The Chronicles of Monster Planet - стр. 12
“All right,” our captain said, getting up.
We got up as well and silently left the office. Taney stayed with Trevor, and Werner took us back to our rooms. Boris waited in the corridor, nervously pacing back and forth. When he saw us, he rushed to Finn.
“Captain, Dr. Stein and Sheila took Cheng's body to the morgue. I'd like to assist during the autopsy. Could you arrange it with Trevor? According to Dr. Stein, we don't belong to the base staff yet, so a special permission from the superiors is required.”
“I'll see what I can do. “Now please come to my compartment, we need to discuss our deplorable situation.”
We were despondent. Everyone's face expressed grief for Ji Cheng mixed with bewilderment. The captain spoke up.
“I have to ask,” he said after a pause, “if anyone had a personal conflict with Ji.”
“What are you talking about?” Leonov snarled. “We passed the compatibility test.”
“I don't know,” Finn said abruptly. “Everything is possible. A love triangle, for instance,” he looked at Boris and me.
“Then why would you exclude yourself and Lisa?” I retorted angrily.
Finn sighed. Then seated himself on a chair.
“I think it's Werner,” I looked straight into the captain's eyes.
“What about his motive?” he asked.
“Ji saw something she shouldn't have, and she would tell us about it.”
“I agree with Max,” Leonov said.
Finn looked at Lisa. She nodded.
“I'm sure it's not one of us.”
“Fine,” the captain concluded. “Let's accept it as our operational assumption. But she was always with us, what could she see? And it turns out that Lisa and Werner were walking toward her room from both sides of the corridor. Is Werner the prime suspect?”
“Unless someone snuck in earlier,” I said. “There wasn't much time, but just enough to make it through the corridor.”
“What do you think about the base?” Boris asked.
“Trevor showed us the surface on the display and promised a tour. It's not Earth, I'm inclined to believe him.”
“Hopefully, it's true,” the biologist lowered his head, but then raised his gleaming eyes again. “There is something strange here, but I can't nail it down.”
“It's clear enough from Ji Cheng's murder, and we must find out what it is,” Lisa said. “We are going to live here for the rest of our lives, unless a ship from Earth arrives.”
“I think we should have a rest,” Boris said. “Tomorrow I will initiate a thorough physical examination. DC is not a wellness procedure, you know.”
I took a shower and was sitting on my bed mulling over the recent events when somebody knocked on the door.
“It's open,” I replied, thinking that given Cheng's death, it wouldn't hurt to start locking the door.
Unexpectedly, it was Anna.
“Max, that's terrible! Sheila told me about the murder,” she said in a manner much more informal than before. “This kind of thing never happens here.”
“Please sit down,” I offered.
“Have you talked to Trevor?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?“
“He said there would be an investigation,” I shrugged. “He believes it's one of us.”
“It can't be you,” she said adamantly.
“Thanks, but you don't know me well enough.”
“I just see it. I feel people. But your shifty-eyed friend could well be the killer.”
“Leonov? Nah, he wouldn't hurt a fly. So, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I'd like to take you with me tomorrow to show the power supply systems of the base. You should get down to work as soon as possible, and being an engineer makes you my subordinate,” she smiled.