commentator agreed. "Chief's
Assistant, would you mind saying a few words, here? I know you're a
busy man, sir, but you are also the public hero of Home Time Line, and
everybody will be glad if you say something to them--"

* * * * *

Tortha Karf sealed the door of the apartment behind them, then
activated one of the robot servants and sent it gliding out of the
room for drinks. Verkan Vall took off his belt and holster and laid
them aside, then dropped into a deep chair with a sigh of relief.
Dalla advanced to the middle of the room and stood looking about in
surprised delight.

"Didn't expect this, from the mess outside?" Vall asked. "You know,
you really are on the paracops, now. Nobody off the Force knows about
this hideout of the Chief's."

"You'd better find a place like this, too," Tortha Karf advised. "From
now on, you'll have about as much privacy at that apartment in
Turquoise Towers as you'd enjoy on the stage of Dhergabar Opera
House."

"Just what is my new position?" Vall asked, hunting his cigarette case
out of his tunic. "Duplicate Chief of Paratime Police?"

* * * * *

The robot came back with three tall glasses and a refrigerated
decanter on its top. It stopped in front of Tortha Karf and slewed
around on its treads; he filled a glass and sent it to the chair where
Dalla had seated herself; when she got a drink, she sent it to Vall.
Vall sent if back to Tortha Karf, who turned it off.

"No; you have the modifier in the wrong place. You're Chief of
Duplicate Paratime Police. You take the setup you have now, and expand
it; continue the present lines of investigation, and be ready to
exploit anything new that comes up. You won't bother with any of this
routine flying-saucer-scare stuff; just handle the Organization
business. That'll keep you busy for a long time, I'm afraid."

"I notice you slammed down on the first Council member who began
shouting about how you'd wiped out the Great Paratemporal Crime-Ring,"
Vall said.

"Yes. It isn't wiped out, and it won't be wiped out for a long time. I
shall be unspeakably delighted if, when I turn my job over to you, you
have it wiped out. And even then, there'll be a loose end to pick up
every now and then till you retire."

"We have Council and the Management with us, now," Vall said. "This
was the first secret session of Executive Council in over two thousand
years. And I thought I'd dr