Helm - The Shadowers Part 1

The Shadowers.

by Donald Hamilton.

I.

WHEN I came hurriedly out of the hotel, the car was waiting for me. It was white with letters in gold: REDONDO BEACH-CITY POLICE. They seem to be painting al] police cars white these days. I guess it makes them easier to keep clean. The uniformed man at the wheel threw the door open and leaned over.

aMr. Corcoran?a aIam Corcoran,a I said.

Well, I was, as far as Redondo Beach, Florida, was concerned. The fact that I might have other names elsewhere-in Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C., for instance-was n.o.bodyas business down here where I was spending a monthas well-earned rest in the sun. At least I hoped it wasnat.

aPlease get in, sir,a the policeman said.

I got in and he had us going before the door had closed. He switched on his flasher and cut around the block sharply.

aWhere did it happen?a I asked.

aSouth along the Miami highway a few miles. At least thatas where they told me to take you.a aIs she badly hurt?a He didnat look at me. aYou talked with Headquarters, sir; you know more than I do. All I know is Iam supposed to get you there fast.a He hit a b.u.t.ton and the siren cut short the conversation. For a city cop in a city cop car he had highway patrol ideas. We shot through the late evening traffic like a runaway missile. Near the edge of town we picked up another red flasher ahead. That was the ambulance heading for the scene. My man cut around it and slowed a bit to stay with it, breaking trail.

It was a good try on everybodyas part, but when we got there I saw at once it hadnat been quite good enough. There were two state cars and some other cars and a number of people; and those people had stopped caring when wead arrive because they knew there was no longer anything for us to do. That race had been won by the gent on the pale horse. They were more interested, now, in watching the Cadillac burn.

We circled to get over to the northbound side of the highway, and parked behind the other official cars. A state policeman came up as I got out.

aMr. Corcoran?a he said. aIam sorry.a aWhere is she?a I asked.

aDown this way,a he said. aShe was thrown clear. If they wonat wear seat belts-a I said, aI know. Itas much better to stay with the car. Particularly when itas an open convertible that first rolls and then burns like a torch.a He glanced around, started to get annoyed, and thought better of it. Wead reached our destination, anyway. There was a uniformed man standing by the blanket-covered form on the ground.

The man whoad brought me said, aIad better warn you Well, she must have been doing d.a.m.n close to ninety when she missed the curve.a I bent down and pulled the blanket back and had my look, then replaced the cover and walked off a little ways until I stood looking down at something gleaming in the rank gra.s.s. It was a silver evening pump to go with the dress shead worn. I reflected on womenas shoes and how they never could seem to stay on in a crisis. If the final cataclysm overtakes the human race, I decided, the last trace of womankind left behind in the smoldering wreckage will be a scorched, radioactive slipper with a high, slim heel.

It was better to formulate this deep philosophy than to remember that wead quarreled. Take a woman with money and a man without and the dialogue at a certain point in the relations.h.i.+p hardly needs repeating, particularly if both parties are fairly bullheaded. It had started with a party shead wanted us to go to at the big house of some wealthy acquaintances of hers who didnat think any more of me than I did of them. It had ended with her driving to the party alone. And driving back alone, still angry, unhappy, and probably a little tight . .

aMr. Corcoran?a It was the state cop who believed in sticking loyally with your car even if it squashed and incinerated you. aIam sorry to bother you, sir, but we need a little information. Could you give me your wifeas full name for the report?a I said, aShe wasnat my wife.a He said quickly, aBut we distinctly understood-a aSo I gathered,a I said. aWhen the police called me at the hotel, they asked first if my wife drove a white Cadillac convertible with Texas plates. Since I was more interested in learning why they were calling than in keeping my matrimonial record straight, I said yes. The ladyas name was Mrs. Gail Hendricks. She was divorced from Mr. Hendricks, whoever he may be. I never met him. She came from Midland, Texas. There are some relatives there, I believe. What made you think she was my wife?a aShe was wearing a wedding ring. She asked for you.a aYou could get into trouble, making deductions like that,a I said.

aWhat is your full name, Mr. Corcoran?a aPaul,a I said. aPaul William Corcoran. Newspaperman. From Denver, Colorado.a Well, thatas what it said on the cards in my wallet. My real name is Matthew Helm, but it figures in too many official dossiers for me to wear it carelessly, even on leave. And while Iam technically a government employee, certain people in Was.h.i.+ngton prefer that my exact duties remain unspecified, as far as the general public is concerned.

aAnd what was your relations.h.i.+p to Mrs. Hendricks?a the policeman asked.

aWead known each other for a couple of years,a I said. aWe were staying at the same hotel by pre-arrangement. The Redondo Towers. If thatas a relations.h.i.+p, you name it.a He hesitated, a little embarra.s.sed by my candor. aIall say the identification was made by a friend of the deceased,a he said, and thatas the way it went down in the record.

There was no reason to think the accident was anything but what it seemed, except that accidents are always suspect in my line of business. I hung around long enough, therefore, to make the routine checks, trying not to show any more interest, however, than would be expected from a friend of the deceased who was also a reporter. When they could move in on the car, they found no indication that it had been gimmicked in any way. The body, said the doctor, displayed no signs of violence. I couldnat help wondering just what he called being hurled from a car at ninety miles per hour-I mean, how violent can you get?

-but his general drift was clear.

When I got back to my hotel room at last, I took the little knife from my pocket. You could call it a large pocket knife or a small folding hunting knife. It was more or less a duplicate of one I had broken in the line of duty. Iad happened to complain about the loss, and Gail had secretly given the description to a well-known and expensive knife-maker and surprised me with the handsome result.

Shead been trying to give me things ever since we came down here together. It isnat smart to accept presents from people-particularly women-who have more money than you have, but I hadnat been able to turn down this particular gift without seeming stuffy and unappreciative. I mean, a wealthy woman can give a man a watch or even a car without signifying much more than that sheas got money to throw away; but when a woman gives a man in my line of work a weapon, knowing how itas apt to be used, it means something special. It means she has faced and accepted certain things about him. That was before wead quarreled, of course.

I shoved the knife back in my pocket, went downstairs, and called Was.h.i.+ngton from a pay phone in the lobby. There was nothing I could do here that would make any difference now, and I donat like hanging around to bury people. I said I was tired of being lazy and asked if they could use me. The answer was yes.

Two hours later I was flying kitty-corner across the Gulf of Mexico on my way to New Orleans, Louisiana.

II.

IaD BEEN told to maintain my cover as Paul Corcoran, Denver newspaperman, for the time being, and to register at the Montclair Hotel in New Orleans under this name. Since Iad requested immediate work, I was being shoved late into a going operation, and there wasnat time to build me a new ident.i.ty.

After getting a room at the hotel, I made contact according to instructions, never mind with whom. I wouldnat know him if I saw him on the street, myself. He was just a voice on the phone. He told me-it was morning by this time-to spend the day sightseeing, which is a technical term for making d.a.m.n sure youare not being watched.

Reporting back in the evening with the all-clear signal, I was told to leave the hotel casually, on foot, a certain exact number of minutes before midnight. I was to walk in a certain direction at a certain pace. If a red Austin-Healey sports job pulled up beside me, and the driver wore a Navy uniform and uttered a certain phrase, I was to answer him with another phrase and get into the car.

The upshot of these Hollywood maneuvers was that just before dawn I found myself on a motor launch crossing Pensacola Bay, which put me back in Florida again after a wild night drive, but near the top of the state instead of the bottom. There was an aircraft carrier anch.o.r.ed out in the bay. It loomed over the still water ma.s.sive and motionless, as if set on permanent concrete foundations. It was as easy to imagine the Pentagon putting out to sea.

I glanced at the lights of the Naval Air Station from which wead come, bid terra firma a silent farewell, and scrambled onto the platform at the foot of the long, flimsy stairway suspended from ropes-a ladder, in Navy terminology-that ran slantingly up the s.h.i.+pas side to a lighted opening far above. My escort was beside me, ready to keep me from falling in the drink.

He was a trim young fellow with a s.h.i.+ny gold stripe-and-a-half on each shoulder of his immaculate khaki gabardine uniform, and a s.h.i.+ny Naval Academy ring on his left hand. There were s.h.i.+ny gold wings on his chest, and a neat little plastic name plate, white on black, reading J. S. BRAITHWAITE. He waved the launch away. This left us stranded on the rickety platform just a few feet above the water, with no place to go but up.

aAfter you, sir,a he said. aRemember, you salute the quarterdeck first, then the O.O.D.a aQuarterdeck,a I said. aI thought quarterdecks went out with sail.a I glanced at the two-and-a-half stripes on the shoulder of the uniform I had been supplied for the occasion. The change of costume had been made in an empty apartment in town.

aYouare a lieutenant commander, sir,a he said. aThe quarterdeck is aft, that way.a He pointed.

I started climbing, trying to fight off the sense of unreality that came of switching location and ident.i.ty too fast. I saluted the quarterdeck and the O.O.D., as Braithwaite had called him-the Officer of the Deck-who wore a pair of binoculars hung around his neck and looked sleepy and bored. I guess the early-morning watch is a b.i.t.c.h in any service, uniformed or otherwise. I followed my guide along a vast empty hangar s.p.a.ce to a stairway-excuse me, ladder-leading down. Presently, after negotiating a maze of narrow pa.s.sages below, I found myself in a white-painted cabin with a single bunk.

aYou can flake out there if you like, sir,a Braithwaite said. aTheyare still in conference. They wonat be needing you for a while. Would you like some coffee?a In the business, we go on the a.s.sumption that, among friends at least, weall be told what we need to know when the time comes for us to know it. I didnat ask who was in conference, therefore, but I did drink the coffee. Then, left alone, I shed my uniform blouse, stretched out on the bunk, closed my eyes, and tried not to think of a shape under a blanket and a single silver slipper. After a while I went to sleep.

When I awoke, my watch read well past eight, but the cabin had no direct connection with the outside world, so I had to take daylight on faith. I noticed a certain vibration and deduced that we were under way. Presently Braithwaite appeared and guided me down the pa.s.sage to the plumbing, after which he took me to the wardroom for breakfast.

I knew it was the wardroom because it said so on the door. We had a table to ourselves, but there were other officers present who looked me over casually as I sat down. I hoped I didnat look as phony as I felt in my borrowed uniform.

aWe donat want to make a mystery of you, sir,a Braithwaite said. aAs far as the s.h.i.+pas company is concerned, youare just a reserve officer on temporary active duty observing carrier training operations for the day. Thereall be less talk that way than if we tried to hide you from sight.a He glanced at his watch. aWe should have some advanced jet trainers coming in shortly. As soon as weave finished chow, weall go topside and watch them practice landings to make it look good. I hope you donat mind a little noise.a He grinned. I didnat get the significance of the grin just then, but it became clear to me a little later, as I stood on a narrow observation walk on the carrieras superstructure, or island, looking down at the flight deck, which was the length of three football fields, with catapults forward and arresting gear aft, all explained to me in detail by my conscientious young escort. We were well out in the Gulf of Mexico by this time, out of sight of land on a clear, bright, cool fall day, and the s.h.i.+p was steaming into the wind fast enough that I had to pull my uniform cap down hard to keep it from being blown away. Braithwaite laughed.

aWeave got to have thirty-two knots of wind along the flight deck to take the jets aboard,a he said. aThis time of year thereas usually a breeze to help out, but in summer, in a flat calm, the engineering officer has to sweat blood to make it. Here they come now, sir.a They were already circling the s.h.i.+p like a swarm of hornets; now the first one came in fast, snagged an arresting wire with its tailhook, and slammed to a stop. It was hardly clear and taxiing forward, past the island where we stood, when the second one hit the wires-and I began to understand Braithwaiteas remark about noise. The d.a.m.n planes roared, shrieked, sobbed, and whistled. The port catapult would fling one thundering jet off the bow to go around again, while another blasted away on the starboard catapult, awaiting its turn. Meanwhile number three was taxiing up amids.h.i.+ps, howling up a storm, and number four was coming in over the stern, screaming like a bansheea There was something hypnotic about the tremendous din. It brought back memories of other places Iad stood some years ago watching other planes take off, planes that upon occasion Iad helped prepare the way for in secret and unpleasant ways. I donat suppose the kids in those planes ever knew that anybody had been before them, any more than these earnest kids with their faces half hidden by their helmets and mikes realized that if the time ever came for them to take their deadly machines up armed, they would be contributing only a little official noise and glamor to the silent, unofficial war thatas always being fought by quiet people without flashy helmets and often without microphones, too, or any other means of communicating with home base. What we undercover services needed, I thought wryly, was a public relations department. People just didnat appreciate us.

Suddenly the planes were gone, and it was quiet again except for the wind and the muted rumbling of the s.h.i.+pas machinery. Braithwaite glanced at his watch.

aJust about time for the HUP to pick up the bra.s.s from Was.h.i.+ngton,a he said. aThere she is, right off the quarter.a A clattering sound broke the relative peace, and a banana-shaped helicopter with two rotors settled to the deck right below us. Three men-two dignified civilians and an Army officer with a lot of fancy stuff on his cap-made their way out to the chopper, climbed aboard, and were borne away to the north. I glanced at Braithwaite. He showed me a smooth young poker face, so I didnat deem it advisable to start a discussion of the fact that wead just seen three fairly important people whose faces would be recognized by almost every alert newspaper reader or TV viewer. On the other hand, it didnat seem likely Iad been shown them by accident. Somebody was trying to impress me with the importance of the forthcoming job, whatever it might be. Braithwaite made reference to his watch again; the boy was a real chronometer fiend.

aWell, they should be just about ready for you below, sir,a he said, and showed me to the door, or hatch, by which wead come out. aWatch your head going down the ladder . .

I couldnat tell you exactly where aboard the s.h.i.+p the little movie theater was, but it had obviously just seen use as a conference room, judging by the scattered paper, empty gla.s.ses, full ashtrays, and the smell of tired tobacco smoke. There were only two people in it now. One was a woman. The first impression she made on me can best be described by saying that after a brief glance to make sure I didnat recognize her, I looked at the man.

He was lean and gray-haired, with black eyebrows. He wore a charcoal-gray flannel suit, a neat white s.h.i.+rt, a conservative silk tie, and he may have looked like a well-preserved middle-aged banker or businessman to some people, but head never look like that to me. I happened to know he was one of the half-dozen most dangerous and ruthless men in the world.

I recognized him, all right. I should, having worked for him for well over fifteen years, off and on.

Mac said, aThank you, Mr. Braithwaite. Wait next door, if you please.a aYes, sir.a Mac watched the young lieutenant (jg) turn smartly and depart. He smiled briefly. aThey train them well up there on the Severn, donat they?a I wasnat particularly interested in Braithwaiteas training, but if Mac wanted to apply the casual touch Iad play along, for a while at least.

aHeas a good boy,a I said. aHe hasnat allowed himself to be human once, so far. And he drives a sports car like an artist. But heas going to sir me to death if he isnat careful.a Mac said, aI seem to recall another young officer who had a predilection for that word. He was a pretty good driver, too.a aYes, sir,a I said. aBut, sir, I donat think youall have as much luck getting this one to switch services, sir. He likes the Navy, sir.a Mac shrugged. aIall make a note of his name nevertheless. There may come a time, world conditions being what they are, when personal preferences will again have to be disregarded. Not that you were hard to persuade, if I remember correctly.a I said, aI always was a bloodthirsty kid. I donat think this oneas quite mean enough for you.a aWell, weall see.a He studied me appraisingly. aYou look fit. The rest has done you good.a aYes, sir.a aI was sorry to hear about the ladyas accident.a I looked at him for a moment. Head never approved of my interest in Gail Hendricks. Head thought her a spoiled b.i.t.c.h, rich and unreliable, not at all the sort of dedicated, dutiful little girl he preferred to have his men a.s.sociate with, if they couldnat be satisfied with professional entertainment. We have, of course, no real private life. All our attachments, amorous and otherwise, are a matter of record in the Was.h.i.+ngton office.

I said, aIam sure you cried all the way to the filing cabinet to pull her card, sir.a He didnat call me down for disrespect. He just said, aOf course you took steps to determine that it was an accident.a aYes, sir. She was upset, for personal reasons we donat have to go into here. Shead had too much to drink. She was driving much too fast. It was a long, sweeping curve and she swung out toward the edge a little too far and tried to come back. They think all they need are power brakes and power steering to make two tons of luxury machinery handle like a stripped-down racing Ferrari. At that speed, shead be riding the d.a.m.n curve right at the limit of tire adhesion for a car that big. When she hauled on the wheel, the Cad started to slide. She panicked and hit the brakes and everything broke loose and she went off into the trees. There was no evidence of sabotage or any other fancy monkey business. There were no bullet wounds, hypo marks, or unexplained bruises. Somebody could simply have pulled alongside and forced her over, of course, but thereas no indication that anybody did.a Mac grimaced. aI donat like accidents involving our people. Thereas always a question. Well, Iall keep in touch in case they should turn up something, but we canat spend any more time on it now.a He glanced at the woman standing nearby, waiting. When he looked her way, she came forward to join us. At close range, I saw that Iad done her a slight injustice in dismissing her with a glance. It was the makeup, or lack of it, that had fooled me. There was also the straight, mousy, pulled-back hair and the hornrimmed gla.s.ses.

She was moderately tall. Her bulky tweed suit made her figure hard to judge correctly. The straight, loosefitting jackets currently fas.h.i.+onable may come in handy to disguise an unwanted pregnancy-a problem this lady wasnat likely to have to face, I judged-but they can hardly be called flattering. Her sensible shoes did nothing for her legs and ankles. Still, she wasnat obese, emaciated, or deformed.

As for her face, it had a lot of forehead and chin, as well as a grim, unhappy mouth. I put her age between thirty and thirty-five, although it could have been less. I decided that I didnat like her. Thereas really no excuse for a potentially presentable female to deliberately go around looking like Lady Macbeth after a hard night with the knife. I mean, itas a kind of reverse vanity that implies a lot of real conceit somewhere.

While I was looking her over, she was giving me a thorough examination from hair to toenails. She turned to Mac and spoke without enthusiasm.

aThis is your alternate candidate, Mr. McRae? Isnat he rather tall for an agent? I supposed they were all fairly inconspicuous people.a aThis is Mr. Paul Corcoran,a Mac said, pa.s.sing over the personal comments. aPaul, Dr. Olivia Maria.s.sy.a Dr. Olivia Maria.s.sy barely acknowledged the introduction with a nod my way. aI suppose thatas an alias,a she said to Mac. aItas a poor choice. The man is obviously of Scandinavian descent, not Irish.a Still speaking to Mac, she frowned at me: aWell, at least he doesnat have the slick, ivy-league look of the other prospect. I donat think I could stomach that crew cut and that b.u.t.ton-down collar very long, not to mention the pipe. I think a pipe is nearly always an affectation, donat you? Do you smoke?a The final question was thrown at me. aNo, maaam,a I said. aNot unless my cover requires it.a aCover?a aDisguise.a aI see. Well, thatas something,a she said. aOnly a fool would poison himself with coal tar and nicotine after all the evidence that has been published. Do you drink?a aYes, maaam,a I said. aI also run around with women. But I donat gamble. Honest.a That got me another long look through the hornrimmed gla.s.ses. aWell,a she said, aa rudimentary sense of humor is better than none at all, I suppose.a Mac said, aMr. Corcoranas training and experience-a aPlease! Iam not questioning the professional qualifications of either candidate. Iam sure they are both very rapid on the draw, if thatas the proper phrase. Iam sure theyare both capable and ruthless and perfectly horrible. Do you play chess?a Shead aimed that one at me. aA little,a I said.

Olivia Maria.s.sy frowned thoughtfully. There was a brief silence. Her head came up. aWell, heall have to do. The other was quite impossible. If I have to marry one of them, Iall take this one.a She turned away and bent over a worn briefcase on one of the theater seats, took out a small black book and handed it to me. It was Capablancaas Chess Fundamentals. aYouad better study that, Mr. Corcoran,a she said. aIt will give us something to do on our honeymoon. Goodbye, Mr. McRae. Iall leave the arrangements to you. Just let me know what you want me to do.a We watched her walk out with her briefcase. Mac didnat speak and neither did I. 1 wonat say I couldnat. I just didnat try.

III.

DOWN inside the big s.h.i.+p where we were-wherever that was-there wasnat a thing to be heard except the steady, ever-present rumble of the heavy propulsion machinery. All the planes in the world could have been landing overhead or none at all. There was no way of telling.

Mac laughed shortly. aApparently my instinct was correct. I hadnat really considered you for the job because I wanted you to have the full leave youad been promised, but when you called last night I had a hunch you were just the man we needed here. Weave been having a good deal of difficulty in persuading the lady to cooperate. She gave us an indignant refusal at first, and even after she suddenly changed her mind for reasons that arenat entirely clear-I didnat venture to cross-examine her-she proved very hard to suit in the matter of a working partner.a He studied me thoughtfully and spoke without expression. aI suppose it was that intriguingly sinister, ruthless, yet somehow intellectual look that overcame her spinster scruples, where a straightforward display of masculine charm and virility merely offended her. Or maybe she just thought you looked old enough to be reasonably safe.a aGo to h.e.l.l,a I said, asir.a aWell, you seem to have won the beauty contest, Eric,a he said, using my code name to remind me gently that this was an official conversation, and that while many liberties were permitted, there was only one boss. aMatrimony is an essential part of the a.s.signment, you understand. Dr. Maria.s.sy is valuable government property. You can judge how valuable by the caliber of the visitors who came on board today to confer with her and her colleagues. We have obtained permission to use her for bait, but you have to be close enough to her, day and night, not only to watch her but to protect her as well. You can only do that in the character of a lover or husband.a aSure,a I said. aBut with two choices, why do we have to pick the legal one?a aAside from the fact that she is hardly the type for an illicit love affair, the lady has a career to think of. Neither she nor the government department for which she works wants a scandal attached to her name. After the job is finished, of course, steps will be taken to dissolve the blessed union at no cost to either party. But it must be a genuine marriage while it lasts.a I said, aWell, if she can stand it, I guess I can.a aYou will have to,a Mac said dryly. aAnd you will have to be very diplomatic, in private. The rude and arrogant manner she affected today would seem to indicate that she is frightened.a aYou think she might panic and pull out, sir? Iall try not to scare her.a aOn the other hand,a he said, ayour performance must carry conviction-both performances. There must be no hint of fakery.a He paused. aItas a Taussig operation, Eric. You know what that means. Weare not up against amateurs. We canat be too careful.a I frowned. aTaussig? h.e.l.l, I thought the old maestro was through. I thought head been put out to gra.s.s after that Budapest fiasco in fifty-four-well, to a desk in Moscow.a aThat was our understanding until quite recently, but apparently it was wrong.a Mac glanced at me. aDo you remember the details of what he did in Budapest? I mean, what he almost did in Budapest?a aYes, sir, I said. aI wasnat in on it myself, but I was briefed on it afterward. We all were. It was the multiple shadow technique. He had been trying to sell it for years as a subst.i.tute for open military action. He had them all covered, all the Hungarian politicians who werenat being properly cooperative. Every doubtful man or woman in public life was shadowed by an agent trained in homicide who had orders to take his subject out instantly and permanently when the whistle blew. The only trouble was, somebody got nervous and whistled prematurely. Four or five prominent Hungarian citizens died, and there was a big scandal, but the real takeover had to wait for the Russian tanks in fifty-six or -seven, whenever it was.a I grimaced. aYou mean heas managed to talk them into letting him try the same thing again?a aThe evidence says so.a aIn Pensacola, Florida?a I asked. aWhy Pensacola, for G.o.das sake? Whatas important enough there to warrant the Budapest treatment?a Mac said, aThe exact nature of the Pensacola target is irrelevant. The important thing is that there is one, and that a number of valuable people, Dr. Maria.s.sy included, are in danger, and that we must find Taussig and stop him before he gets all his agents in a position to act.a aSure,a I said. aAnd just how does Was.h.i.+ngton plan for me to find him? I gather they donat have his location pinpointed, or there would be no need to use the female scientist for a decoy.a aHe was seen in Pensacola a few months ago,a Mac said. aThatas what drew our attention here. Unfortunately the operative who recognized him-not one of ours-had other business and let it go with a routine report. Taussig has not been spotted since. Youall have to work at it from this end.a aStarting with a marriage ceremony.a I opened the book I was still holding and read the name boldly written on the flyleaf in black ink. aaOlivia Eloise Maria.s.sy.a Eloise, for G.o.das sake. Whatas she a doctor of, anyway?a aMedicine,a Mac said. aAeros.p.a.ce medicine, to be exact. She is one of a group of government scientists using the facilities of the U.S. Naval School of Aviation Medicine, in Pensacola, and of Elgin Air Force Base up the coast, for a special project. Sometimes, when the missile range at Elgin is inadequate, they call on Cape Kennedy for help. This much you should know. Exactly what the project is, doesnat concern you.a He made a wry face. aOr so I was instructed to tell the man who was selected for this a.s.signment.a aSure,a I said. aWeare supposed to save the country blindfolded, as always. I suppose itas some kind of a super-retaliation gizmo, or Taussig and his superiors wouldnat be so interested.a aPerhaps,a Mac said.

aAeros.p.a.ce medicine, eh? Iall look it up.a I snapped the book shut. aOf course, I wonat have much time for research. Iall be playing chess with my bride.a This got no reaction from Mac and I said, aWhat makes us think Taussigas going to take the bait?a aHe may already have taken it,a Mac said. aNot Taussig himself, of course. Presumably he was here only to arrange the details of the local surveillance setup; he probably wonat risk showing himself here again. Heall control the machinery from a distance as he always does. Itas his strength and his weakness. Itas the reason weave never been able to reach him; and at the same time itas the reason for the failure of the Budapest operation. He was too far away to take charge when a subordinate panicked.a Mac paused. aAs far as Pensacola is concerned, we have determined that several of Dr. Maria.s.syas colleagues have already developed shadows. We are gambling that she has.a aGambling,a I said. aCanat we confirm before we start?a aNot without the risk of alerting Taussigas man, or woman, if there actually is one a.s.signed to Dr. Maria.s.sy, as we hope. I had the investigators withdrawn for that reason. You will determine if she is being shadowed, Eric. If she is, you will lead the shadower to a suitably isolated spot, safe from interference by the police or anybody else, and learn from him, or her, the whereabouts of Emil Taussig.a I listened to the rumble of the big power plant, somewhere far below in the giant s.h.i.+p. aSure,a I said softly. aSure. Just like that.a Mac nodded. aJust like that.a aItas pretty crude,a I said. aThere are limits to what can be done with the thumbscrews, sir. If we hit a stubborn one, it could get messy.a Macas voice was unrelenting. aIf you become queasy, you can call in help. Iall have an interrogation team standing by.a aKeep your d.a.m.n I-team,a I said. aMy stomach is as strong as anybodyas. It just seems to me we could be a little more clever about this.a aCleverness has been tried,a Mac said. aA great many very clever people have been working hard on this without notable results. That is why we were called in. Remember, cleverness is not our specialty, Eric. Other things are.a aYes, sir,a I said; then I frowned. aI thought you said these shadows were recently acquired.a aIn Pensacola, yes.a aI see,a I said slowly. aThen this local manifestation isnat the first and only-a aBy no means,a Mac said. aIt was merely selected by us as a suitable point for a counterattack. Do you think I would have been authorized to give you such orders if only one small group of scientists was in danger?a aItas a big thing, then? Nationwide? Old Taussig is shooting everything in the musket including the ramrod?a aIt is big,a Mac agreed. aIt was first diagnosed at a base of the Strategic Air Command up north in a well, never mind where. SAC reported that key flight personnel were being watched by enemy agents whose job might be to keep them from reaching their planes under certain circ.u.mstances.a aYou mean,a I said, aif the big bell started ringing?a aYes. I regret to say that the report was not, at first, taken very seriously by other government departments. It sounded rather farfetched to anybody who had not heard of Taussigas Budapest venture; and those SAC people have a recognized persecution complex. They are not really happy unless they think somebody is trying to do them in, one way or another.a aParanoia is the word, sir,a I said helpfully.

aThank you, Eric. Paranoia. Gradually it developed that even allowing for the paranoia of the Strategic Air Command, there was evidence to indicate that something very unpleasant was being planned on a very large scale. One cell was discovered in Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C. You can imagine the furor this caused, behind tight security, of course. Then Taussig himself was spotted in the country, and somebody did remember Budapest, and the pieces fell into place. Cells are now known or suspected as far apart as San Diego, California, and a certain little-known government activity in Maine. We do not know how many there are. We do not know who is scheduled to die and who is not. This creates a certain amount of panic among various important people who can bravely face the possibility of having millions of people killed by nuclear weapons.a I said, aI know. Itas always a little different when itas a man with a gun or knife whoas hunting just you.a aAs a result,a Mac said, ain certain quarters Emil Taussig is no longer looked upon as merely a small, white-haired, Jewish gentleman with an ingenious mind; he is regarded as the devil himself. It is our job to exorcise him. We do not know many of the details of his operation. We do not know if his effort is an independent one, or if there will be concurrent action from overseas to take advantage of the confusion he hopes to create. We do not know,a Mac said, aand as far as you are concerned we do not care. Information is the business of other agencies. The only information in which you are interested is: Where is Emil Taussig?a aYes, sir,a I said.

aYou will find him,a Mac said, ausing any means necessary. When you have found him, you will kill him. Any questions?a aNo, sir,a I said. I mean, head made it pretty clear.

IV

THE c.o.c.ktail lounge of the Montclair Hotel featured a large circular bar built to resemble, vaguely, a circus carousel complete with canopy. For this reason, I guess, it was known as the Carnival Room. All visible seats under the canopy were occupied when I came in, which was fine. It made my choosing a table at the side of the room seem natural, whereas otherwise somebody might have wondered why a lone man would go off in a dark corner by himself instead of sitting at the bar. Somebody might even have wondered later, in the light of developments, if the guy hadnat been expecting company right along.

A waiter won my heart by unhesitatingly supplying a Martini complete with olive, instead of trying to sell me on the virtues of onions, lemon peels, and other garbage. Since the door and who came through it was supposed to hold no interest for me, I concentrated my attention on the a.s.sortment of posteriors lined up around the bar. With the evidence before me, I came to the conclusion that it takes a pretty good rump to appear well on a small stool. One female specimen in pink satin, young and unrestrained, was quite intriguing as behinds go, but the rest were no treat to the eye.

I took a drink to celebrate my return to civilian life. Getting off the s.h.i.+p had involved a ride in an old prop trainer that sounded like a bucket of bolts, from the c.o.c.kpit of which the carrieras three-hundred-yard flight deck had suddenly looked very short. Catapults arenat used to get the propeller jobs airborne. Theyare supposed to be able to make it on their own, but there had been a moment or two, running out of deck with nothing but ocean left ahead, when Iad wondered if somebody hadnat miscalculated badly.

Braithwaite had lifted us off nicely, however, and set us down on a military field somewhere inland. There Iad inspected some interesting and moderately confidential facilities to make my officer act look good if anybody bothered to trace me this far. Then a car had run us into Pensacola where I changed back into slacks and sports coat, leaving my military ident.i.ty in the empty apartment with my lieutenant commanderas uniform. Wead come roaring back along the beaches in Braithwaiteas low-slung Healey, reaching New Orleans a little after dusk.

It had been a complicated d.a.m.n performance, worthy of the old OSS and similar glamorous organizations. If it had accomplished nothing else, I decided, it had made some service people feel theyad been in touch with great matters of international intrigue. Maybe that was the idea. Iad got out of the car a few blocks from the hotel.

aJust walk straight ahead, sir,a Braithwaite said. aYouall see it on your left. You canat miss it.a aSure,a I said.

aIam not supposed to ask questions, I know,a he said. aBut a Ah, h.e.l.l. Good luck, sir.a He held out his hand. It was the first sign of humanity that had peeked through the Naval Academy polish.

I shook his hand and looked down at him for a moment. The sports car in which he sat wasnat much more than knee high. I said, aIf youare interested in more of the same, it can probably be arranged on a permanent basis. Iam just pa.s.sing the word as it was given to me. Personally Iad stick to the Navy if I were you. But youare ent.i.tled to know somebody liked the way you handled this.a aThank you, sir.a It was hard to tell in the dark, but I thought his boyish face flushed a little with pleasure. aAs for the offer . .

aDonat kid yourself itas all a matter of fancy counter-signs and fast driving,a I said. aAnd donat waste your answer on me. The recruiting office aa I told him the number in Was.h.i.+ngton to call, and gave him a kind of salute. aHappy landings, as we birdmen say.a Thinking of this now, I felt old and cynical. To cheer myself, I looked for the neat little f.a.n.n.y in pink, but it was gone. Presently I spotted the tight, s.h.i.+ny dress some twenty degrees farther along the curving bar than it had been. My first thought was that the kid had moved to another stool. Then I realized that the great circular contraption, occupying the whole center of the room, was actually rotating like a real merry-go-round, but much more slowly.

Iad been briefed on this earlier, of course, but it had slipped my memory for a moment. Being reminded of it, and seeing it in action, came as kind of a shock, particularly since it was something I wasnat supposed to forget. It was part of our plan. At the same time I became aware that a woman was being seated at the table to my left, only a few feet down the upholstered bench that ran along the wall.

aWaiter,a I said, carefully ignoring her, awaiter, either Iam drunk on one Martini or that thing is moving.a There was a quick laugh from the. woman whoad just sat down. aIt certainly is!a Olivia Maria.s.sy said. aWhat a dreadful thing to put in a bar! I thought I was intoxicated, too, when I came in here this afternoon and saw it.a This was the approach that had been decided on. I guess Hollywood would have said we were meeting cute. The words were right, but she wasnat the greatest actress in the world, and I donat suppose shead ever picked up -or been picked up by-a man in a bar before. The laugh was strained and the voice was forced. It wasnat good.

I looked around the way a man might, addressed by a strange woman in a strange place-that is to say, hopefully. After all, I wasnat supposed to know it wasnat Brigitte Bardot whoad sat down beside me. I let my face go disconcerted for a moment before I covered up politely. Dr. Maria.s.sy hadnat altered much since Iad last seen her. Of course, it had been only a few hours, but there are women who can manage a change of clothes and a light application of lipstick in that length of time.

Our scientist lady was still wearing her clumsy tweeds, however. The pulled-back straight hair, the lack of makeup, and the heavily rimmed gla.s.ses still gave her the look of a frustrated old-maid schoolteacher. She had made only one change: shead put on high heels. The table, and the poor light, made it hard to estimate the extent of the improvement, but I got the impression that her legs werenat half bad.

Her smile was pretty awful, however. It obviously hurt her to have to smile at me. Maybe it would have hurt her to smile at anybody. I encouraged myself with that thought.

aWell, it is kind of a strange notion, maaam,a I said politely. aI wonder how long it takes to go around.a This was also part of the prepared dialogue. It gave her an opportunity, in line with her scientific character, to suggest breaking out the watches and doing some timing. As the circular bar actually took some fifteen minutes to complete one revolution, wead be practically old friends by the time this research project was finished and checked-old enough friends, at any rate, for me to buy her a drink and, a few drinks later, ask her to take pity on a lonely Denver character who knew nothing about New Orleans, not even where to find a decent meal.

It was a good enough opening for a pickup romance, but we werenat putting it across. I hoped she could feel it. I hoped shead have sense enough to stall a little with the cigarette bit, giving me a chance to play gentleman with-a-match, before she pitched into the act in earnest.

Then I remembered she didnat approve of smoking. I could see her gathering herself to deliver her next line, and I knew it would be about as convincing as a schoolboyas excuse for playing hooky-and a man was watching us from the door.

He made no bones about it. He just stood there regarding us thoughtfully, and I knew he was the one. I didnat have any doubt. I mean, you get so you can spot them, the trained ones, the pros, the men in the same line of work. I donat mean I recognized his face. He was new to me. We didnat have him in the high-priority file, not yet. But he was our man, he had to be. They arenat common. It wasnat likely theread be two of that species around-besides me, I mean.

He was a big, middle-aged man with a bald head and protruding ears like the symmetrical handles of an ornamental vase, but he wasnat ornamental, far from it. I got an impression of almost spectacular ugliness in the glimpse I allowed myself. I didnat dare look longer. Maybe his instincts werenat as acute as mine. If so, there was a chance that he hadnat spotted me yet; that he was just making note of me in a routine way, as head have made note of anybody who made any kind of contact with his real subject, Olivia Maria.s.sy.

There was still a chance, if not a good one. So far she hadnat given herself away hopelessly. A maiden lady intellectual was bound to be a little awkward, adventurously addressing a strange man in a bar. But we couldnat expose him to any more of her phony smiles and memorized dialogue or head know the meeting had been planned.

aExcuse me,a I said abruptly, and turned away just as she started to speak. aWaiter!a Rising, I was aware of Oliviaas face kind of crumpling. After all, shead nerved herself to go through with the repulsive performance, and now the horrible man was kicking the script out the door. Well, it could pa.s.s for the reaction of a shy woman away from home whose tentative advances had been rudely rejected. I hoped shead know enough to buy a drink and drink it, as any woman would to cover her confusion, before she ran out. I also hoped shead remember, then, to go straight to her room and stay there with the door locked as shead been instructed to do if anything went wrong.

Walking away after paying my bill, I knew it still wasnat good enough. Head sat down at a corner table; he didnat seem to be looking our way any more, but I knew he wasnat missing a thing. Head naturally be watching for a plant, a ringer, anything to indicate that his subject was hep and a trap was being set, that a pro was being slipped into the game against him. He wouldnat be watching for it any harder tonight than last night, perhaps, or tomorrow night, but head be on his guard always to spot anything out of line. He had to be. His life and his job depended on it.

What was needed, I thought, was a convincing red herring-but maybe a pink one would do. It was a crazy move, but that was a point in its favor, and my luck was in. The kid with the pink satin dress and the nice little rear was still in sight at the revolving bar, and the stool beside her was vacant. She had the defensive look a pretty girl gets in public, waiting for her escort to return from the john. I marched over there, stepped aboard the carousel, sat down, and tossed some money on the bar.

aMartini,a I said to the bartender. aVeddy, veddy dry, if you please. Better make it a double.a I threw a wry glance over my shoulder toward Olivia. She had a drink and was sipping it grimly, staring straight ahead, as if she thought everyone in the room was watching. Well, that was still in character. Maybe wead get by without giving the show away. How wead make contact again, more convincingly, was a matter Iad give thought to later.

I grinned at the girl beside me. aI have just escaped a fate worse than death,a I said. aHeaven preserve me prom amorous lady schoolteachers on vacation.a She had black hair and slim bare shoulders and long white gloves. Her eyes were large and dark and framed by rather heavy black eyebrows. She was a nice-looking kid, but she didnat really belong in the bar of the ritzy Montclair, I realized, seeing her at close range. She wasnat exactly shabby, but the tight dress showed minute signs of strain and wear at the seams. The gloves and stockings were beyond reproach, but the pretty pink satin pumps had been walked in and danced in plenty of times before tonight. I wouldnat have been surprised to learn they were getting kind of thin underneath.

She was obviously a kid who had to count her pennies, squeezing just a little more wear out of last yearas glamor. Shead got herself a well-heeled date, shead promoted drinks at the Montclair, and maybe dinner at Antoineas was on the program, too. It would be if she had her way, I thought. She didnat like my b.u.t.ting in one little bit.

aPlease,a she said stiffly. aIam sorry. This place is taken.a aRemember me?a I said. aPaul Corcoran, of Denver, Colorado. This is real great, doll! I checked into the hotel last night, knowing n.o.body in town, I thought. And tonight I drop in here for a drink and look whoas sitting here! What about the creep youare with? Can you ditch him?a She looked at me for a moment longer, long enough to know perfectly well she didnat remember me from anywhere. She looked quickly toward the door marked GENTLEMEN but it remained closed. She glanced toward the bartender.