"No," said Flip. "No! Charlie doesn't know where the mine is—he had nothing to do with this."
"No matter," said the woman. "Perhaps seeing him in the mud will affect your obstinacy."
"That mine's worthless," Flip said. "It's no good any more. Since I.M.C.—"
"I know," she replied.
"Hush, Flip," said Charlie. "There's more going on than we know about. Don't tell her. I'm an old man and—"
"Throw him in," said the woman impatiently.
Flip got to his feet, ignoring the gun in his face. Voss picked up the end of the rope around Charlie's neck.
"Stop," said Flip. "I'll tell you." He couldn't let Charlie go through with this. It wasn't his problem and he had a broken wrist already.
"Be quiet," said Charlie. "I don't—"
"Talk," the woman told Flip. The mine must mean a lot to her, Flip thought. Why? He was positive about the present market price. Could the radio report have been wrong? No. Not in a quotation affecting five planets.