Night Lamp by Jack Vance Read Free Book Online Page A

the next few days he took the trouble to make discreet inquiries, then went triumphantly to Althea with his findings. “It’s about as I thought,” said Hilyer. “Our friend is using a false name. He is actually someone named ‘Gaing Neitzbeck,’ who for reasons of his own is using the name ‘Tawn Maihac’ ”
    “This is incredible!” declared Althea. “How do you know?”
    “Just a bit of detective work, and an iota of inductive reasoning,” said Hilyer. “I glanced over his application for admission at the Institute. I took note of his stated date of arrival at Thanet spaceport, along with the ship on which he arrived, which was the Alice Wray of the Elder Line. When I looked over the list of arrivals aboard the Alice Wray upon the cited date, there was no ‘Tawn Maihac,’ but only a ‘Gaing Neitzbeck,’ who gave his occupation as ‘spaceman.’ I searched the list of arrivals for the entire year and I found no ‘Tawn Maihac’ The conclusion is inescapable.”
    Althea stammered, “But why should he do such a thing?”
    “I could form a dozen hypotheses,” said Hilyer. “He might be trying to dodge creditors or avoid an importunate wife, or wives. One thing is clear, however: when folk use false names, they are concealing themselves from someone.” Hilyer quoted one of Baron Bodissey’s choicest maxims: “ ‘Honest folk do not wear masks when they enter a bank.’ ”
    “I suppose not,” said Althea doubtfully. “What a shame! I did so like Tawn Maihac, or whatever his name.”
    On the evening of the next day, Hilyer noticed an air of suppressed excitement, or mirth, or some such emotion in Althea. He ignored the signals, aware that she could not hold her news to herself for very long. He was right. As she served their usual goblet of Taladerra Fino, she burst out: “You’ll never guess!”
    “Guess what?”
    “I’ve solved the mystery!”
    “I wasn’t aware of any mystery,” said Hilyer stiffly.
    “Of course you are!” said Althea teasingly. “You’re aware of a hundred mysteries! This one concerns Tawn Maihac.”
    “I suppose you are referring to Gaing Neitzbeck, and, truly, Althea, I’m not interested in the man’s peccadillos, or whatever has caused him to deceive us.”
    “Very well! I promise: no peccadillos! What happened was this: I went to the telephone and put in a call for Gaing Neitzbeck. I reached him at his place of work, the machine shop at the space terminal. His face appeared on the screen; it was definitely not Tawn Maihac. I told him that I was calling from the Institute in regard to Tawn Maihac’s application, in which he stated that he had arrived at Thanet aboard the Alice Wray .”
    “Well what of it?” said Neitzbeck.
    “He arrived on the same day as you did?”
    “Certainly.”
    “Then why does not his name appear on the terminal records?”
    Gaing Neitzbeck laughed. “Maihac was at one time an IPCC officer. He is now inactive, but that means nothing. When he arrives at a spaceport, he merely shows his card and walks through the gate. I could do the same, but I forgot to carry my card.”
    Althea leaned back in her chair and drank from her goblet of wine.
    Hilyer put on a rather sour expression. “It was of no great moment. No need for stirring up a tempest in a teapot. The fellow is as he is; that’s enough for me.”
    “Then you’ll be nice to him? He’s always quite well-behaved.”
    Hilyer agreed somewhat glumly that Maihac’s conduct could not be faulted. Maihac was quiet and correct; his clothes were more conservative than Hilyer’s own. He spoke little of his past, except to remark that he had taken up residence at Thanet in order to top off his previously deferred education. Althea had met him at the Institute, where Maihac was a student in one of her advanced graduate courses. He and the Faths had discovered a mutual fascination with peculiar musical instruments. Maihac during his wanderings had acquired a number of these