Then Carter for just a moment removed the black shroud from her face. I saw her brother gaze silently; saw him stoop and implant a kiss--and turn away. I did not want to look, but I found myself moving slowly forward. She lay, so beautiful. Her face, white and calm and peaceful in death. My sight blurred. "Easy Gregg," Snap was whispering to me. He had his arm around me. "Come on away." They tied the shroud over her face. I did not see them as they put the body in the tube, sent it through the exhaust chamber and dropped it. But a moment later I saw it, a small black, oblong bundle hovering beside us. It was perhaps a hundred feet away, circling us. Held by the _Planetara's_ bulk, it had momentarily become our satellite. It swung around us like a moon. Gruesome satellite, by nature's laws forever to follow us. Then from another tube at the bow, Blackstone operated a small zed-co-ray projector. Its dull light caught the floating bundle, neutralizing its metallic wrappings. It swung off at a tangent. Speeding. Falling free in the dome of the heavens. A rotating black oblong. But in a moment distance dwindled it to a speck. A dull silver dot with the sunlight on it. A speck of human Earth dust, falling free.... It vanished. Anita--gone. XI I turned from the deck. Miko was near me! So he had dared show himself here among us! But I realized he could not be aware we knew he was the murderer. George Prince had been asleep, had not seen Miko with Anita. Miko, with impulsive rage had shot the girl and escaped. No doubt now he was cursing himself for having done it. And he could very well assume that Anita had died without regaining consciousness to tell who had killed her. He gazed at me now. I thought for an instant he was coming over to talk with me. Though he probably considered he was not suspected of the murder of Anita, he realized, of course, that his attack on me was known. He must have wondered what action would be taken. But he did not approach me. He moved away and went inside. Moa had been near him; and as though by prearrangement with him she now accosted me. "I want to speak to you, _Set_ Haljan." "Go ahead." I felt an instinctive aversion to this Martian girl. Yet she was not unattractive. Over six feet tall, straight and slim. Sleek blond hair. Rather a handsome face; not gray, like the burly Miko, but pink and white; stern lipped, but feminine, too. She was smiling gravely now. Her blue eyes regarded me keenly. She said gently: "A sad occurrence, Gregg Haljan. And mysterious. I would not question you--" "Is that all you have to say?" I demanded. "No. You are a handsome man, Gregg--attractive to women--to any Martian woman." She said it impulsively. Admiration for me was on her face, in her eyes--a man cannot miss it. "Thank you." "I mean, I would be your friend. My brother Miko is so sorry about what happened between you and him this morning. He only wanted to talk to you, and he came to your cubby door--"