Part 9 (2/2)

'You're always hungry.' He held up a filigree silver pin whose head was carved into the shape of a skull. 'Machiavelli or Medici?'

'Haven't a clue.'

'Medici, I think. You should take more exercise.'

'I went walking last night.'

'Or was it Lucretia Borgia? I know you went walking.'

'You've been spying on me!'

'The TARDIS was concerned.'

'What is she, my mother?'

'Only if you want her to be,' the Doctor replied enigmatically, and licked the end of the pin. 'Certainly not Borgia.'

'The Doctor to the Base Coordinator's office please. The Doctor to the Base Coordinator's office. Thank you.'

The disembodied voice echoing through the refectory was so bland that Bernice couldn't tell whether it was real or synthesized. Across the table, the Doctor sighed and swept the pins off the table and into a pocket.

'No peace for the wicked,' he said as he offered a gentlemanly arm to Bernice. 'Would madam care to accompany me?'

Adjudicator Bishop was sitting at Miles's desk when they arrived. Miles was standing uncomfortably to one side. He looked tired and haggard, as if he hadn't slept very well.

'Doctor, come in,' Bishop said, beating Miles to the punch. Miles just stood there, his mouth half open.

Bishop frowned when Bernice followed the Doctor into the office.

'I don't recall inviting you, Krau Summerfield,' he said.

'You didn't,' she said coolly, and sat down.

The Doctor perched on a corner of the desk, positioning himself so that he could see Bernice and Miles but not Bishop.

'Well,' he said, smiling like a loon, 'no doubt you're wondering why I've called you all here.'

Whilst Bishop was searching for a rejoinder, Miles recovered the conversational initiative. 'There's been another death,' he said.

'I was expecting it,' the Doctor replied.

Bishop leant forward. 'What do you mean by that?'

'Deaths are like policemen: they always travel in pairs.'

'And there's never one around when you want one,' Bernice added. Bishop shot her a venomous glance.

'Who died?' she continued, unapologetically.

Miles sighed and pa.s.sed a hand across his thinning hair.

'Moshe*Rabaan. She was the representative of the Energy Police on the base. She was also a seyyed seyyed, you know.'

'A what?' Bernice and Bishop chorused, and cast dark glances at one another.

'A descendant of the Prophet,' the Doctor said. 'Very important in the current Islam*dominated Earth Central hierarchy, I imagine.'

'Not a popular person here, by any means,' Miles continued. 'She put on airs. Oddly enough, we have few practising Muslims on the Project Eden team. She felt better than the rest of us.'

'Trau Bishop's not a very popular person,' Bernice said, nodding towards the Adjudicator, 'but that's not a good enough reason to b.u.mp him him off.' off.'

Before Bishop could interject, the Doctor spoke. 'I presume that Trau Engado is suggesting that Krau Moshe*Rabaan committed suicide.'

'Indeed,' Miles said. 'She left a note explaining everything. She killed my daughter... She admits that.' He paused for a moment, his face betraying the pain he still felt. 'She doesn't say why. She just says sorry.' He turned away and leant against the wall for support.

'Well,' Bernice drawled, slumping deeper in her chair, 'that's your job over with, Trau Bishop. Taking the murderer into custody shouldn't tax your skills too much, should it?'

'I don't think I '

'Who found the body, Miles?' the Doctor interrupted softly.

Miles spoke without turning. 'Shmuel Zehavi. He came and told me a few hours ago. He sleepwalks, you see. Discovered her about five o'clock this morning. Funny thing is, he thinks n.o.body else knows about his somnambulism. He woke up in her room. Terrible shock for the man. All that blood. Terrible...'

He trailed off into silence.

The Doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

'How was it done?' Bernice asked.

'Vibroknife,' Bishop snapped without looking at her. 'A very precise incision.'

'Would she have had that sort of medical knowledge?' Bernice pressed.

It was Miles who answered. 'We all would. Earth Central couldn't afford to send a qualified medic out here with us; the company rates are far too expensive. We all took hypnocourses in basic medicine and anatomy. Even the courses ate up a significant fraction of our budget, but the health and safety regulations demanded it.'

'I believe that to be irrelevant,' Bishop interjected. 'The knife made a very thorough job of her heart. Any ribs which got in the way would have been purely incidental.'

'I take it,' the Doctor said softly, not looking at anybody in particular, 'that your little security drones were elsewhere when it happened.'

A heavy silence followed his words, broken by a slight vibration that made the items on Miles's desk tremble.

'What was that?' the Doctor said, perking up.

'Something being dropped?' Bernice suggested.

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