Wales still felt the shock of terrible surprise. He had been so sure that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them. Who else but madmen would do such a thing? Who else would have any motive?
He didn't know. But their pudgy prisoner knew. And, even at the risk of trapping Martha and himself in the holocaust of Castletown, he meant to find out.
"Please," panted Pudgy. "We haven't got a chance if we stay here longer. I've seen these maniacs and their Atonements. They won't leave a building standing here!"
Wales looked at Martha's white face. "All right, Martha, we'll get going. We'll leave this fellow here." He started to turn away.
"No, it's murder!" screamed Pudgy. "You can't leave me here, my hands tied—"
"Then tell," Wales pressed. "Who seized Kendrick? Who's behind all this?"
Beads of sweat stood out on Pudgy's dough-white face. His eyes rolled horribly, and then he said hoarsely,
"Fairlie. John Fairlie. And others—"
"Fairlie? The regional Evacuation Marshal? What about him?" Wales demanded.
"He—and friends of his, other Evacuation officials—they're the ones," Pudgy said. "They've got Lee Kendrick. They're the ones that want a lot of people left on Earth."