miss Tremain that the repairs to the failsafe were completed, are you certain that all is in order?’
Ellen looked at me with her ‘told-you-so’ expression. I pursed my lips by way of silent apology.
‘Ellen Tremain is a senior officer of Lockhouse Security. She and I are in complete agreement.’ There was no reason to confess to the rewiring being a ruse. The team and I had all agreed that it would just confuse or anger Harman.
‘I hope you’re both correct,’ said Harman, tapping his cane on the floor for emphasis. ‘Because you were quite wrong about last night’s target.’
‘We were?’ I said in an innocent voice.
‘Of course you were! You told me that the coal bunkers would be the target.’
‘What’s that?’ interrupted the chancellor, finally taking an interest. He was irritated with Harman, perhaps for diminishing the role of his marines, or maybe the power-struggle between them was reaching some kind of zenith. ‘It was the observatory that was in need of protection. Ms. Derringer and Miss Tremain were quite clear about that when they came to see me.’
The two men frowned at each other. I waited, and a few heartbeats later, Director Harman turned to look at me. ‘Have you been trying to flush out a mole, Ms. Derringer?’ He looked at me again. ‘You baited two hooks, eh? One for me, and one for the chancellor.'
‘Three hooks, Director Harman. Mr. Rigsby and your household staff heard a different story, but yes, you’re correct.’
Chancellor Gordon’s frown deepened.
‘So, Chancellor,’ said Harman. ‘Ms. Derringer’s scheme points the finger at your immediate circle and the marines you brought here.’
‘What!? Now I’m a suspect? It’s absurd! You think I’m in league with the Nallians?’ The chancellor stalked past the consoles until he was inches away, staring down at me. ‘I brought the soldiers here to protect this project, and in case it had slipped your attention, every day, I am called into council with Emberland’s generals in our ongoing efforts to defeat the enemy.’ Chancellor Gordon was hissing now, his face puce. ‘I am fighting for our very freedom, taking decisions every day about which of our brave souls give their lives for Emberland, and you accuse me of being a traitor!’
I waited to see if he was finished, but that might have been a mistake because he relaunched his tirade.
‘You’ve got a nerve, Ms. Derringer! Are you aware that I was in The Eighteenth Regiment that led the march on Treslaw Hall?’
Everyone in Emberland knew of Glorious Eighteenth, or the, “Farmer’s Fusileers”, if you wanted a derogatory name for the regiment that folded. The Eighteenth had been tasked with guarding the Chortham Road to stop the protesters from entering Emberly, but when the people from the villages; the bakers, farriers, smiths, coopers and farmers had turned up, the Eighteenth Regiment had folded. Instead of halting the rebellion, they’d ended up escorting the rabble into the city. Regular heroes of the day they’d proved to be. Now, I’m a republican, through and through, and very happy that the king, and the corrupt old order has gone, but I also understand what soldiering is about, and I have strong views about them disobeying orders. Running a nation is a dirty business in more ways than one. Its backside is kept clean by sewerage workers and its soldiers keep it from being mugged. I wondered if the famous Eighteenth would stand firm to protect the blessed republic they helped to birth, or if they would crumble when the next band of rioters decided to enter the city.
I didn’t share my cynicism with the chancellor. Instead, I wiped a fleck of spittle from my cheek with a warm smile. ‘Apologies, Chancellor. Neither the Director, nor I, meant to imply your involvement. What we strongly suspect is that one of your close retinue, or the marines may have leaked information about last night’s plans.’
‘I…well, I see.’ Chancellor Gordon tugged at his jacket sleeves to straighten them out. ‘Several people were aware of the plan.’
‘Do you recall who you told?’ Ellen asked.
‘Lieutenant Scott reports to me, as you know. I had to give him his orders. His men were to widen their patrols in order to avoid this place.’ He waved his hand about, indicating the Koulomb Gate. I told him exactly what you and Miss Tremain told me yesterday, and I told him that if he needed more detailed instructions, he was to speak with you.’
‘Was he with anyone else?’ I asked.
‘Yes. Captain Banks was there. I’ve made it plain that he’s to assist the Lieutenant, subaltern in effect, for the duration of this mission.’
‘Anyone else?’
‘No! Of course not.’
‘What about him?’ I nodded in the direction of Secretary Lampton. ‘Did you tell him?’
‘Well, yes. Naturally, I relayed all of this to Lampton. I’m obliged to report everything I do to the Council. I dictate and Lampton takes it all down.’
‘In written notes?’
‘Yes. Of course, in written notes.’
I observed Lampton, standing to one side. He was fingering the hem of his blazer, unsure who to look at. Self-effacing, perhaps. Embarrassed, definitely, but guilty? He didn’t look like the type, but you’d be surprised how rarely they do. Don’t rule him out out, Connie. You know better than that.
‘Could anyone else have accessed these notes?’
‘Absolutely not! My papers are securely locked away every night. It’s one of the reasons why Director Harman gave his study over to me. It’s the only place on the estate with a safe. Only Lampton and I have keys to it. Isn’t that correct, Director?’
Harman nodded.
‘And nothing from the notes was conveyed by heliogram back to the Council in Emberly?’
‘Not since we last spoke, yesterday. My last communication with the Council was midday yesterday.’
I looked at Lampton and the others followed suit. He ran a hand through his thinning hair. He glanced around the room and swallowed once.
‘No one.’ He said. ‘I told no one, and no one has touched the chancellor’s records since I put them in the safe last night.’
There was a pause while everyone considered the facts, and the uncomfortable truth was that we might have ruled out some two-hundred people from our investigation, we still have forty or so suspects. Harman wasn’t prepared to let that go, of course.
‘Ms. Derringer, I must admit to being puzzled and somewhat disappointed,’ the old man intoned. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that you dealt with last night's attackers, but you have wasted time eliminating people from your search who I could have personally vouched for, and in the process, you needlessly endangered the project. If there’s a traitor, he must be one of the marines. You need to work fast to identify them. The next trip to Ganessa is tomorrow. I will brook no changes to the timetable. There is more resting on the success of this project than you can possibly imagine.’
Dismissed, Ellen and I went to find the rest of Lockhouse Security. I hoped that with a chance to consult with everyone in the aftermath of last night’s violence, we might establish who the traitor was.
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