Chapter 21
“Yeah, I’ve heard the rumors,” Mitch said with a scowl on his face. “I find them disrespectful. These are adults acting like they are in high school, gossiping because they’ve got nothing better to do.”
"Seems like there's plenty to do around here," I said.
Mitch frowned at me. "They need something to occupy their minds, and apparently, my wife has become the subject.”
"So she was not having an affair with Denver Weyland?"
His face reddened, and his jaw flexed. "No. Quinn would never betray our vows. I find the whole thing insulting.”
"What was the issue you had with Denver yesterday?”
"He tried to blame me for something that's not my responsibility. I can assure you, everything in this habitat is in order and here because of me. My disagreement with Weyland stems from the fact that he was reckless and put lives in danger. I felt that he would continue to put lives in danger if someone did not stand up and speak out. It had nothing to do with logistics or supplies or my wife.”
"You still seem pretty hot about it.”
Marston’s intensity didn't let up. "I take the safety of this mission seriously."
"How did Weyland put the mission at risk?”
"Weyland’s leadership philosophy was different from mine.
Of course, I'm technically not in charge here, but I'm not going to keep my mouth shut.
He was pushing people beyond the limit. Human beings have finite resources.
They need proper sleep, hydration, food, and recovery.
It's a known fact that sleep deprivation affects judgment and cognition as much, and sometimes even more than, drugs or alcohol.
We've all been going nonstop from the moment we got here. There was a lot of excitement and adrenaline when we first arrived. That kept people going. But Weyland felt it was important to push people to their absolute limits. According to him, he said that we needed to be prepared to face long, grueling emergency situations, and this was the best place to practice critical operations and build cohesion under stress. I disagree with that. We were already starting to see people make mistakes.”
"What kind of mistakes?”
"Simple, absent-minded lapses in safety protocols.
Nothing major, but things that can add up over time, and in some instances be catastrophic.
Which is exactly what happened with Weyland.
I don't believe the breaker box was sabotaged. I think somebody made a mistake in an attempt to address the malfunction with the battery recharge station. Weyland paid the price. He should have noticed the faulty wiring. He was in denial of his own HPNS and cognitive impairment. I noticed that yesterday and brought it to his attention. I suggested he stand down and let Wong take over until he had time to sort himself out. He wanted none of that. Weyland had a big ego and would never admit he had a problem. And that, in and of itself, is a problem. Part of leadership is recognizing when you are compromised and need to step aside.” He exhaled in frustration.
"But no. I did not kill Commander Weyland.
And I certainly didn't kill him because of our disagreements, or because of the rumors swirling about my wife.”
"Tell me about Dr. Norrington?”
"What about him?”
"What are your thoughts on his competency?"
"I think Norrington is a fine doctor, a compassionate man, and a valuable asset to the team.”
I gave him a curious look. "Is that all?”
"What are you looking for specifically? You seem to have an agenda with the question.”
"I have an agenda with every question. That agenda is getting to the bottom of this and finding out who killed Commander Weyland. Where were you at the time of the incident?"
"I was in the control room with my wife and others." He paused. “If you don’t mind my asking, how long do you two plan to be down here?”
“Until we’ve resolved this case,” I said. It was optimistic.
“I just ask because we have supplies for 10, with additional in reserve. Having two more will put strain on habitat resources.”
“In light of the current situation, it’s really only one additional person.”
With a grim face, Marston said, “True.”
“Maybe I’m being overly sensitive, but I get the impression you don’t want us here,” I said.
“Not at all. I want the truth to be revealed as much as you do.”
I wasn’t so sure about that.
I asked him about David Wong’s ambitions.
Mitch shook his head. “Wong is by the book. A good guy. Not capable of something like this.”
“Did you see anyone enter the engineering room before the incident?”
“People are in and out all the time for various reasons.” He thought for a moment. His brow wrinkled with confusion. “Come to think of it, I saw Elana coming from that area shortly before the accident.”
“Would she have any legitimate reason to be in that compartment?”