"I guess this isn''t a good time." Lendill folded into the kitchen.

"Here. It has bourbon in it." I pushed my cup of tea toward him and rose from my seat to make another.

"Land and sky, Reah, this is strong." Lendill took a sip from my cup.

"Yeah. Sit down," I said. "What do you want?"

"Is that any way to treat a mate you haven''t seen in months?"

"You only show up when you want something," I said. "So what is it?"

"Bel has disappeared," Lendill swallowed more tea, grimaced and then swallowed again.

"Wizard Bel?" I hadn''t seen Bel for years, yet I knew he still worked for the ASD.

"Yes. I sent him to investigate a problem on Surnath, and he vanished. We can''t find him."

"What kind of problem?" I asked, sitting down with my freshly poured and spiked tea. I didn''t even ask Teeg if he wanted any. I was still pissed at him.

"A worker in an electronics factory went crazy and killed twenty of his coworkers after getting his hands on a laser pistol somehow. And then, two weeks later, a secretary at a legal firm kills six people there. The governor of the Realm on Surnath asked us to investigate. We thought it was just a copy crime. Bel was in so he volunteered. Was there for three days before he came up missing."

"That''s terrible," I said. "And you tried mindspeech and everything?"

"Yes. No answer. Bel isn''t one to fall easily into a trap. So we''re all concerned."

"Me, too," I nodded. I''d known Bel when I was a conscript in the Regular Alliance Army.

"Norian and I are willing to pay top credit if you''ll work a special assignment on this."