A Season for Slaughter

Chapter 63 Authorization

Lizard was in the conference room. Alone. Sitting at the table and working her way through a stack of reports. She looked up when I entered.

I didn't say anything. I just crossed to the front of the room. I went to the podium and started putting pictures on the screens. The horror of Coari. Click. Click. Click. I filled the walls with them. Over and over and over again. Lizard watched me without emotion.

Only one screen remained blank. I put the last set of images on the empty screen behind me.

Japura. The corral. The little brown girl in the pink dress. Live.

I left the pictures flashing on the walls larger than life, then I went to the table and sat down across from her.

She studied my face. She looked at the pictures behind me, the horrors of Coari. She turned slowly and looked again at the pictures at the front of the room.

She put down the report in-her hands and cleared her throat. "All right," she said. "You've made your case."

"Thank you," I said.

"You didn't have to do this, you know. The pictures, I mean."

"Yes, I did. I didn't want you to have any doubts."

She lowered her eyes. Then raised them again. "I don't have any doubts," she said. "Not where you're concerned."

"I'm not going," I said conversationally. "Siegel says he doesn't need me."

She accepted the information without comment, only a nod. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

She shook her head. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it, rethought her words, and tried again. "Yes, I have the authority to stop you from going down into the nest. No, I wouldn't use it. Because if I did, I'd lose you anyway. I'd lose your trust and your respect. I'd lose everything about you that I cherish and need the most. Your independence."

I realized abruptly that she was using her professional voice on me. And I didn't know if she was lying or not. It didn't matter. I wanted to believe her. That was enough.

"Thank you," I said. "Thank you for your honesty." I couldn't think of anything else to say. I pushed my chair back and rose to my feet. "I, uh-"

"Yes?"

Oh hell. The words poured out of me. "I was wrong to think about going. I was thinking selfish. You need me. The baby needs me. Siegel is right."

"Yes," she said. "Lieutenant Siegel is a lot smarter than you give him credit for."

"When this is over," I said. "If you still want to go to Luna… I'll go with you."

She smiled quietly. Sadly. "We'll see what happens when this over."

I nodded and headed for the door.

"Jim?"

"Yes?"

"Would you please turn off these pictures before you go."