and soil were mixed and no footprints would be left,
Pembroke hopped off. Mary Ann would go straight to the police and report
that Pembroke had attacked her and that she had shot him. If necessary,
she would conduct the authorities to the place where they had been
target shooting, but would be unable to locate the spot where she had
buried the body. Why had she buried it? Because at first she was not
going to report the incident. She was frightened. It was not airtight,
but there would probably be no further investigation. And they certainly
would not prosecute Mary Ann for killing an Earthman.

Now Pembroke had himself to worry about. The first step was to enter
smoothly into the new life he had planned. It wouldn't be so comfortable
as the previous one, but should be considerably safer. He headed slowly
for the "old" part of town, aging his clothes against buildings and
fences as he walked. He had already torn the collar of the shirt and
discarded his belt. By morning his beard would grow to blacken his face.
And he would look weary and hungry and aimless. Only the last would be a
deception.

* * * * *

Two weeks later Pembroke phoned Mary Ann. The police had accepted her
story without even checking. And when, when would she be seeing him
again? He had aroused her passion and no amount of long-distance love
could requite it. Soon, he assured her, soon.

"Because, after all, you do owe me something," she added.

And that was bad because it sounded as if she had been giving some
womanly thought to the situation. A little more of that and she might go
to the police again, this time for vengeance.

Twice during his wanderings Pembroke had seen the corpses of Earthmen
being carted out of buildings. They had to be Earthmen because they
bled. Mary Ann had admitted that she did not. There would be very few
Earthmen left in Puerto Pacifico, and it would be simple enough to
locate him if he were reported as being on the loose. There was no out
but to do away with Mary Ann.

Pembroke headed for the beach. He knew she invariably went there in the
afternoon. He loitered around the stalls where hot dogs and soft drinks
were sold, leaning against a post in the hot sun, hat pulled down over
his forehead. Then he noticed that people all about him were talking
excitedly. They were discussing a ship. It was leaving that afternoon.
Anyone who could pass the interview would be sent to Earth.

Pembro