"Of what is Aries accused?"

"At the moment there are no charges. Aries, if you wish, you may have Fratano present, or another adviser, or even your mother; or you may choose to speak to us alone or, finally, simply refuse to talk. In the latter case, you will be taken into custody, charged and prosecuted."

"On what grounds?" cried Spanchetta.

"I demand to know!"

"Oh--no doubt we can scratch up something. Aries, have you any ideas?"

Aries licked his heavy lips and looked sidewise toward his mother. In a peevish voice he said: "I don't need anyone's advice. I prefer to talk to you alone."

Spanchetta finally departed and Scharde closed the door behind her.

"Now, then," said Bodwyn Wook, "answer our questions simply, directly and without evasion. You are not required to inculpate yourself, but you must report the guilt of any other person. To begin with:

do you know who killed Sessily Veder?"

"Of course not!"

"Describe in careful detail your actions the night she was killed."

Aries cleared his throat.

"Whatever I did, it had nothing to do with Sessily."

"So you say. We know that you abandoned your post at the compound, dressed in Bold Lion costume and were seen returning the winery truck to its place at the loading dock."

"That's not possible," said Aries.

"I wasn't there. Your information is wrong."

"Where were you?"

Aries looked toward the door and spoke in a low voice.

"I

had an appointment with a young lady. I had made it before I knew about the patrol and I didn't want to break it."

"Who was the young lady?"

Aries darted another glance toward the door and spoke in a voice so low as almost to be inaudible.

"It's someone my mother does not like. She would fall into a rage if she knew."

"Who is the girl?"

"Will my mother find out?"

"Quite possibly. Your misconduct cannot be concealed, and ;

doubt you will be duly punished."

"Punished for what? It was sheer foolishness, parading along tt fence in the dark. One person on patrol was just as good as two."

"That may well be. Why did not Kirdy report your absence?"

"He knew where I was going; he knew I had been there and now he else. He realized that under the circumstances, such a report won cause a great hullabaloo over nothing. So he agreed to say nothin We're both Bold Lions, don't forget!"

"I'll keep that in mind. You'll be able to practice roars while yi are being flogged."

"Flogged?" Aries' voice rose in pitch.

"I can't predict the penalty. You probably won't get what yi deserve. Who was the young lady?"

"A girl I knew from the Mummers. Her name is Drusilla co-Laverty "And where did you spend time?"

"In a dark corner of the Arbor, where we could watch the Phanti magoria. Afterward we just sat there talking."

"Did anyone see you?"

"Of course. Lots of people. I don't know if anyone took a] particular notice."

, There was a pause. Glawen asked a question.

"What of your c( tume? Did you bring that with you on patrol?"

Aries merely shrugged, apparently regarding questions from Glawi as below his dignity. BodwynWook said gently: "Answer the question "I left my costume at Clattuc House. I didn't want to waste time I went into the Mummers' warehouse and used a primordial cos tuna with a kind of gargoyle head. No one noticed the difference. Not evi the Bold Lions."

"I see. Then what?"

"Before midnight I dropped off the costume and went back on du and discovered all the patrols had been signed off.

Nothing had ga wrong and I felt that I had done no great harm."

Bodwyn Wook shook his head in deep disparagement.

"It is no) pretty story," he said in his reediest, most nasal voice.

"You ha scamped your duty. You have falsified official documents and tif passed on the trust of your superior officer ... What are you saying Aries, who had been trying to interject a remark, apparently in t own defense, thought better of it.

"Nothing," he said in surly ton "Nothing whatever."

Bodwyn Wook threw the papers down on the desk.

"Whatever el you have done we will discover in due course. You may go now."

CHAPTER 3