Susan looked--different. She was as blonde and pretty as ever. But she wasn't bubbly. She smiled at me in passing and handed Defoe a typed script, which he scanned carefully. He asked, "Nothing new on Hammond?" "No, sir," she said. "All right. You may leave this." She nodded and left. Defoe turned back to me. "I have some news for you, Thomas. Hammond has been located." "That's good," I said. "Not too badly hung over, I hope." He gave me an arctic smile. "Hardly. He was found by a couple of peasants who were picking grapes. He's dead." V Hammond dead! He had had his faults, but he was an officer of the Company and a man I had met. Dead! I asked, "How? What happened?" "Perhaps you can tell me that, Thomas," said Defoe. I sat startledly erect, shocked by the significance of the words. I said hotly, "Damn it, Mr. Defoe, you know I had nothing to do with this! I've been all over the whole thing with you and I thought you were on my side! Just because I said a lot of crazy things after Marianna died doesn't mean I'm anti-Company--and it certainly doesn't mean I'd commit murder. If you think that, then why the devil did you put me in cadet school?" Defoe merely raised his hand by bending the wrist slightly; it was enough to stop me, though. "Gently, Thomas. I don't think you did it--that much should be obvious. And I put you in cadet school because I had work for you." "But you said I knew something I was holding back." Defoe waggled the hand reprovingly. "I said you might be able to tell me who killed Hammond. And so you might--but not yet. I count heavily on you for help in this area, Thomas. There are two urgent tasks to be done. Hammond's death--" he paused and shrugged, and the shrug was all of Hammond's epitaph--"is only an incident in a larger pattern; we need to work out the pattern itself." He glanced again at the typed list Susan had handed him. "I find that I can stay in the Naples area for only a short time; the two tasks must be done before I leave. I shall handle one myself. The other I intend to delegate to you. "First we have the unfortunate situation in regard to the state of public morale. Unfortunate? Perhaps I should say disgraceful. There is quite obviously a nucleus of troublemakers at work, Thomas, and Gogarty has not had the wit to find them and take the appropriate steps. Someone else must. Second, this Zorchi is an unnecessary annoyance. I do not propose to let the Company be annoyed, Thomas. Which assignment would you prefer?" I said hesitantly, "I don't know if Mr. Gogarty would like me to--" "Gogarty is an ass! If he had not blundered incessantly since he took over the district, I should not have had to drop important work to come here." I thought for a second. Digging out an undercover ring of troublemakers didn't sound particularly easy. On the other hand, I had already tried my luck with Zorchi. "Perhaps you'd better try Zorchi," I said.