Zouichi frowned a little. "I think it's clear that Taworri, or someone of his size, was here. And that he did attack the creature you encountered. But simply encountering a wild animal in these caverns doesn't really point to guilt -- the best we can say about him right now is that he stabbed an alien bear in the back and lied about it, no matter how suspicious his behavior may be. I'm also concerned about the locations of the clues that point to Taworri... the areas designated 2, 5, and 11 on this map, if I remember correctly. These locations are strewn out all over the map, too, as if someone was deliberately trying to ensure that we suspected him."

He crossed his arms in thought. "I'd say that if anything, our most solid piece of evidence is the words of the kidnappers themselves. It seems to be a given that Allard was cooperating with Snidely, partially or fully. The only question is whether the other two were involved as well."

Zouichi motioned to the items they'd collected. "Anyone have any other interpretations of the book's contents? The message Ellyn found? Anything that might give us a more definitive conclusion?" He just didn't like how so much of their evidence was circumstantial.

P.S. also he tasted the white powder.