* * *
She looked very small huddled on her bed of rags. The scar was hidden and, with her cropped hair, she seemed more like an adventurous boy than a mature woman who had seen too much of the hard side of life. Then she turned and Dumarest could see the rags and blood and the damage done to the side of her head.
"Earl?"
"Here." He found her hand and gripped it. "What happened?"
"Earl." Her fingers tightened. "I'm frightened, Earl. It's so dark, and it shouldn't be dark, not in summer, not like this."
Dumarest raised his head and looked at the monk standing on the other side of the bed. Brother Glee spoke before his junior could answer Dumarest's unspoken question.
"We were selecting those for work in the sheds of agent Zopolis. Men and women in the greatest need. Selene was one. We entered and found her lying in a pool of blood; she had been struck down."
"Why?"
"I do not know, brother," said the monk quietly. "But it was rumored that she had money hidden away."
Dumarest turned, looking at the interior of the hut. The corner which had held his bed was a jumbled mess. The chests had been wrenched open; scraps of fabric littered the floor. Even the plastic fragments lining the sagging roof had been torn down. Someone had searched the place with a furious desperation.
"Earl." Her voice was a fading whisper. "It's so dark, Earl, so dark!"
"The blow crushed the side of her head," said the junior monk quietly. "She is paralyzed down one side and totally blind. I have managed to staunch the bleeding, but there is extensive damage to the brain." He paused and then added, "There are other mind injuries: bruises and lacerations together with burns."
"Torture?"
The monk inclined his head. "It would appear so; she was gagged when we found her."
Dumarest leaned closer to the woman on the bed. "Selene," he said urgently. "Who did it? Tell me who did it."
Her fingers closed even tighter on his. "Earl," she breathed, "You came. I needed you and you came."
"Who did it?"
"A man," she said. "He wanted money."
"Which man? Did you know him? Tell me his name."
"Name?" She moved a little. "Hurt," she said, whimpering. "He hurt me."
"The damage to her brain has obviously impaired her memory," said the junior monk softly. "It could be that she is unable to tell you more."
"She must." Anger made Dumarest curt. "A woman," he said, "harmless, trying to make a living the best way she could-and some money-hungry swine comes to her home and does this to her." He stooped even lower over the bed, his lips almost touching her ear. "Selene!" he said sharply. "Listen to me."
"Earl?"
"You must tell me who the man was. Who did this to you?"
She moved a little as if trying to escape from something unpleasant.
"Tell me," he insisted.
"Rings," she said abruptly. "Rings!" Then, with a fading softness, she continued, "Earl, don't leave me. Earl… don't leave me."
He felt the fingers locked on his own suddenly relax, watched as the cropped head turned, falling on the crude pillow, hiding the scar for the last time.
Dumarest rose, stepping back as the monk gently closed her dead eyes and turning to face the silent figure of Brother Glee.
"You came here looking for her," he said. "Did you see anyone leave as you approached? Someone who stood close to the hut, perhaps, or who may have passed you on the path."
Beneath the shadow of the cowl the eyes of the monk were steady on his own. "What do you intend, brother?"
"I am going to find the man responsible for this," said Dumarest rightly. "He will not do it again."
"Murder, brother?"
"Justice, monk, the only kind of justice there is on this planet. Or do you wish to see the man who did this escape?"
Brother Glee shook his head. Dumarest was right. There was no law on Scar, no police or other authority which had any interest in what had happened. But, if he should prove too hasty, what then?
"There was a man," said the monk softly. He would suffer penance for this later; it was not his place to speak when his superior remained silent. But he was young and not yet divorced from anger. "A contract man, Heldar."
"Heldar," said Dumarest slowly. He had heard the gossip. "He was close?"
"He passed us on the path."
"Alone," said Brother Glee quickly. The damage was now done; all he could do was to minimize the probable consequences. "And there is no proof. We saw nothing to connect him with the crime."
"Have no fear, Brother," said Dumarest curtly. "I shall not harm an innocent man."
* * *
The crowds had thickened at the fair when Dumarest returned. A girl caught his arm; her face was dotted with luminous points and her hair a frizzled mass of silver and gold.
"Hello, handsome," she cooed. "Why look so grim?" He shook free his arm and pressed deeper into the crowd, his eyes searching.
Another girl, a blonde with tattooed lips, pressed her lush body against his chest. "How about me giving you something nice, good looking?" Her smile was inviting. "Nice clean sheets, full stimulating apparatus and something to get you into the mood. Satisfaction guaranteed, or a full refund." She tilted her head to where a space ship, blazoned with phallic symbols, stood close by. "Yes?"
"No."
"Impotent?" she snapped, then lost her sneer as she saw his face.
He ignored her, pressing through the crowd and using the advantage of his height. A man like Heldar, frightened perhaps, would find comfort in a crowd; he would not like to be alone until his nerves had settled. Yet he wasn't at the fair. The station, perhaps?
Dumarest strode through the dormitories, not finding the man he sought. He could be lurking somewhere in Lowtown, though it was doubtful, or the sheds, perhaps.
* * *
Wandara shook his head. "No, Earl, I can't say that I've seen him. Is it important?"
"Yes," said Dumarest. "Do you mind if I have a look round?"
"Sure," said the overseer, "help yourself."
The interior of the shed was silent, shadowed with equipment. Dumarest walked slowly down the center, his eyes probing to either side. Heldar could have entered by the door to the rear of where Wandara had been working. He heard a soft rustle, the sound of movement.
"Heldar?"
It came again. It was the sound of fabric sliding against metal, as if a man were squeezing himself between the end of a raft and the wall of the shed.
"Come out," said Dumarest. "If I have to come after you, you'll regret it."
"What you want?" Heldar blinked as he came from between two rafts. "I was catching a nap; you woke me up. What's all this about?"
"Come outside," said Dumarest. "I've got something to tell you." Casually he led the way to where Wandara stood at his bench. The overseer looked up and laid down his machete.
"Find him?"
"I'm here." Heldar stepped into the sunlight. "I still want to know what all this is about."
"A woman was murdered down in Lowtown," said Dumarest curtly. "I think you did it."
"You're crazy!"
"You were seen!"
"That's a lie!" Heldar looked at Wandara. "I've been here for the past five hours, asleep in the shed. How the hell could I have murdered anyone?"
"Just a minute," said the overseer. He looked at Dumarest. "So a woman's been murdered," he said. "So what business is it of yours?"
"She was a friend of mine."
"That's different," said Wandara. "You're lying," he said to Heldar. "This shed was locked tight until three hours ago."