Deception Point Page 85

Rachels clay went rigid. She indigenceed to step back from the railing, but she could not move. She was transfixed by the petrifying vista.Incredible, arent they? Tolland said. His hand was on her shoulder again, comforting. Theyll tread water in the warm spots for weeks. These guys have the best noses in the sea-enhanced telencephalon olfactory lobes. They croupe smell blood up to a mile away. corky looked skeptical. compound telencephalon olfactory lobes?Dont believe me? Tolland began rooting around in an aluminum storage locker adjacent to w here(predicate) they were standing. After a moment, he pulled issue a small, stagnant slant. Perfect. He took a knife from the cooler and cut the limp fish in several places. It started to drip blood.Mike, for Gods sake, Corky said. Thats disgusting.Tolland tossed the bloody fish overboard and it fell thirty feet. The instant it hit the water, six or 7 sharks darted in a tumbling ferocious brawl, their rows of silin truth teeth gnashin g wildly at the bloody fish. In an instant, the fish was gone.Aghast, Rachel turned and stared at Tolland, who was already holding another fish. Same variety show. Same size.This time, no blood, Tolland said. Without cutting the fish, he threw it in the water. The fish splashed guttle, but nothing happened. The hammerheads seemed not to notice. The bait carried away on the current, having drawn no interest whatsoever.They attack alone on sense of smell, Tolland said, leading them away from the railing. In fact, you could swim out here in total safety-provided you didnt have any open wounds.Corky pointed to the stitches on his cheek.Tolland frowned. Right. No swimming for you.102Gabrielle Ashes taxi was not moving.Sitting at a roadblock near the FDR Memorial, Gabrielle looked out at the emergency vehicles in the distance and matt-up as if a surrealistic fog argot had settled over the city. Radio reports were coming in presently that the detonate car might have contained a high -level government official. puff out her cellphone, she dialed the senator. He was no doubt starting to wonder what was victorious Gabrielle so long.The line was busy.Gabrielle looked at the taxis clicking touchstone and frowned. Some of the other cars stuck here were pulling up onto the curbs and turning around to find alternative routes.The device driver looked over his shoulder. You wanna wait? Your dime.Gabrielle saw more official vehicles arriving now. No. Lets go around.The driver grunted in the affirmative and began maneuvering the awkward multipoint turn. As they bounced over the curbs, Gabrielle act sexton again.Still busy.Several minutes later, having made a wide of the mark loop, the taxi was traveling up C Street. Gabrielle saw the Philip A. Hart fleck Building looming. She had intended to go straight to the senators apartment, but with her office this culturePull over, she blurted to the driver. Right there. Thanks. She pointed.The cab stopped.Gabrielle paid the amount on the meter and added ten dollars. Can you wait ten minutes?The cabbie looked at the silver and then at his watch. Not a minute longer.Gabrielle hurried off. Ill be out in five.The deserted marble corridors of the Senate office building felt almost sepulchral at this hour. Gabrielles muscles were tense as she hurried through and through the gauntlet of austere statues lining the third-floor entryway. Their stony eyes seemed to follow her same(p) silent sentinels.Arriving at the main door of Senator sacristans five-room office suite, Gabrielle used her fall upon card to enter. The secretarial lobby was dimly lit. Crossing through the foyer, she went down a hallway to her office. She entered, flicked on the fluorescent lights, and strode directly to her file cabinets.She had an inviolate file on the budgeting of NASAs Earth Observing System, including plenty of information on PODS. Sexton would certainly want all the data he could perhaps get on PODS as soon as she told h im roughly Harper.NASA lie about PODS.As Gabrielle fingered her way through her files, her cellphone rang.Senator? she answered.No, Gabs. Its Yolanda. Her friends region had an unusual edge to it. You still at NASA?No. At the office. catch out anything at NASA?You have no idea. Gabrielle knew she couldnt tell Yolanda anything until shed talked to Sexton the senator would have very specific ideas about how best to handle the information. Ill tell you all about it after I talk to Sexton. Heading over to his place now.Yolanda paused. Gabs, you receive this thing you were saying about Sextons campaign finance and the SFF?I told you I was wrong and-I on the dot found out two of our reporters who move through the aerospace industry have been working on a similar story.Gabrielle was surprised. gist?I dont know. But these guys are good, and they seem pretty convinced that Sexton is victorious kickbacks from the Space Frontier Foundation. I just figured I should call you. I know I tol d you earlier that the idea was insane. Marjorie tench as a source seemed spotty, but these guys of ours I dont know, you might want to talk to them before you see the senator.If theyre so convinced, why havent they gone to take? Gabrielle legaled more defensive than she wanted to.They have no solid evidence. The senator simply is good at covering his tracks.Most politicians are. Theres nothing there, Yolanda. I told you the senator admitted taking SFF donations, but the gifts are all under the cap.I know thats what he told you, Gabs, and Im not claiming to know whats true or false here. I just felt obliged to call because I told you not to trust Marjorie Tench, and now I find out people other than Tench call in the senator may be on the dole. Thats all.Who were these reporters? Gabrielle felt an unexpected anger boil now.No names. I can set up a meeting. Theyre smart. They generalize campaign finance law Yolanda hesitated. You know, these guy actually believe Sexton is hurti ng for cash-bankrupt even.In the silence of her office, Gabrielle could hear Tenchs raspy accusations echoing. After Katherine died, the senator blow the vast majority of her legacy on bad investments, personal comforts, and buying himself what appears to be certain victory in the primaries. As of six months ago, your expectation was broke.Our men would love to talk to you, Yolanda said.I bet they would, Gabrielle thought. Ill call you back.You sound pissed.Never at you, Yolanda. Never at you. Thanks.Gabrielle hung up.Dozing on a hold in in the hallway outside Senator Sextons Westbrooke apartment, a security guard awoke with a start at the sound of his cellular phone. Bolting up in his chair, he rubbed his eyes and pulled his phone from his blazer pocket.Yeah?Owen, this is Gabrielle.Sextons guard recognized her voice. Oh, hi.I need to talk to the senator. Would you knock on his door for me? His line is busy.Its kind of late.Hes awake. Im sure of it. Gabrielle sounded anxious. Its an emergency.Another one?Same one. Just get him on the phone, Owen. Theres something I really need to ask him.The guard sighed, standing up. Okay, okay. Ill knock. He stretched and made his way toward Sextons door. But Im only doing it because he was glad I let you in earlier. Reluctantly, he raised his fist to knock.