Page 36 of Vicious
“A copy,” I said, nodding. “It looked and acted almost exactly like Ellison. The copy barged in here saying something about how we all knew too much and therefore had todie.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Too much about the Saelis or the RingGuild?”
“Both?” I said. “I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure this thing can appear asanyone.”
Captain Glenn looked at me sharply. “Not just those on this ship, youmean.”
“You saw someone?” But as soon as I asked, I knew the answer from the pinched lines in his face. His wife and daughter. Had he thought they were dead and haunting the ship like I had thought Popwas?
Poh lifted a finger, dropped it, and heaved a breath. “It also took my gun, so…there’sthat.”
“This just keeps getting better.” Captain Glenn’s fists tightened at hissides.
“But when did it get on the ship?” Ellison asked. “How long has it beenhere?”
“I don’t know.” I smoothed my hand down her messy braid and snagged my fingers into the band at the end to release it. “But I don’t think it wanted me to see what was in the cargo room, and we only just got that onOrin.”
“Nothing’s been in the cargo room since the teralinguas,” Captain Glennsaid.
“Well, now we have boxes and boxes of consumectalons, the Ringers’ parasites,” I said. “Captain, I saw you on Orin talking to someone near truckloads of that stuff. You locked the door after you to the cargo room, which…I’m about 99 percent sure wasn’t reallyyou.”
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered. “No, it wasn’t me. I was hiring clones for you, Ellison, and Mase while…it was cloning me. JesusChrist.”
“That doesn’t make sense, though.” Ellison sipped at her water. “Why bring consumectalons aboard the ship if it didn’t want anyone to see them? What was thepoint?”
A knock came from the room next door. “Someone!” Randolph called. “I’m locked inhere!”
“Why is he locked in there?” Captain Glenn shook his head as he left the dining room. A moment later, the door to Randolph’s quarters clickedopen.
“You didn’t need to let him out,” Poh muttered from the corner of the diningroom.
Randolph stood frozen in the doorway except for the trembling flask in his hand. “We just…we just weren’t meant to have atable.”
I sawed my teeth against my lower lip as he blinked around the room. “Tell the captain why you were stuck in your quarters, Randolph. It wasn’t you, and everything that has just happened provesit.”
“What…?” Randolph gaped at me, but then squared his shoulders and nodded at the brokentable.
Captain Glenn appeared behind him in the doorway. “What wasn’tyou?”
Randolph turned to face him. “Captain, I didn’t poison thefood.”
“That might be the best news I’ve heard all day,” Captain Glenn said, crossing his arms, and frowning atRandolph.
“But someone did,” I said. “I thought I saw Randolph walk away from a pot that had crushed up pills in it, but it wasn’t ourRandolph.”
He shot me a gratefulsmile.
Poh narrowed her eyes. “You think it was that thing wearing Tits’sbody.”
“Randolph’s body,” I corrected. “Andyes.”
“Pills. What kind of pills?” Ellisonasked.
“Oxy-something?” I said. “Almost a wholebottle.”
Ellison paled. “Definitely enough to killus.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner, Absidy?” Captain Glenn asked, skirting around Randolph so he stood in front ofme.
