if I thought that you thought for one moment--that there
was some international sabotage going on here, I'd say go on with your
investigation till you get the answer!"

Brogan flung himself back dramatically in his big chair, throwing out
his arms. "Meanwhile, what are you accomplishing? You've spent--and I
happen to know this for a fact--almost a million dollars on this
investigation. By your own account you have personally talked to two
thousand people about it! You have kept this accident in the public
eye and given it far greater importance than it deserves--through no
malicious fault of your own, to be sure! But what have you got?
Nothing. Exactly what I came up with. Nothing. Tell me, for example,
where you got with the political possibilities of this thing. I know
you didn't overlook it!"

Kessler smiled wearily. "Just about everything you say is true,
George. Only, you see, I would probably never have ended up running
this investigation if I were the sort of person that comes up with a
question mark for an answer. I said 'human error' in my report, but
that doesn't satisfy me. I want to know what human error. I don't
think anything happens without a reason. Somehow I feel that it's all
there, the answer, in those couple of million details we've pieced
together about the plane and the crew and the passengers and it's
staring me in the face if I could only see it."

"I agree with you." Brogan raised his hand again in his imperious
gesture then dropped it to the desk. "No. I asked to have my say. Now
you have yours." He sat patiently.

* * * * *

Kessler grinned. "Thanks, senator. As for the political sabotage
possibilities, you've undoubtedly seen a copy of my confidential
report. Three of the passengers had definite subversive connections in
the past. I know, I'm not trying to make much of this. Their
associations all date back to the 1930s and one of them was just a
girl flirting with a Communist fellow student, but we didn't want to
overlook any possibilities. Pearlow, on the other hand, was Russian
born. He's the one who barely survived another airline crash three
years ago."

"Pearlow was perfectly loyal. Just an ironic coincidence, that's all.
I know the papers tried to make something out of it but I find it hard
to believe that you took it seriously. As for Stepowski, he testified
openly about his past here in Washington five years ago."

"I know. I even know that St