Renfrew had been injured, that was certain. He was conscious, though, and the technician who was assessing his injuries was the best in the area. He still couldn't figure out who the other injured android might be, but maybe after he had his broken parts replaced he would solve the riddle. The attendants who had escorted Marvella out of the auditorium came back and helped Renfrew sit in a seat on the aisle.

Sigismund came down the aisle with an elderly woman whom he had been talking to. "Renfrew, I'd like you to meet Margaret, my ex-wife," he said. "She was the one who bought the kit from which I built you."

"It was sort of an anniversary gift," she said with a shy smile.

"The 35th anniversary of our divorce," Sigismund added. "The years have treated you well."

"Well, the traditional 35th anniversary gift is jade," Margaret said. "I couldn't afford an all-jade android, but maybe I was just feeling jaded." She winked.

Marvella's voice came over the public address system. "I could retrofit you with some jade parts," she offered. "It's the least I can do, considering that you tried to protect me. Also, the modern 35th anniverary gift is coral. Would you like a vacation trip to a tropical coral isle?"

"I would love that," Renfrew said. "Either or both."

"Ziggy, you haven't changed as much as I had expected," Margaret said.

"Would I be impolite if I asked why you parted company?" Renfrew asked.

"I wanted to stay near Boston," Sigismund explained. Margaret wanted to join a group of gypsies who had started a circus in Alaska."

"The little eskimo children loved circuses," Margaret explained with a radiant smile, "and without me the gypsies wouldn't have had a proper circus. I was their only calliope player. But I have a confession to make, Ziggy. I fell in with an eskimo whose mother was Cuban. He took me to Palm Beach to meet his mother, and I've been there ever since. He died ten years ago, but I have made a living as a church organist ever since. I thought I'd miss the snow and ice, but as it turned out I didn't. When I heard that my granddaughters were going to be on Marvella's show, I bought plane tickets. I was on the last plane out of there before the hurricane struck. I hear that the hurricane didn't do much damage, but it produced three tornadoes."

Renfrew was having trouble following the life histories of Sigismund and Margaret. Maybe he had PTSD. Could androids get that? Or maybe he was just distracted by the buzzing in his head. Suddenly Beatrice's voice came through. "Renfrew, can you hear me? I know there's Androidnet software in your head, so you should at least be able to receive my transmission. I saw that boy hit you with his bat, the camera caught it all. It didn't show Marvella getting hit, though. Did you see her go down? Can you find out who the other injured android was?"

Renfrew asked the technician to show him how to transmit a reply to Beatrice. "Beatrice, I blacked out before she was hit," he sent back to her. "I didn't see any other androids in the vicinity."

The technician was beginning to look very uncomfortable. Did he have a secret that he didn't want to come out?

"I'd be happy to pitch in and help with the investigation until you are well enough to pick it up again," Beatrice offered.

Marvella's voice came over the P.A. system again. "I'd be happy to help, too," she said. "What are you investigating?"

Paulh