"Oh?" Ross' tone was flat and noncommittal.
"Yes." The adjudicator gave strong positive emphasis to the word. He leaned forward. "You see, Ross, I overstepped myself on this life catalyst venture. Badly."
Ross' eyes narrowed, just a fraction.
"In any case," Mawson went on coolly, "I finally find myself in a position where I have no choice but to make a deal with you ... a very special sort of deal, one I wouldn't chance with anyone less reliable and trustworthy."
Ross frowned. "I don't follow you, Mawson."
It was the other's turn to shrug. "It's very simple really, Mr. Ross. My own age, the sense of years creeping upon me, prejudiced my judgment. So, thinking you were Thigpen, I sent Cheng to Venus to run you down." The adjudicator shook his head sadly. "It was an error, Mr. Ross—a grievous error. Guile's my forte; I never should have turned to violence."
"I'll agree with you there," Ross nodded, "but I still don't see how this concerns me."
"Don't bait me, Mr. Ross!" the other snapped back. "That first episode tipped my hand to Cheng, and to Veta Hall, and to Veta's brother, Sanford. The next thing I knew, even Zoltan Prenzz, Security's resident undercover agent on Japetus, was aware of what was going on.
"That meant I had to kill him. So, I sent one of my men to inject him with a dose of the catalyst—a dose from a bad batch my people found in Tornelescu's laboratory when they cut his throat and made off with the formula to begin with.
"But violence breeds violence. Veta Hall's starak-crazy brother stole the bad batch, thinking it was good, proposing to sell it to Astrell.