"Yes, Gyp?" "This Maude Tinker, says Fred, is a gypsy." Anita's face did the most abrupt change. I had never seen her furiously angry. She's a typical high echelon Washington secretary, cool, extremely well-mannered, cheerful without being bumptious. But this time she was downright mad. "I told you," Anita said. "What?" "I told you to watch out for Fred Plaice!" "It's not his fault," I protested. "Catching telepaths is his job." "Within limits," she said scornfully. "I thought it was just one more of his screwball ideas! He had his whole Section concentrating on gypsies, for a couple of months. He had a long story to go with it, Gyp! How all the soothsayers and clairvoyants and finders were really short-range telepaths or pre-cogs." "I don't believe it," I said. "You mean that Fred started with my nickname, and has been on this campaign of looking for telepaths among gypsies just in hopes he could embarrass me?" "Yes!" You have to like loyalty, no matter what the circumstances that incite it. "I can't believe that of one of my boys, Anita," I said. "Fred was all broken up about it." "I bet I can call the turn," Anita said, starting back for her own desk. "Fred's next move is to tell you that no one can blame you for disqualifying yourself from this case. After all, your own mother!" Well, the political implications _were_ deep. "I think I would agree," I said at length. "Let's see what happens. Send this Maude Tinker in as soon as she gets here." "Aren't you going to take any precautions, Gyp?" Anita demanded. "Against what?" "You're impossible," she snapped. "I'll take care of the precaution department myself. And don't you dare let Fred get that woman in here until I get back." "No what...?" "Joseph Tinker!" she cried. "Be quiet!" She stormed out. * * * * * In about twenty minutes the buzzer on my pix-box sounded, and I depressed the key. Anita's face was tense on the small screen. "Just got a flash," she said. "Fred has her in his 'copter and will let down on the roof in about four or five minutes. I'll need a couple minutes more than that. Now don't you let him in with her before I get there, do you hear me?" I said I heard her. She beat Fred at that. For all I know she had booby-trapped them in getting down from the roof. Anita has drag with everybody in the building, and that could have included the elevator service man, who quite easily could have loused service to the roof enough to delay Fred. Anita came in. "Mr. Tinker," she said crisply. "Meet Tony Carlucci." I stood up. Tony was a darned good-looking chap, about my age, with very dark hair, somewhat curly, and a flash of white teeth for a smile. I told him I was pleased to meet him. "Move over," Anita directed, stepping smartly around my desk and giving my elbow a sharp yank. "You sit behind the desk, Tony. Now try to look like a big wheel, for heaven's sake."