"Before leaving Earth?" Black showed his teeth in a humorless smile.
"Boles, you have no idea of how abruptly and completely the government
men cut us off from our every resource! We were given no opportunity to
draw up plans to escape from exile, believe me."
Phil glanced over at Celia. "In that case," he said, a little thickly,
"we'd better see if we can't draw some up together immediately."
Jackson asked, staring, "What are you talking about, Phil? Don't think
for a moment Silas Thayer isn't doing what he can to find out who put
that trick over on him. I'm not at all sure he doesn't suspect me. And
if he can tie it to us, it's our neck. If you have some crazy idea of
getting off the planet now, let me tell you that for the next few years
we can't risk making a single move! If we stay quiet, we're safe. We--"
"I don't think we'd be safe," Phil said.
On his right, Celia Adams added sharply, "The gentleman in the other car
who's just started to lower that window had better raise it again! If
he's got good eyesight, he'll see I have a gun pointed at him. Yes,
that's much better! Go on, Phil."
"Have you both gone out of your minds?" Jackson demanded.
"No," Celia said. She laughed with a sudden shakiness in her tone,
added, "Though I don't know why we haven't! We've thought of the
possibility that the rest of you might feel it would be better if Phil
and I weren't around any more, Wayne."
"That's nonsense!" Jackson said.
"Maybe. Anyway, don't try it. You wouldn't be doing yourselves a favor
even if it worked. Better listen now."
"Listen to what?" Jackson demanded exasperatedly. "I'm telling you it
will be all right, if we just don't make any mistakes. The only real
pieces of evidence were your duplicator and the original gun. Since
we're rid of those--"
"We're not rid of the gun, Wayne," Phil said. "I still have it. I
haven't dared get rid of it."
"You ... what do you mean?"
"I was with Beulah in the Fort Roye hospital when she died," Phil said.
He added to Ronald Black, "That was two days after the ship brought the
seven of you in."