“Or bartenders!” Laverna supplied. “That would explain the guy who jumped Stilman!”
“Of course that means he hasn’t restricted himself to infiltrating the staff for this complex,” Maxine continued thoughtfully. “He could have people anywhere, including as guests.” She snapped her fingers suddenly. “Weren’t you saying a moment ago that he must have had more information about our plans than Mr. Martin could provide? Who have we shared our plans with recently? In detail.”
“Jonesy!” her aide gasped. “You mean-damn! Posing as someone from the Yakusa. Now, that takes brass!”
“Audacity seems to be something young Mr. Phule is not lacking in-or his troops, for that matter,” Max said grimly.
The two women lapsed into silence, each analyzing this new hypothesis.
“Well,” Laverna said finally, “I guess that clinches it. Without knowing how many he’s got scattered around or who they are, I don’t see any way we can put something together by the deadline.”
“Oh, it’s true that we’ll probably have to abandon our efforts to gain control of this enterprise,” Maxine said, “but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to quit the field. Not just yet, anyway.”
Her aide frowned. “I don’t think I follow you.”
“There’s a fallback, contingency plan I’ve had in mind for some time now. Something that will at least recoup our investment and give us a chance to pay young Mr. Phule back for his interference. Now seems an appropriate time to implement it.”
“What plan is that?”
“It’s really simply a matter of shifting our aim from a target which is defended to one which is not. Actually, Laverna, you deserve at least part of the credit for this. You gave me the idea yourself back when Mr. Phule arrived on Lorelei with his troops.”