Page 131 of Chameleon Killer

So you addressed issues of authority versus accuracy.

“No, I learned that some people are just really good at bullshit.” I pursed my lips. “I also learned that others were really bad about questioning authority.”

That is the issue of authority versus accuracy.

I shrugged. “You say po-tay-to, I say po-tah-to. The point was I always had more questions. Sometimes, the stories didn’t change, but more often, they did. If I dug deep enough, I’d find the facts.” Then because he’d used it earlier, I turned his own phrase back on him. “That changed the narrative.”

I let that sit there for a beat.

“So, you brought me here to answer your questions. Time for you to answer one of mine.”

Ask.

“Are you the person I named as The Auditor?”

The cursor blinked once. Then twice. When I counted six blinks, I began to wonder if I’d finally asked the one question he wouldn’t answer.

Not that he’d made a habit of actually answering anything directly. When the response finally came, however, it was the last one I’d expected.

No.

My pulse stumbled and my breath backed up in my lungs. I’d already wondered if I had a way of verifying if this was the right guy or not. Or whether I’d just been…

You named a pattern you’d identified.

“That’s not an answer.”

It is.

Touching my tongue to my teeth, I tilted my head back and stared upward for a long beat then said, “Incomplete.”

Touché.

However, you assigned the name of Auditor to behavior you observed. Yes or no?

Lips pursed, I considered the question. “Yes and no.”

Incomplete.

Yes, I laughed and I had to bite my lower lip to silence the inappropriate sound.

I am happy I could entertain you.

“Someone has to,” I responded in a dry tone. “I’m having a conversation with a computer. For all I know, you could be an AI chatbot.”

The screen went totally dark again and for a moment, even the cursor stopped blinking.

“Did I insult you?”

I didn’t have to wait long for a response.

No.

Nothing. Then.

You have a lovely laugh.

“Thank you.”