“What’s that got to do with his soul?” Mike asked.
“He won’t answer my questions,” Fitzhugh repeated, looking earnestly at Mike. “He says God won’t allow him to.”
18
Captain Sir Henry Quill opened the door of the late Lieutenant Mellon’s quarters and went in, followed by Mike the Angel. The dead man’s gear had to be packed away so that it could be given to his nearest of kin when the officers and crew of the Brainchild returned to Earth. Regulations provided that two officers must inventory his personal effects and those belonging to the Space Service.
“Does Chief Pasteur know what killed him yet, Captain?” Mike asked.
Quill shook his head. “No. He wants my permission to perform an autopsy.”
“Are you going to let him?”
“I think not. We’ll put the body in the freezer and have the autopsy performed on Earth.” He looked around the room, seeing it for the first time.