n't take them into the organization. There are certain
extenuating circumstances which we recognize; self-defense, for example.
But aside from that, we feel that a man who has committed premeditated
murder on Earth is the wrong man for us."

"I see," Barrent said. "Would it help any if I told you I don't have the
usual Omegan attitude toward murder?"

"I know you don't," Moera said. "If it were up to me, I'd take you into
the organization. But it's not my choice.... Will, are you sure you're a
murderer?"

"I believe I am," Barrent said. "I probably am."

"Too bad," Moera said. "Still, the organization needs high-survival
types, no matter what they did on Earth. I can't promise anything, but
I'll see what I can do. It would help if you could find out more about
why you committed murder. Perhaps there were extenuating
circumstances."

"Perhaps," Barrent said doubtfully. "I'll try to find out."

That evening, just before he went to sleep, Moera opened the adjoining
door and came into his room. Slim and warm, she slipped into his bed.
When he started to speak, she put a hand over his mouth. And Barrent,
who had learned not to question good fortune, kept quiet.

The rest of the vacation passed much too quickly. The subject of the
organization did not come up again; but, perhaps as compensation, the
adjoining door was not closed. At last, late on the seventh day, Barrent
and Moera returned to Tetrahyde.

"When can I see you again?" Barrent asked.

"I'll get in touch with you."

"That's not a very satisfactory arrangement."

"It's the best I can do," Moera said. "I'm sorry, Will. I'll see what I
can do about the organization."

Barrent had to be satisfied with that. When the vehicle dropped him at
his store, he still didn't know where she lived, or what kind of an
organization she represented.

* * * * *

Back in his apartment, he considered carefully the details of his dream
in the Dream Shop. It was all there: his anger at Therkaler, the illicit
weapon, the encounter, the corpse, and then the informer and the judge.
Only one thing was missing. He had no recollection of the actual murder,
no memory of aiming the weapon and activating it. The dream stopped when
he met Therkaler, and started again after he was dead.

Perhaps he had blocked the moment of actual murder out of his mind; but
perhaps there had been some provocation, some satisfactory reason why
he had killed the man.