Chambers picked up the spacegram again and studied it. Stutsman, out on
Callisto now, had sent it. He was doing a good job out there. The Jovian
confederacy, less than one Earth year under Interplanetary domination,
was still half rebellious, still angry at being forced to turn over its
government to the hand-picked officials of Chambers' company. An iron
heel was needed and Stutsman was that iron heel.
* * * * *
So the people on the Jovian satellites wanted the release of John Moore
Mallory. "They're getting ugly," the spacegram said. It had been a
mistake to confine Mallory to Callisto. Stutsman should have thought of
that.
Chambers would instruct Stutsman to remove Mallory from the Callisto
prison, place him on one of the prison ships. Give instructions to the
captain to make things comfortable for him. When this furor had blown
over, after things had quieted down in the Jovian confederacy, it might
be possible to release Mallory. After all, the man wasn't really guilty
of any crime. It was a shame that he should be imprisoned when
racketeering rats like Scorio went scot-free right here in New York.
A buzzer purred softly and Chambers reached out to press a stud.
"Dr. Craven to see you," his secretary said. "You asked to see him, Mr.
Chambers."
"All right," said Chambers. "Send him right in."
He clicked the stud again, picked up his pen, wrote out a spacegram to
Stutsman, and signed it.
Dr. Herbert Craven stood just inside the door, his black suit wrinkled
and untidy, his sparse sandy hair standing on end.
"You sent for me," he said sourly.
"Sit down, Doctor," invited Chambers.
* * * * *
Craven sat down. He peered at Chambers through thick-lensed glasses.
"I haven't much time," he declared acidly.
"Cigar?" Chambers offered.
"Never smoke."
"A drink, then?"
"You know I don't drink," snapped Craven.
"Doctor," said Chambers, "you're the least sociable man I've ever known.
What do you do to enjoy yourself?"
"I work," said Craven. "I find it interesting."
"You must. You even begrudge the time it takes to talk with me."
"I won't deny it. What do you want this time?"
Chambers swung about to face him squarely across the desk. There was a
cold look in the financier's gray eyes and his lips were grim.
"Craven," he said, "I don't trust you. I've never trusted you. Probably
that's no news to you."
"You don't trust anyone," countered Craven. "You're watching everybody
all the time."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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