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Authors: Jeffrey Konvitz
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a courtesy.
Most of the committee members were satisfied. However, he wasn't sure how Mary MacKenzie had reacted. She'd said absolutely nothing.
The meeting adjourned.
He left the council building and waited in the parking lot. MacKenzie appeared several minutes later and walked briskly to her car. He approached.
"I'd like to speak to you." he said.
"I'm late for an appointment."
"Mrs. MacKenzie," he said, "this is important."
"It's miss," she snapped.
"All right. Miss. But what I have to say is still important."
She looked at her watch.
"I won't keep you long," he said.
She slid into her car, opened the shotgun door, and waved him inside.
"Did you read the report?" he asked, moving next to her.
"Of course I read the report," she said. "I read it twice."
"I should have known. You had all those comments. Observations."
She glanced at him, fire in her eyes. "I said nothing, Mr. Bruce, because there was nothing to say. I read the report. I heard your arguments. I listened to the conclusions."
"And?"
"They're absurd! Is that clear?"
He held up his hands, nonplussed. "Don't get angry at me. I'm only doing my job."
"And I'm doing mine. Which means I have to represent the people of this region. And protect their lives, their homes. I have to sift through lies and see the forest for the trees. And what I see I don't like."
"Neither do I," he shot back. "I see a closed-minded woman with predetermined opinions, little or no courtesy, and no patience."
She cranked her head toward him. "I've been listening to Geminii for years. Till it's almost choked me. I'm no novice at this."
"I didn't say you were."
"I was on the ship. I was there! Something disastrous happened. Something occurred that endangered us all!"
"I don't deny that. No one does. But you've been given all the facts. The results of the investigation."
"And am I supposed to accept them as the gospel?"
"Yes."
"Then you take me for a fool, Mr. Bruce."
He breathed deeply, frustrated. "I conducted the investigation, Miss MacKenzie."
"I see," she said, glaring wickedly. "Does that entitle you to some kind of award?"
"No!" he challenged. "But it entitles me to defend the truth. And the report reflects the truth."
She laughed. "We were all told Geminii had just hired a saint. You, Mr. Bruce! The conscience of the world. The essence of integrity. But don't delude yourself. Don't think I attribute more to your panderings than I would to the word of any other employee of Geminii. You are an employee of Geminii, aren't you? District supervisor, if I'm correct. A senior executive?"
He sat back. Thoughtful. Did everyone know about his background? "Yes. I work for Geminii. Yes, I'm district supervisor."
She looked him square in the eyes. "Mr. Bruce, let me ask you an honest question. Do you really believe someone operating a submersible vehicle attacked the Columbus ?"
"The evidence suggests so."
"I haven't seen any evidence. I've just heard what representatives of Geminii said they found."
"That's what we found!"
"All right. That's what you found. But even looking at this so-called evidence, these findings made by divers. A manned submersible? Attacking a giant ship? You must be senile."
"It's possible."
"Who, Mr. Bruce? Who?"
"What do you mean, 'who'?"
"Who was in the submersible? Who organized this attack? Tell me who."
"That's the exact question Whittenfeld asked me. I couldn't give him an answer, and I can't give you one. I just joined the company. I wasn't here during license application. I wasn't here at the start of active exploration. I don't know the players, so I couldn't possibly make a guess at who might have tried to sabotage the Columbus ."
"Sabotage is a very serious charge, Mr. Bruce."
"Yes. Especially when lives might have been lost."
She smiled archly, paused. "Now, Mr. Bruce, you can't tell me no one at the company named names. Identified parties who might have engineered such an attack!"
"There were suggestions."
"Well, then.
Most of the committee members were satisfied. However, he wasn't sure how Mary MacKenzie had reacted. She'd said absolutely nothing.
The meeting adjourned.
He left the council building and waited in the parking lot. MacKenzie appeared several minutes later and walked briskly to her car. He approached.
"I'd like to speak to you." he said.
"I'm late for an appointment."
"Mrs. MacKenzie," he said, "this is important."
"It's miss," she snapped.
"All right. Miss. But what I have to say is still important."
She looked at her watch.
"I won't keep you long," he said.
She slid into her car, opened the shotgun door, and waved him inside.
"Did you read the report?" he asked, moving next to her.
"Of course I read the report," she said. "I read it twice."
"I should have known. You had all those comments. Observations."
She glanced at him, fire in her eyes. "I said nothing, Mr. Bruce, because there was nothing to say. I read the report. I heard your arguments. I listened to the conclusions."
"And?"
"They're absurd! Is that clear?"
He held up his hands, nonplussed. "Don't get angry at me. I'm only doing my job."
"And I'm doing mine. Which means I have to represent the people of this region. And protect their lives, their homes. I have to sift through lies and see the forest for the trees. And what I see I don't like."
"Neither do I," he shot back. "I see a closed-minded woman with predetermined opinions, little or no courtesy, and no patience."
She cranked her head toward him. "I've been listening to Geminii for years. Till it's almost choked me. I'm no novice at this."
"I didn't say you were."
"I was on the ship. I was there! Something disastrous happened. Something occurred that endangered us all!"
"I don't deny that. No one does. But you've been given all the facts. The results of the investigation."
"And am I supposed to accept them as the gospel?"
"Yes."
"Then you take me for a fool, Mr. Bruce."
He breathed deeply, frustrated. "I conducted the investigation, Miss MacKenzie."
"I see," she said, glaring wickedly. "Does that entitle you to some kind of award?"
"No!" he challenged. "But it entitles me to defend the truth. And the report reflects the truth."
She laughed. "We were all told Geminii had just hired a saint. You, Mr. Bruce! The conscience of the world. The essence of integrity. But don't delude yourself. Don't think I attribute more to your panderings than I would to the word of any other employee of Geminii. You are an employee of Geminii, aren't you? District supervisor, if I'm correct. A senior executive?"
He sat back. Thoughtful. Did everyone know about his background? "Yes. I work for Geminii. Yes, I'm district supervisor."
She looked him square in the eyes. "Mr. Bruce, let me ask you an honest question. Do you really believe someone operating a submersible vehicle attacked the Columbus ?"
"The evidence suggests so."
"I haven't seen any evidence. I've just heard what representatives of Geminii said they found."
"That's what we found!"
"All right. That's what you found. But even looking at this so-called evidence, these findings made by divers. A manned submersible? Attacking a giant ship? You must be senile."
"It's possible."
"Who, Mr. Bruce? Who?"
"What do you mean, 'who'?"
"Who was in the submersible? Who organized this attack? Tell me who."
"That's the exact question Whittenfeld asked me. I couldn't give him an answer, and I can't give you one. I just joined the company. I wasn't here during license application. I wasn't here at the start of active exploration. I don't know the players, so I couldn't possibly make a guess at who might have tried to sabotage the Columbus ."
"Sabotage is a very serious charge, Mr. Bruce."
"Yes. Especially when lives might have been lost."
She smiled archly, paused. "Now, Mr. Bruce, you can't tell me no one at the company named names. Identified parties who might have engineered such an attack!"
"There were suggestions."
"Well, then.
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