"I didn't think you knew enough about medicine to tell how long a man had been dead," he said.
"I don't," said Lefler. "But you set the time of Makki's death at 1830 hours. You said you could tell.
"The Earth transit started at 1612, Taat. I've known Makki all my life. If he'd been alive then, he'd have recorded it in the log. And he didn't.
"I just figured the only man who had any reason to lie deliberately about the time of Makki's death was the man who shot him."
Lefler looked at the centerdeck chronometer. It was 2025.
"Do what you can for him, then bring him up to the radio, Robwood," he said. "I've got to get up to the control room and record the midpoint of the Earth transit."