"For that reason, Scholar Rawlings leaves
the logic to me and doesn't burden me with his own business. Nominally,
he is the head of the Corporation; actually, we operate in different
areas--areas which, naturally, overlap in places, but which are not
congruent by any means."

"In other words," said Turnbull, "if Duckworth and Rawlings were working
together, you wouldn't be told about it."

"Not unless Scholar Rawlings thought it was necessary to tell me,"
Drawford said. He put his cigar carefully in the ashdrop. "Of course, if
I _asked_ him, I'm sure he'd give me the information, but it's hardly
any of _my_ business."

* * * * *

Turnbull nodded and switched his tack. "Scholar Rawlings is off-planet,
I believe?"

"That's right. I'm not at liberty to disclose his whereabouts, however,"
Drawford said.

"I realize that. But I'd like to get a message to him, if possible."

Drawford picked up his cigar again and puffed at it a moment before
saying anything. Then, "Dr. Turnbull, please don't think I'm being
stuffy, but may I ask the purpose of this inquiry?"

"A fair question," said Turnbull, smiling. "I really shouldn't have come
barging in here like this without explaining myself first." He had his
lie already formulated in his mind. "I'm engaged in writing up a report
on the cultural significance of the artifacts on the planet Lobon--you
may have heard something of it?"

"I've heard the name," Drawford admitted. "That's in the Sagittarius
Sector somewhere, as I recall."

"That's right. Well, as you know, the theory for the existence of
Centaurus City assumes that it was, at one time, the focal point of a
complex of trade routes through the galaxy, established by a race that
has passed from the galactic scene."

Drawford was nodding slowly, waiting to hear what Turnbull had to say.

"I trust that you'll keep this to yourself, doctor," Turnbull said,
extinguishing his cigarette. "But I am of the opinion that the artifacts
on Lobon bear a distinct resemblance to those of the City." It was a
bald, out-and-out lie, but he knew Drawford would have no way of knowing
that it was. "I think that Lobon was actually one of the colonies of
that race--one of their food-growing planets. If so, there is certainly
a necessity for correlation between the data uncovered on Lobon and
those which have been found in the City."

Drawford's face betrayed his excitement. "Why ... why, that's amazing!