Free The VMR Theory (v1.1) by Robert Frezza

crude. Currently, the betting line is two-to-one against your surviving more than a week, but I understand that Mickey managed to get about a thousand down at four-to-one.” She handed me a tray with a fruit plate and several servings of chocolate mousse. “Here, eat something. Doctor’s orders.”
    “Thanks,” I said, opting for dessert first. “This isn’t what the embassy dining room is serving, is it?”
    “No, they’re serving ethnic food tonight—meat loaf a la Des Moines, with green beans Dubuque and instant mashed potatoes. I’m told the ambassador has declared next week health food week, so we’d better lay in a stock of provisions.”
    I repressed yet another shudder. “How’s our crew?” I asked between mouthfuls.
    “Bunkie and Clyde came down when the Macdonalds took the Scupper into custody. I assigned Bunkie to keep an eye on Mickey and Minnie, who are like two cute little sticks of dynamite. Rosalee and Harry have both disappeared, leaving behind a swath of destruction. Harry left Wyma Jean with the impression that we dispatched him on a secret mission, so she’s not real happy with us. I got your note. So why did Dr. Blok finger you?”
    I quickly outlined our conversation. “So as near as I can tell, he’s looking for proof that vampires have benign intentions. For the record, after meeting Blok, I think that Lydia ought to think about employing a better class of agent.”
    “I’m sure that she would agree,” Catarina replied with a straight face. She shook her head. “How much did you tell Wipo?”
    “Nothing about Blok. More than enough about other things. They know I’m an agent.” I ran through Trixie’s interrogation, omitting the low points. “If Blok knows about Trixie, his turning me in makes even less sense.”
    Catarina shut her eyes and pondered this. “Are you sure it was Bobby Stemm’s voice you heard on Trixie’s recording?”
    “New England accent, weevily whine. Yeah, it was Bobby.”
    “And this Trixie—she can actually read your mind?”
    “Like a book.”
    Catarina nodded solemnly. “I guess it made you see read when she made you an author you couldn’t refuse.”
    I made small, growling noises in my throat.
    “Think of it as a new chapter in your life. I meant to ask, were you wearing—”
    “Yes. I happen to like bunnies.”
    “Here, I have something to show you.” She passed across a thick stack of paper. “Take a look at these numbers.”
    “Sure.” I scanned them briefly. “What are they?”
    “Economic figures. Real data for a change. Credit here is incredibly tight. What little there is the government is steering into heavy industry, but the output isn’t reappearing in the civilian sector.”
    “That’s great. What does it mean?”
    “My guess is that it means that the Macdonalds are switching to a war economy and that their navy is going to be ready to challenge us sooner than we think. I’ve been looking at recent government appointments, and it looks like the war party is in the saddle. I’m guessing that a surprise attack on the Confederation is imminent.”
    “We have to get this information back to Lydia!” I said, hoping, of course, that she would say it was our duty to get it back as soon as possible.
    “That’s already been taken care of. Unfortunately, those numbers probably aren’t enough to convince the analysts on Earth. We need Blok. My guess is that Trixie is one of his agents, and he turned you in so she could find out whether he could trust the vampires who he suspects of running the Confederation.” She unwrapped a chocolate bar and split it with me while she mulled this over. “Did Trixie squeeze enough out of you?”
    “I probably passed out a little too early in the proceedings.”
    “I’m the only other vamp they know of.”
    “From Trixie’s comments, I gather that this mind-reading stuff only works across genders. Do you mean I’ve got to go back and let Trixie pick my brain again?” Catarina