The City and the City Part 7

"The third city," Corwi said in Bes to Thacker, who still furrowed his face. When he showed no comprehension, she said, "A secret. Fairy tale. Between the other two." He shook his head and looked, uninterestedly, Oh Oh.

"She loved this place," Mrs. Geary said. She looked longing. "I mean, sorry, I mean Ul Qoma. Are we near where she lived?" Crudely physically, grosstopically, to use the term unique to Besel and Ul Qoma, unnecessary anywhere else, yes we were. Neither Corwi nor I answered, as it was a complicated question. "She'd been studying it all for years, since she first read some book about the cities. Her professors always seemed to think she was doing excellent in her work."

"Did you like her professors?" I said.

"Oh, I never met them. But she showed me some of what they were doing; she showed me a website for the program, and the place she worked."

"This is Professor Nancy?"

"That was her advisor, yes. Mahalia liked her."

"They worked well together?" Corwi was watching me as I asked.

"Oh, I don't know." Mrs. Geary even laughed. "Mahalia seemed to argue with her all the time. Seemed they didn't agree on much, but when I said, 'Well how does that that work?' she told me it was okay. She said they liked disagreeing. Mahalia said she learned more that way." work?' she told me it was okay. She said they liked disagreeing. Mahalia said she learned more that way."

"Did you keep up with your daughter's work?" I said. "Read her essays? She told you about her Ul Qoman friends?" Corwi moved in her seat. Mrs. Geary shook her head.

"Oh no," she said.

"Inspector," said Thacker.

"The stuff she did just wasn't the sort of thing that I could ... that I was real interested in, Mr. Borlu. I mean since she'd been over here, sure, stories in the paper about Ul Qoma would catch our eye a bit more than they had before, and sure I'd read them. But so long as Mahalia was happy, I ... we were happy. Happy for her to get on with her thing, you know."

"Inspector, when do you think we might be receiving the Ul Qoma transfer papers?" Thacker said.

"Soon, I think. And she was? Happy?"

"Oh, I think she ..." Mrs. Geary said. "There were always dramas, you know."

"Yeah," her father said.

"Now," said Mrs. Geary.

"Oh?" I said.

"Well now it wasn't ... only she'd been kind of stressed recently, you know. I told her she needed to come home for a vacation-I know, coming home hardly sounds like a vacation, but you know. But she said she was making real progress, like making a breakthrough in her work."

"And some people were p.i.s.sed about that," Mr. Geary said.

"Honey."

"They were. She told us."

Corwi looked at me, confused. "Mr. and Mrs. Geary ..." While Thacker said that, I explained quickly to Corwi in Bes, "Not 'p.i.s.sed' drunk. They're American-'angry.' Who was p.i.s.sed?" I asked them. "Her professors?"

"No," Mr. Geary said. "G.o.ddammit, who do you think did this?"

"John, please, please ..."

"G.o.ddammit, who the f.u.c.k are First Qoma?" Mr. Geary said. "You haven't even asked us who we think did this. You haven't even asked us. You think we don't know?"

"What did she say?" I said. Thacker was standing now and patting the air, Calm down everybody Calm down everybody.

"Some little b.a.s.t.a.r.d at a conference tells her her work was G.o.dd.a.m.n treason. Someone'd been gunning for her since the first time she came here."

"John, stop, you're mixing it up. That first time, when that man said that, she was here, here here here, Besel-here, not in Ul Qoma, and that wasn't First Qoma, that was the other ones, here, nationalists or True Citizens, something, you remember ..." here, Besel-here, not in Ul Qoma, and that wasn't First Qoma, that was the other ones, here, nationalists or True Citizens, something, you remember ..."

"Wait, what?" I said. "First Qoma? And-someone said something to her when she was in Besel? When?"

"Hold on boss, it's ..." Corwi spoke quickly in Bes.

"I think we all need to take a minute," Thacker said.

He placated the Gearys as if they had been wronged, and I apologised as if I had wronged them. They knew that they were expected to stay in their hotel. We had two officers stationed downstairs to ensure compliance. We told them that we would tell them as soon as we had news that their paperwork for travel had come through, and that we would be back the following day. In the meantime, if they needed anything or any information-I left them my numbers.

"He will be found," Corwi said to them as we took leave. "Breach will take who did this. I promise you that." To me outside she said, "Qoma First, not First Qoma, by the way. Like the True Citizens, only for Ul Qoma. As pleasant as our lot, by all accounts, but a lot more secretive and thank f.u.c.k not our headache."

More radical in their Besel-love even than Syedr's National Bloc, True Citizens were marchers in quasi-uniform and makers of frightening speeches. Legal but not by much. We had not succeeded in proving their responsibility for attacks on Besel's Ul Qomatown, the Ul Qoman emba.s.sy, mosques and synagogues and leftist bookshops, on our small immigrant population. We-by which I mean we policzai policzai, of course-had more than once found the perpetrators and that they were members of TC, but the organisation itself disavowed the attacks, just, just, and no judge had yet banned them.

"And Mahalia annoyed both lots."

"So her Dad says. He doesn't know ..."

"We know she certainly managed to get the unificationists here mad, ages ago. And then she did the same to the nats over there? Any extremists she hasn't made angry?" We drove. "You know," I said, "that meeting, of the Oversight Committee ... it was pretty strange. Some of the things some people were saying ..."

"Syedr?"

"Syedr, sure, among others, some of what they were saying didn't make much sense to me at the time. Maybe if I followed politics more carefully. Maybe I'll do that." After a silence I said, "Maybe we should ask around a bit."

"The f.u.c.k, boss?" Corwi twisted in her seat. She did not look angry but confused. "Why were you even grilling them like that? The muckamucks are invoking f.u.c.king Breach Breach in a day or two to deal with this s.h.i.+t, and woe betide whoever did Mahalia then. You know? Even if we do find any leads now, we're going to be off the case any minute; this is just biding time." in a day or two to deal with this s.h.i.+t, and woe betide whoever did Mahalia then. You know? Even if we do find any leads now, we're going to be off the case any minute; this is just biding time."

"Yeah," I said. I swerved a little to avoid an Ul Qoman taxi, unseeing it as much as possible. "Yeah. But still. I'm impressed with anyone who can p.i.s.s off so many nutters. All of whom are at each other's throats as well. Bes Nats, Ul Qoman Nats, anti-Nats ..."

"Let Breach deal. You were right. She deserves Breach, boss, like you said. What they can do."

"She does deserve them. And she'll get them." I pointed, drove on. "Avanti "Avanti. For the next little while she's got us."

Chapter Eight.

EITHER HIS TIMING WAS PRETERNATURAL or Commissar Gadlem had had some techie rig up a cheat on his system-whenever I came into the office, any emails from him were invariably top of my inbox. or Commissar Gadlem had had some techie rig up a cheat on his system-whenever I came into the office, any emails from him were invariably top of my inbox.

Fine, his latest said. I gather Mr. & Mrs. G ensconced in hotel. Don't particularly want you tied up for days in paperwork (sure you agree) so polite chaperoning I gather Mr. & Mrs. G ensconced in hotel. Don't particularly want you tied up for days in paperwork (sure you agree) so polite chaperoning only only please till formalities complete. Job done please till formalities complete. Job done.

Whatever information we had I would have to hand over when the time came. No point making work for myself, Gadlem was saying, nor costing the department my time, so take my foot off the accelerator. I made and read notes that would be illegible to everyone else, and to me in an hour's time, though I kept and filed them all carefully-my usual methodology. I reread Gadlem's message several times, rolling my eyes. I probably muttered something out loud to myself.

I spent some time tracking down numbers-online and through a real live operator on the end of the phone-and placed a call that made clucking noises as it ran through various international exchanges. "Bol Ye'an offices." I'd called twice before but previously had gone through a kind of automated system: this was the first time I'd had anyone pick up. His Illitan was good, but the accent was North American; so in English I said: "Good afternoon, I'm trying to reach Professor Nancy. I've left messages on her voicemail, but-"

"Who's calling please?"

"This is Inspector Tyador Borlu of the Besel Extreme Crime Squad."

"Oh. Oh." Oh." The voice was quite different now. "This is about Mahalia, isn't it? Inspector, I'm ... Hold on I'm going to try to track down Izzy." A long hollow-acousticked pause. "This is Isabelle Nancy." Anxious-sounding, American I'd have guessed if I hadn't known she was from Toronto. Not much like her voicemail voice. The voice was quite different now. "This is about Mahalia, isn't it? Inspector, I'm ... Hold on I'm going to try to track down Izzy." A long hollow-acousticked pause. "This is Isabelle Nancy." Anxious-sounding, American I'd have guessed if I hadn't known she was from Toronto. Not much like her voicemail voice.

"Professor Nancy, I'm Tyador Borlu of the Besel Policzai Policzai, ECS. I think you have spoken to my colleague Officer Corwi? You got my messages maybe?"

"Inspector, yes, I'm ... Please accept my apologies. I'd meant to call you back but it's been, everything's been, I'm very sorry ..." She s.h.i.+fted between English and good Bes.

"I understand, Professor. I am sorry too about Miss Geary. I know this must be a very bad time for all of you and your colleagues."

"I, we, we're all in shock here, Inspector. Real shock. I don't know what to tell you. Mahalia was a great young woman and-"

"Of course."

"Where are you? Are you ... local? Would you like to meet?"

"I'm afraid I'm calling internationally, Professor; I'm still in Besel."

"I see. So ... how can I help you, Inspector? Is there any problem? I mean any problem other than, than all all of this, I mean ..." I heard her breath. "I'm expecting Mahalia's parents any day now." of this, I mean ..." I heard her breath. "I'm expecting Mahalia's parents any day now."

"Yes, I just was with them actually. The emba.s.sy here is putting in paperwork for them, and they should come to you soon. No, I am calling you because I want to know more about Mahalia and what she was doing."

"Forgive me, Inspector Borlu, but I was under the impression ... this crime ... will you not be invoking Breach, I thought...?" She had calmed and was speaking only Bes now, so what the h.e.l.l I gave up on my English, which was no better than her Bes.

"Yes. The Oversight Committee ... excuse me, Professor I don't know how much you know about how these matters go. But yes, responsibility for this will be pa.s.sed over. You understand how that will work, then?"

"I think so."

"Alright. I'm just doing some last work. I'm curious, is all. We hear interesting things about Mahalia. I want to know some things about her work. Can you help me? You were her advisor, yes? Do you have time to speak to me about that for a few minutes?"

"Of course, Inspector, you've waited long enough. I don't know quite what-"

"I want to know what she was working on. And about her history with you and with the program. And tell me about Bol Ye'an, too. She was studying Orciny, I understand."

"What?" Isabelle Nancy was shocked. "Orciny? Absolutely not. This is an archaeology department."

"Forgive me, I'd been under the impression ... What do you mean, this is archaeology?"

"I mean that if she were studying Orciny, and there might be excellent reasons to do so, she'd be doing her doctorate in Folklore or Anthropology or maybe Comp Lit. Granted, the edges of disciplines are getting vague. Also that Mahalia is one of a number of young archaeologists more interested in Foucault and Baudrillard than in Gordon Childe or in trowels." She did not sound angry but sad and amused. "But we wouldn't have accepted her unless her PhD was real archaeology."

"So what was it?"

"Bol Ye'an's an old dig, Inspector."

"Please tell me."

"I'm sure you're aware of all the controversy around early artefacts in this region, Inspector. Bol Ye'an's uncovering pieces that are a good couple of millennia old. Whichever theory you subscribe to on Cleavage, split or convergence, what we're looking for predates it, predates Ul Qoma and Besel. It's root root stuff." stuff."

"It must be extraordinary."

"Of course. Also pretty incomprehensible. You understand we know next to nothing about the culture that produced all this?"

"I think so. That's why all the interest, yes?"

"Well ... yes. That and the kind kind of things you have here. What Mahalia was doing was trying to decode what the t.i.tle of her project called 'A Hermeneutics of Ident.i.ty' from the layouts of gears and so on." of things you have here. What Mahalia was doing was trying to decode what the t.i.tle of her project called 'A Hermeneutics of Ident.i.ty' from the layouts of gears and so on."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Then she did a good job. The aim of a PhD's to ensure that no one, including your advisor, understands what you're doing after the first couple of years. I'm joking, you understand. What she's doing would have had ramifications for theories of the two cities. Where they came from, you know. She played her cards pretty close, so I was never sure month to month where she stood exactly on the issue, but she still had a couple of years to make up her mind. Or to just make something up."

"So she was helping with the actual dig."

"Absolutely. Most of our research students are. Some for primary research, some as part of their stipend deal, some a bit of both, some to suck up to us. Mahalia was paid a little bit, but mostly she needed to get her hands on the artefacts for her work."

"I see. I'm sorry, Professor, I'd been under the impression that she'd been working on Orciny ..."

"She used to be interested in that. She first went to Besel for a conference, some years ago."

"Yes, I think I heard about that."

"Right. Well, it caused a little stink because at that time she was was very into Orciny, totally-she was a little Bowdenite, and the paper she gave didn't go down very well. Led to some remonstrations. I admired her guts, but she was on a hiding to nothing with all that stuff. When she applied to do her PhD-to be honest I was pretty surprised it was with me-I had to make sure she knew what would and wouldn't be ... acceptable. But... I mean, I don't know what she was reading in her spare time, but what she was writing, when I got the updates on her PhD, they were, they were fine." very into Orciny, totally-she was a little Bowdenite, and the paper she gave didn't go down very well. Led to some remonstrations. I admired her guts, but she was on a hiding to nothing with all that stuff. When she applied to do her PhD-to be honest I was pretty surprised it was with me-I had to make sure she knew what would and wouldn't be ... acceptable. But... I mean, I don't know what she was reading in her spare time, but what she was writing, when I got the updates on her PhD, they were, they were fine."

"Fine?" I said. "You don't sound ..."

She hesitated.

"Well ... Honestly I was a little, a little bit disappointed. She was smart. I know she was smart, because, you know, in seminars and so on she was terrific. And she worked superhard. She was a 'grind,' we'd say"-the word in English-"always in the library. But her chapters ..."

"Not good?"

"Fine. Really, they were okay. She'd pa.s.s her doctorate, no problem, but it wasn't going to set the world on fire. It was kind of lackl.u.s.tre, you know? And given the number of hours she was working, it was a bit thin thin. References and so on. I'd spoken to her about it, though, and she promised that she was, you know. Working on it."

"Could I see it?"

"Sure." She was taken aback. "I mean, I suppose. I don't know. I have to work out what the ethics of that are. I've got the chapters she gave me, but they're very unfinished; she wanted to work on them more. If she'd finished it it would be public access, and no problem, but as it is ... Can I get back to you? She probably should have been publis.h.i.+ng some of them as papers in journals-that's kind of the done thing-but she wasn't. We'd talked about that too; she said she was going to do something about it."

"What's a Bowdenite, Professor?"

"Oh." She laughed. "Sorry. It's the source of this Orciny stuff. Poor David wouldn't thank me for using the term. It's someone inspired by the early work of David Bowden. Do you know his work?"

"... No."

"He wrote a book, years ago. Between the City and the City Between the City and the City. Ring any bells? It was a huge thing for the later flower children. The first time for a generation anyone had taken Orciny seriously. I guess it's not a surprise you haven't seen it; it's still illegal. In Besel and in Ul Qoma. You won't find it even in the university libraries. In some ways it was a brilliant piece of work-he did some fantastic archival investigations, and saw some a.n.a.logies and connections that are ... well, still pretty remarkable. But it was pretty crackpot ramblings."