“You’re the phoney!” Reich shouted. “You and your ethics and your high talk. You and your phoney goddam—”

“She said the gun killed D’Courtney.” Powell continued imperturbably. “It did, but no one knows what killed D’Courtney… except you and me. I turned around and came back. It was a long take. Almost too long. Try getting up now. You can’t be that sick.”

Reich struggled up, his breath hissing horribly. Suddenly he dipped into his pocket and brought out the cartridge of Detonation Bulbs. Powell arched back in the chair and kicked Reich in the chest with his heel. The cartridge went flying. Reich fell back and collapsed on a sofa.

“When will you people learn you can’t surprise a peeper?” Powell said. He went to the cartridge and picked it up. “You’re quite the arsenal today, aren’t you? You’re acting more like you’re wanted dead or alive than like a free man. Notice I said free. Not innocent.”

“Free how long?” Reich said through his teeth. “I never talked about innocence either. But free how long?”

“Forever. I had a perfect case against you. Every detail right. I checked that when I peeped you with Barbara just now I had every detail except one, and that one flaw blew my case out into deep space. You’re a free man, Reich. We’ve closed your file.”

Reich stared. “Closed the file?”

“Yep. No solution. I’m licked. You can disarm, Reich. Go about your business. No one’s going to bother you.”

“You’re a liar! This is one of your peeper tricks. ‘You—’ ”

“Nope. I’ll lay it out for you. I know all about you… How much you bribed Gus Tate… What you promised Jerry Church… Where you located that Sardine Game… What you did with Wilson Jordan’s Rhodopsin Caps… How you emptied those cartridges for an alibi and then turned them lethal again with a drop of water… So far a perfect chain of evidence. Method and Opportunity. But Motive was the flaw. The courts demand Objective Motive and I can’t produce it. That sets you free.”

“You liar!”

“Of course I could throw this breaking and entering with deadly intent at you… but it’s too small a charge. Like shooting a popgun after you misfire with a cannon. You could probably beat it too. My only witnesses would be a peeper and a sick girl. I—”

“You liar,” Reich growled. “You hypocrite. You lying peeper. Am I supposed to believe you? Am I supposed to listen to the rest of it? You had nothing, Powell. Nothing! I licked you on every point. That’s why you’re booby-trapping me. That’s why you—” Reich broke off abruptly and beat his forehead. “And this is probably the biggest booby-trap of all. And I fell into it. What a damned fool I am. What a—”

“Shut up,” Powell snapped. “When you rave like that I can’t peep you. Now what’s all this about booby-traps? Think it through.”

Reich uttered a ragged laugh. “As if you don’t know… My stateroom on the liner… My gaffed safe… My Jumper…”