diGriz, everyone. Report to me when you learn anything. â He hung up, and knowing him, was probably already back to sleep.
At flank speed a Special Corps cruiser can outrunâor catchâanything else in space. Time still dragged. I kept busy for some hours as I hacked my way into the local police computer network, a terribly simple job. Once this was done we had no trouble discovering the identities of the church-goers that we had photographed. Nor, after cracking into their totally secret bank records, were we surprised to discover that all of them were filthy rich. The Seekers of the Way, like the followers of the Temple of Eternal Truth, were expected to part with a good few credits if they were to get the blessing of the church and peek in at the joys of the hereafter.
We took turns at the monitor screen and tried not to drink too much when we werenât watching it. I had just returned from doing forty laps in the pool when Bolivar jumped to his feet and shouted âWow!.â
James and I cracked our heads together as we jumped to look at the screen.
âWow is indeed right,â I said. âEven double-wow. Not only is he not of the female persuasion but he looks very familiar.â
âStarkey-Fanyimadu?â
âNone other.â
âHe has his right hand in his pocket,â Bolivar said.
âSo would you,â James answered with cold lack of compassion, âif your arm, ended at the wrist.â
As if in reply the subject lifted his right arm to wave to a parishioner. âPretty good prosthetic,â I said..
âAnd done pretty fast as well,â Bolivar added with more than a trace of suspicion in his voice. âFirst chance I have I would like to shake hands with that particular villain.â
Something caught my attention, .a movement of air-a a sound perhaps. I looked over my shoulder and saw that the hall door, securely locked and bolted, was now standing open. A woman stepped through and closed it behind her.
âI am Sybil,â she said in lush contralto. A tall, tanned redhead, poised and beautiful. Her dress was one of those spun-diamond creations that were so popular, glinting and shining with an albedo like a searchlight. A woman had to have a perfect figure to wear something so outrageous and skintight. She had it.
The twins turned at the sound of her voiceâlooked at her in appreciative silence. I appreciated that as well, but appreciated her arrival even more.
âIâm Jim diGriz. These are my sons, Bolivar and James. Have you been briefed?â
âCompletely.â
âGood. What you donât know is that Slakey is here, in that church across the road.â
âAnd he has a new right hand,â Bolivar said. âWeâre glad youâre here.â
âIâll need to get inside the building as soon as possible. I am sure that you have already found out about the church members while I was on my way here. Which of them have you selected as the best possible contacts?â
âThere are three strong possibilities,â James said, taking the photos and identification from the stack and handing them to her. âAll rich, young, or young-looking after rejuvenation, all
very social, attending plenty of parties and receptions, so they will be easy to meet.â
âIâll do that now. Iâll contact you again after I have become one of the Seekers of the Way.â
The door closed behind her and we were all silent for long moments.
âPretty sure of herself,â Bolivar finally said. It was a compliment and not a negative observation. âThe best agent he ever hadâisnât that what Inskipp said?â
I nodded. âMay he be rightâjust this once.â
Apparently he was, because three hours later we saw her walk through the carved marble entrance to the church, arm in arm with Maudi Lesplanes. The first name on the list that we had given her. Almost two hours passed