The Domino Pattern by Timothy Zahn Read Free Book Online

assure you.”
    “Then it has to be something they ate,” Kennrick concluded. “If it’s not airborne, that’s all that’s left.”
    I looked at Tririn. who was standing against the wall beside the Filly doctor. His skin wasn’t mottled like the late Master Bofiv’s, but it definitely looked paler than it had earlier.
    Small wonder. Two of his companions had now bitten the dust, companions who had probably been eating the same food and had definitely been breathing the same air he had over the past two weeks. In his place, I’d have been pretty nervous, too.
    “There was nothing dangerous in the food,” the server said in his flat Spider voice.
    Every head in the room turned at that one. Servers were usually quiet, unassuming little Spiders, with a normal conversational range that was limited to asking a dining car patron what he wanted for lunch or telling a barfly that, sadly, the train was completely out of Jack Daniel’s. To have one of them volunteer information, especially information like this, was unheard of.
    Kennrick recovered his voice first. “So you say,” he countered. “I’d want some actual proof of that.”
    “What about something one of the group brought aboard?” I asked. “Some foodstuff that maybe wasn’t packaged properly and went bad?”
    “I suppose that’s possible,” Witherspoon said. “Bacteria-generated toxins can certainly be nasty enough. But it’s hard to imagine Master Colix or Master Bofiv eating something that was obviously tainted.”
    “Which makes it all the more urgent that we get an analysis of the victims’ blood and tissue,” I said. “Until we know which poison was responsible, there’s no way to backtrack it and figure out where it came from.”
    “And how do you intend to do that?” Kennrick demanded. “ Di -Master Strinni has already said no autopsies.”
    “No, di -Master Strinni said no autopsy on Master Colix,” I corrected. “He hasn’t said anything about Master Bofiv.”
    “And why would he—?” Kennrick broke off. “You’re right,” he said, sudden interest in his voice. “Master Bofiv wasn’t on the same Path di -Master Strinni is.”
    “Which means he might be willing to let us work on Master Bofiv,” I said.
    “It’s worth a try,” Kennrick agreed. “Go ahead. We’ll wait here.”
    “You’re the one who knows him,” I reminded him.
    “You’re the one who knows how to wake him up,” he countered .
    “I’ve already had to do this twice,” I said.
    “Once,” Kennrick corrected. “You didn’t actually wake up Master Bofiv.”
    “What is the matter with you two?” Witherspoon snapped “There are people lying dead here.”
    “And I don’t want to be the one to break that news to a business associate,” Kennrick said coolly. “It was Compton’s idea. He can do it.”
    Witherspoon rumbled something under his breath. “Oh, for—never mind. I’ll do it.”
    He stripped off his examination gloves, tossing them onto the dispensary counter. With a final glare at me, he strode toward the doorway.
    He’d made it halfway there when the obvious problem belatedly caught up with him. “Only I can’t, can I?” he growled with frustration and embarrassment. “ Di -Master Strinni is in first class.”
    “I think that in this case the conductors will be willing to pass you through,” I said.
    “You will be permitted,” the server confirmed. “A conductor will meet you in the rearmost first-class car and accompany you to di -Master Strinni’s seat.”
    “Thank you.” Witherspoon said. He got two more steps, then once again hesitated. “Perhaps, Master Tririn, you would accompany me?” he asked, turning to the remaining Shorshian.
    Tririn looked at Kennrick, then back at Witherspoon. [Very well,] he said. He murmured something to Aronobal that I couldn’t catch; then he and Witherspoon left the room and headed forward.
    That left Kennrick, Aronobal, Bayta, and me. Plus the Spider, of course. “Well, that