Antagonist - Childe Cycle 11 (130 page)

"I
didn't."

"I
realized
later
it
made
no
sense;
but
at
the
time
I
was
angry— all
right,
and
I
wasn't
thinking
well."

"What
did
you
tell
the
police
that
would
send
them
after
me?"

"They
got
an
anonymous
tip
that
the
person
in
your
room
might know
something
about
the
killings
at
the
Mayne
estate."

"They
reacted
like
that
to
an
anonymous
tip
relating
to
a
years-old
case,
with
no
corroboration?"

"Well,
maybe
they
had
a
little
corroboration,"
Dahno
said.

"What
do
you
mean?"

"Remember,
I
was
the
one
who
called
in
people
to
clean
up
after the
killings,"
Dahno
said.
"I'd
made
some
contacts
on
Earth
before you
ever
joined
me,
as
part
of
my
efforts
to
get
sources
of
information on
all
the
planets,
and
on
that
trip
I
had
time
to
renew
acquaintances."

"Your
acquaintances
must
be
pretty
versatile
people,"
Toni
said.

"Like
every
planet,
Earth
has
an
underworld,"
Dahno
said.
"Some of
them
aren't
just
simple
thugs,
but
successful
businessmen
looking for
information
that
can
give
them
an
edge."

"You've
been
working
with
them
again,
I
assume,"
Bleys
asked.

"Yes,"
Dahno
said.
"In
fact,
some
of
their
people
are
out
there
in the
concourse
...
I
haven't
had
enough
time
to
recruit
and
train
dependable
Soldiers
of
my
own."

"What
was
that
'corroboration'
you
gave
the
police?"

"I
told
them
where
they
could
find
the
pistols
used
in
the killings,
along
with
a
few
small
things
from
the
Estate.
It
was enough
to
make
the
authorities
think
there
might
be
something more
to
learn
in
your
room."

"You
were
targeting
me
that
long
ago?"
Bleys
asked.

"Not
at
all,"
Dahno
said.

"Then
why
did
you
set
up
something
that
could
link
the
killings to
mer

Dahno's
face
reddened,
but
he
said
nothing.

"I
have
a
hard
time
believing
you
were
really
that
stupid, brother,"
Bleys
said
at
last.
"Didn't
it
occur
to
you
that
if
they
connected
me
to
the
killings,
you'd
be
connected,
too?"

"I
know,
I
know,"
Dahno
said,
his
voice
rising.
"It
was
stupid;
I didn't
think
it
out
until
later,
that
leading
the
police
to
you
had
to lead
them
to
me,
too.
But
I
thought
you
were
out
to
get
rid
of
me."

He's overplaying his role,
Bleys
thought.

"Anyway,
the
police
never
got
to
you,"
Dahno
said.
"The
room was
sanitized
before
they
arrived.
They
only
found
four
people sleeping
off
a
messy
party."

"So
you
knew
where
I
was
and
you
wanted
to
show
me
you
could have
had
me
taken
in,
if
you'd
wanted."

"I
just
wanted
to
warn
you
off,"
Dahno
said.
"I
thought
you should
know
I
wouldn't
let
you
get
rid
of
me
without
a
fight."

"Did
you
really
believe
you
could
manipulate
my
attitude
toward you?"

"It's
past,
brother,"
Dahno
said.
"Let
it
go.
I
made
a
mistake,
and I
know
you
never
tried
to
harm
me.
The
way
I
was
looking
at
it, when
our
ways
parted,
the
situation
changed."

"I
don't
think
we
should
say
any
more
here,"
Bleys
said.

"I
suppose
that's
so."

"We
have
to
decide
on
someplace
to
go,"
Bleys
said.
"I
don't suppose
you'd
be
comfortable
with
coming
back
to
Favored?"

"I
don't
think
so,"
Dahno
said,
a
grim
sort
of
smile
appearing
on his
face.
"But
I
have
an
idea
how
we
can
pick
a
place,
if
you'll
go along
with
it."

Bleys
only
looked
at
his
half-brother,
waiting.

"Call
Henry
in
here,"
Dahno
said.

Dahno's
smile
seemed
genuine
as
he
greeted
Henry;
in
fact, Bleys
was
sure
it
was
genuine—as
far
as
it
went.
But
that
did
not mean
there
was
not
something
else
under
it.

Bleys
gave
them
time
to
catch
up;
but
finally
he
broke
in.

"You
asked
for
Uncle
Henry
for
a
reason,
brother—what
is
it?"

"Ah,
yes,"
Dahno
said.
He
smiled,
and
turned
back
to
Henry.

"Uncle,
we've
been
trying
to
decide
on
a
safe
place
to
have
a
long talk.
I
asked
Bleys
to
call
you
here
because
I
want
you
to
pick
our place."

"Me,
Dahno?"
Henry
said.
"Why
would
you
ask
me?"

"Because
I
can
trust
you,
Uncle,"
Dahno
said.
"If
you
tell
me
a place
is
safe
for
me,
I'll
believe
you."
He
looked
back
at
Bleys. "Unless
you
have
an
objection,
brother?"