He was within a hundred and fifty feet of the point when he discovered just how healthy the notion of a preliminary check had been. A man was lying in the cover of the evergreens Dowland had been thinking about, head up, studying the ranch grounds. He wore an antiradiation suit of the type Dowland had found in the storeroom; a heavy rifle lay beside him. His face was in profile. It was smeared now with the sweat and dirt the AR field had held in, but Dowland recognized the bold, bony features instantly.
He had finally found Doctor Paul Trelawney.
It took Dowland over eight minutes to cover the remaining distance between them. But the stalk had eminently satisfactory results. He was within a yard of Trelawney before the Freeholder became aware of his presence. The IPA gun prodded the man's spine an instant later.
"No noise, please," Dowland said softly. "I'd sooner not kill you. I might have to."
Paul Trelawney was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was raw with shock. "Who the devil are you?"
"Solar Police Authority," Dowland said. "You know why I'm here."
Trelawney grunted. Dowland went on, "Why are you hiding out?"
"Why do you think?" Trelawney asked irritably. "Before showing myself, I was trying to determine the whereabouts of the man who fired a rifle within half a mile of me during the night."
So they had been stalking each other. Dowland said, "Why couldn't that person have been your brother or niece?"