He whirled from the window and began pacing the floor, trying to think of something they could do that wasn't being done. Again at the communicator, Captain Wayne was barking questions.
"All available men and women are combing the town, sir," he reported, "with orders to break down any doors that are locked, to stop at nothing."
"And outside, Captain?"
"The two giros are our only real hope. But the men from the smelting plant are working afoot out of town. By nine-thirty they'll have covered a radius of about five miles."
Corey returned, slamming the door viciously behind him. "Maybe we could trick him, sir," he suggested. "Pretend we'll give him a ship if he'll—"
"A Venusian wouldn't trust his own mother," Barrow snapped. "He'd insist on taking off first and then radioing back where she is. And don't think he wouldn't check the fuel tanks."
"I wish you'd let me and Wayne work on him, anyway."
Director Barrow didn't answer.
Mart growled, "If Leah dies, I'm going to take that filthy pirate and—"
Wayne's voice was bitter. "Venusians can't help what they are. Blame the Earth council that sold them those ships. If they had used more sense, there wouldn't be a Venusian off Venus."