8 "I'll go look," insisted Morn's guard. "You
stay here." He went out to the balcony and a moment later, returned.
"He's at his post," he said, "strangled. But it looked like he put up a
struggle. There's blood out there, and HE wasn't wounded. Come on,
let's get you out of here so an investigation team can get in. I'll
take you down to the guest apartments."
9 Reluctantly Morn left his mother, as the Palace exploded in turmoil.
In the guest apartment he rested for a while, then the communicator
began to ring almost constantly. Some of the people expressing their
sympathies almost made him sick. They were so false in hiding their
true feelings. Morn was polite and courteous with everyone. After one
call, he had a thought. North would probably be calling and he was the
one person Morn would really want to hear from. He called the
communication control center and gave North priority over any other
caller.
10 Morn's father came in. The Lord God was obviously distressed. "There
are no words my son," he moaned, "that express the grief we share. Of
all my wives your mother was the dearest to me. A burglar ...here, in
The Palace! It's unforgivable!"
11 "It was not a burglar," Morn said softly. "Whoever it was
entered the apartment with one purpose in mind. The taking of my
mother's jewelry was only for show."
12 The Lord God put his hand on his son's shoulder. "There's been
talk," he explained, "that I have turned against your mother since I
put her out, and took another wife. You know that that is untrue, that
it was only for political reasons that I spent part of my time with
another woman. She was always my favorite, and would always be."
13 "I know, father," Morn replied, "that you had no part in this."
14 The Lord God withdrew his hand. "Your faith in me," he praised,
"lifts my spirits. Now, I really must go, my son. This assassination
has caused me many problems, and I must