George said doggedly, "You still haven't told me where I come in. I don't know any of these people."

"Hey, give me a chance. The story isn't over yet." She grinned at him over the edge of her coffee cup. The sight unnerved him even more than her standard issue, emotionless delivery. "The wife's injuries occurred during her exercise circuit, at a club not far from a restaurant and bakery called Gateau in sector 32. I believe you eat there on authorized mornings, don't you?"

His heart sank. "Yes."

"So here's the kicker. She leaned too far over a machine and slipped, got her head caught in some gears. Significant reconstructive surgery coming up to fix her face, let me tell you. Any guesses what she was looking at?"

"No." A lie. He had a feeling both of them knew.

"Rather a busybody, I'm afraid. She'd spotted someone wearing inappropriate attire in public. I believe she said a pair of dark socks with a white leisure suit?"

George closed his eyes. No point in denying it. They could probably magnify the security footage anyway. "I forgot to wash my clothes."

Investigator Harlin cocked an eyebrow and clucked at him. "Another health code violation. Not only that, but a walking fashion citation as well. What kind of socks?"

"Argyle."

"Well, that's mitigating at least." The investigator tapped again on her keypad. "I've had to cite you for the violations, I'm afraid. Including indecency. What happened to the standard issue sleepwear?"

Frustration bubbled over as George groaned, "All these rules. I'm just trying to live my life. I'm not bothering anybody. Can't you just leave me alone?"

She nodded sympathetically. "I understand. But the reality is, there's a direct causal link between your conduct, the death of the programmer, and the grid shutdown in sector 72. I'll be the first to admit that nothing here indicates actual criminal intent, but you certainly should be aware of the possible civil liability. The programmer had a wife and three children. And while you seem harmless, we have to consider the possible anarchist implications."

George sighed. "You're going to spy on me."

She hesitated. "Simple monitoring equipment has been installed in your cube. The magistrate did not believe that full audio or video surveillance was necessary at present."

Which meant that they had asked for both and been denied. He said, "Thanks for the warning."

She closed her computer tablet and slid it into an invisible pocket. As she turned toward the door, she said, "One more thing. Looks to me like you've got compliance issues, but I don't think you'd do very well in a pod. I'd say get yourself a psych counselor or something. You need to start waking up on time, do your laundry, and watch the news. Be a productive citizen and stay out of trouble. Maybe find yourself a hobby. Personally, I take dancing lessons. If you aren't willing to play by the rules, you'll end up out there."