He turned and headed down one of the hallways with Lewis and Nora in tow. At the end of the hallway they approached an elevator. Spealer seemed proud of the elevator and explained that, to his knowledge, it was the only one that worked in the city. They exited the elevator on the fourth floor and turned right into a hallway. Lewis noticed that one of the doors that they passed said Charles Green, Secretary of Visitors. They stopped at a door labeled Lindsay Spealer, Secretary of Import/Export, and the Secretary held the door open for them. The reception room was richly appointed, with a fine wooden desk and carpet.
A teen boy was sitting behind the desk and stood when Spealer came in. “Welcome back, Mister Secretary,” he said enthusiastically. “I have a pile of papers, and several letters for you to review along with an edict for you to consider. I see you have visitors; shall I clear your schedule for a while? Don’t forget Secretary Polin needs to meet with you later this afternoon.”
“Thank you, Sig,” the Secretary said. “Please clear one hour, if Lieutenant Lewis is able to stay awhile.” He raised an eyebrow to Lewis, who checked his watch and nodded in agreement.
“Please sign in Sir and Madam,” Sig said, presenting a clipboard and a pen to each of them. Lewis glanced over the sheet, which stated that he was having an emergency meeting with Spealer. It did not imply any further obligation, so he signed it and handed it back. Spealer’s office was much more luxurious than the front office. The red carpet was thick and soft and a wide couch faced the desk. The Secretary motioned toward the couch and they sat down.
“This is an official meeting, so I’m going to record it, are there any objections?” Spealer asked, placing a cylinder about the size of his index finger in a cup of pens and pencils on his desk. His finger hovered over a yellow button on the end of the cylinder, and his eyebrows asked them again.
Nora answered for them both. “No problem, Mr. Secretary.” Lewis thought he would have to be very careful about what he said in this meeting.
“OK, we all have places to go, people to see, so let’s get started,” Spealer said, suddenly all business. “Miss Arie, what is your specific interest here?”
“I was sent to assess and assist by Secretary Green,” she answered.
He nodded toward the door, and said. “When we are done I’ll send him to Green’s office, he will meet you there.” Nora got up without a word, carefully latched the door behind her and was gone.
“So where shall we start?” Spealer asked. “I have several questions for you, are you willing and able to answer them?”
“Company policy has been that we exchange information, so no one way questioning. Is that ok with you?” Lewis told him.
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“Yes, except when the desired information is confidential. In that case neither side shall be compelled to answer, agreed?” Spealer replied. “First question: by whom are you employed?”
“DeLeah Ventures, Limited, Lenon DeLeah, CEO, “Lewis told him. They spent at least half an hour exchanging questions and answers, both sides limiting the output of information to a minimum.
At length the Secretary ended the session saying. “Enough of that, I want to tell you something.”
Lewis sat forward and said. “I’m listening.”
“I just came back from looking at a wreck about fifty miles north of here. We lost two ships on their way back from Dontil with food supplies; grain mostly, which we badly need. They crashed and sank on the rocks up there, are you familiar with that coastline?” Secretary Spealer asked, and then continued when Lewis shook his head. “Anyway, we couldn’t find any survivors or cargo. Without that food I’m afraid there may be a famine. We don’t have a large fleet, because Port Mist isn’t that old. Also, the state farms aren’t able to sustain the local population and the visitors that we need for the income they provide. If we ask the Defenders to help us get the food, they will most likely help. The Lord Mayor thinks this is a bad idea, he believes that it would be seen as a sign of weakness. Then the Defenders may revoke our charter.” The Secretary stopped to drink some water and then sat looking at Lewis.
After a moment, Lewis asked. “Why tell me all this? I can’t produce the food. And DeLeah doesn’t have a fleet either, yet.”
“Because,” Spealer answered. “We have two ships that were impounded because docking fees were not paid. You said DeLeah doesn’t have a fleet yet, maybe we will be able to help each other out. I would be willing, since both the ships and the lost food come under the purview of this office, to make a deal with DeLeah. You are DeLeah’s agent, so I assume you are able to sign contracts on their behalf.”
He paused and looked at Lewis who inquired. “Why did the ships sink?”
“We have investigators at the sight,” Spealer answered. “So far there is no official word.”
“Speculate for me, will you,” Lewis prodded. “Is everyone dead or just missing? Were the ships attacked? How long is the shore line there?”
“We found no bodies in the wreckage. The coast is rocky and the surf is very aggressive, shall we say?” Spealer said. “The ships were torn apart on the rocks, so we don’t expect to see much in the way of ships, bodies, or cargo. It’s very hard to gather any evidence under those conditions.”
“Why not commission those two impounded ships and make the trip yourself,” Lewis asked.
“Because our transportation union has said that they won’t approve the run until we can assure them that it’s safe.” Secretary Spealer looked nervous and took another drink, then continued. “I told them replacing the food is a matter of grave importance, and that another shipment needs to be brought from Dontil as soon as possible. And then they went to the labor secretary to complain that I was putting pressure on them to do something they were not comfortable with.”
Lewis wondered if Spealer could lose his position, but didn’t ask. Instead he told Spealer. “I need to talk to my boss; maybe we could help you with your problem.”