Read Online Smart House by Kate Wilhelm - Free Book Online Page B

and after a moment she put the chain lock on, and only then advanced into the room, the same pink and yellow room she had had the last time. She opened the drapes and gazed at the sea. There was no horizon, just the gray sea and the gray sky that became one. No escape there, she thought. You could sail out that way only so far and then you would be sent back by way of the sky. She turned away from the ocean and found herself gazing at the computer, silent and blank. She was shivering. Walking quickly she went to the bathroom and got a towel, brought it out with her, and draped it over the monitor. There , she breathed at it. In no hurry, she unpacked, washed her face and hands, and pulled on a sweat shirt, not sure if her chill was due to cold or to an internal malfunction. It didn’t matter; she was freezing.
    Maddie and Bruce were in the atrium garden at the lowest level near the bar when she arrived. It was hot and humid here. Something new must have come into bloom, she found herself thinking, something heavy and too sweet. Gardenias? She embraced Maddie, who looked glassy-eyed, tranquilized, and smelled of gin and tonic. A coffee pot and cups were on the bar counter. She nodded briefly at Bruce and poured herself coffee.
    “All right,” Bruce said. “Here’s the program. The company’s in a hell of a spot. We’ve got to raise money enough to pay for forty-five shares of stock, and frankly, there’s no way on earth we can do it. The others are going to opt for a sellout, naturally, take ten cents on the dollar and be done with it.”
    “Bruce, stop it!” Maddie cried. “We agreed not to have a business meeting unless everyone is present.”
    Bruce went on as if he had not heard. “Milton says we have to reorganize first, before any decisions can be made. You know who will take over if we go along with that! Jake. And then Milton will get in line and they’ll vote to sell out. So we have two choices. We can serve up the murderer, clear the computer of all charges, and then the shares go a different direction. Mom and I split them and we both waive payment for now. Or you can defer payment for an indefinite period,” he added, glaring at Beth. “Deferred payment is acceptable, Milton said.”
    “What are you talking about?” Beth demanded.
    “A murderer can’t benefit financially from her crime,” he said almost petulantly. “You know that. I checked it with Milton. That means that Mom and I will split Gary’s estate. The money stays in the company and we’ll start showing Smart House—”
    Beth felt distant, an observer of a scenario she had no understanding of, with no means of arriving at an understanding. She stood up.
    “Sit down!” Bruce yelled at her. “I’m giving you a choice, goddamn it! You sign a waiver about payment for now and we let it rest there. I don’t say a word about what I know.”
    She felt herself moving before she realized she had willed motion. She walked blindly toward the sliding door to the hall, hearing the shouts and curses behind her as if Bruce were on a stage rehearsing for a production she had no interest in.
    “You’ll do what I tell you! Or it’s your ass!” Bruce screamed.
    Because she was walking in the direction of the foyer when she left the atrium, that was where she found herself a moment later, and she kept going to the front door, and on outside. She did not see the man and woman approaching until she nearly bumped into them.
    “Hi,” Charlie said, “I’m Charles Meiklejohn, and this is my wife, Constance Leidl. Who are you?”
    “You’re the detective?” she said, and blinked several times.
    “He is,” Constance said briskly. “And from Milton Sweetwater’s description, I’d guess you’re Beth Elringer.” Beth nodded. “Look, we were just debating whether or not lunch would be possible inside. Arriving at this time of day is a little awkward, isn’t it? We said we’d arrive in the afternoon, and, of course, officially it is after