Free The Human Division #12: The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads by John Scalzi

Episode Twelve: The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads
    â€œThis is a very interesting theory you have, about conspiracy,” said Gustavo Vinicius, the undersecretary for administration for the Brazilian consulate in New York City.
    Danielle Lowen frowned. She was supposed to be having this meeting with the consul general, but when she arrived at the consulate she was shunted to Vinicius instead. Theundersecretary was very handsome, very cocksure and, Lowen suspected, not in the least bright. He was very much the sort of person who exuded the entitled air of nepotism, probably the less than useful nephew of a Brazilian senator or ambassador, assigned someplace where his personal flaws would be covered by diplomatic immunity.
    There was only so much Lowen could stew about the nepotism. Herfather, after all, was the United States secretary of state. But the genial, handsome stupidity of this Vinicius fellow was getting on her nerves.
    “Are you suggesting that Luiza Carvalho acted alone?” she asked. “That a career politician, with no record whatsoever of criminal or illegal activity, much less any noticeable political affiliations, suddenly took it into her head to murder Liu Cong,another diplomat? In a manner designed to undermine relations between the Earth and the Colonial Union?”
    “It is not impossible,” Vinicius said. “People see conspiracies because they believe that one person could not do so much damage. Here in the United States, people are still convinced that the men who shot Presidents Kennedy and Stephenson were part of a conspiracy, when all the evidence pointedto single men, working alone.”
    â€œIn both cases, however, there was evidence presented,” Lowen said. “Which is why I am here now. Your government, Mr. Vinicius, asked the State Department to use this discreet back channel in order to deal with this problem, rather than go through your embassy in Washington. We’re happy to do that. But not if you’re going to give us the runaround.”
    “I am not givingyou a runaround, I promise,” Vinicius said.
    â€œThen why am I meeting with you and not Consul Nascimento?” Lowen asked. “This was supposed to be a high-level, confidential meeting. I flew up from Washington yesterday specifically to take this meeting.”
    â€œConsul Nascimento has been at the United Nations all day long,” Vinicius said. “There were emergency meetings there. She sends her regrets.”
    “I was at the United Nations before I came here,” Lowen said.
    â€œIt is a large institution,” Vinicius said. “It’s entirely possible that you would not have crossed paths.”
    â€œI was assured that I would be given information pertaining to Ms. Carvalho’s actions,” Lowen said.
    “I regret I have nothing to give you at this time,” Vinicius said. “It’s possible that we may have misunderstood each otherin our previous communications.”
    â€œReally, Mr. Vinicius?” Lowen said. “Our mutual State Departments, who have been in constant contact since your nation brought its first legation to Washington in 1824, are suddenly having communication difficulties?”
    â€œIt is not impossible,” Vinicius said, for the second time in their conversation. “There are always subtleties which might go misread.”
    “I amcertain things are going misread at the moment, Mr. Vinicius,” Lowen said. “I don’t know how subtle they are.”
    â€œAnd if I may say so, Ms. Lowen, in the case of this particular issue, there is so much disinformation going on about the event,” Vinicius said. “All sorts of different stories about what happened on this ship where the events took place.”
    â€œIs that so,” Lowen said.
    “Yes,” Vinicius.“The eyewitness reports aren’t especially credible.”
    Lowen smiled at Vinicius. “Is this your personal opinion, Mr. Vinicius, or the opinion of the Brazilian Ministry of External