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night when Deputy Dawg was doing his practice laps where is he?"
    The grit and gravel female voice came over the loudspeaker.
    "Attention, sports fans, attention. The Security Department has announced an all-points-bulletin for Deputy Dawg, kidnapped from Security this morning sometime between nine and ten A.M. Victim description as follows: height four inches, length six and a half inches, weight ten and a half ounces, complexion green with brown spots.
    Has been known to bite. Anyone with any information leading to the rescue of Deputy Dawg and the apprehension of the turtle nappers dial
    4911. There is a reward on offer of one Tundra Traveler's Certificate, guaranteed point-free with no supervisor advisory call. Glen Lefevre, call your office immediately."
    The guard snatched up the phone and dialed an extension. "What WHAT I'll be right there!" He threw down the phone and shook a fist in Toni's face. "I know Kinderknecht had a hand in this Hartzler this ain't the end of this!"
    The door slammed shut behind him, only to slam open again immediately.
    The philodendron was having a bad day. "The Federal Energy Regulatory Committee says that eating a lunch at RPetco's Base Camp free of charge constitutes taking a bribe," Cale Yarborough barked. "They insist on paying." "Paying who?" Toni asked with polite interest. "And how much?"
    "Find out goddammit do I have to do every goddam thing around this goddam place myself?" The question was obviously rhetorical because he slammed out again without waiting for a reply.
    Toni frowned, marring her perfect brow with a furrow of concentration.
    After a moment it smoothed out again. She picked up the phone and dialed, and winked at Kate while waiting for an answer. "Francine?" she said, her voice smooth and syrupy and now entirely without haste.
    "The Federal Energy Regulatory Committee says there ain't no such thing as a free lunch. They insist on paying for theirs when they come up."
    Kate could clearly hear the exasperated voice coming over the receiver from where she sat. "Oh, for God's sake. How much is lunch on the Slope and how are they going to pay, cash or check? Do we ask for two pieces of identification? Do we accept out-of-state checks? And what the hell are we supposed to do with the money once we have it?" "Find out," Toni suggested sweetly. "Do I have to do every goddam thing around this goddam place myself?" She hung up with a flourish and grinned at Kate.
    "Another challenge faced another crisis met another problem solved delegation is the life's blood of any young executive in the oil business, remember that {Catherine and you'll do fine."
    Kate's ear must have finally caught up with Toni's voice because she thought she might actually have detected a comma in that last phrase.
    The phone rang and Toni snatched it up. "Yes yes yes no not now have a little patience call me tonight."
    Then again, maybe not.
    Toni hung up and the door slammed open and a Fury erupted into the middle of the room. Nobody knocked in this place.
    The Fury had a face like Early Simon and an accent like LBJ. She was dressed in a white, three-quarter-length jacket that made her look like she was about to produce a syringe and draw blood. "There it is!" she yelped, pointing at the Benjamin fig tree. "I knew that lying sack of shit took it!" She saw Kate, mouth open, and said furiously, "And just who the hell are you?"
    Kate tried an ingratiating smile. "Um--Kate Shugak?" "Well?" the Fury demanded. "Is you or ain't you?"
    Toni intervened. "Katherine Shugak, new hire roustabout, Ann Mccord head steward what's the problem Ann?"
    The Fury rounded on her ferociously. "The problem is that goddam alternate of yours stole that fig tree for the second time this month!
    I ain't got enough to do training Hump to eat Deputy Dawg's lunch without chasing after my damn plants?" She leveled a finger and commanded, "Y'all tell that prick if he steals one more plant outa the lounge he's dead meat! The same goes double