"How come it didn't hit you?" van dan Burg asked.
"I don't know," Aréchaga said. "Just lucky, I guess."
"What was that stuff you gave us?" Hagstrom asked.
"What stuff?" Aréchaga said innocently. "By the way, I raised hell with the inventory getting you guys back in condition. Would you mind going into the far pantry and straightening things up a little?"
They went, pulling their way down the passage to the rearmost food locker. "There's something very funny going on," Hagstrom said.
Van den Burg inspected the stocks and the inventory list suspiciously. "Looks all right to me. I wonder why he wanted us to check it." They looked at each other.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Hagstrom asked.
Van den Burg nodded. They pulled themselves silently along the passageway back to the control room. Aréchaga was speaking softly into the recorder, his back to the entrance. Hagstrom cleared his throat and the black-haired little man spun guiltily. Van den Burg reached for the playback switch.
"It's just a routine report," Aréchaga protested.
"We're curious," Hagstrom said.