nt.

Jadiver closed his eyes. Emily was dying and no one could help her. Or
himself, either, when they came to pick him up. They had to know exactly
where he was. He waited, expecting a tap on the shoulder or the snap of
the tangle gun.

The lights dimmed and the same harsh voice spoke. "The danger is over,
thanks to the efficient work of the Venicity police force. You are now
safe."

Nothing like advertising yourself, thought Jadiver.

No one came near him. Apparently the police didn't want him yet--they
expected him to do more for them.

He went down the stairs and mingled with the excited guests. It had been
a good show, unexpected entertainment, especially since it hadn't
involved any real danger for them. He circulated through the chattering
men and women until he came near the planted area. At an opportune
moment, he slipped in.

It was a miniature jungle; he was safe from ordinary detection as long
as he stayed there. He went quietly through the vines and shrubs toward
the other side. The broad back of a policemen loomed up in front of him.

Jadiver was an industrial engineer, a specialist in the design of robot
bodies and faces, robots that had to look like humans. He knew anatomy,
not in the way a doctor did, but it was nonetheless the knowledge of an
expert. He reached out and the policeman toppled.

He dragged the unconscious man deeper into the little jungle and
listened. No one had noticed. Physically a large man, the policeman
might be the one who had shot Emily--and then again he might not be. He
did have a tangle gun, which was the important thing. Jadiver took it
and rifled the man's pockets for ammunition.

He knelt for a final check on the body. The chest rose and fell with
slow regularity. For insurance, Jadiver again pressed the nerve. This
man wouldn't trouble anyone for a few hours.

Jadiver looked out. When he was sure he wasn't observed, he walked out
and joined the guests. He moved politely from one group to another and
in several minutes stood beside the door. He left the way he came.

It was that simple. He had to assume that until events proved he was
mistaken.

* * * * *

Outside, he walked briskly. It was not late and the city overflowed with
men and women walking, flying, skimming. Roughly dressed men down from
the north polar farms, explorers from the temperate jungles, government
girls--the jumbled swarm that comes to a planet in the interm