"Who is this Titanian?" he asked glumly. "I wonder if I know him."
"That's what I'll be interested to hear. His name is Karl Helmer."
35
A Message From Titan
"That's utterly impossible," said Duncan, when he had recovered from the initial shock. "I left Helmer at Saturn — and I came here on the fastest ship in the Solar System."
Mandel'stahm gave an expressive shrug.
"Then perhaps someone else is using that name, for reasons best known to himself. Miss Ellerman's concierge is not very bright — they seldom are — and incidentally, we were lucky to get at it just before the end-of-month memory update. I got hold of the visual recognition coding, and here's the recording
circuit."
He handed over the crude but perfectly adequate synthesis. Duncan could identify it as quickly as any
robot pattern-detecting circuit.
Without question, it was Karl.
"So you know him," said Mandel'stahm.
"Very well," Duncan replied faintly. His mind was still in a whirl; even now, he could not fully believe the evidence of his eyes. It would take a long time for him to work out all the implications of this stunning development.
"You said he was no longer at Cal— Miss Ellerman's. Do you know where he is now?"
"No. I was hoping you might have some ideas. But now that we know the name, I'll be able to trace him — though it may take some time."
And doubtless expense, thought Duncan.
"Tell me, Mr. Mandel'stahm, why are you taking all this trouble? Frankly, I don't see what you hope to get out of it."
"Don't you? Well, it's a good question. I certainly began this out of a pure and honest lust for titanite, and I hope that in due course my efforts will win their just reward. But now it's gone beyond that. The only thing more valuable than gems or works of art is entertainment. And this little caper, Mr. Makenzie, is more interesting than anything I've seen on the viddy for weeks."
Despite his gloomy preoccupations, Duncan could not help smiling. He had been cautious in his
approach to Mandel'stahm, but now he was definitely beginning to feel genuine warmth toward the dealer.
He was shrewd and perhaps even crafty, and Duncan did not doubt that he would drive a very hard
bargain. But he was now quite convinced that George Washington was right: Ivor Mandel'stahm could
be trusted implicitly, in all the things that really mattered.
"May I make a modest proposal?"
"Of course," Duncan answered.
"Can you think of any reason at all, now that we've reached this stage, why you should not call Miss Ellerman, say that you've just heard from Titan that your mutual friend Mr. Helmer is on Earth — and
does she know where he is?"
Duncan thought it over; the suggestion was so blatantly obvious that, in his somewhat dazed state, he
had completely overlooked it. Even now, he was not sure that he could give it an accurate evaluation.
But the affair was no longer a matter of impersonal tactics and policy, to be worked out like the
closing move so some chess game. For his own self-respect and peace of mind, it was time for a
confrontation with Calindy.
"You're right," he said. "There's no reason at all why I shouldn't call her. I'll do so, just as soon as I can get back to the hotel. Let's stop off at Union Station and take the express..."
When Duncan reached the hotel twenty minutes later (the "express" was somewhat misnamed) he had the second surprise of the day, though by now it was something of an anticlimax. The longest fax that
Colin had ever sent him was waiting in the Comsole.
After the initial quick reading, Duncan's first reaction was, "This time, at least, I'm one jump ahead."
But even that, he realized, was not quite true. When one allowed for the fact that Colin's message had left Titan two hours ago, it was virtually a photo-finish.
SECURITY AAA PRIORITY AAA
INQUIRIES MNEMOSYNE DISCLOSE KARL LEFT MID MARCH ON NONSKED EARTH
FLIGHT AND ARRIVED APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS BEFORE YOU. ARMAND
PROFESSES SURPRISE AND TOTAL IGNORANCE. MAY BE TELLING TRUTH.
IMPERATIVE YOU LOCATE KARL FIND WHAT HE IS DOING AND IF NECESSARY WARN
HIM OF CONSEQUENCES. PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION AS ANXIOUS TO AVOID
PUBLICITY OR INTERPLANETARY COMPLICATIONS. YOU APPRECIATE THE
SITUATION MAY BE TO OUR ADVANTAGE BUT DISCRETION ESSENTIAL. SUGGEST
CALINDY MAY KNOW WHERE HE IS. COLIN AND MALCOLM.
Duncan reread the message more slowly, absorbing its nuances. It contained nothing that he did not
know, or had not already guessed; however, he did not relish its uncompromising tone. Being signed by
both Colin and Malcolm, it had the authority of a direct order — something rare indeed in Makenzie
affairs. Though Duncan admitted that it made good sense, he could also detect an underlying note of
satisfaction. For a moment he had an unflattering image of his older twins moving in like a pair of
vultures, scenting a kill...
At the same time, he was wryly amused to see that Colin had drafted the Telex in a great hurry; it
contained half a dozen superfluous words, most offensive to the economical maxims of the clan. Why,