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“Does that prove anything?” Kenton sounded bitter. “I told you what Ransom said. It is perfectly possible that the Denebians learned of the strike and are playing their own game.” Savagely he slammed the fist of one hand into the palm of the other. “Damn them! If I could only be sure!” #352 | | |
“How sure is ‘sure’?” snapped King. “Jelkson has told us that he now believes the tobacco crop was ruined by exposure to radiation. The Denebians used direct radiation bombs to sterilise their buildings. They could have smuggled one into number seven. If they had then the results would match what we found. Right, Jelkson?” #353 | | |
“Yes.” Jelkson sighed. “I’m afraid that is the only conclusion I can draw from the evidence at hand. The fact that they are not growing tobacco means nothing. Phorisci could know that seed is on the way to him by the next ship.” #354 | | |
“He could have some already,” snapped King. “With our crop destroyed the market is wide open. All they have to do is to step in and supply the demand. Once they grab the market we take a back seat.” He sat back and glowered at the windows. #355 | | |
“I disagree,” said Jelkson primly. “I think that I can claim to know more about the Denebians than any other man on Lubridgida. They are coldly logical and they do not lie. When Phorisci told me that he had no seed he was telling the truth. However, he had not told me that he had no seedlings. He took me over his farm to show me that he was not lying by restrictive truth. The Denebians have no tobacco.” #356 | | |
“'But why tobacco?” Kenton looked helplessly at the botanist. “If they wanted to sabotage us with their trick bombs then why ruin the tobacco? That’s what I can’t understand.” #357 | | |
“I’ve thought about that,” admitted Jelkson. “My theory is that they don’t believe us when we tell them smoking is just a habit Almost everyone smokes and, as far as the Denebians are concerned, everyone smokes most of the time. They must think that smoking is an important part of our diet.” He gestured as he saw Kenton’s dubious expression. “It’s just a theory.” #358 | | |
“They’re after the market,” said King grimly. “To me that’s obvious. What isn’t so obvious is how they managed to ruin both our seeds and the crop.” He scowled and rubbed at his jowl. “Dan, what are the chances of a Denebian creeping in here unobserved?” #359 | | |
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“That’s what I would have said. The bomb I can swallow, it could have been planted at night, but the seeds are something else.” He looked it the Controller. “You know what I’m thinking?” #361 | | |
“Yes.” Kenton smashed out his cigarette. “I’ve been trying not to think of it because I don’t believe that any man could be so low. But there’s no other answer. Someone has sold himself out to the Denebians.” He took a deep breath. “The question is, who?” #362 | | |
Kenton stared at the other two men as his words faded into silence. Impatiently he fumbled in his pockets for cigarettes, lit one with hands which trembled a little, and felt the muscle high on one cheek begin to twitch in warning of mounting irritation. He sucked smoke and forced himself to be calm. #363 | | |
“Let’s look at it this way,” he said. “At the inquiry we found that someone, not a Denebian, had introduced spores into the seeds. I’ll leave out the question of accident. With the news about the radiation bombs I don’t think we need even consider it. So, someone is doing the damage and, from what we know, they are getting paid for it. Let’s start considering suspects.” #364 | | |
“Take me,” said King. “What would I gain?” #365 | | |
“Nothing. Also you didn’t have the opportunity. You have no contact with the Denebians that I know of. You never go into town and, by ruining the crop, you would be cutting your financial throat.” #366 | | |
“That applies to all of us,” reminded King. “Who else?” #367 | | |
“Jelkson.” Kenton raised his hand at the botanist’s gesture of indignation. “You are in contact with Phorisci. You have had ample time to cook up any scheme he might suggest. You are friendly with him and could have obtained the bomb. You had access to the seeds and to number seven.” Kenton dragged at his cigarette. “All that’s missing is motive. Well?” #368 | | |
“I didn’t do it,” said Jelkson simply. “I couldn’t have done it.” #369 | | |
“All right, personally I don’t think that you did it either, but I could be wrong.” Kenton paused. “Susan, do we consider her?” #370 | | |
“No!” Jelkson half rose and then relaxed. “Not Susan. I’d trust her with my life, she simply couldn’t do such a thing.” #371 | | |
“Count out the Doc too,” said King. “I’ll vouch for him.” #372 | | |
“That leaves Perchon and myself.” Kenton shrugged. “I know I didn’t do it but that means nothing. What do you think?” #373 | | |
“No motive,” said King. “As Controller you have everything to lose and nothing to gain. What about Perchon?” #374 | | |
“It could be Perchon,” said Jelkson suddenly. He looked at the others. “We know that he spends most of his off-duty time in town. He could have contacted the Denebians there. He is a heavy gambler and must be in need of money. He is irresponsible and would see no great harm in destroying the tobacco. He was in charge of the infected crop.” #375 | | |
“That’s right,” said King slowly. “He fits, Dan. It could be him.” #376 | | |
“It needn’t be.” Kenton turned back to the window. “I don’t like to crucify a man behind his back. If we only had some sort of proof to go on. Something concrete instead of mere suppositions.” #377 | | |
He paused, waiting for the inevitable suggestion and, when it came, he was not surprised to find that it was Jelkson who proposed it. #378 | | |
“We could search his room,” said the botanist. “We could do it now while he is away in town. We might be able to find a clue.” #379 | | |
Kenton didn’t smile but the twitching in his cheek eased a little. He sighed and, turning, let his shoulders slump in resignation. #380 | | |
“I don’t like it,” he said. “But if you both agree?” #381 | | |
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Thorpe, Susan and Perchon were waiting in the office when the three men returned. Susan looked pale and the heavy gloves she wore accentuated the slimness of her arms. Perchon seemed bewildered and moved restlessly about the office while Thorpe, sitting in the chair smoking his pipe, was the calmest of them all. A boxed instrument stood beside him on the floor where he had placed it. He rose as the three men entered. #384 | | |
“Sorry to barge in like this, Kenton, but something cropped up which I think is important.” #385 | | |
“Is it about the crop failure?” #386 | | |
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“It’s all over,” said Jelkson bitterly. “We know who did it.” He glared at Perchon. “There’s the man. There’s the dirty swine who sold us out to the Denebians.” #388 | | |
“What!” Perchon took a step towards the little botanist then, with a visible effort, controlled himself. “I think that you’d better apologise, Jelkson. And you’d better do it quick before I knock your teeth down your lying throat.” #389 | | |
“There’s no need for that sort of talk,” rapped King. He took something from his pocket and threw it onto the desk. It rolled a little before settling, a small, heavy object shaped a little like an old-fashioned hand grenade. “We found this in your room, Perchon.” #390 | | |
“My room?” Perchon stared at it. “What is it?” #391 | | |
“A radiation cartridge such as is used by the Denebians to sterilise their buildings. One just like it was used to ruin the tobacco crop. Maybe you’d like to explain how it came to be in your room?” #392 | | |
“I didn’t put it there,” said Perchon. “I’ve never seen it before.” #393 | | |
“Naturally you’d say that,” sneered Jelkson. “That’s what I thought you’d say. But you can’t lie your way out of this. You could have ruined the seeds. You could have set off the radiation bomb. You had this thing hidden in your room. If that isn’t proof, then what is?” #394 | | |
“Sit down, Jelkson.” Thorpe pushed the excited botanist into a chair. “Now, let’s have some sensible talk about this. You say that you found this bomb in Perchon’s room?” #395 | | |
“I didn’t find it,” snapped Jelkson, meticulous as ever despite his excitement. “King found it.” #396 | | |
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“I see,” Thorpe looked at Kenton. “What made you decide to search Perchon’s room?” #399 | | |
“Jelkson came to me with the discovery that the tobacco failure had been caused by exposure to hard radiation. He saw Phorisci sterilise buildings with a similar bomb to that we found in Perchon’s room. We decided to search his room merely either to eliminate or confirm him as a suspect.” Kenton shrugged and lit a cigarette. “Something had to be done, Thorpe. It was obvious that we had a saboteur among us and it is our duty to find him.” #400 | | |
