"Because I don't see him taking a fix on anybody except Lockard's wife
and I don't hold with exterminating females except maybe by accident.
Besides, I kind of radiate for that tigi myself."
The lawyer's voice definitely showed interest. "Isn't there anybody
else he could possibly be after?"
"Well--" John Keats gave a sick laugh--"there's only one other possible
flight pattern. It's kind of extradimensional, but sometimes I think
maybe he's after me."
There was a long pause. "Absurd," the little lawyer said thoughtfully.
"Absurd. He doesn't even know who you are."
Pale blood surfaced under the young man's transparent skin. "I never
thought of that, but you're wrong. He does. He's got to. It was a
private game." His voice thickened and he had to stop for coughing.
"When you told him he was Jed Carmody, naturally he could figure out
who was squatting in his hulk."
"But magnetizing him was your own idea, Johnny," Gorman pointed out
gently. "Besides, that's no reason he should be after you; what's the
percentage in it? And, anyhow, where does Lockard fit into this?" He
seemed to be asking the question of himself as much as of the other man.
"Yeah," John Keats muttered, "that's what I've got to find out."
"Me, too," Gorman half-whispered.
"What did you say?"
"I said tell me when you find out; I'm sort of curious myself."
VIII
"Look, Gorman," Carmody said, "I'm not working for you; I'm working for
Lockard. What's the idea of sending for me this hour of the night?"
"Then why did you come this hour of the night when I asked you to?" the
lawyer inquired, leaning back in his chair and smiling.
The big man hesitated and shrugged. "Can't say, myself. Curiosity,
maybe.... But you can hardly expect me to violate my employer's
confidence?"
Gorman laughed. "You get your ideas from the viddies, don't you? Only
don't forget that you're the villain, not the hero, of this piece,
fellow-man."
Carmody, completely taken aback, stared at him--the little alien
couldn't know! And, furthermore, he was mistaken--Carmody, Lockard,
the dutchman, had done nothing wrong, committed no crime, violated no
ethic. On the other hand, he had done nothing right either, nothing to
help himself or any other. "What do you mean?" he finally temporized.
"Tell me this--Lockard hired you to kill the man who goes under the
name of John Keats, didn't he?"
"Yes, but how did you know that?" He was beginning to have the same
primitive fear of Gorman that he had of the Vinzz; only it was more
natural for an extraterrestrial to have apparently supernatural powers.
"Keats told me--and Keats, of course, is the real Carmody."
"So you found out?"
"Found out!" Gorman laughed. "I knew it all along. Does a man keep any
secrets from his lawyer?"
"If he's smart, he does." Carmody absently beat his hand on the desk.
"This Keats isn't too smart, though, is he?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account