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Three days later, certain trends were beginning to make themselves evident. Through eyes made bleary
by fatigue and staring at too many numbers, the d'Alemberts looked at the graphs they had drawn and
began making some conclusions. 'It looks fairly certain,' Jules said wearily, 'that there are unaccounted
influxes of cash in Sectors Two, Thirteen, Twenty, Twenty-Two and Thirty-Five. The money just
disappears once it goes in there, as though they were dumping it in a hole.'
'Or a secret army,' Yvette pointed out.
'That is the more logical guess. Thirteen and twenty, in
particular, are the big gainers. I find it interesting that Durward, which is in Sector Ten, shows no unusual
cash problems whatsoever.'
'Confirming your guess that it's only a decoy.'
Jules shrugged. 'Perhaps. At any rate, we now have some new facts to play around with. Let's see what
we can do with them.'
They requested - and got - the complete dossiers on the rulers of each of the suspicious sectors and
their
families. Another whole day was spent going over these records, then they had another conference.
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'Every one of them is beyond reproach,' Yvette said dejectedly. 'Not a single scandal has marked any of
those families for at least a hundred years. If Banion is involved with any of them, he's managed to keep
himself squeaky clean for quite a while.'
'He would, of course. He'd do everything in his power to escape detection until he's ready to make his
move. Even so much as a traffic ticket could bring him to the attention of the Service's computers. But
I'm
more convinced than ever that the person we're looking for is somewhere within that group.'
'Swell, but how do we narrow the field? As I said before, we can't just go around sticking nitrobarb into
grand dukes until we find the right one.'
Jules considered the problem. 'The only way,' he said, 'is to get to know them better, get ourselves in a
position of trust that we can work from.'
''There's only two of us, so we can't hire out as servants to all our suspects.'
-65-
'Khorosho,then we find some service that we can perform for all of them equally. What's faddish in the
Upper Court this year?'
'Physical fitness, from what I read on the newsrolls. Everybody and his noble brother has a private gym
and a personal instructor to keep him from getting too flabby. Being in top condition has become an
obsession in the higher echelons. Of course, we were into it before it became stylish.'
'I'd say that's just about perfect for us. It'll let us get close to them without their realizing what we're up
to.'
'But how will we make them come to us?'
'Make them?' Jules smiled. 'They'll consider themselves lucky if we let them!'
One month later, safe within the confines of his private office, the Head was talking to a tall, thin man
with
graying hair who, while old, was in no sense decrepit. Duchess Helena sat across the room with her
shapely legs crossed, sipping nonchalantly at a cream liqueur while her father and his friend talked.
'I'm afraid they've even got me confused, Zan,' the older man said. 'What can it all mean? Under no
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circumstances is the Circus to go to Durward, they say, and preferably it's to remain here on extended
performance. That's easy enough to arrange, it's a popular enough attraction. Carlos and Carmen
Velasquez are not to report in, they say, and nothing that pair does, however wild, will be of any
importance.
That's fine, too. But what is the meaning of thisbeauty parlor business right here on Earth? It
doesn't make sense!'
'Not a beauty parlor, Bill,' the Head said quietly. 'A massagerie deluxe. Or rather, "The House of
Strength
of Body and of Heart." '
'Little difference. Do you at least know what they're doing?'
'Very little; and what's more, I don't particularly want to know. They're the top people I have...'
'Potentially,'the other pointed out. 'Remember, the thousand point test only measures potential. They've
never had field experience on any case this major before.'
'Well, if they can't handle it we might as well surrender now. I haven't got anybody more qualified on
hand
at the moment.'
'I think Jules d'Alembert could handle anything,' Helena said quietly from her corner, but her remark
went
unnoticed by the two men.
'I think I may have been a little too supervisorial on this matter before,' the Head continued. 'Having the
boss constantly peering over his shoulder tends to distract an agent and discourage initiative. I've given
them this job and their father's given them their training; the rest is up to them. Besides,' he added
significantly, 'while Ithink I've weeded all the traitors out of the office here, I don't know for sure. Too
much contact with them might break their cover.'
'A good point,' the older man nodded.
'I would hazard a guess that they have some particular suspect or suspects in mind who would be likely
to
take an interest in body building. This, you will note, implies that they have reached the stage where they
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can narrow their attention to individuals ... I don't know who they have in mind, but I consider it a
hopeful
sign.'
'But staying so far away from Durward. . .'
-66-
'May be the best thing they can do. So many good agents have already died there that it might just be a
trap. Anyway, as long as the d'Alemberts are working on this case I'll give them anything they want, no
questions asked.'
'That's only right, especially since they want so little from us. I still find it hard to believe that they don't
ask
us for expenses. I know the Circus' taxes are rebated, but surely they spend more than that on Empire
business.'
'My guess is, they don't. The Velasquez couple is a large outlay, certainly, but they frequently counter it
with cheaper disguises. And the Circus is so successful that its taxes are ridiculously high. The Duke
won't tell mehow high, of course - he's a funny man that way. I asked him once if we didn't owe him
some
money, and he told me if I wanted to count kopeks I should get myself a job in a grocery store.'
The old man laughed. That sounds just like him, all right. But DesPlaines is a rich planet, you know, and
Etienne d'Alembert is a tremendously able man - as well as being one of my best friends. Well, I'd better
leave you to your work now. I like talking to you when I'm feeling low, Zan; you give me a lift.' He
raised
his nearly-empty glass and gave the Service salute: 'Tomorrow, fellow and friend. May we all live to see
it.'
And, when they finished drinking the toast, His Imperial Majesty William Stanley, Tenth Emperor of the
Empire of Earth and all human domains, rose to his feet and walked majestically out of the room.
Helena grinned up at her father. 'You didn't exactly lie, I know; but if he knew as much as we do I bet
he
wouldn't feel so uplifted.'
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'He has troubles enough of his own without having to worry about ours - or about the loyalty of his own
grand dukes. Besides, we don't know yet who's behind it. It could be someone outside their five
suspects,
just as easily as not.' 'Do you really think so?'
The Head turned away. 'I don't know. I've known each of them for years. That's another reason why I
want to stay out of the d'Alemberts' way; I don't want my personal feelings to influence the case.'
The girl got up from her chair, walked across the room and began massaging the back of her father's
neck tenderly. 'if we had even a good suspicion, he'd get a shot of nitrobarb,' she said. 'But all we've got
on paper is a suspicious flow of cash into some places where it shouldn't be. That's not enough evidence
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