Kennett turned to Marnay when the Martian had gone. "The Martian Secret Police!" he said contemptuously. "They're very little above the outlaw scum of this city, themselves. I'm sure Prather buys them off, and I think V'Norghi almost hopes I won't succeed! But you see, I happened to save his life once; and whatever else you say of the Martians, you can't say they aren't conscientious toward their obligations."
"I see," Marnay nodded. "But what about that cruiser he says left here? You really think that was some of Prather's men, hurrying to tell him the Vera's on the way out there with a rich cargo?"
"I'm sure of it. That's the way Prather's always worked."
"But they're going where? Out around Jupiter you said. You can't be sure that's where Prather is!"
"Oho, but that's exactly what I can be sure of! You see, I've not only kept abreast of Prather's activities currently, but I've studied every available past record on him. His methods, his escapes, his shiftings. Not even the Patrol has kept tabs on him as I have. Admittedly, he's as clever as he is ruthless. But I know his system now."
"All right," Marnay conceded. "Your calculations tell you he's out around Jupiter now. Won't that be about like looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack?"
"I guess so. That's why we're not going to look for him at all. He's coming right out into space after the Vera—I hope."
So he was coming out after the Vera! Marnay suddenly remembered the time when Prather had smashed through a cordon of Patrol ships, demolishing four and outrunning the rest. Marnay grimaced, but he merely said: "All right, when do we leave?"
"About noon, if I can wait that long! That cruiser that left here last night is probably very fast, and the Vera is just a slow old freighter; so if we give them about twelve hours' start, and Prather acts at once, he ought to meet us somewhere just the other side of the asteroids."
"Oh," Marnay said, pretty feebly. So the Vera was just a slow old freighter. And with it they were going to capture the most ruthless pirate of the century! That was certainly a bright picture. Marnay began to wonder, wryly, how the hell he had ever gotten into this, and why!