Sparco said he'd be willing to use a geologist who could also give a quick judgment on my discovery, I was delighted. It seemed useful, and Lewis here said he needed a job. But perhaps he concluded he could earn more another way."
"Meaning what?" Lewis asked.
"That you're the thief." Moss looked at him squarely, waiting for denial, and then waiting for any kind of response at all. Lewis refused to give it to him.
"I'm sorry, young man, this may be completely unfair," the astrophysicist finally went on with less certainty, "but I prefer not to be oblique. You have the knowledge to market such a rock, the skill to assess its true value, and possibly the need and bitterness as a fired petroleum engineer to hock it. When the rock disappeared I was forced to think about it from your point of view. To come down to study weather is a detour from your primary career. To come down for a meteorite from Mars or the moon, discovered at the South Pole- that's very good pay for enduring a single winter."
Norse was looking at Moss with amused interest.
"Stealing something when you can't get away makes no sense at all," Lewis said slowly. "And I wasn't fired, I quit."
"That's what you say. My point is, we don't really know what your story is, and its disappearance is coincidental with your arrival."
"The common knowledge that there is a meteorite apparently came with my arrival, but not from anything I said. People were speculating about what you found for months. Inviting down a geologist simply confirmed it."
"And how do you know that?" Moss demanded.
"Because his emissary"-Lewis pointed to Norse- "told me so. Abby Dixon."
"Who?"
"The computer technician," Cameron explained.
Moss thought. "Oh yes. The cute one." He squinted at Lewis. "You're saying she's the thief?"
"No, I'm saying anyone might have known enough to lift it from your file cabinet."
"Aha! But it wasn't in my file cabinet! I'd hidden it!"
Lewis threw up his arms in exasperation. "Then how could I or anyone else have taken it?"
Moss opened his mouth and then closed it, looking troubled. "I thought you'd seen me. And guessed."
"Seen what?"
"That he drove out to the solar observatory on the plateau at midnight when it was closed down for the season and there was no scientific reason to go there," Norse said quietly. "It appears Doctor Moss, in trying to hide his find, betrayed it."
Lewis was surprised. So it had been Moss he'd seen.
Moss turned to Norse. "You saw?"
"I heard about it at breakfast," the psychologist said dryly. "I don't know how many people saw you, but your snowmobile trip so soon after Jed arrived set tongues wagging. You might as well have buried it with ceremony at the Pole stake."
"I thought people were supposed to sleep," Moss groused. "I informed my colleagues I had to double-check the winterization."
"Well, the general consensus is that your excuse was bullshit."
The astrophysicist looked embarrassed for only a moment. "So you told Abby Dixon about its value," Moss suddenly accused Lewis.
"You're not getting the point. It was more like she told me."
"Mickey, did you e-mail colleagues in the States about your find?" Cameron asked.
"Just Sparco."
"Who could have e-mailed who knows who, with word bouncing back down here?"
"I don't think so."
"But it's possible."
Moss frowned. "Yes." He didn't like the suggestion he was somehow at fault. "And irrelevant. Word leaked. The issue now is the theft."
"So what do you want?" Cameron asked slowly.
The astrophysicist took a deep breath. "We know Lewis here didn't hide it in his room, and I'm not surprised. But a thief had to hide it somewhere. I want to search the station. Every bed, every handbag. Anyone who is innocent shouldn't object. If the culprit wishes to confess and give it back, I'm prepared to end the matter for the winter: We all have to live with each other. If not- then I want it found." He waited.
"He doesn't have probable cause to search anybody," Lewis objected.
"Yes,
"Meaning what?" Lewis asked.
"That you're the thief." Moss looked at him squarely, waiting for denial, and then waiting for any kind of response at all. Lewis refused to give it to him.
"I'm sorry, young man, this may be completely unfair," the astrophysicist finally went on with less certainty, "but I prefer not to be oblique. You have the knowledge to market such a rock, the skill to assess its true value, and possibly the need and bitterness as a fired petroleum engineer to hock it. When the rock disappeared I was forced to think about it from your point of view. To come down to study weather is a detour from your primary career. To come down for a meteorite from Mars or the moon, discovered at the South Pole- that's very good pay for enduring a single winter."
Norse was looking at Moss with amused interest.
"Stealing something when you can't get away makes no sense at all," Lewis said slowly. "And I wasn't fired, I quit."
"That's what you say. My point is, we don't really know what your story is, and its disappearance is coincidental with your arrival."
"The common knowledge that there is a meteorite apparently came with my arrival, but not from anything I said. People were speculating about what you found for months. Inviting down a geologist simply confirmed it."
"And how do you know that?" Moss demanded.
"Because his emissary"-Lewis pointed to Norse- "told me so. Abby Dixon."
"Who?"
"The computer technician," Cameron explained.
Moss thought. "Oh yes. The cute one." He squinted at Lewis. "You're saying she's the thief?"
"No, I'm saying anyone might have known enough to lift it from your file cabinet."
"Aha! But it wasn't in my file cabinet! I'd hidden it!"
Lewis threw up his arms in exasperation. "Then how could I or anyone else have taken it?"
Moss opened his mouth and then closed it, looking troubled. "I thought you'd seen me. And guessed."
"Seen what?"
"That he drove out to the solar observatory on the plateau at midnight when it was closed down for the season and there was no scientific reason to go there," Norse said quietly. "It appears Doctor Moss, in trying to hide his find, betrayed it."
Lewis was surprised. So it had been Moss he'd seen.
Moss turned to Norse. "You saw?"
"I heard about it at breakfast," the psychologist said dryly. "I don't know how many people saw you, but your snowmobile trip so soon after Jed arrived set tongues wagging. You might as well have buried it with ceremony at the Pole stake."
"I thought people were supposed to sleep," Moss groused. "I informed my colleagues I had to double-check the winterization."
"Well, the general consensus is that your excuse was bullshit."
The astrophysicist looked embarrassed for only a moment. "So you told Abby Dixon about its value," Moss suddenly accused Lewis.
"You're not getting the point. It was more like she told me."
"Mickey, did you e-mail colleagues in the States about your find?" Cameron asked.
"Just Sparco."
"Who could have e-mailed who knows who, with word bouncing back down here?"
"I don't think so."
"But it's possible."
Moss frowned. "Yes." He didn't like the suggestion he was somehow at fault. "And irrelevant. Word leaked. The issue now is the theft."
"So what do you want?" Cameron asked slowly.
The astrophysicist took a deep breath. "We know Lewis here didn't hide it in his room, and I'm not surprised. But a thief had to hide it somewhere. I want to search the station. Every bed, every handbag. Anyone who is innocent shouldn't object. If the culprit wishes to confess and give it back, I'm prepared to end the matter for the winter: We all have to live with each other. If not- then I want it found." He waited.
"He doesn't have probable cause to search anybody," Lewis objected.
"Yes,
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