* * * * *
Nathan rose. It was as if an electric charge had been thrust between
the other men.
"I'll find the killer," said Nathan evenly. He looked down at the form
on the cavern floor. "I'll find him if it takes the rest of my life.
Why did he warn me of Firebird? Was it only because of the Jewels or do
you think she could have done this?"
"He hated Firebird because of an old quarrel. She might have done it,
but I don't know. I was with Thymar in Aquatown when he received a
message saying information concerning the Blue Jewel could be found
here. He went alone and we were to meet a day later to leave for Mars.
He didn't show up so I came here and found him like this."
Nathan nodded. The policeman, Cleeg, had told him that much after Tabor
had sent word. But that was no help. It only served to fix Nathan's
hatred more intensely upon the cursed Seven Jewels of Chamar.
"Was my father carrying any of the Jewels when he came here?"
"He had the Pink one. I tried to warn him, but he said he could take
care of it."
"And now it's gone, of course."
Tabor nodded. "The whole thing was a trap by someone who knew he had
it."
"Who knew of it?"
"Half of Venus. He was drunk and boasting of it in the taverns the
night before."
That was Thymar, Nathan thought, a great flagon of wine in one hand,
boasting to the whole assemblage in some tavern, proclaiming his
fabulous deeds upon the spaceways and challenging any one to dispute
his word with flame lances.
"Take care of things, will you?" Nathan said abruptly. "I'll get back
to the town."
"What are you going to do?"
"I think I know a way to trap the killer."
The policeman and Tabor looked startled. "Be careful, boy," said Tabor.
"Do you want me to go with you?"
"No. Don't worry about me."
"Watch out for Firebird. She's on Venus now, and your father must have
had a reason for his warning."
"Bah! She's nothing but a Calamity Jane legend. Have you ever traded
flames with her?"
"I've seen men who have. They weren't alive to tell about it."
"Spacemen dislike combat with a woman so you've built up a myth about
her to give an excuse for not killing her. But if she is the one who
killed my father she's going to pay for it."
"Then why not let the police bring her in?"
"What police? Four planets have put a price on her head and she walks
free in the cities of any of them."
"She's dangerous," Tabor repeated his warning. "And perhaps she is not
the killer after all. There's no use crossing her trail needlessly."
"We'll soon know," Nathan promised.
He turned and strode out of the cavern of death while the two police
officers began preparing his father's body for the trip back to the
city under Tabor's direction. He paused a moment at the entrance and
drew up the waterproof hood of his cloak and tied the knot beneath his
chin, then went out into the sheeting rain.
At the bottom of the steep and slippery trail leading from the cave
waited Perseus, the white stallion imported from Earth. In a world
still battling incessantly against the jungle the horse was one of the
chief means of private transportation, even though practically extinct
on Earth.
Perseus nuzzled against Nathan's neck and the man rested his face
against the horse's head for a moment. Loneliness and weariness
descended upon Nathan. He was lonelier than he had ever known he could
be, he thought. Thymar had never given much companionship to his son
because their adventurous spirits had led them in opposite directions.
But the mere knowledge of Thymar's existence somewhere in the universe
was the only companionship Nathan had needed. Now that was gone.
And somewhere on Venus was a murderer he had to kill.