Hiro looked back at her. “Daniele didn’t tell you?”
“About the gambling? No. She knows?”
“Of course. She helped me. She holds my shares in Absolom in a trust. Ninety percent of the dividends go to charity. I gamble with the rest. That feeds the hunger.”
He said it like a fact, but Adeline could hear the shame in his voice.
“As I said. It’s a sickness.”
“That’s why you needed to work on Absolom. For gambling debts back then.”
“Yes.”
At the door, Hiro pressed his thumb to the panel. When the metal slab swung open, another figure was standing in the dark basement.
Elliott.
So that’s who Hiro had called.
His face was grim, but as he stared at Adeline, a small smile began to form. “It was unwise to come here. And very brave. You’re a lot like your father: courageous to a fault. That’s one of the reasons I loved him so much.”
“I want answers.”
“You deserve answers.”
Hiro closed the door, shutting out the light from the tunnel. The three of them stood in near darkness, only the glow from the panel beside the door and the moonlight shining down the stairwell lighting the space. Adeline spoke first.
“Who killed Nora?”
Elliott answered: “I don’t know.”
“Who do you think killed her?”
“Daniele.”
“Why?”
“She’s in love with your father.”
“What?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. She killed Nora because she knew Sam and Nora were in love with each other.”
“But why would she frame my father?”
“To have him all for herself. To control him completely and hide him away from the world.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Think about it, Adeline. You know we’re trying to get him back, right?”
“Yes.”
“If we’re successful, what do you think will happen?”
“We try to prove his innocence—”
Elliott shook his head. “My dear, that ship has sailed.”
Adeline swallowed, the words like a final judgment on the dream she had held onto. “Okay,” she said slowly. “What happens when we get him back?”
“Did you know Daniele bought an island in the Pacific?”
“No.”
“She’s working on treaties with governments around the world to make it a sovereign nation. She’s even begun seasteading to expand it. She’s richer than any of us—and she has wealth beyond Absolom Sciences, money from before, from the other start-ups she funded and public market investments. Things don’t add up about Daniele. What we know is that she’s building something. A sort of paradise hidden away from the world.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We think she wants to get Sam back, take him there, and build a new society.” Elliott cut his eyes to Hiro. “We don’t know what her plans are for us. But she needs us for now.”
“Why?”
“Absolom Two. After we created the first version, innovation on the technology essentially stopped. But I never did. I kept researching, experimenting.”
“Because you want to save Charlie.”
“That’s right.”
“Daniele told me you can’t change the past.”
“That’s one opinion. What do you think?”
Adeline laughed. “I don’t know. I’m not a scientist.”
“As it turns out,” Elliott said, “we don’t think Daniele is either. And that’s just one of the things she’s lying about.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
In the desert, there was no tree for Sam to climb to safety. Wave after wave of animals flowed from the forest onto the sand, fleeing the fire.
The herd was easy pickings for the giant crocs pouring out of the swamp. The carnage was breathtaking, like seeing an army of Godzillas feasting on baby T. rexes and assorted reptiles and dinosaurs.
Sam knew he couldn’t outrun the dinosaurs. Or the crocs. He certainly couldn’t fight either.
Luckily, there was one place to hide. He rushed toward the croc skeleton. The ribs sticking out of the sand weren’t as wide as Sam, but if he turned, they almost entirely hid him. He hoped it would be enough.
As the herd flowed past, he waited, trying to control his breathing. Moving could be deadly.
He felt like he was in a human roulette wheel. If a massive animal crashed into the rib he was hiding behind, it would be his end. If not, he would live. Sometimes one’s life came down to simple chance. This was one of those times.