intends
to steal a picture of you as proof."
"Of me!" Maria said, staring through the windows in young Chervil's clothes.
"What does he think of me?"
"Well, Madame, he's extremely difficult to probe. I think he'd like to steal
more from you than your picture."
"Oh, would he?" Maria cackled delightedly.
"He would, Madame. Shall he be removed?"
"No." Maria glanced once more at the muscular young man, then turned away.
"He'll get his proof."
"And it won't be stolen," Reich said.
"Jealous! Jealous!" she squawked. "Let's dine."
In response to Tate's urgent sign, Reich stepped aside momentarily.
"Reich, you've got to give it up."
"What the hell... ?"
"The Chervil boy."
"What about him?"
"He's a 2nd."
"God damn!"
"He's precocious, brilliant... I met him at Powell's last Sunday. Maria Beaumont
never invites peepers to her house. I'm only in on your pass. I was depending on
that."
"And this peeper kid has to be the one to crash. God damn!"
"Give it up, Reich."
"Maybe I can stay away from him."
"Reich, I can block the social secretaries. They're only 3rds. But I can't
guarantee to handle them and a 2nd too... even if he is only a kid. He's young.
He may be too nervous to do any clever peeping. But I can't promise."
"I'm not quitting," Reich growled. "I can't. I'll never get a chance like this
again. Even if I knew I could, I wouldn't quit. I couldn't. I've got the stink
of D'Courtney in my nostrils. I---"
"Reich, you'll never---"
"Don't argue. I'm going through with it." Reich turned his scowl full on Tate's
nervous face. "I know you're looking for a chance to squirm out of this; but you
won't. We're trapped in this together, right down the line, from here to
Demolition."
He shaped his distorted face into a frozen smile and rejoined his hostess on a
couch alongside one of the tables. It was still the custom for couples to feed
one another at these affairs, but the gesture that had originated in oriental
courtesy and generosity had degenerated into erotic play. The morsels of food
were accompanied by tongue touched to fingers and were as often offered between
the lips. The wine was tasted mouth to mouth. Sweets were given more intimately.
Reich endured it all with a seething impatience, waiting for the vital word from
Tate. Part of Tate's Intelligence work was to locate D'Courtney's hiding place
in the house. He watched the little peeper drift through the crowd of diners,
probing, prying, searching, until he at last returned with a negative shake of
his head and gestured toward Maria Beaumont. Clearly Maria was the only source
of information, but she was now too excited by sensuality to be easily probed.
It was another in a never-ending series of crises that had to be met by the
killer-instinct. Reich arose and crossed toward the fountain. Tate intercepted
him.
"What are you up to, Reich?"
"Isn't it obvious? I've got to get the Chervil boy off her mind."
"How?"
"Is there any way but one?"
"For God's sake, Reich, don't go near the boy."
"Get out of my way." Reich radiated a burst of savage compulsion that made the
peeper recoil. He signaled in fright and Reich tried to control himself.
"It's taking chances, I know, but the odds aren't as long as you think. In the
first place, he's young and green. In the second place, he's a crasher and
scared. In the third place, he can't be flying full jets or he wouldn't have let
the fag secretaries peep him so easily."
"Have you got any conscious control? Can you double-think?"
"I've got that song on my mind and enough trouble to make doublethinking a
pleasure. Now get the hell out of the way and stand by to peep Maria Beaumont."
Chervil was eating alone alongside the fountain, clumsily attempting to appear
to belong.
"Pip," said Reich.
"Pop," said Chervil.
"Bim," said Reich.
"Bam," said Chervil.
With the latest fad in informality disposed of, Reich eased himself down
alongside the boy. "I'm Ben Reich."
"I'm Gally Chervil, I
to steal a picture of you as proof."
"Of me!" Maria said, staring through the windows in young Chervil's clothes.
"What does he think of me?"
"Well, Madame, he's extremely difficult to probe. I think he'd like to steal
more from you than your picture."
"Oh, would he?" Maria cackled delightedly.
"He would, Madame. Shall he be removed?"
"No." Maria glanced once more at the muscular young man, then turned away.
"He'll get his proof."
"And it won't be stolen," Reich said.
"Jealous! Jealous!" she squawked. "Let's dine."
In response to Tate's urgent sign, Reich stepped aside momentarily.
"Reich, you've got to give it up."
"What the hell... ?"
"The Chervil boy."
"What about him?"
"He's a 2nd."
"God damn!"
"He's precocious, brilliant... I met him at Powell's last Sunday. Maria Beaumont
never invites peepers to her house. I'm only in on your pass. I was depending on
that."
"And this peeper kid has to be the one to crash. God damn!"
"Give it up, Reich."
"Maybe I can stay away from him."
"Reich, I can block the social secretaries. They're only 3rds. But I can't
guarantee to handle them and a 2nd too... even if he is only a kid. He's young.
He may be too nervous to do any clever peeping. But I can't promise."
"I'm not quitting," Reich growled. "I can't. I'll never get a chance like this
again. Even if I knew I could, I wouldn't quit. I couldn't. I've got the stink
of D'Courtney in my nostrils. I---"
"Reich, you'll never---"
"Don't argue. I'm going through with it." Reich turned his scowl full on Tate's
nervous face. "I know you're looking for a chance to squirm out of this; but you
won't. We're trapped in this together, right down the line, from here to
Demolition."
He shaped his distorted face into a frozen smile and rejoined his hostess on a
couch alongside one of the tables. It was still the custom for couples to feed
one another at these affairs, but the gesture that had originated in oriental
courtesy and generosity had degenerated into erotic play. The morsels of food
were accompanied by tongue touched to fingers and were as often offered between
the lips. The wine was tasted mouth to mouth. Sweets were given more intimately.
Reich endured it all with a seething impatience, waiting for the vital word from
Tate. Part of Tate's Intelligence work was to locate D'Courtney's hiding place
in the house. He watched the little peeper drift through the crowd of diners,
probing, prying, searching, until he at last returned with a negative shake of
his head and gestured toward Maria Beaumont. Clearly Maria was the only source
of information, but she was now too excited by sensuality to be easily probed.
It was another in a never-ending series of crises that had to be met by the
killer-instinct. Reich arose and crossed toward the fountain. Tate intercepted
him.
"What are you up to, Reich?"
"Isn't it obvious? I've got to get the Chervil boy off her mind."
"How?"
"Is there any way but one?"
"For God's sake, Reich, don't go near the boy."
"Get out of my way." Reich radiated a burst of savage compulsion that made the
peeper recoil. He signaled in fright and Reich tried to control himself.
"It's taking chances, I know, but the odds aren't as long as you think. In the
first place, he's young and green. In the second place, he's a crasher and
scared. In the third place, he can't be flying full jets or he wouldn't have let
the fag secretaries peep him so easily."
"Have you got any conscious control? Can you double-think?"
"I've got that song on my mind and enough trouble to make doublethinking a
pleasure. Now get the hell out of the way and stand by to peep Maria Beaumont."
Chervil was eating alone alongside the fountain, clumsily attempting to appear
to belong.
"Pip," said Reich.
"Pop," said Chervil.
"Bim," said Reich.
"Bam," said Chervil.
With the latest fad in informality disposed of, Reich eased himself down
alongside the boy. "I'm Ben Reich."
"I'm Gally Chervil, I
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