econd hand, you old peeper," Alice put in
but, "Quit lying, Pop," I said. "About having quit killing, for one
thing. In my books, which happen to be the old books in this case, the
accomplice is every bit as guilty as the man with the slicer. You helped
us kill the Pilot by giving that funny scream and you know it."

"Who says I did?" Pop countered, rearing up a little. "I never said so.
I just said, 'Forget it.'" He hesitated a moment, studying me. Then he
said, "I wasn't the one gave that scream. In fact, I'd have stopped it
if I'd been able."

"Who did then?"

Again he studied me as he hesitated. "I'm not telling," he said,
settling back.

"Pop!" I said, sharp again. "Buggers who pad together tell everything."

"Oh yeah," he agreed, smiling. "I remember saying that to quite a few
guys in my day. It's a very restful comradely sentiment. I killed every
last one of 'em, too."

"You may have, Pop," I granted, "but we're two to one."

"So you are," he agreed softly, looking the both of us over. I knew what
he was thinking--that Alice still had just her pliers on and that in
these close quarters his knives were as good as my gun.

"Give me your right hand, Alice," I said. Without taking my eyes off Pop
I reached the knife without a handle out of her belt and then I started
to unscrew the pliers out of her stump.

"Pop," I said as I did so, "you may have quit killing for all I know. I
mean you may have quit killing clean decent Deathland style. But I don't
believe one bit of that guff about having to talk to murderers to keep
your mind sweet. Furthermore--"

"It's true though," he interrupted. "I got to keep myself reminded of
how lousy it feels to be a murderer."

"So?" I said. "Well, here's one person who believes you've got a more
practical reason for being on this plane. Pop, what's the bounty Atla-Hi
gives you for every Deathlander you bring in? What would it be for two
live Deathlanders? And what sort of reward would they pay for a lost
plane brought in? Seems to me they might very well make you a citizen
for that."

"Yes, even give you your own church," Alice added with a sort of wicked
gaiety. I squeezed her stump gently to tell her let me handle it.

"Why, I guess you can believe that if you want to," Pop said and let out
a soft breath. "Seems to me you need a lot of coincidences and
happenstances to make that theory hold water, but you sure can believe
it if you want to. I got no way, Ray, to prove