Planetfurry BBS

[Pimlico]

Last sample chapter, enjoy.

Chapter 10
“Inquest”

“This is an ugly, ugly business,” says Nomin Bird angrily. Slither bows his head ashamedly, but Slick refuses to bend. The snakes are having a meeting with their government liaison at the lodge’s round table.
“We can’t be held responsible for this,” insists Slick. “Not only was the victim a complete stranger to anyone involved in the management of the commune, and not only was the manner of his death completely unrelated to any denizen, the death itself occurred outside the commune’s jurisdiction.”
“I remind you the body was found in the hydroelectric chamber—”
“No, it was found in one of the posterior tunnels, which plainly indicates the ape had been traveling from deeper within the cave, in an attempt to find the exit leading off from the antechamber.”
Nomin fumes at Slick for a moment, then continues. “That determination will be more difficult now, won’t it, considering that the body was moved from its original location.”
Slither says, “Dovan didn’t mean to hinder your investigation. The ape was his friend. His best friend, he says.”
“Regardless, my job is lot more difficult now.
“Right,” continues Nomin. “I’m going to place a call in to the homicide department, as this was beyond question a suspicious death. We’ll have a forensics team sweep the area. As you say, the original crime scene appears to be deeper within the caves. I’ll make a call to the geologic department as well. Maybe they will have the equipment we’ll need to effectively extend the search into the underground. I intend the investigation to encompass every inch of these caves. All of you will also fall within the spectrum of the investigation.”
Slick sputters, but Nomin continues. “Yes. Yes, indeed. No one is above suspicion. I intend to learn everything I can about these apes and the purpose of their visit.”
“You’ll do nothing of the sort.” The animals turn toward the doorway.
The speaker is an ape of commanding aspect and voice. The hard edge of Nomin’s manner is immediately blunted by the sight of the ape. “Who-who are you?” stammers the bird.
“Robespire Baboon. Starting now, all aspects of this matter will fall completely under my purview.”
“What? What? That’s outrageous! On whose authority?”
“By the authority of the Loragin government as requested and obtained by the primate embassy.”
“The embassy? Who contacted you? How did you hear of this so quickly?” Nomin glares suspiciously at the snakes.
Robespire says, “You’re out of the loop and behind the times, bird. Your presence here is no longer required. Return to your office and file your report.”
Nomin flushes angrily and is about to give a rejoinder when he decides against it, instead holding his head up high and stalking from the building. Slither rises, turns toward the baboon, and says, “Let me say how sorry I am that—”
But the baboon cuts him off impatiently. “Just take me to the body.”
“I accept any—”
“Take me to the body!” The snakes exit the building, the ape close behind.
Robespire threads his way through the crowd of animals outside the infirmary, and they all make way for his authoritative presence. At his side, Slither apologizes profusely, with Slick almost daring the ape to find fault with any of them.
Robespire enters the infirmary, where Hillany and Arlafette are crouching near Dovan, who sits beside the cloth-covered body on the examination table. The girls are murmuring soothingly to him, but it appears to have little effect, as Dovan just sits there, a numb expression on his tear-streaked face.
Dovan looks up and sees Robespire. “Robbie,” he whispers hoarsely. The girls stand up and leave the room with the others. “He’s dead,” the dog says. “Katu’s dead,” and the ape lowers his head sadly.

---

Outside the science building housing both the infirmary and the lab, Fespin is scampering about. He is trying but failing to interest the animals milling about in playing ball. His good cheer is unaffected by everyone’s sombre mood. Seeing him, Hillany grabs him by the hand and leads him to a private area around the corner of the building.
She grips his hand tightly to get his full attention. “I’m worried about you. You spend a lot of time down below, but I never thought you were in any danger. But, now... Fespin, one of the apes who came to visit Dovan is... He’s dead, Fespin. They found him in one of the tunnels.”
Fespin just looks at her blankly, and her fear and agitation rise. “Fespin, please,” she begs. “If the tunnels are so dangerous, I don’t want you going down there anymore, all right? I don’t want you to get hurt!”
Fespin searches her eyes, as if struggling to understand her fear. Finally something dawns on him, as understanding lights his eyes. “You mean one of the apes died?” he asks, and Hillany stares at him incredulously, her despair increasing.

---

Robespire looks at the body, then recovers it with the cloth. “What happened?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” says Dovan. “They came for a visit. I was so glad to see them. They had lunch, then they were coming over to my house. Then... This can be a strange place, Robbie. I think they heard about the underground caves. They had been asking questions about it. They must have got curious. And decided to... to... But we’re not supposed to go in them. I don’t know if they knew that or not.”
“Any such prohibition likely made little difference to them. You know them, Dovan, they’re a couple of hotheads. Tell me what happened when you went to look for them.”
“There’s nothing to tell, Robbie. I just went into the antechamber, it’s the big room right off the entrance. There’s an underground river at the back, and we have a generator hooked up to it. Off to the sides, there are these tunnels that lead deeper underground. There’s where I found him. Lying in the mouth of one of these tunnels. His... He was already dead. I carried him here, but Tust and Kelly couldn’t do anything for him. Tust says it seems like some sort of shock that killed him.”
“I’ll speak with him myself. What about Grimbold?”
“I have no idea. I didn’t see any signs of him. We went right back to check the mouths of the other tunnels, but there was no sign of him. I wanted to go down them to try to find him, but the others wouldn’t let me. They were afraid for my safety, I guess.”
“They did the right thing. Grimbold is a gorilla, Dovan. I doubt there’s an animal anywhere in Lower Tunketh that would prove a match for him. In all likelihood, he’s down there somewhere ripping the head off whatever did this to Katu.”
“What are we going to do with him?” Dovan asks of the body.
“I’ll contact the embassy and have them send an ambulance, or a hearse, whatever they have on hand that would be appropriate. Then we’ll make arrangements to have it shipped home to Argo. Is there a phone here?”
“Not here,” says Dovan. “There’s one in the lodge. I’ll show you.” They step out of the infirmary into the anteroom, which is empty save for Tust, who immediately stands up and walks over to them.
“I wanted to let you know how sorry I feel,” he says to both of them.
“This is Tust,” says Dovan.
“You’re the doctor?” asks Robespire.
“No, I’m not a doctor. I took several courses in introductory medicine while the commune was being built, and I serve as the medic, but I hold no degree and have no real expertise.”
“I see,” says the baboon. “Well, in this case, that seems to be of no difference since Katu was beyond anyone’s abilities. But, thank you. I appreciate your help and concern. Now, if you’ll excuse me I—”
He steps around the turtle, who blurts out, “It was my fault.”
Robespire spins around and says, “What did you say?”
“I-I... I was the one who told them about the caves. I may not have stressed enough the injunction against exploring its depths. I feel responsible. I should have been more circumspect with what I said. They were just visitors and wouldn’t have understood the nuances of what I—”
Robespire waves an impatient hand. “I’m told they had questioned someone about the caves. That was you?”
“Yes. It was Fespin they were interested in.”
“Fespin?”
“The woodward. And that led naturally to the caves. Something that happened at lunch may have piqued their curiosity. Grimbold came later to ask me about him, and I may have laid it on a little thick. Fespin’s like our local attraction, and so we... Sometimes it’s fun to show him off to visitors. They may have gotten it into their minds to do a little harmless exploring. I did mention that the caves were banned, but I may not have impressed enough—”
“Sounds like Grimbold pumped you for information,” says Robespire.
“Wh-what?”
“Look... Tust... Neither of these men are, were, babes in the wood. Both are highly trained and capable of looking after themselves. I don’t hold you responsible. All right? Now, I have important matters to take care of. Not the least of which is taking a look myself at these caves.”
Both Tust and Dovan flutter worriedly. “Robbie, you can’t,” insists Dovan.
“It’s not safe, obviously—,” says Tust.
Robespire cuts them off angrily. “This is not open to discussion! I don’t intend to go gallivanting all over the place. I just want to see the spot where he was found.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” asks Dovan.
“No. I’ll go alone. Stay here with Katu, Dovan.” Dovan looks sadly back at the infirmary, and Robespire exits the building.
Dovan reenters the infirmary and Tust follows him in. The dog sags into a chair and puts his head in his hands, sighing sadly. “Dovan, I’m so sorry,” says Tust. “If only I hadn’t—”
Dovan lifts his head and says, “It’s not your fault, Tust. Don’t blame yourself. If anything... They were my guests, my responsibility. I should never have left them on their own.”
Tust sits himself down and says, “I don’t think any of us fully realized the dangers involved. We agreed to stay out of the caves, but... Most of us were just humouring Fespin. Myself, I didn’t think it was a good idea to go wandering around so far underground, injunction or not. It’s unsafe, strictly from a speleological perspective. I never imagined...” He trails off, waving vaguely at the body nearby. “I still don’t understand what... how...”
There is a silence, then Tust says, “Slick and I have discussed this, Dovan. Since this did occur outside of the commune, and now with the embassy informed, we’ve decided not to investigate the matter for ourselves.”
“I understand. That’s probably best. Some people are going to come, anyway, apes, to take Katu away.”
“Do you think the apes will launch an investigation of their own?”
“I imagine so. Nothing much gets in Robespire’s way when he’s after something. He won’t rest until he finds answers.”

---

Robespire navigates the cliff trail, then makes his way inside the caves. He comes to the underground river and its generator, but doesn’t afford them much more than a glance. He looks down the various passages offered, chooses one, and enters it. Fespin steps out into his path before he has ventured very far. The ape looks at him intensely before speaking.
“I’ve spoken to Pimlico,” says Robespire, and Fespin’s eyes light up at the name. “He says to trust you implicitly.”
Fespin, smiling happily, responds, “Pimlico is my very best friend.”
Robespire, his hands clenching and unclenching, says darkly, “The only problem is, one of my people is dead.” Fespin only smiles back, which fuels the ape’s anger. “Did you hear what I said, squirrel?! One of my people is lying in some half-assed infirmary... dead... from what your turtle thinks is cataleptic cerebral shock, from something he experienced in these caverns. I want to know exactly what happened, every detail, and most of all I want to know how something like this is capable of happening at all if, as Pimlico says, you’re here to make sure that things like this don’t happen.”
Fespin only shrugs. “They shouldn’t have gone below,” he says sadly. Robespire, a pillar of war, glares down at him furiously, barely able to keep his temper in check. Fespin, a bastion of darkness, though his face barely rises above the level of the titan’s knees, returns the look with softly lit, yet empty eyes.

---

An hour later, Dovan and Mander are standing outside the infirmary. “Thank you for performing the death blessing,” says Dovan.
“Oh, it was the least I could do. I hope I didn’t... I mean, I don’t believe apes share our religious convictions. I hope it was all right that I performed such a ceremony for one.”
“It’s all right. He wouldn’t have minded.”
“Are you going to accompany the body?” asks Mander.
“No. He’ll be sent back to Argo, and I still have business on the continent.” The infirmary door opens and two apes emerge on either end of a gurney which holds Katu’s body.
Dovan follows them as they guide it out of the building to an ambulance pulled up alongside the barn. As he watches them load the body into the back, Slither comes up to him. They stand there silently, watching as the driver starts the engine and the ambulance starts to pull away.
“A year ago...,” says Slither without turning to look at Dovan, then he clears his throat. “A year ago I was standing like you are now, watching an ambulance drive away, carrying the bodies of people I loved.” He turns now to Dovan and says, “So I know what you’re feeling. I know your pain. That’s why I built this place. To... To hide. I admit it. I’m here hiding out from all the terrible things that happen, that people do to each other. I wanted to build a place that was safe. That people could come to and say, ‘Here. Here, I will be safe.’ That was the promise I made to everyone who came here.”
Slither’s face takes on an ashen pallor. “But now... This... I didn’t keep my promise. I tried. I thought this might... It seemed... No. I didn’t keep my promise. And for that, Dovan, I am sorry.” Slither wheels around and slinks off gloomily, Dovan watching him sadly.

---

Robespire’s eyes search the area behind Fespin, straining to make out the depths of the tunnel. Fespin stands planted in the middle of the tunnel, seemingly blocking the ape’s passage, though it isn’t clear what he could do should the ape decide to barrel his way past.
Finally Robespire’s eyes dart back down to the squirrel and he asks, “And the gorilla? Grimbold Gorilla. He’s still here, isn’t he?”
“He’s here,” volunteers the squirrel.
“Then I suggest you go fetch him. Now. Find him and bring him to me. NOW!” Robespire emphasizes his directive by thrusting a finger over Fespin’s head, pointing down the tunnel.
Fespin glances back over his shoulder for several moments, as if considering it, but turns back and says, “I can’t do that.”
With feigned politeness, Robespire asks, “Oh? Really. And why ever not?”
Fespin’s answer: “He’s among shadows now.”
Robespire’s nostrils flare and his upper lip curls in a sneer as he says sarcastically, “Oh, he’s a shadow now, is he? Well, then the solution is obvious, isn’t it, squirrel? I’ll take a big strong flashlight with me, go below, and shine a bright light all round. Hey? A big, bright flashlight... I’ll use it to cut a swath through the swarthy depths. A very wide swath. Or is that expression beyond you? I’m sorry. Here, I’ll make it simple.” Here he takes a determined step, placing him toe-to-toe with Fespin, who cranes his neck back to look up at him. “I’ll be taking a stroll through your caverns. I’ll be poking my rather large nose into every nook and ferreting out your shadows. Then I’m going to find my man, slap him across the back of his head, and take him home. Understand?”
The corner of Fespin’s eye twitches, and with the carefree tone gone from his voice now that the baboon has threatened to advance down the tunnel, says, “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you.”
“Yes, so you’ve said,” says Robespire coldly. “But I still don’t see why I should pay attention to any damn thing you have to say.”
When Fespin answers, “Because Pimlico told you to,” the confidence fades from the ape’s face. He takes a step back, rips his eyes from Fespin’s to stare down the tunnel behind him. He paces within the small confines of the tunnel opening, fuming and cursing.
“This is unacceptable! This is UNACCEPTABLE!” He takes an angry swipe at the wall, and Fespin, now that Robespire has retreated, regards him playfully.
Robespire, furious, shouts, “I will not be mocked by the likes of you! I am one of the Master’s closest lieutenants! In the war, I was in command of the most sensitive operations. My authority is nigh absolute, damn it! I’ve fought the Bitch herself and lived to tell about it.”
“It’s not my war,” says Fespin sadly, but resolutely. “Not anymore.”
“The war is everywhere! You think you can hide from it in these tunnels? Then you’re a fool. This...,” he says, waving a hand vaguely, “this isn’t over. There will be a reckoning. I promise you. The Master will be made aware of this.”
Fespin’s nose wiggles. “Master?” he asks. He scrutinizes the ape, then his eyes light up, and he smiles. “Oh, him. I knew him. From before.”
“Before?” Robespire asks suspiciously. “Before what?”
Fespin looks off to the side and says softly, with a distracted air, “Before he learned the colour of his eyes.”
The ape gapes at the squirrel, chokes over his first attempt at a response, before finally managing to say, equally softly, “That’s not possible.” He shakes his head emphatically. “It’s not possible,” he says again, his voice growing louder. “There were no squirrels... There were no squirrels, and everyone else is dead, so why don’t you tell me who in hell you are and what you think you’re doing?!”
Fespin blinks his eyes, once, twice, as if dispelling Robespire’s outburst, then smiles pleasantly. “I’m Fespin.”
Robespire makes a dismissive gesture with his hands and says, half to himself, “This is a waste of time.” Then, glowering at the small figure of the squirrel before him, says, “The Master will be informed,” and turns on his heels and stalks away.
Behind him, Fespin calls out, “Tell him I said hello. Tell him...” Curious despite himself, Robespire turns back around and fixes the squirrel with a cold stare, as Fespin says, sadly, “... Tell him I remember.” The ape receives this impassively, then slowly turns around and walks away.