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Dyer’s head and uncrossed her legs to begin rising. “I wanted to call Eric before eleven. Anything else you want to add while I’m here?”
    “No, but I thought you did,” Dyer looked mildly surprised, “Everything you’ve been talking about’s been University business. Betty said you wanted to see me about something personal.” Kim frowned for a second.
    “Oh yes.” She sat down again. Her voice fell to a more confidential note. “It’s Allan.”
    “What is?”
    “Him messing around with Pattie all the time,” Kim said. “She showed up forty minutes late again today, with him slipping in the door five minutes later and looking furtive, purely by coincidence of course. I don’t want to get mixed up in anybody’s personal affairs, Ray, but there are such things as common sense and discretion.”
    “Okay, I know what you mean,” Dyer said, half-raising a hand. “I agree with you. He’s being a public ass and somebody ought to talk to him. Leave it to me. I’ll ask Betty to say wise words to Pattie too.”
    “I’m not trying to pass the buck or anything,” Kim told him, “It’s just . . . well, you know how it is with young guys. I thought it might be better coming from you.”
    “Don’t worry about it. I’ll—” The chime sounded from his console. “Excuse me a sec.” He touched a key to accept the call and Betty’s face greeted him.
    “Sorry to interrupt, but Laura Fenning’s here,” she announced. Dyer could see the familiar classically oval face and raven-black sweep of Cleopatra hair framed behind Betty’s shoulder. He uncovered his teeth in what he hoped would pass for a smile.
    “One more minute, Betty. Good morning, Miss Fenning.” He cut the display and turned back toward Kim, who was already rising to her feet. “Where were we? Oh yeah . . . don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to him.”
    “Thanks,” Kim acknowledged, “Then I guess we’re about done. I’ll leave you to get on. See you later.”
    “Sure.”
    Kim vanished abruptly, leaving the door open in response to Dyer’s waved request not to close it. Dyer recalled Ron’s report to the screen and rapidly finished the comments he had been appending when Kim arrived. Part of his mind was vaguely aware of Laura Fenning’s precisely cultivated and seductive voice floating through the open doorway as she talked to Betty. It was one of the usual topics.
    “But women were never meant to do men’s jobs, Betty. Why should they? Their place is in their home with their families, that’s all I’m saying. It’s their right .”
    “Well now, I don’t know about that,” Betty replied, sounding dubious. “I just wasn’t brought up to think that way. Equal shares for both, they said in my day. That meant everybody. All these young girls today complaining about having to stand on their own feet. Doesn’t sound right.”
    “But that’s the point I’m trying to make. Betty,” Laura’s voice urged. “It is right. Fifty years ago it might have been necessary, but times have changed now. Why should we continue to perpetuate outmoded traditions just because men find it suits them?”
    Dyer sighed as he added his final comment and tagged the report to be copied back under Ron’s mail code. She’d been in the place five minutes and was subverting the troops already. He snapped off the screen and continued to stare at it for a moment while he reoriented his thinking fully to immediate matters. He didn’t want to be cornered alone in here, he decided. He stood up, braced himself, and walked out of the office.

CHAPTER THREE

    “Hi there,” Laura greeted him as he came out of his office. “I hope the change in plans hasn’t caused any problems. I wanted to go through some notes I made about how TITAN came about. It really needs to be done by Friday and I don’t think Wednesday would leave enough time. That okay?”
    Dyer frowned as he avoided Betty’s half-concealed smirk. Laura was always doing things like