“I’ve never forgotten it,” Kennon said. “That was one of the principal reasons I came here. I wanted to see how you’d react when you learned the whole truth.”
“And I suppose you gloat—no—you’re not doing that. But you are right. I could have checked it further. But I didn’t. Outworld Enterprises is far bigger than Flora—and I was busy. Galactic trade is a snake-pit. And, after all, there was Douglas’s death—and the Family with their never-ending clamor for money and their threats when it didn’t come promptly. I like being an entrepreneur, but until I made Outworld independent of Family control, I couldn’t do anything except run the business to their wishes. Actually the island was only a small part of the corporation. I tried to run it as humanely as possible under the circumstances.” He shuddered. “I don’t think I was ever needlessly cruel.”
“No,” Kennon said, “you were indifferent.”
“Which is just as bad,” Alexander said.
“Well—what are you going to do about it?” Copper interjected. “You can beat yourself until you’re blue, but that won’t accomplish anything.”
“What are you going to do?” Alexander countered. “You have the upper hand.”
“Me?” Copper asked. “I have nothing. This is between you men.” She lapsed into silence.
Alexander turned back to Kennon. “You have undoubtedly made some arrangements. You wouldn’t come here—oh! I see. Congratulations. Handling the evidence that way was a wise course. You have my admiration. But then I should have known that I was not dealing with a fool.” He smiled wryly. “Subconsciously I think I did know—but—”
“That’s one consolation,” Kennon grinned. “To be thought a rascal is bad enough, but to be considered a fool is intolerable.”
“But your decision not to use the evidence unless you were forced to—that’s poor business.”