and Waverly and said, "Well, I thought he'd be back and would have stayed, but I was ordered to Philadelphia."
Chandra shook her head. "Irene told me all about it before Ward did. He was awfully upset with you—he insists the Council was on the verge of finding in his favor, even though the Computer was against him—honestly, sometimes he thinks the thing has a personal grudge—and you charged in waving your guns and yelling."
Illya stared. "I never yelled," he said. "Did you?"
"Illya, you should know me better than that. What's more, my gun never even left my holster."
"Neither did mine. In the excitement I forgot to draw."
Chandra laughed, a bright tinkle. "I told Ward I didn't believe him about that—I told him what I thought of you, Mr. Solo, and told him just why you couldn't have done anything that simply."
Illya asked, as if he were changing the subject, "I don't suppose Ward told you what happened then?"
"Well, he escaped."
"Did he tell you how?"
"Yes—but I don't believe that either."
There was a pause. "So then he just came up here a little earlier to get ready for classes," she concluded.
"I'll bet you found him the job."
"Not exactly—Ed talked the Science Department into inviting him to come for a semester three years ago; he's just been too busy until this nonsense with King came up. He really likes it here—he's made progress on lots of things he's been putting aside for years, and the weather seems to agree with him."
"It wouldn't dare disagree," muttered Napoleon.
Chandra laughed again. "That's just what Irene said two weeks ago."
"Is she here?" Illya asked, glancing around.
"No, she's hiding somewhere. She and Ward nearly had words about his refusing to get in touch with you, and they compromised on that hint she left. But she's still worried that King may find him and she wants to keep an escape route open. Even Ward doesn't know where she is. But they keep in touch."
Napoleon realized something else and gave voice to a grievance. "You even knew about Baldwin night before last. You let me tramp half the streets of Burlington talking to people who probably thought I was some kind of nut. You probably would have let me go on for a week."
"No I wouldn't, silly," she said affectionately. "Ward made me promise not to give you any more hints after you got here. But I'd promised myself if you hadn't found him in five days I would have given you a little clue. That was why Ed invited you to come to the campus—you had a better chance of running into him accidentally. And he wasn't really mad at you any more, he was just used to the idea that he was. See? If you'd spent more time relaxing and less time working, you would have found him a lot sooner."
There was another pause—a longer one, broken at last by Waverly. "Would you care to come with us to his office, Mrs. Reynolds?"
"Oh, he's not at his office—he's out at the Bomb Shop. He asked me last night to meet you here and direct you to it."
"Hm. He seems to know my plans before I do." Waverly released a rare chuckle. "Let's go see him and find out when I am expected."
* * *
"Actually, Mr. Solo, I had expected you two days earlier. Irene told me she saw Mr. Kuryakin on Monday, and I gave you Tuesday to interpret her communication."
"I arrived Tuesday, sir, but out cryptanalysis section wouldn't get more specific than Vermont."
"You needn't have searched the entire state. This is the University, after all—you would hardly have expected to find me grubbing about back in the woods."
"Well, since your life was in danger, we weren't sure..."
"Nonsense. My life has been in danger ever since it began. I have simply learned to take reasonable precautions."
"I'd be interested to know what you consider 'reasonable precautions'," Illya said.
Baldwin pointed at the open door of the Bomb Shop, where a signboard the height of the doorway and eighteen inches wide hung. In red on white, it was headed ATTENTA! PERICOLO! Beneath this, the
Chandra shook her head. "Irene told me all about it before Ward did. He was awfully upset with you—he insists the Council was on the verge of finding in his favor, even though the Computer was against him—honestly, sometimes he thinks the thing has a personal grudge—and you charged in waving your guns and yelling."
Illya stared. "I never yelled," he said. "Did you?"
"Illya, you should know me better than that. What's more, my gun never even left my holster."
"Neither did mine. In the excitement I forgot to draw."
Chandra laughed, a bright tinkle. "I told Ward I didn't believe him about that—I told him what I thought of you, Mr. Solo, and told him just why you couldn't have done anything that simply."
Illya asked, as if he were changing the subject, "I don't suppose Ward told you what happened then?"
"Well, he escaped."
"Did he tell you how?"
"Yes—but I don't believe that either."
There was a pause. "So then he just came up here a little earlier to get ready for classes," she concluded.
"I'll bet you found him the job."
"Not exactly—Ed talked the Science Department into inviting him to come for a semester three years ago; he's just been too busy until this nonsense with King came up. He really likes it here—he's made progress on lots of things he's been putting aside for years, and the weather seems to agree with him."
"It wouldn't dare disagree," muttered Napoleon.
Chandra laughed again. "That's just what Irene said two weeks ago."
"Is she here?" Illya asked, glancing around.
"No, she's hiding somewhere. She and Ward nearly had words about his refusing to get in touch with you, and they compromised on that hint she left. But she's still worried that King may find him and she wants to keep an escape route open. Even Ward doesn't know where she is. But they keep in touch."
Napoleon realized something else and gave voice to a grievance. "You even knew about Baldwin night before last. You let me tramp half the streets of Burlington talking to people who probably thought I was some kind of nut. You probably would have let me go on for a week."
"No I wouldn't, silly," she said affectionately. "Ward made me promise not to give you any more hints after you got here. But I'd promised myself if you hadn't found him in five days I would have given you a little clue. That was why Ed invited you to come to the campus—you had a better chance of running into him accidentally. And he wasn't really mad at you any more, he was just used to the idea that he was. See? If you'd spent more time relaxing and less time working, you would have found him a lot sooner."
There was another pause—a longer one, broken at last by Waverly. "Would you care to come with us to his office, Mrs. Reynolds?"
"Oh, he's not at his office—he's out at the Bomb Shop. He asked me last night to meet you here and direct you to it."
"Hm. He seems to know my plans before I do." Waverly released a rare chuckle. "Let's go see him and find out when I am expected."
* * *
"Actually, Mr. Solo, I had expected you two days earlier. Irene told me she saw Mr. Kuryakin on Monday, and I gave you Tuesday to interpret her communication."
"I arrived Tuesday, sir, but out cryptanalysis section wouldn't get more specific than Vermont."
"You needn't have searched the entire state. This is the University, after all—you would hardly have expected to find me grubbing about back in the woods."
"Well, since your life was in danger, we weren't sure..."
"Nonsense. My life has been in danger ever since it began. I have simply learned to take reasonable precautions."
"I'd be interested to know what you consider 'reasonable precautions'," Illya said.
Baldwin pointed at the open door of the Bomb Shop, where a signboard the height of the doorway and eighteen inches wide hung. In red on white, it was headed ATTENTA! PERICOLO! Beneath this, the
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