he first. Tortha
Karf was watching him.

"Same gang that killed that Carera slaver on Esaron Sector?" he asked.
"Of course, exactly the same general procedure. Let's have a look at
the other one."

The man in Proletarian dress must have had his capsule between his
molars when he had been killed; it was broken, and there was a
brownish discoloration and chemical odor in his mouth.

"Second time we've had a witness killed off under our noses," Tortha
Karf said. "We're going to have to smarten up in a hurry."

"Here's one of us who doesn't have to, much," Vall said, nodding
toward Dalla. "She knocked a needler out of one man's hand, and we
took him alive. The Force owes her a new shoulder-bag: she spoiled
that one using it for a club."

"Best shoulder-bag we can find you, Dalla," Tortha Karf promised.
"You're promoted, herewith, to Special Chief's Assistant's Special
Assistant--You know, this Organization murder-section is good; they
could kill anybody. It won't be long before they assign a squad to us.
Blast it, I don't want to have to go around bodyguarded like a Fourth
Level dictator, but--"

A detective came out of the control room and approached.

"Screen call for you, sir," he told Tortha Karf. "One of the news
services wants a comment on a story they've just picked up that we've
illegally arrested Councilman Salgath and are holding him
incommunicado and searching his apartment."

"That's the Organization," Vall said. "They don't know how their boys
made out; they're hoping we'll tell them."

"No comment," Tortha Karf said. "Call the girl on my switchboard and
tell her to answer any other news-service calls. We have nothing to
say at this time, but there will be a public statement at ... at
2330," he decided after a glance at his watch. "That'll give us time
to agree on a publicity line to adopt. Lieutenant Sothran! Take charge
up here. Get all these bodies out of sight somewhere, including those
of Councilman Salgath and Detective Malthor. Don't let anybody talk
about this; put a blackout on the whole story. Vall, you and Dalla and
... oh, you, over there; take the prisoner down to my office. Sothran,
any reports from any of the cars that were chasing that fake police
car?"

Verkan Vall and Dalla were sitting behind Tortha Karf's desk; Vall was
issuing orders over the intercom and talking to the detectives who had
remained at Salgath Trod's apartment by visiscreen; Dalla was sorting
over the things she