Which one of the Walker Evans Memorial Society sicked this thumb-fingered bubblehead on me? And why?

            8. Who killed "Schultz"? And why?

            9. Why did the staff of Rainbow's End move in and cover up the killing?

            10. (Omnibus) Why did Gwen leave before I did and why did she come here instead of going home and how did she get in?

            "Do we take them in order?" asked Gwen. "Number ten is the only one I can answer."

            "That one I just chucked in," I answered. "Of the first nine I think that, if I find answers to any three, I could then deduce the rest." I went on putting words up on the screen:

            POSSIBLE ACTIONS "When in Danger or in Doubt. Run in Circles. Scream and Shout."

            "Does that help?" asked Gwen.

            "Every time! Ask any old military man. Now let's take it one question at a time":

            Q. 1-Phone each Taliaferro in the directory. Learn preferred pronunciation of name. Strike out any who use the e very-letter pronunciation.

            Q. 2-Dig into background of whoever is left. Start with the Herald back files.

            Q. 3-While checking Q2, keep ears spread for anything scheduled or expected for noon Sunday.

            Q. 4-If you were a corpse arriving at Golden Rule space habitat and you wanted to conceal your identity but had to be able to get at your passport and other documents for departure, where would you stash them? Hint: Check when this cadaver arrived in Golden Rule. Then check hotels, lockers, deposit box services, poste restante, etc.

            Q. 5-postpone

            Q. 6-postpone

            Q. 7-Reach by phone as many of the "Walker Evans" oath group as possible. Keep going till one spills. Note: Some jelly brain may have talked too much without knowing it.

            Q. 8-Morris, or the maitre d', or the busman, or all of them, or any two, knows who killed Schultz. One or more of them expected it. So we look for each one's weak point- liquor, drugs, money, sex (comme ci ou comme ga)-and what was your name back dirtside, chum? Any paper out on you somewhere? Find that soft spot. Push it. Do this with all three of them, then see how their stories check. Every closet has a skeleton. This is a natural law-so find it in each case.

            Q. 9-Money (Conclusive assumption until proved false.)

            (Query: How much is all this going to cost me? Can I afford it? Counter query: Can I afford not to pursue it?)

            "I've been wondering about that," said Gwen.