rose up. âEven so, Sid,â he said, âif we donât find some trace of her within the next few hoursâwe have to bring them in.â
âAgreed. Besides, once her hubby finds out sheâs among the missing, heâll more than likely do that himself.â
âWhat about the Cosmos Agency?â
âI want to talk to our esteemed chief, Walt Bascom, about this whole business mañana ,â said Gomez. âIf one or more of the big Tek cartels are planning some new deviltryâthen our jefe ought to be able to sell that news to some of his many government agency contacts.â
âMy thought exactly,â said Jake.
The night fog hung heavy over the two-acre stretch of simulated beach. Most of the sand was real, but the clusters of large black rocks and the scatters of seaweed and driftwood were all holographic projections.
An actual seagull was dozing beside a twisted, seemingly sea-worn chunk of wood. He made an annoyed sound, unfurled and then refolded his wings, as Jake passed him on foot on his way to one of the entry kiosks to the underground Tube City.
Kiosk 7 was manned by a pair of gunmetal guardbots. âWelcome to Tube City, sir,â greeted the one with A25 stenciled in white across his wide chest. âYou are?â
âJake Cardigan,â he answered. âI have an appointment with Mervyn Illsworth, who lives down on Level 5.â
The second botâF14 was his nameâopened a panel in his metal chest. âWhile my colleague is taking you through the identification routine, sir,â he said, âlet me show you some of the popular Tube City souvenirs that are available at extremely reasonable prices.â
âActually, Iâm trying,â Jake informed him, âto free my life of any and all clutter.â
F14 had a fairly large shelved compartment built into his upper torso. âHere you see,â he announced, pointing into himself, âour very popular Tube City nearcaf mug, the equally popular Tube City cap, the Tube City plazshirt andââ
âIf youâll hand me your ID packet, sir,â requested A25.
Jake obliged.
âYouâll notice,â went on F14, âthat all our sought-after Tube City souvenirs have an appealing likeness of the famous Tube City mascot, Lowell the Mole, emblazoned on them.â
âCute little rascal,â remarked Jake as he took back his identification materials. âCan I descend now?â
Nodding, A25 gestured at the grey floor. âTake the ramp to Entry Tube 7, sir,â he instructed. âThen follow the litearrows down to Level 5. Youâll find Mr. Illsworth residing in Section 5-N.â
A portion of the floor came sliding open and Jake saw a brightly illuminated ramp slanting downward. âThanks.â
âWeâre having a two-for-one sale on the mugs,â called F14 as Jake started down.
Mervyn Illsworth was very fat. Seeing him magnified to twice his actual size up on the high, wide vidwall made his bulk all the more impressive. âI appreciate, truly, your going along with this little quirk of mine, Cardigan,â he was saying in his chirpy voice.
Jake was straddling a chair in the foyer of the researcherâs underground apartment, after having made his way down through a succession of snaking tubes and tunnels. âIâm more interested in getting information than in seeing you face-to-face,â he informed the fat manâs image.
âIâm not exactly, you must understand, really a complete and total recluse,â explained Illsworth. âYet, I readily admit, I feel much more at ease if I remain here, snug in my studio, and visitors stay out there and we communicate electronically.â The fat man was sprawled in a large, sturdy metal chair surrounded by keyboards and monitor screens.
âOkay, fine,â said Jake, impatient. âNow what about Jill Bernardino?â
âI was, really,
Anne Machung Arlie Hochschild