IT WAS A NECESSARY EVIL. HE COULD NOT BE PERMITTED TO SPEAK. NOT YET. So you killed him? ONE OF MY PEOPLE GOT A LITTLE OVER ZEALOUS. IT IS REGRETTABLE, BUT NECESSARY. It is not necessary to kill anyone. Nowhere in the plan does it call for murder! That was part of our deal. THE WINDS BLOW. CONDITIONS CHANGE. The wind blows up your ass! THAT DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT HE WAS GOING TO TELL WHAT HE KNEW. What the hell does he know? DGRAPH. THAT'S THE PROGRAM WE INFECTED. DGraph? That's impossible. That's the most popular program in the world. How did you infect it? I BOUGHT IT. You own dGraph? I thought that Data Tech owned them. OSO OWNS DATA TECH. YOU DID NOT LISTEN TO YOUR OWN ADVICE. I BOUGHT IT AFTER YOU VISITED ME FOR THE SECOND TIME. IT SEEMED PRUDENT. WE ALSO BOUGHT A HALF DOZEN OTHER SMALL, PROMISING SOFTWARE COMPANIES, JUST AS YOU SUGGESTED. VERY GOOD PLAN. And Troubleaux knows? OF COURSE. HE HAD INCENTIVE. So you try to kill him? HE LOST HIS INCENTIVE. IT WAS NECESSARY. HE WAS GOING TO TELL AND, AS YOU SAID, SECRECY IS PARAMOUNT. YOUR WORDS. Yes, secrecy, but not murder. I can't be part of that. BUT YOU ARE MR. FOSTER. I HOPE THAT THIS IS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT THAT WILL NOT BE REPEATED. It had damn well better be. DO NOT FORGET MR. FOSTER THAT YOU HAVE A SIZABLE PAYMENT COMING. I WOULD HATE TO SEE YOU LOSE THAT WHEN THINGS ARE SO CLOSE. <<<<<<CONNECTION TERMINATED>>>>>> "Son of a bitch," Miles said out loud. "Son of a bitch." "What's going on? Miles?" Perky followed him back to the couch in front of the TV and sat close with her arm around him. She was still crying softly. "It's gonna start. That's amazing." He blankly stared forward. "What's gonna start? Miles, did you kill someone?" "Oh, no!" He turned to her in sincerity. "That bastard Homosoto did. Jesus, I can't believe it." "What are you involved in? I thought you were a consultant." "I was. Tomorrow I will be a very rich retired consultant." He pulled her hands into his and spoke warmly. "Listen, it's better that your don't know what's going on, much better. But I promise you, I promise you, that Homosoto is behind it, not me. I couldn't ever kill anyone. You need to believe that." "Miles, I do, but you seem to know more than . . ." "I do, and I can't say anything. Trust me," he said as he brought her close to him. "This will all work out for the best. I promise you. Look at me," he said and pulled up her chin so she gazed directly into his eyes. "I have a lot invested in you, and this project. More than you could ever know, and now that it is nearly over, I can put more time into you. After all, you bear some of the responsibility." Miles' loving attitude was a contradiction from his usual self centered pre-occupation. "Me?" She asked. "Who got me involved with Homosoto in the first place?" he said glaring at her.