Dr. Hilti thrust his hands into the pockets of his white coat. His bow tie jerked from the motion of his Adam's apple and he said, "If it's that important"--he laid emphasis on this, as if warning Merrik that it better had be or else--"I don't suppose a few minutes will do any harm."
Chase grinned in a harmless sort of way and followed Burt Merrik through the steel doors, the tall gaunt-faced chemist following behind.
It was like entering a shimmering green undersea cave.
Enormous glass-sided tanks were ranged on either side of a central aisle. The only illumination, a gently shifting green light, came from the tanks themselves. A layman might have mistaken it for an aquarium. The bottoms of the tanks were faithful replicas of different sea-beds, some with sand and silt, some with small rocks and pebbles, some with fantastic coral architecture, and everywhere a profusion of plant life, their fronds rippling rhythmically to an unseen current.
Exactly like an aquarium, Chase thought. Except that there were no fish, no marine creatures of any description.
Down at the far end of the chamber a circular metal staircase led up to a railed gantry. Chase thought he detected movement up there, but in the shifting green patterns it was hard to tell and he was probably mistaken. He concentrated on his other senses, primarily smell: Most herbicides had a distinctive odor that he would have known instantly. He inhaled deeply, trying not to sniff.
"Water purification and treatment of effluents," explained Dr. Hilti, close by his side as they moved along the aisle. "New methods of water pollution control."
If it was a lie it was smoothly and plausibly done. So far Chase had no cause to doubt he was telling the truth. Aside, that is, from the words
He couldn't smell herbicides, but something stank.
"I'm more than ever confident I can put in a strong recommendation to my head of department," he said, nodding approvingly at Burt Merrik, who wore a happy green smile.
"And who's that?" Dr. Hilti inquired.
"Dr. Detrick," Chase said without thinking, and immediately cursed himself for being such a fool. Why couldn't he have invented a name --any damn name?
But Merrik was obviously overjoyed. "I sincerely hope we can help you with this project, Dr. Benson. We haven't had dealings with Scripps before, and I'm being totally frank when I say we welcome this opportunity. We're very grateful, believe me."
They came to the bottom of the metal staircase and turned back. As they did so somebody entered through the main door at the end of the aisle. Chase tried not to stare at the greenish light reflecting off the bald head and quickly looked away as if something in one of the tanks had caught his interest.
That had torn the whole fucking thing to shreds. Banting--large as life and twice as ugly. He was bound to be recognized. It had been eight years since last they'd met, but of course Banting would know him in an instant.
Chase stooped and bent close to the glass wall of the tank. He could hear Banting's footsteps, muffled in the confined space between the tanks. He tensed, his neck muscles aching, as the footsteps came right up, and over his shoulder heard Dr. Hilti mutter, "Good morning, Professor." Was he going to introduce Chase as a potential customer?
Chase held his breath. There was only the grunt of a monosyllabic reply, and the footsteps kept right on going, and a moment later he heard them on the metal treads, a hollow shuffling rattle.
Breathing out, Chase straightened up and moved unhurriedly to the double doors. That could have been very nasty, he thought, following Merrik into the corridor. The air seemed cool, almost cold, against his face, which he hoped wasn't perspiring too heavily.
He shuddered inwardly and had to summon up his concentration as Merrik asked him something. Lunch? No, thanks all the same. He had to be getting back. Yes, pressure of work, and so on. But thanks, some other time.
No lunch today, not here, with the chance that Ivor Banting might be at the next table. He wasn't going to tempt fate twice. He thanked Burt Merrik and Dr. Hilti and went.
Arms braced against the gantry rail, his hatchet face bathed in shimmering green light from the tanks below, Lloyd Madden said in a low dangerous voice:
"Of course I'm sure. I met him at Halley Bay. He was one of your marine biologists. The point, Ivor, is, What is he doing here and what does he want? Can you tell me? Can you answer that?"
11
