Part 10 (1/2)

'Hmmm...'

'I still can't quite believe it,' Miles sighed. 'I know Federique had problems fitting in, that's inevitable with the Energy Police, but this '

'I only met her once,' Bernice mused, 'when she told me to turn the volume down on a simularity in my room to conserve power, but I didn't get any impression of weakness. Quite the reverse, in fact. She seemed to enjoy being able to tell people what to do. I think it was the way she walked, more than anything. She swaggered. People who swagger don't kill themselves. Other people, perhaps, but not themselves.'

'I have to rule this all as hearsay and speculation,' Bishop said, standing up. 'I have what amounts to a signed confession. Despite your doubts, I see no reason'to delay my return to the Guild outstation on Earth.'

'You don't?' the Doctor said, gazing up at the ceiling. 'How interesting.'

'You wish to draw something to my attention, Doctor?'

'What could I I know?' know?'

'Then I shall prepare to ' He broke off and sneezed suddenly. 'Leave,' he added, his eyes watering.

'Except...' The Doctor trailed off. Everybody in the room hung expectantly on his pause.

'What is it?' Bishop snapped finally.

'No, it's such a small matter. Forget I said anything.'

'Tell me.'

The Doctor pursed his lips and shook his head. 'I wouldn't want to bother you with such a minor point.'

'Tell me!'

'It's the hand,' the Doctor said, in a voice that had just a fraction too much self*effacement in it to be wholly convincing.

'What hand?'

'Krau Rabaan's hand.'

'Which one?' Bishop was getting increasingly angry.

'Her left one.'

'What was wrong with her left hand?'

'Nothing.'

'Then what are you babbling about?' Bishop shouted.

'She was holding the vibroknife in her left hand.'

'What of it?'

'Krau Rabaan was a Muslim, wasn't she?'

'I repeat: what of it?'

The Doctor whirled round. His face was set hard, his voice had taken on an accusatory tone. 'In the Muslim faith, the left hand is seen as unclean. Muslims will not use their left hand for cooking, for greeting people, for eating...'

'Yes?'

'Or for holding cutlery in.'

Bishop was silent. Bernice could almost see the wheels turning in his head.

'People do strange things in desperation,' he said finally. 'Even hold knives in the wrong hand.'

'But religion is the last thing to go,' the Doctor said. 'It's the final crutch. Krau Rabaan would not, could not go to Allah having profaned herself.'

Bishop swung round, his robes billowing. His hand beat out a rapid tattoo on Miles Engado's desk as he stared at the wall.

Eventually he turned back to the Doctor. 'It looks as if I may have to stay longer than I had planned,' he said. 'The possibility has to be acknowledged that Krau Rabaan was murdered and the murder made to look like suicide to divert suspicion from somebody else. I shall be informing Earth Central of my findings via message drone, Trau Engado. In the meantime, I shall want to talk again to Rabbi Zehavi, the man who found the body. That will be all, gentlemen.' He turned to where Bernice was slumped in the chair. 'And lady.'

As the Doctor pa.s.sed Bernice, his hand snaked out and grabbed her shoulder. She found herself hauled from the chair.

'Time to leave,' he murmured into her ear.

They had almost made it out of the door when Bishop said, 'Oh, Doctor?'

The Doctor stopped. Bernice looked across at his face. He knew something. She could read very little of the Doctor's true feelings, despite the time they had been together, but she could read that, at least. Unfortunately, so could Bishop.

'How did you know that Federique Moshe*Rabaan was holding the vibroknife in her left hand?'

The Doctor said nothing.

Bernice turned to look at Bishop. 'You told us,' she said calmly.

'No,' Bishop said. 'I did not.'

Bernice could see the Doctor's smile out of the corner of her eye. It gave her the strength to carry on. 'You did,' she said. 'And I don't see any of those little drones in here to prove otherwise.'

The Doctor dragged her out and slammed the door before Bishop could explode.

'I need to see Alex Bannen,' the Doctor said rapidly as he dragged Bernice along the corridor towards the Pit and the deads.p.a.ces. 'I'm worried about what he might do now that Rabaan is out of the way.'

'He's an intelligent man, isn't he?'

'More than I had given him credit for. And I made two serious mistakes because I underestimated him.'