Vidac eyed them curiously. "And you're sure you saw no one, and that no one saw you?"
"We can't be sure that no one saw us, sir," said Tom, "but I doubt it. As Roger said, it was after midnight."
Vidac whirled and sat down again. He pressed a small button on his desk and waited, silently considering the cadets, his eyes cool and level. The door opened and Governor Hardy walked in, followed by several men.
Tom suddenly realized that it was the first time they had seen the governor in nearly six weeks.
"Have you found Professor Sykes?" he demanded.
Vidac shook his head, then turned to the other men. Tom, with a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, recognized them as the colonists who had been with Ed Bush when Roger had his last argument with the professor.
"Did you hear Cadet Manning threaten Professor Sykes?" asked Vidac.
"Yes, sir," replied one of the colonists.
"What did he say?" asked Vidac. "Repeat it for Governor Hardy."
The colonist quoted Roger's threat almost word for word and Tom noted grimly that the witness made the most of the fact that he and Astro had followed Roger out of the office after the argument. The implication was clear that they were part of the threat.