"I mean: who's doing it?" Malone said. "Who is causing these telepathic flashes?" "Maybe it's just happening," Boyd said. "Out of thin air." "Maybe," Malone said. "But let's go on the assumption that there's a human cause. The other way, we can't do a thing except sit back and watch the world go to hell." Boyd nodded. "It doesn't seem to be the Russians," he said. "Although, of course, it might be a Red herring." "What do you mean?" Malone said. "Well," Boyd said, "they might have known we were on to Brubitsch, Borbitsch and Garbitsch--" He stopped. "You know," he said, "every time I say that name I have to reassure myself that we're not all walking around in the world of Florenz Ziegfeld?" "Likewise," Malone said. "But go on." "Sure," Boyd said. "Anyhow, they might have set the three of them up as patsies--just in case we stumbled on to this mess. We can't overlook that possibility." "Right," Malone said. "It's faint, but it is a possibility. In other words, the agency behind the flashes might be Russian, and it might not be Russian." "That clears that up nicely," Boyd said. "Next question?" * * * * * "The next one," Malone said grimly, "is: what's behind the flashes? Some sort of psionic power is causing them--that much is obvious." "I'll go along with that," Boyd said. "I have to go along with it. But don't think I like it." "Nobody likes it," Malone said. "But let's go on. O'Connor isn't any help; he washes his hands of the whole business." "Lucky man," Boyd said. "He says that it can't be happening," Malone said, "and if it is we're all screwy. Now, right or wrong, that isn't an opinion that gives us any handle to work with." "No," Boyd said reflectively. "A certain amount of comfort, to be sure, but no handles." "Sir Lewis Carter, on the other hand--" Malone said. He fumbled through some of the piles of paper until he had located the ones the President of the Psychical Research Society had sent. "Sir Lewis Carter," he went on, "does seem to be doing some pretty good work. At least, some of the more modern stuff he sent over looks pretty solid. They've been doing quite a bit of research into the subject, and their theories seem to be all right, or nearly all right, to me. Of course, I'm not an expert--" "Who is?" Boyd said. "Except for O'Connor, of course." "Well, somebody is," Malone said. "Whoever's doing all this, for instance. And the theories do seem O.K. In most cases, for instance, they agree with O'Connor's work--though they're not in complete agreement." "I should think so," Boyd said. "O'Connor wouldn't recognize an Astral Plane if TWA were putting them into service."