“But you told me back on New Ecuador that we’d be coming to Sunnybeach next,” she pointed out.

“My ship was operational on New Ecuador,” he replied. “If you had acted independently on that information, you would never have lived to see Sunnybeach.”

“I can’t tell you how touched I am by such trust,” she said cynically.

“My trust isn’t lightly given,” he responded. “You’ve done nothing to earn it.”

“What are you talking about? I told you all about Cain, didn’t I?”

“Betraying a partner is not exactly the sort of behavior that inspires confidence,” said the Angel. He paused. “Did I mention that I stopped by the information center of your hotel while you were still asleep this morning?”

“Oh?”

He nodded. “I was curious about the message you had Terwilliger send to Cain yesterday afternoon. The person on duty was kind enough to show me a copy of it.”

“He’s not allowed to do that!”

“Once I discussed the alternatives with him, he seemed more than happy to accommodate me.”

“I told you about it last night,” said Virtue defensively. “It doesn’t mean a damned thing. I was just hedging my bets—but you’re the one I’ve put my money on.”

He stared at her and made no reply.

“Look,” she continued. “I could have stayed at the spaceport yesterday after you left for town and caught the next ship out of here. I didn’t. That ought to prove something to you.”

“It proves that you have a well-developed sense of self-preservation,” he replied.

“I don’t know why I waste my time talking to you!” she snapped.

“Because you want to find Santiago,” said the Angel, signaling to a waitress and gesturing for her to bring two coffees. “The problem,” he continued, “is that he seems to have found us first.”

“You think Santiago sabotaged the ship?” asked Virtue.

“Not personally, of course. But I suspect that he ordered it done.”

“Why didn’t he just have you killed?”

“I’m a little harder to kill than you might think,” he said quietly.

“But what purpose could be gained by messing around with the ship?” she persisted. “It can’t be a warning. He must know he can’t scare you off.”

“That’s what disturbs me,” said the Angel. “It doesn’t make any sense—and Santiago is not a stupid man.”

“Maybe it was ordered by Cain or the Swagman,” she suggested. “They certainly have a stake in delaying you.”

He shook his head. “They have an even greater stake in stopping me.”

“Just because it hasn’t exploded yet doesn’t mean there’s not a bomb.”

“Nobody is going to mourn or avenge either of us,” replied the Angel. “If there was a bomb, it would have exploded the instant we entered the ship.”

“Speak for yourself!” she snapped. “I’ve got lots of friends.”

“I doubt it,” said the Angel.