Chapter Fourteen

Is the Dolphin a mammal or fish?

You can choose either one as you wish.

While the mammal cavorts

In aquatic resorts,

The poor Pompano’s served on a dish.

“Come on in, Howard. You too, Maury. Let me get Marlin and Ursula linked into the conversation.”

L. Condor and the UUI techies had set up an in-house video and data network so the Dolphin could communicate from his outsized tank with anyone and everyone inside the mansion and labs, selected areas in UUI and any of the multiple aircraft and vehicles in use by the team. He also had access to Ursula, external Internet connections and smart phone hookups. In short, Marlin was the ultimate sharer. Given his brain power, he was a welcome participant in almost any discussion. To ensure his privacy, he controlled access to his system, but he could be overridden by Octavius and Howard. All in all, an efficient communication and research environment.

“Marlin? Octavius! Howard, Maury and Ursula are here with me and we want you to join us in discussing the events of the past few days. (That was news to Howard.)

A bottle-nosed face appeared on the office screen and after a few adjustments, the Dolphin’s squeaky sounds converted themselves into American English courtesy of the UUI Underwater SeaPod Translator, a product of the combined genius of Howard, L. Condor, Ursula, Marlin and UUI technicians.

Originally developed for the Prince of Whales as a “Thank You” for his assistance in tracking down undersea anomalies in the North Sea (Book Three - The Case of Scotch) the device had become a best seller for UUI. Profits are shared with the Prince and have thus extended Marlin’s stay with The Great Bear’s team. His original assignment was as the Prince’s Court Jester cum Technical Guru. He may have to return to the Prince’s realm someday, but for the moment, he is more than earning his keep with Octavius.

“OK, let me get right to it. The short version: The work you and your confidential team have been doing has been compromised. We strongly believe Covington Cougar is the culprit and was responsible for passing data on to the Professor. The Muskox probably promised him a share of any money he extorted through his lawsuits. My personal belief is that the Cougar didn’t stop there. After all, he’s probably too smart to fall for the Professor’s harebrained schemes but still too greedy to take a pass on even a wildly improbable opportunity to make a profit. I’ll bet that’s what the law firm thought as well. Even screwballs hit it right once in a while. What have we got to lose? Plenty, in the case of the Phoxes.”

“But who else would have an interest in what you must admit is pretty esoteric science? Interplanetary coupling of electrons may be good for a possible Noble Prize but is there a pot of gold at the end of that particular rainbow? We’re involved because of our Multiverse Project. Alternative worlds have major consequences for our civilization. We’ve already experienced a few. Quantum capable alternative worlds are as yet indescribable, but the implications are certainly there. So, I ask you two. Who else is in this space? (No pun intended!) I’ll bet on General Turmoil and his underlings. Are there others? Are we the only game in town?”

Howard snuffled and then said, “L.Condor and Ursula have been busy tracking the e-mails of our group. We probably should get them in here.”

“Good idea! Maury, can you get a hold of Big Bird? Call up Ursula. While you’re at it, bring in the Colonel. He’s been checking the scientists credentials and backgrounds.”

Off I went. As I left the office, I practically fell over Condo. I tugged on his wing. “His Bearship requires your presence in our discussions. Do join us! Why should we be having all the fun?”

Calling on his embedded speech generator, (Another UUI wonder. Condors do not have a voice box.) he did a perfect Bugs Bunny, “Nyaah! What’s up, Doc?”

“We’re trying to define the wobbling electron landscape. You and Ursula have had your probes in the e-mails of Howard’s team plus any other players who may be involved.”

“That we have! (Back to Condor normal) Happy to share our ill-gotten knowledge.”

Octavius shouted, “Come in, Senhor Condor, come in. We are brainstorming the situation with the science data leakage and Covington Cougar. Your brain and Ursula’s are more than welcome.”

“Thank you, Doctor Bear! Well, it’s clear that there was substantial traffic going on between the Cougar and Muskox. Howard and Marlin will have to tell you just how much information was transferred and how valuable it was. We have created a sequential file of all the transmissions. Just about all of the messages were one-way - Cougar to Muskox with only acknowledgements of receipt from the Professor. The encryption used was fairly sophisticated and we believe, beyond the inventive skill of either of the parties. Some other technical support was at work. I’m not going to guess who that might be but since you seem to think General Turmoil and The Business might be involved, let me say that this is well within their capability. Oddly enough, there is no evidence of any interchanges by the Cougar and The Business.”

Ursula added, “There are a series of rather innocuous network maintenance documents sent out to the Cloud that may hide encoded material. It would call for state-of-the-art techniques but well within the realm of possibility. I haven’t tried to analyze any of them, but I will, if you wish.”

“Please do, if you can spare the time.”

“Of course. Those cloud-based documents could be available to anyone who had the proper credentials.”

“In other words, accessible to the highest bidder or bidders armed with the technology?”

“But remember, I doubt the Cougar could handle the technology by himself.”

Octavius turned to Howard and Marlin’s image. “Do we have any inkling as to where the Cougar is?”

Marlin responded, “He’s been quiet for almost twenty-four hours. Condo has been monitoring his Florida facilities.”

The Bird intervened, “I suspect that once he realized he was being shut out by the rest of the team, Covington decided to go silent.”

The Colonel joined us. “Or,” said he. “he has been silenced.”

Speaking of silence, that’s what the Wolf’s remark evoked.

“Well,” the Bear finally replied, “there’s an interesting prospect. OK, you two, just what the hell has your group been uncovering that could cost the life of one, possibly two involved individuals. Let us suppose that the Professor’s death had nothing to do with the lawsuits but instead was tied to the information he possessed courtesy of the Cougar. I doubt if the Muskox cared what the information really meant as long as he could use it for his extortion plans. Let us further suppose that the Cougar had no realization of the true value and impact of the stuff he was feeding the Muskox. After all, of the team, he had the least scientific credentials. He was on board primarily for packaging and promoting the work you guys are developing. Am I right?”

Howard and Marlin both agreed.

“Then, may I suggest that we embark on a very careful analysis of who your team is and what they have uncovered on the assumption that a knowledgeable third party already knows the implications of your discoveries and may find it worth killing for.”

Howard jumped in. “Whoa, Octavius, you are leaping to a lot of unsupported conclusions here. First, we don’t know whether the Professor’s death was tied to the information he had. Two, we don’t know if anything has happened to Covington Cougar. Three, we don’t know what the Cougar had in mind providing the Professor with the data. Four, we don’t know if a knowledgeable third party really exists although there is some evidence to support that theory. I want to scrub those e-mails that Condo captured and see what, if anything shapes up.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me, Howard, but first let’s talk about the team. Then, have at the e-mails. How much time do you and Marlin need? You’re not the ‘Animal of Interest’ here in the death of the Professor. I am. In addition to getting to the bottom of this whole mess, I want to get my name completely cleared ASAP.”

“Give us twenty-four hours. We could use some help here, Condo. You too, Ursula.”

“Delighted to assist.”

“OK,” said The Bear, “but first let’s do a little vetting of your scientific compadres. First on the list. Professor Karl Shepherd Ph.D.-MIT Quantum Mechanics Laboratory. What’s his background and why did you team up with him?”

The Colonel intervened. “Octavius, I’ve been checking credentials on all of this team. If there is a ‘Who’s Who in Quantum Physics,’ Karl Shepherd will lead the list. His curriculum vitae goes on for pages; he has pulled down just about all the relevant awards except the Noble Prize. He is affiliated with most, if not all, of the Quantum Mechanics societies and research organizations; has authored several books and God knows, how many papers. He has worked with the US government on several major projects and still carries a teaching load at MIT.”

Howard looked over and said, “Thanks, Wyatt. The real question is: ‘Why did he team up with us?’ The Alternate Universe aspect of our work is what captured his attention. He is a disciplined manager of experimental processes and he and Susanna Shrike have been taking our theories and putting them into meaningful practice.”

Octavius let out one of his characteristic “Hmmms” and said to Howard. “Let me ask you this. Do you think he’s a killer?”

We were all dumbstruck at the question.

Howard gulped and asked, “Are you serious?”

The Great Bear snorted, “Need I remind you that I am currently regarded as an ‘Animal of Interest’ in the Professor’s death. Is it any more likely that I killed him than Doctor Shepherd? We have to take every possibility into consideration, no matter how improbable it might seem. Now what about Dr. Shrike? You characterized her as a tough bird. She comes from a long line of bloody killers, but I doubt she’s big enough to take on a Muskox by herself. Just what are Extraterrestrial Studies as practiced at Caltech?”

Ursula responded, “Just what the name suggests. The study of other worlds. She came to us as a result of one of her colleagues mentioning Project Multiverse. Alternate biospheres and ecospheres are right up her alley. She’s brilliant, opinionated and very frequently correct, but she can also be very nasty. Marlin and Howard have had some rather unpleasant episodes with her. She does not suffer fools gladly. I guess I could see her teaming up with some others to dispose of the Professor. She’d probably take the lead. Oddly enough, she gets along rather well with Doctor Shepherd. Professional respect, I suppose.”

“OK,” said Octavius, “Who else is left?” Commander Cornelius Cormorant - US Navy Advanced Research Command and Alfred Armadillo - Sr. VP Communication Technology - Goggle Plex.”

Ursula again, “As you might suspect, the Navy and for that matter all the services, are very much into Quantum Computing and Quantum Communication. Ditto the private sector which accounts for Alfred Armadillo being on the team. These two are not deep techies. Their interest is in any techniques, instruments and devices that can be used to further their objectives. It may well be that the Commander is tied into General Turmoil. We don’t know yet. Armadillo is on the lookout for anything that will give his company a competitive leg up in network design, implementation or management. “Entangled electrons” is something of a long shot for both of them, but still enough to keep their interest. Covington Cougar spends much of his time “liasing” with the two of them. It’s possible the Professor tangled with them with his attempts at extortion. Military advantage and technological profitability are strong motivators.”

“So,” squeaked Marlin, “in answer to your question. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that any or all of them decided the world would be a better place without The Muskox. Now, the number of ‘interesting animals’ keeps piling up. Where do we go from here?”

A chorus came back, “Scrub the e-mails!”

Condo shrugged. “Back to the salt mines. Ursula and I could use some assistance on this one. Any volunteers?”

Without waiting for any response, Octavius gave an order. “Colonel, Howard and Marlin. Top priority. Maury. Where the hell is the Cougar? Get to the FBI and see what they can dig up.”

I called Special Agent Honey Badger and it seems that Octavius wasn’t far wrong. They didn’t exactly dig him up, but Covington Cougar’s body was found early this afternoon not far from his Florida office. The FBI had sent out an All-Points Bulletin to determine his whereabouts. The federal police at the Kennedy Space Center responded to an anonymous tip and discovered him face-down in a salt marsh. They then called the FBI’s Detroit office. Same MO as the Professor. Blunt instrument. No signs of drowning. Nothing stolen. No signs of being dragged or deposited. Killed in situ. No meaningful paw or hoof prints. He probably wouldn’t have been found if it wasn’t for that call. Someone wanted him located. A message?

Back I went to Octavius. The rest of the team had left to re-work the e-mails. I told him the news. After a couple of initial “Hmmms,” he said, “Well, if the two crimes are connected and the style strongly suggests that they are, that should get me out of the ‘Animal of Interest’ category. I’ve been here all day and I have a ton of witnesses to testify to it, including my wife and cubs.”

Speaking of whom, Belinda, Hurricanes Arabella and McTavish and Inspector Wallaroo entered on cue with Mlle Woof taking up the rear. “Poppa, why were the police here questioning you?” McTavish blurted, “Did you do something bad?”

Belinda, Inspector Wallaroo, Mlle Woof and Octavius all reacted simultaneously. I just watched. “McTavish Bear,” said his mother, “what a thing to say. Your father definitely did not do something bad. You apologize!”

“Sorry, Poppa but what were they doing here?”

The Inspector looked at the two cubs and said, “Yer Poppa is always helping the police. That’s why I’m here. I’m the police and your Poppa and I are investigating a serious case.”

Arabella couldn’t resist any longer. “Tell us about it! Tell us about it!”

“Not now, mes petits, it is all very confidential. Is that not so, Docteur Bear?”

Octavius agreed but McTavish would not be put off. “What does “confidenchul” mean?”

Chorus: “It means we can’t talk about it!!”