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167
The Status Civilization
·
Robert Sheckley
72
"I
see,"
Barrent
said.
"Would
it
help
any
if
I
told
you
I
don't
have
the
usual
Omegan
attitude
toward
murder?"
"I
know
you
don't,"
Moera
said.
"If
it
were
up
to
me,
I'd
take
you
into
the
organization.
But
it's
not
my
choice....
Will,
are
you
sure
you're
a
murderer?"
"I
believe
I
am,"
Barrent
said.
"I
probably
am."
"Too
bad,"
Moera
said.
"Still,
the
organization
needs
high-survival
types,
no
matter
what
they
did
on
Earth.
I
can't
promise
anything,
but
I'll
see
what
I
can
do.
It
would
help
if
you
could
find
out
more
about
why
you
committed
murder.
Perhaps
there
were
extenuating
circumstances."
"Perhaps,"
Barrent
said
doubtfully.
"I'll
try
to
find
out."
That
evening,
just
before
he
went
to
sleep,
Moera
opened
the
adjoining
door
and
came
into
his
room.
Slim
and
warm,
she
slipped
into
his
bed.
When
he
started
to
speak,
she
put
a
hand
over
his
mouth.
And
Barrent,
who
had
learned
not
to
question
good
fortune,
kept
quiet.
The
rest
of
the
vacation
passed
much
too
quickly.
The
subject
of
the
organization
did
not
come
up
again;
but,
perhaps
as
compensation,
the
adjoining
door
was
not
closed.
At
last,
late
on
the
seventh
day,
Barrent
and
Moera
returned
to
Tetrahyde.
"When
can
I
see
you
again?"
Barrent
asked.
"I'll
get
in
touch
with
you."
"That's
not
a
very
satisfactory
arrangement."
"It's
the
best
I
can
do,"
Moera
said.
"I'm
sorry,
Will.
I'll
see
what
I
can
do
about
the
organization."
Barrent
had
to
be
satisfied
with
that.
When
the
vehicle
dropped
him
at
his
store,
he
still
didn't
know
where
she
lived,
or
what
kind
of
an
organization
she
represented.
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