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to trust me, at least for this. As we leave, lean on me. Act a little befuddled.”

“I am.”

“And then meet me tomorrow, when you’re off work. Tell your colleagues it’s for dinner with an old friend. Will you?”

“It won’t be a lie,” she replied with a wry smile.

Then he was pulling her up, his arms still stronger than hers. He put one around her shoulders, his fingers in her hair. She leaned back against him, trying to conquer a renaissant fear. At that moment the door opened, letting in a clamor from the alarm and two uniformed police. Lunzie hoped her expression was that of a woman surprised in a compromising position. She dared not look at Zebara.

But whatever he was, whoever he was in his own world, his name carried weight with the police, who merely checked his ID off on a handcomp and went on their way. Then Zebara led her back to the main hall where most of the guests were clumped at one end, with the lightweights in a smaller clump to one side. The other members of the medical team, Lunzie noticed, were first relieved to see her, then shocked. She was trying to look like someone struggling against infatuation, and she must be succeeding.

Zebara brought her up to that group, gave her a final hug, and murmured, “Tomorrow. Don’t forget!” before giving her a nudge that sent her toward them.

“Well!” That almost simultaneous huff by two of the team members at once made Lunzie laugh. She couldn’t help it.

“What’s the alarm about?” she asked, fighting the laugh back down to her diaphragm where it belonged.

“Supposedly someone tried to break into the Governor’s working office.” Bias’s voice was still primly disapproving. “Since you didn’t show up at once, we were afraid you were involved.” A pause, during which Lunzie almost asked why she would want to break into the Governor’s office, then Bias continued. “I see you were involved, so to speak.”