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She nodded, then after a few seconds said, Casey will have a fit!
Her attempt at humor was a good sign. Colman grinned and heaved himself from his seat. Then let s
go, he grunted.
When they were all outside, Carson and Maddock took the picture-crate, Stanislau a toolbox, Fuller
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assorted ropes and fasteners, and Colman some papers and inventory pads. Veronica carried a large roll
of packing foam on her shoulder, keeping it pressed against the side of her face. Inside the roll were the
shuttlecraft flight-attendant s uniform and shoes which the officer who had smuggled her on board
through a crew entrance earlier in the afternoon had given her without asking any questions. They mingled
with the bustle going on around the house and all through the ground floor, and eventually came together
again upstairs, outside the door leading through to the rooms that bad formed the Kalenses private suite.
Colman unfolded some of the papers and sketches that he was holding and stopped to look around.
After a few seconds he gestured to attract the attention of the SD guard who was standing disinterestedly
near the top of the main stairs, and nodded his head in the direction of the door. Is that the way into the
bedroom and private quarters? he asked.
It is, but nothing in there s to be touched until Mrs. Kalens has been back to get some stuff, the guard
answered. She should be on her way down just about now.
That s okay, Colman said. We just have to take some measurements. Without waiting for a reply he
walked over to the door, opened it, poked his head in, called back to Stanislau, This is it. Where s
Johnson? and went inside. Stanislau put down the toolbox and followed, then Colman came back out
and squatted down to rummage inside it for something. Veronica appeared and went in with the packing
roll, Stanislau came out, Colman went back in with a measure, and a few yards away along the corridor
Carson and Maddock managed to get the picture-crate stuck across an awkward corner. While the SD
was half watching them, Fuller came up the stair to ask where Johnson was, Stanislau waved in the
direction of the doorway, and Fuller went in while Colman came out. Carson dropped his end of the
crate, Stanislau went in with a compad, Maddock started yelling at Carson, and Fuller came out.
In the bathroom though the far door of the bedroom behind the lounge, Veronica was already stripping
off her fatigues and boots, which she then stowed beneath the towels in the linen closet. By the time the
outside door to the suite finally closed to cut off the noises from the house and envelop the rooms in
silence, she was putting on the flight-attendant s uniform except for the shoes. After that she used Celia s
things to attend to her makeup.
Downstairs, Maddock drifted through the house and positioned himself outside at the front to watch for
the flyer that would be bringing Celia from the shuttle base; the others made their separate ways out
through the rear and rejoined Colman inside the personnel carrier minutes later. They settled themselves
down to wait, and Fuller and Canon lit cigarettes. Still think it ll go okay, Sarge? Stanislau asked. I
could do a quick hair-job in there. He had brought the things with him, just in case.
Colman shook his head. There shouldn t be any need. Celia s hair is a lot shorter. There ll be fewer
people around later. It ll be okay...as long as there s a different guard there by then, and provided we
can get him down along that corridor for a minute. And anyhow, they ll be expecting people to be going
in there then.
If you say so, Stanislau said.
How long before the flyer shows up? Carson asked.
Colman looked at his watch. About half an hour if it s on schedule.
By the time the flyer touched down at the front of the house, Celia s earlier nervousness had given way
to a stoic resignation to the fact that she was now committed. She had gambled that Sterm would accept
her desire to return to her home as normal feminine behavior and that because he believed her to be
helpless and without anyone else to run to anyway, the thought of her trying to escape would not enter his
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mind seriously. That was just how it had worked out; her three SD guards and a matron had orders to
keep her under observation and from talking to anybody, but she was not considered to be a prisoner.
Her only worry now was that Veronica might have failed to contact Colman or that for some reason he
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