The Ravian had given Chester Forge two days to find Minnn. A day had passed and nothing had happened. He had kept things quiet, up to now. There was no indication his quiet search would produce anything. It was time for a different tactic....
Sally Odum's father looked up from the news-sheets that had just come off the clicker. "Mary, did you see these items about the Ravian loose in the city?"
His wife was playing chack with Sally. The child had beaten her four games running, and Mary was just beginning to wonder if she was mother to a genius. A mother does not appreciate interruption of such musings. "Ah--no," she answered absently. "What about um?"
"Seems this bird--Minnn's his tag--is thought to be hiding out in some human around town. He forced."
Mary was more interested. "Isn't forcing against galactic convention?"
"Darn right. This guy's a fugitive, like I said."
"I knew they'd get in trouble, letting these foreigners come down."
"Look, honey. One thing, we need the trade. A Ravian pays four picks of plainum for a day or two in a human. It's all here in the news-sheet. A Ravian hasn't got emotions, and when they're in a host they can feel everything the host feels. Real Kicks. The host gets to spend one pick himself--a small fortune--he has a shivaree and the Ravian goes for the ride. And for the host it's all voluntary."
Sally listened with bright attention, slightly flushed.
"It says here he could be anywhere, any man, woman or child. Tells how you can spot 'em and names a reward. Person with old Minnn inside is a little flushed, feverish, doesn't sleep very well. They...."
"Say, honey, Sally didn't sleep well last night. Do you think she's all right?"
"Any kid has a restless night sometimes, Mary. Lemme finish. The person is apt to be kind of listless, and might have memory blanks. Oh--and the Ravian enters a host by some kind of physical contact, and he can get to another host only by a contact with the first one."
"Maybe we ought to take Sally to Dr. Price, hon. She just hasn't been herself lately."
"Oh well," sighed Odum, and threw down the clicker-story. "Tell you what. All you do is visor security, tell them you're pretty sure a person has this Ravian, and the person gets a real good physical--free. Let's just tell them Sal has the symptoms and get a deal."