had declared for the peace message had something to hide. Mark and Kaby
I felt inclined to trust anywhere, Maud for sure, and Erich in this
particular matter, damn him. Illy I didn't feel at all easy about, but I
told myself there always has to be a fly in the ointment--a darn big
one this time, and furry.

Sid didn't mention his own dirty linen, but he knew we knew he'd flopped
badly as boss of the Place and only recouped himself by that last-minute
flimflam.

Remembering Sid's trick made me think for a moment about the real
Spiders. Just before I snuck out of Surgery, I'd had a vivid picture of
what they must look like, but now I couldn't get it again. It depressed
me, not being able to remember--oh, I probably just imagined I'd had a
picture, like a hophead on a secret-of-the-universe kick. Me ever find
out anything about the Spiders?--except for nervous notions like I'd had
during the recent fracas?--what a laugh!

The funniest thing (ha-ha!) was that I had ended up the least-trusted
person. Sid wouldn't give me time to explain how I'd deduced what had
happened to the Maintainer, and even when Lili spoke up and admitted
hiding it, she acted so bored I don't think everybody believed
her--although she did spill the realistic detail that she hadn't used
partial Inversion on the glove; she'd just turned it inside out to make
it a right and then done a full Inversion to get the lining back inside.

* * * * *

I tried to get Doc to confirm that he'd reasoned the thing out the same
way I had, but he said he had been blacked out the whole time, except
during the first part of the hunt, and he didn't remember having any
bright ideas at all. Right now, he was having Maud explain to him twice,
in detail, everything that had happened. I decided that it was going to
take a little more work before my reputation as a great detective was
established.

I looked over the edge of the couch and just made out in the gloom one
of Bruce's black gloves. It must have been kicked there. I fished it up.
It was the right-hand one. My big clue, and was I sick of it! Got
mittens, God forbid! I slung it away and, like a lurking octopus, Illy
shot up a tentacle from the next couch, where I hadn't known he was
resting, and snatched the glove like it was a morsel of underwater
garbage. These ETs can seem pretty shuddery non-human at times.

I thought of what a cold-blooded, skin-saving louse Illy had been, and