CHAPTER 22
“It’s funny,” remarked Mattoso, in the passageway outside the Solacer’s office. “Hundreds of years ago, Solace was considered dishonorable, even unclean.”
Konami nodded. “And it wasn’t called Solace. At least the intimacy parts.”
Mattoso shuddered, recalling her schooling on Earth’s past barbarity. Just imagining being part of a society that constantly used guilt and fear, even of bodily harm, as a way to control people, gave her a twinge in her stomach.
“It almost made sense, I suppose,” continued Konami. “Back then, you could end up sick, or pregnant, or worse.”
Mattoso snorted, saying that it wasn’t about disease or children, but controlling people.
He chuckled. “We’re not exactly finished with taboos on Aotea, you know.”
She asked for an example.
“Like no romance within a department. Two years ago a couple of my constables were ‘solacing’ each other in the holding cells. Good kids, but I had to split them up, at least at work. I hear they’re still a couple.”
She asked how he picked which one to leave the Constabulary.
“I didn’t. They picked themselves. One of them loved the job and one didn’t. The one that didn’t is now a Dental tech, if I recall correctly.”
They walked in silence for a while — a silence that Mattoso found vexing, so she asked for his thoughts on Solacer Patil.
Konami scratched his chin. “Nothing groundbreaking. Nicolescu was troubled by something, and he was unsure about the right thing to do. That can probably describe most of us at some point.”
“But what about the guilt? Patil said it was overwhelming. That seems like a bit more than the usual troubles.”
“Yes, but that was just supposition.”
“An educated supposition,” answered Mattoso. “From someone in a position to know — as far as we know, the person closest to the deceased onboard.”
“Okay,” conceded Konami. “Let’s assume she’s right. What could he have felt guilty about? What could he have done onboard that was so bad?”
She just looked at him.
“Oh shit, of course! Well, she said that ‘the Weight’ had been around for as long as she’d seen him, and Muahe was only killed a few weeks ago, but obviously it could be related. So we see if there’s a connection between Nicolescu and Muahe. Anything. That ‘s standard procedure anyway, but we’ll kick it up to the top of the queue. We’ll pore through their bios, their histories before joining the crew, anything. Tell Wren. We’ll need his help.”
She nodded agreement, and then changed the subject and asked if he’d heard about the supposedly alien communications signals. Konami said that the Communications department head brought it up in every meeting.
“Is it just coincidence, do you think?”
The chief inspector blinked. “You mean could they be right, that aliens are trying to turn us around?”
She chuckled. “No, I mean is it really coincidence that we see these posts at the same time as the murders? Could they be connected, in a totally non-alien way?”
His eyes went wide. “I don’t know, but that’s a good point. Put Wren on it.”
“Wren?”
“Yeah. Maybe he can dig up the source of the anonymous posts.”