because we are as much Doublegangers as the Ghosts and
our apron strings had been cut just as surely. We're more solid, of
course, but that would only mean we'd take a little longer. Very
logical.

I remember I had looked up at Lili and Maud--us girls had been checking
the envelopes; it's one of the proprieties we frequently maintain and
anyway, if men check them, they're apt to trot out that old wheeze about
"instant women" which I'm sick to death of hearing, thank you.

Anyway, I had looked up and said, "It's been nice knowing you," and Lili
had said, "Twenty-three, skiddoo," and Maud had said, "Here goes
nothing," and we had shook hands all around.

We figured that Phryne and the Countess had faded at the same time as
the other Ghostgirls, but an idea had been nibbling at me and I said,
"Siddy, do you suppose it's just barely possible that, while we were all
looking at Bruce, those two Ghostgirls would have been able to work the
Maintainer and get a Door and lam out of here with the thing?"

"Thou speakst my thoughts, sweetling. All weighs against it: Imprimis,
'tis well known that Ghosts cannot lay plots or act on them. Secundo,
the time forbade getting a Door. Tercio--and here's the real meat of
it--the Place folds without the Maintainer. Quadro, 'twere folly to
depend on not one of--how many of us? ten, elf--not looking around in
all the time it would have taken them--"

"I looked around once, Siddy. They were drinking and they had got to the
control divan under their own power. Now when was that? Oh, yes, when
Bruce was talking about Zombies."

"Yes, sweetling. And as I was about to cap my argument with quinquo when
you 'gan prattle, I could have sworn none could touch the Maintainer,
much less work it and purloin it, without my certain knowledge. Yet ..."

"Eftsoons yet," I seconded him.

* * * * *

Somebody must have got a door and walked out with the thing. It
certainly wasn't in the Place. The hunt had been a lulu. Something the
size of a portable typewriter is not easy to hide and we had been inside
everything from Beau's piano to the renewer link of the Refresher.

We had even fluoroscoped everybody, though it had made Illy writhe like
a box of worms, as he'd warned us; he said it tickled terribly and I
insisted on smoothing his fur for five minutes afterward, although he
was a little standoffish toward me.

Some areas, like the bar, kitchen and Stores, took a lon