“Yes, sir,” Riley snapped.
After a few seconds of quiet, it dawned on me. Riley hadn’t reported me. Faced with a punishment, he still kept quiet.
“You’re dismissed Mr. Ashon. Lieutenant Arno, your unit can return to their stations, but I want you to stay,” she ordered.
The shuffle of feet faded and the door clicked shut. I decided to wait. No sense alerting Karla to my presence, I wondered how long I would be stuck here.
“Where were we, Arno?” Karla asked.
“Discussing the situation below,” Arno said.
“Anything?”
“No. No one is talking. The scrubs are terrified. They’re ratting out their friends. We’ve uncovered more illegal activitiesthis week than in the last thirty weeks. Caught a woman who was raising her own children. A whole family unit.”
“That’s new. What did Vinco do?”
“The kids were too old for the care facility. They would remember a mother. He sent them to Chomper, and the woman was assigned to thesheepbreeders.”
He reported the demise of three children in a bored voice. Enraged, I wanted to strangle him.
“Harsh.” A hitch cracked her voice, but then she continued speaking without emotion. “But appropriate. You’ve increased the pressure to find Domotor and still no results?”
“Yes, sir.”
Domotor? Riley had mentioned his name, too.
“Cogon’s our best suspect, but he’s had dozens of scrubs vouch for him.” She paused.
Dozens? Wow. I knew he was well liked, but didn’t think so many would risk their lives for him.
“He knows something, I can feel it,” Karla said. “What about our informers? Have they heard any rumors?”
“No. Everyone’s keeping quiet. No speculation. No gossip. It’s as if Domotor never existed. Usually when a prophet disappears, there are rumblings of unease and talk of martyrs. This time nothing.”
Domotor must be Broken Man’s real name.
“What about the young girl…Trella?”
The air shaft seemed to tightened around me as I struggled to draw a breath.
“I had a few of my men ask about her,” Arno said. “Keeps to herself. No absences. No reprimands on her record. No friends except Cogon.”
“There’s an interesting connection. Arrest them both. Perhaps Cogon will be more informative if we threaten Trella’slife and vice versa. Put them each into an interrogation room. Inform Commander Vinco when they’re there.”
“Yes, sir.”
Polluted water.I had to warn Cog. He needed to disappear. But where could I hide the big man? With Broken Man? No. Cog had sealed his door.
Arno left the office, but Karla remained. No more time. Risking capture, I slid through the vent, pushing Zippy ahead. Cooler to the touch, the little troll had worked. I wondered if Logan and Anne-Jade had invented a device to open locks. I bit down on a laugh. I would be lucky to survive the next ten hours let alone make another attempt to steal Broken Man’s port.
I reached Riley’s storeroom. No sounds, but I paused for a few precious minutes before opening the vent’s cover. The place was empty. However, the ladder had been set up underneath the air shaft, and a wipe board rested on the couch. A note for me written on the surface.
It read:I’ve covered for you, now you can do something for me. Meet me here at hour fifty-eight.
I erased the message with a corner of my sleeve. By hour fifty-eight, I would either be in custody or on the run. It was doubtful I could meet him. A tweak of disappointment surprised me. I repeated my mantra. Never trust the uppers, the Pop Cops, and the scrubs. It all boiled down to survival.
As I climbed the ladder I wondered, was survival enough?
