Part 25 (1/2)
”Right, then join me downstairs.” She thought for a moment, then asked Brady, ”What shape are they in?”
”Untouched, to the best of my knowledge, Excellency.”
Four, and none softened up. Cortin nodded to herself, pleased, then asked, ”What's the setup like down there? Colonel Bradford said one state-of-the-art suite, other conventional ones.”
”Yes, Excellency. There are five complete interrogation suites, though only Suite Alpha--yours, of course--has the highly sophisticated equipment.”
”Thank you.” Cortin turned to Chang. ”Lieutenant, would you ask Lieutenant Bain to join me after supper?” When she agreed, Cortin turned back to Brady. ”Let's go.”
Someone with a sense of humor she appreciated had posted signs in the prisoners' pa.s.sage showing the way to the dungeon, and one over its door quoting the ancient poet Dante: ”Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.” They stopped there, and Bradford gave her a set of keys. ”My responsibilities end at this door, Your Excellency. Enforcement Service personnel from the Detention Center are responsible for caring for the prisoners and cleaning up after you; the first is done at midday, and they are on call for the other. Now that you have a.s.sumed your duties, no one else will enter except by your order or with your permission.”
”What about record films of the interrogations?”
”That is handled by the Palace security monitors, Excellency.”
”Fine. What about spare keys?”
”There is a set for the Enforcement personnel I mentioned.”
”We'll need three more, then. One each for Captain Odeon and Lieutenant Bain, and one for anyone else in the team.”
”I will see to it. By Your Excellency's leave?”
”Granted.”
The keys were marked; Cortin had no trouble finding the one for the main entrance, or for the cellblock. She'd wait for Mike before taking any of them to the suite, but she could make a preliminary evaluation and pick her first subject.
The block held twenty cells, four of them, as Brady had said, flagged as having occupants. She didn't get beyond the second one, though.
Its occupant startled her at first--she hadn't thought of him since leaving New Denver months ago--then she chuckled and turned on the cell's speaker. ”Powell--I would've thought you, of all people, would've avoided Enforcement troopers.”
Startled, the young man stared at the one-way gla.s.s in the door. ”Uh . . . Captain Cortin?”
”Colonel, now--but it's me, yes. What're you doing in custody again, much less at Harmony Lodge?”
Powell managed a tentative smile. ”Congratulations, Colonel.” Then it faded, and his shoulders slumped. ”You won't believe me--they didn't, at the Center, so they sent me here for the High King's Inquisitor.”
To Cortin's astonishment, she saw the beginnings of hope in his face, and his eyes brightened. ”That's not-- You're not--?”
”It is, and I am.”
”Oh, thank G.o.d! They said the King's Inquisitor would have truthsense--please, let me talk to you!”
Cortin hesitated. He certainly sounded sincere enough, but he'd been conditioned once; possibly he had been re-conditioned, this time to kill whoever turned out to be King's Inquisitor. On the other hand, that Brother had said Shannon had put her off limits, and Powell had submitted to her will once; he'd do so again easily. So she was unlocking the cell door when Odeon arrived.
”Find a promising one?” he asked.
”I'd say so--one who wants to talk to me, at least.” Cortin opened the cell's door, beckoned its occupant out. ”You remember our young friend?”
”Of course! What's he doing here?”
”That's what he wants to talk about. Shall we go to my suite?”
”Just a second, please?” The young man was looking at her with adoration so open it was almost embarra.s.sing, and Cortin wondered where that had come from. ”I haven't seen Captain Odeon in ages . . .”