“Not a chance,” she replied.

Sitting Bull went back into his wigwam without another word.

“Where will the Angel be heading after he leaves Glenovar?” asked Virtue as she and the Swagman began walking back to the landcar.

He shrugged. “Who knows? The Lambda Karos system, probably. Sooner or later most money trails pass through there.”

“Perhaps we should try to get there first and eliminate his contact,” she suggested.

“I don’t know who his contact is—and even if I did know, I think it’s a fair assumption that from this point on, all of his contacts are pretty good at taking care of themselves. You’d need a specialist for that, someone like Cain.”

“Well?” she said expectantly.

He sighed. “Out of the question. We also need him for our own line of inquiry. Of the three of us, he’s the most likely to survive a meeting with Altair of Altair and some of the others who are waiting along the way. You have many wonderful qualities, Virtue—you lie and cheat and blackmail and bluff with great panache, and you’re thoroughly delightful in bed—but you simply aren’t a skilled professional killer.”

Virtue took a deep breath, held it for perhaps half a minute, then released it explosively.

“You think the Angel is going to get there first, don’t you?” she said bluntly.

He shrugged noncommittally. “The possibility exists.”

Virtue stared at her companion for a long moment, and as she did so she found herself concluding that she had put her money on the wrong horse.

“Maybe I should go out to the Lambda Karos system and wait for him there,” she suggested with what she hoped was the proper degree of detachment.

“Him?” repeated the Swagman. “You mean the Angel? What good would that do?”

She shrugged innocently. “Who knows? Maybe I can find some way to misdirect him, or at least slow him down.” She paused. “At any rate, we’ll have a clear idea of where he is and how fast he’s progressing. That has to be of some use to us.”

“I’m afraid you’re being just a little transparent, my dear,” replied the Swagman with the hint of an amused smile. “How can you possibly misdirect him if you don’t know who his contact is, or what information the contact will feed him? As for having a clear idea of where he’s at, that’s infinitely less important than possessing a clear idea of where he’s going.” He paused, then chuckled and shook his head. “You haven’t done your homework very well, Virtue: the Angel doesn’t take partners. Ever.”

“Who said anything about becoming the Angel’s partner?” she demanded heatedly, annoyed with herself for being so obvious. “I just want to keep tabs on him, and possibly send him off in the wrong direction.”

“Or accompany him in the right one,” suggested the Swagman wryly.