"Certainly, Miss," he replied. He left, and returned a moment later with a telephone. He set it before her and plugged it in under the table. Juggling the lighter-gun gently in one hand, Maya picked up the phone. As soon as she answered it, her ears were assailed by Nuwell's agonized voice. "Maya, I can't get up there tonight!" he said. "There aren't any jets here, and these idiots refuse to bring one in from Hesperidum or Cynia for me to use. I'll have to come up by groundcar." Maya sat silent, stunned. It had not seemed too great a feat to her to hold Dark captive with her disguised heatgun when she was anticipating Nuwell's arrival within hours. But suddenly she felt like a hunter who has snared a lion in a rabbit trap. "Maya, are you there?" demanded Nuwell querulously. "We'll spell each other at the wheel and drive up without stopping, but it will still take two and a half days to get there." Maya took a deep breath. "Come ahead," she said in a steady voice. "I'll have your man waiting for you when you get here." "You'll what? But I thought you said he was only staying overnight! Maya, don't you do anything rash!" "I'm afraid I already have," she said, a little ruefully. "I have him under arrest right now." The noise at the other end of the line sounded like a dismayed shriek. "You little fool!" he shrilled. "I told you not to do anything like that! How can you hold a man like that for two days, single-handed? Call in the police!" "It seems to me that I already mentioned there aren't any around here," she reminded him patiently. There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Then Nuwell said, with forced calm: "I'm leaving immediately. In the name of space, Maya, be careful!" Maya put the telephone quietly back in its cradle and looked across the table at the Tartar she had caught. Dark smiled at her, easily. "So the reinforcements you were expecting won't get here tonight, after all," he remarked softly. "He didn't say that at all!" she retorted, too quickly. "There's hardly any point in trying to deceive me about it is there?" he pointed out. "I can tell a great deal from your conversation and the expression on your face, and I'd estimate that your help is going to have to come from Mars City by groundcar--a trip I've just made, so I know exactly how long it takes. Do you plan for us to spend these two nights in your room, or mine?" She looked at him silently, stricken. "I see our waiter returning," said Dark equably. "I trust you'll enjoy your meal as much as I'm going to enjoy mine, Miss Cara Nome." 8 The waiter unplugged the telephone and lifted it from their table. "We're ready to order now," Maya said to him. "And please ask Mr. Gren to come in here." A few moments after the waiter left, the manager came to their table. Quelman Gren was dark and thin-faced, with sleek, oily hair.