The Dark Lady

let you,” I put in.
    “One million credits, Mr. Heath,” said Venzia, never taking his eyes off the other man.
    “A million credits for just five minutes?” replied Heath.
    “That's right.”
    “A lot of men have spent considerably more than five minutes with her,” said Heath, “and I'll wager that she never told them what you want to know.”
    “They didn't know who she was,” replied Venzia. “ I do. They probably never asked her the right question.” He paused. “ That is my advantage.”
    “Assuming that she answers you at all, how will you know if she's telling you the truth?” persisted Heath.
    “I'll know,” said Venzia confidently.
    “Excuse me,” I said, “but I truly do not know what you are talking about.”
    Heath looked amused. “He's got something very important to ask her, Leonardo.”
    “What is it?”
    “What lies beyond?” answered Venzia intently. “She is the only person who knows.”
    “It may be sacrilegious to know,” I cautioned.
    “It would be foolhardy not to, if one has the opportunity,” replied Venzia. “Is there a true religion? At whose altar should I worship? What traits and habits must I forsake? What must I do to assure my arrival in Paradise? Or if there is nothing beyond this life, then at least I will be free to do whatever I choose.”
    “You're free now,” pointed out Heath.
    “Only because I am ignorant of the consequences of my actions,” said Venzia. “This way I'll know. ”
    Heath smiled. “A heavenly insurance policy.”
    “If you wish.”
    “You expect a lot for your money, Mr. Venzia,” said Heath.
    “I intend to get it,” said Venzia earnestly.

15.
    Venzia spent the night at the chalet, and in the morning it was decided that the three of us would leave Graustark for Far London.
    I not only had my work to do, but now that he had lost the Dark Lady again, Venzia was convinced that sooner or later a new painting of her would come up for sale. In the meantime, he would return with us to Far London where he could keep in frequent contact with me, while he monitored likely heroes and daredevils on the video and programmed his computer to sift through the immense number of printed and electronic media available to it.
    As for Heath, I don't think he was fully convinced that the Dark Lady was what Venzia and I claimed her to be, but he had no objection whatsoever to accompanying us to Far London, since that was where he would find Malcolm Abercrombie.
    Venzia left the chalet an hour ahead of us, since he had to retrieve his snowcart and return it to the rental agency, and we arranged to meet at Heath's ship, since Venzia had come to Graustark on a spaceliner and had no ship of his own.
    “It's going to be a little cramped,” observed Venzia, when he had finished carrying his luggage through the entry hatch.
    “It wasn't designed to carry three people,” replied Heath.
    “I can see that,” said Venzia. He turned to me. “Here,” he said, handing me a square box that was perhaps twelve inches on each side and eight inches deep.
    “What is it?” I asked.
    He shrugged. “I haven't the slightest idea. Tai Chong told me to deliver it to you.”
    “A present from Tai Chong?” I mused happily, accepting the box.
    “I got the impression that it arrived from Bjornn, and that she was holding it for you,” answered Venzia.
    “From Benitarus II,” I corrected him gently. “Bjornn is the race; Benitarus is the planet.”
    “Whatever you say,” said Venzia, losing interest. He turned to Heath. “I'm hungry. How do I get something to eat?”
    Heath nodded. “Just go into the galley and tell it what you want. It's voice-keyed.”
    “Where do I find its menu?”
    “It can make anything you ask for, as long as you don't mind soya products.”
    “Thanks.” Venzia headed off to the galley, and Heath turned to me.
    “Well?” he said.
    “Well what, Friend Valentine?”
    “What's in the package?”
    “I do not know.”
    “Aren't you going to open it?”
    “I thought I would do so in the privacy of my compartment,” I replied.
    “You don't have any privacy in your compartment,” responded Heath with a smile. “You're sharing it with Venzia.”
    “Then I shall open it here and now,” I said.
    “Excellent idea,” said Heath.
    I set the package on a flat surface and stared at it without moving.
    “What's the problem?” asked Heath.
    “I am afraid,” I replied.
    “You think perhaps someone sent you a bomb?” Heath