Page 63 of Skinwalker's Bane
The door to the room opened once more. Bernice Daly came in, followed by the much taller Magorian, who pointed her toward the chair in the middle, without saying anything. He didn’t smile, either. Instead, he came around the outer edge of the table and settled at his seat.
Adam studied Daly. She looked more than tired. She looked exhausted. Her skin was sallow and there were bruises under her eyes. She slouched in the chair, as if that was the best she could do.
Haydn put his hands on the desk. “You know why you’re here, Bernice?”
She nodded. Her throat worked.
“The investigation into the leak of information to the Cavers has been ongoing for several weeks now,” Magorian added. “It has cost the Bridge a great deal of time and money to conduct the investigation.” He sounded highly annoyed about it. Adam had heard him say the same thing in every single interview so far and knew he was setting up the mood for the interview.
“So far, we’ve found nothing suspicious about the conduct of any of your people,” Haydn told her. “Which is commendable and has been noted. However, you’re a different matter.”
She flinched and tucked her hands between her knees.
“You are one of only eight people who knew of the shard’s existence,” Magorian intoned. “Therefore,yourconduct has been examined more closely than anyone else’s. Certain irregularities were spotted.”
Bernice Daly drew in a ragged breath and covered her face with her hands. “I didn’t know it would get to the Cavers!” she cried.
Everyone grew still. Adam held his breath, watching her crumble. Her shoulders shook.
Haydn looked uncomfortable and Adam recalled that Bernice Daly had been involved with the skinwalkers since the beginning. In a way, Haydn was watching the collapse of a friend. Magorian would have known Daly even longer. He was licking his lips, his discomfort evident.
Adam cleared his throat. He didn’t know Daly nearly as well. “Who did you think you were giving the information to?”
Daly shook her head. “He’ll kill me!”
“He doesn’t have to find out it was you.”
She dropped her hands and looked at Adam with an expression that made her look wise, despite her tear-stained cheeks and red eyes. “Who else could it be? Even you thought it was me.”
“You’re in danger, Bernice?” Haydn asked, not unkindly.
She dropped her gaze to her knees. “I just…can’t lose him. If he finds out, I will. Oh, I know why he got close. I knew it all along. I just…couldn’t resist. It was so nice to be wanted, even if it was for some reason that really had nothing to do with me.” She rubbed the back of her hand over her face, mopping up her tears with her sleeve.
“I think you’d better give us a name,” Adam said, keeping his voice soft, although what he really wanted to do was slap the desk and yell at her for circling around the point the way she was.
Bernice bit her lip. “Manlio Sauber,” she whispered. More tears dripped.
Even Adam stared at her. He knew who Sauber was. He’d listened to Sauber outside the soiree the other night and found his rhetoric as entertaining as everyone else had.
“Sauber?” Magorian breathed.
Haydn put his hand on the desk in front of Magorian, in a silent request that he shut up.
Magorian shook his head and swiveled his chair so his back was to Daly. She understood he was dismissing her from his attention and her chin quivered.
Haydn pulled up a screen and began swiping through it quickly. “Please go to the guard room, Bernice and stay there until we come and find you, in a few minutes. Don’t speak to anyone about what you’ve told us. I’ve just revoked your security credentials so you won’t be able to access any terminals on the Bridge. You can tell any story you want to explain that if anyone asks and we’ll back it up, as long as you do exactly what I say. Do you understand?”
She got to her feet. “I understand,” she said woodenly and left.
Adam sat back, as Magorian turned his chair around once more. “Close the door,” Magorian said softly.
Haydn prodded at the screen and the door swung shut and clicked closed.
Magorian leaned on the desk with his forearms, his hands clenching together. “Sauber,” he said flatly. “People are starting to talk about him as Zsoka’s competition, the one most likely to take the chair from her. He’s been seen in the company of some interesting people, many of them with deep pockets, including two Aventine teams.” He sighed.
“The line is almost direct,” Haydn added. “He seduces Bernice, gets the dirt and passes it to the Cavers, because he needs to have his hands clean so he can shout about the leak at the top of his voice once it comes out.”
“He’s trying to torpedo the Captain,” Magorian added. “It’s working, too,” he said bitterly.
