Chapter 10

Bennett was spouting orders (at least, it sounded like that) as he started back up the elevator. A carriage was waiting for him at his front door as he stepped out onto the veranda. There was a driver and a guard up on the driver's seat. Bennett got in and the carriage started off at a rapid pace, apparently headed for Hudnut's ranch.

Two horses pulled the carriage, and they stepped off at a brisk pace. It took Bennett less than half an hour to get to Hudnut's ranch, and he headed straight for the front door. He walked up to the door and didn't stop walking as he came to the closed door. The door was opened just as he got to it and it closed behind him. The precision of the maneuver made it look like it was part of a choreographed dance routine. The servant inside who did the door thing was not even acknowledged by Bennett as he stalked by.

Bennett headed directly for Hudnut's home office and tried the same stunt at that door. We all broke up watching it as Bennett crashed into the door as there was no one there to open it for him. A few seconds later, a very apologetic Hudnut opened the door, but Bennett did not forgive him for the slight. Hudnut stood aside as Bennett headed for the plush chair behind the desk. Hudnut was left to sit in a plain wooden chair in front of the desk.

The two men were still speaking in the strange language, but Lars had been able to pull up a translation program so that we could understand what was being said. It appeared that the program had no reference dictionary and was building one as it went along. This resulted in some annoying gaps in the conversation, but we could get the drift.

(H): -- no -- for the -- of the --.

(B): -- you -- with --.

(H): The money was in the -- when I -- the door a -- days--.

(B): That doesn't tell me what happened to the money in the -- days.

(H): I know that, but you know that the lock on the vault was secure. I tested the lock within an hour of it being closed by the foreman.

(B): That's not going to help you when the sector supervisor comes by in three days.

(H): I know that, too, but what can I do? I don't know what happened to the money. Neither the foreman nor any of the men had the combination to the lock, so they could not have opened it. I didn't take it, and I'm sure that you didn't take it, so where is the money?

(B): Wherever it is, you better find it quick. You can bet that I'm not taking the blame for the missing money. You had it in your possession, so it was your responsibility.

(H): You've got to help me! I'm not taking the fall alone, you can be sure of that!

At this point, the conversation turned into a shouting match, and I lost interest. Lars said that the computer would have a full printed translation of the argument within half an hour, so I figured that I could wait for that. Besides, we had the important information, namely that a sector supervisor (whatever that was?) was due in three days. We would need another camera to put on him when he showed up.

The other thing that I was interested in was what language it was that they were using. It didn't sound like anything that I had ever heard, and I had been all over the world, so surely I had heard all of the important languages spoken around the year 2000. Then it dawned on me, maybe that was not a terrestrial language! But, if it wasn't from Earth, where was it from? Shit, this is getting deeper and deeper!

What is going on!?! Have we been at this for 2347 years and are just now finding out who our real enemy is? If what Hofmann has found out is correct, all of us, me included, have been woefully incompetent at our job! Why have we not been able to see a bigger picture? Well, now is the time for a full reorganization, and heads are going to roll!

We'll start at the top. We need to find a replacement for me who can come in with a fresh approach. NO! Hofmann is not the one to replace me. This is purely an administrative position, and Abner Hofmann is too valuable where he is. Let's take a close look at Lars Orlinski. He's the one who found Hofmann, and he is an experienced administrator. Get ready to interview him for my job while I go look for more good people!

We just marked time while we waited for the sector supervisor to show up. That encounter was fun to see. There was a lot of talk about general administrative items, then the conversation came around to the hoard of money stored on the Hudnut ranch. Both Bennett and Hudnut had been trying to keep the conversation on other topics, but, finally, there was nothing left to talk about.

Naturally, the supervisor was stunned when he heard about the disappearance of the money, and he just sat in his chair for a good three minutes, saying nothing, but wheezing away as he tried to get his breath. Then he landed on his underlings with both feet! "YOU HAVE EXACTLY SEVEN DAYS TO RECOVER THAT MONEY! I'LL BROOK NO EXCUSES! IF THAT MONEY IS NOT RECOVERED OR REPLACED WITHIN SEVEN DAYS, YOUR HEADS WILL ROLL, AND I ASSURE YOU, THE EXPERIENCE WILL NOT BE PLEASANT!"

The supervisor left a few minutes later, totally unable to calm down. Sexual ministrations by three women didn't even do the job. Now, that was one upset individual! On top of everything else, we had been able to tag him with one of the flying cameras, so we should be able to identify the next echelon. We even sent along a couple of extra cameras so that they would be on hand in case we were able to tag any more supervisors. We would be especially happy if we could tag the next man up in the hierarchy.

Meanwhile, Bennett and Hudnut were going crazy trying to decide what to do. They were both reduced to gibbering idiots at first, they were so frightened at their prospects. They knew that there was no way that they could recover or replace the money, much less, do it in the time limit. They knew that they were in for a very painful death, and there was no escape!

This was when Lars came up with his brilliant idea. He said, "What if we offer those two sanctuary in exchange for whatever they can tell us about the people they work for and what they know of future plans?"

Ann and I applauded the beauty and simplicity of his idea. He ran the suggestion through channels, and no proposal has ever moved faster through the system. Undoubtedly, a part of the speed was due to the interest taken in Lars by the Board. The idea was approved within one hour, and that decision was bounced back to us by direct communication—never mind regular channels. Lars was put in charge of the operation, and Ann and I were assigned the job of contacting and picking up Bennett and Hudnut.

It took Lars only a few minutes to get holding cells ready. These cells didn't look like cells, they looked like luxurious apartments, but cells they were. Lars decided that we might learn more if each man did not know that his compatriot in crime was offered the same deal, so that was the way we played it.

Since we figured that he was the more valuable target, we went after Bennett first. He had retreated to his hidden lair under San Antonio, and was busy being ministered to by six naked women, slaves we assumed. He was naked in bed and appeared to be trying to forget his troubles by total immersion in sex.

We had been instructed in that strange language, so we were prepared for almost anything when we suddenly appeared in his bedroom. We had been transported in, and Bennett didn't even notice that we were there when we first showed up. In my most commanding voice, I ordered the women to leave the room. They were so used to taking orders that they complied without even thinking about it.

This left Bennett lying naked and vulnerable on his bed. We could tell that he thought that we were there early to take him into custody because he whimpered, "But I thought that I had a week before I was arrested. Please give me that much time."

We didn't fool around. We each grabbed an arm and transported him to the holding cell where he was left with some people who were experts in psychological warfare. You can bet that he would be like putty in their hands. He was crying as we left.