The M.E. the M.E. demanded in annoyance. For the first time, Lou was stung into defending me. He turned to me. "There's no mystery to it,
Weldon. "Depends. I'm not." He never did,
though. Then I gave up. "The M.E. is wrong, Lou," I said. "It doesn't feel right." "He knows his business, Mark." "Sure," I agreed. "Up to a point. Undereating, yes. Actual starvation,
no." "You and the M.E. It isn't. I said. "So it takes weeks. I asked. "No. "In a way. He said, "We know these cases are hermits. They don't make contact
with anybody." he agreed reluctantly. I want to find out
what." "They look almost new." he asked. Same thing." It was dark, unfaded. I
pointed it out to Lou. "From not being exposed to daylight much," he said. "They hoarded, Mark. "Tell me, Lou. He shook his head. "Not while I was alive. Will it, maybe, not
give it." "No good, Mark. "Well, it was an idea." "But don't get any wrong notions," he said on the way. "I have to
protect State property, that's all, because I signed for it and I'm
responsible." "Sure, sure," I agreed, to humor him. I asked quietly, not wanting to rub it in. "I wish I could say yes. "Damned if I know. Only
a few of them take this way out. I have to try to find them before
they do." I wish I liked problems. He headed back to
Headquarters and I went over to the park and sat in the sun, warming
myself and trying to think like a senile psychotic who would rather
die of starvation than spend a few cents for food. "Been trying to get in touch with you all day, Mark. "Ah, hell!" I said, disgusted. "He's in a coma." "He might start talking," Lou told me. "So I can listen to delirious ravings, you mean." I wasn't thinking of
acting at the moment, though. Lou went to the door. "Good luck," he said, and went out. Like now. Then somebody, he
felt, was trying to shove him out of his job. After ten or fifteen minutes of it, he fell asleep. he suddenly shrieked, trying to sit up. "An ad. No experience needed. Good salary." I couldn't stand the
long moments when the old man's chest stopped moving, the abrupt
frantic gulps of air followed by no breath at all. It didn't come. I left, feeling sick. That was a Spanish
painter of four-five hundred years ago. None coming in, you see. That didn't add up, either. "Sure. I couldn't blame him. Now he was fed up. He told me to lay off them, and then he left me on my own. she
asked in a voice with good clarity, resonance and diction. "Fine," she said. Well, there was a way of making it right. Nobody there. "Come right in--Mr. Weldon, isn't it?" She motioned me into the room. You're not old." She ignored it. "You had a job, Mr. Weldon. I asked, startled. That was a fact, too. Looking at the gun in her steady hand, I
was sorry I hadn't. "I know enough already. I don't like amateurs. They guess too much. They don't stick to
reality. "You want to find out my connection with senile psychotics. I wasn't old, but
that didn't seem very comforting. Not her. "All right," she said at last. I faced her. She looked like a sentence of
execution now. I went. It was the longest, most anxious short walk I've ever taken. But as long as you have,
we might as well both benefit by it." I repeated. I demanded. "Well, yes. She looked along a row of shelves against
one wall, searching the labels on the stacks of bundles there. "I asked you to put them on," she said. There wasn't any. She smiled. I don't see
why your own should bother you. They were all only an approximate fit: the
shoes a little too tight and pointed, the collar of the shirt too
stiffly starched and too high under my chin, the gray suit too narrow
at the shoulders and the ankles. "All right," she said. I protested. "You will. It
can't be done. She closed the mesh gate and pushed the switch as far as it would go. The motors screamed as they picked up speed; the mesh cage vibrated
more swiftly; I could see her through it as if there were nothing
between us. And then I couldn't see her at all. It was
day instead of night. Dazed, I stared at the people passing by. She obviously wanted me to go in, so I did. I didn't. They were addressed to different stock brokers and when I
got one open before mailing it and took a look inside, it turned out
to be an order to buy a few hundred shares of stock in a soft drink
company in the name of Dr. Anthony Roberts. The place was serious and quiet--no more than three women, a couple of
bartenders, and the rest male customers, including two cops, huddling
up close to the radio. I couldn't remember who had won. He snorted into his gin. "Not in our lifetime, Mac. I wasn't thinking much about the fact
that I was time traveling or how she did it; I accepted that, though
the sensation in some ways was creepy, like raising the dead. I couldn't....
_Why_ couldn't I? I did. In 1938,
$10 was real money. "No, but somebody is. he asked worriedly, slowing down. I am. I didn't try any more. It was. she asked. "So do the old people. Only they die and you don't." "You could take those who have social security cards and references." She paused. It isn't." But there are other purposes, much more important. You must be hungry." She looked worriedly at the hand, probably afraid I'd cut it and
disqualified myself. It must be, since you did. Nobody was around to serve us. she asked. She did. Too bloody clear. I waited for the rest. "A
rather unflattering one, I imagine." But a clever one. "I didn't invent it. I goaded. "It doesn't matter, Mr. Weldon. I asked warily. I said
nastily. "El Greco, for instance?" "El Greco, too. She looked regretful. "He was too old. "Sounds good. I'm an actor, not a scientist." I demanded. She looked annoyed. "No. Mostly, it was to give you experience in traveling through
time." I couldn't
very well move you about through time unless it worked that way. She closed the circuit. The motors screamed. The mesh blurred. But no city ever had so much greenery. The air smelled like the country. They were made of
transparent plastic clear around and from top to bottom, and they
moved along at a fair clip, but more smoothly than swiftly. I didn't think. I ran. I slammed it shut and
locked it. It didn't figure any other way. I stopped, tense, trying to get my courage. I asked, forcing myself to keep at the same easy
pace. The place looked peaceful enough,
but that didn't prove a thing. I went in. I felt
ashamed of myself. He tried not to look surprised, but he didn't really succeed. They were gone. Not a particle of them was
left. she said, and waited for me to answer. he
asked quietly. "But they always work," he said. "Of course. "Oh, you were joking! "No, no. "I--guess not," I stammered. "But you never can tell." I couldn't guess, and I didn't care to expose myself any more than I
had already. There
was a sort of alley down the block. I couldn't understand why until I
came to a lavatory. The place was a school. Yet it was a school. I glanced around
bewilderedly to see why, because it was still daylight. I wasn't doing so badly. It
wouldn't come off. I tried another. she cried after me. There
was no sign of a restaurant. No, that wasn't right. Only ... And ... Weldon." I nodded, wondering
terrifiedly what was going on. "Please relax," he said persuasively. Our time, you might
say, is your time." Part of it was
dizziness from hunger, but only part. They knew who I was. They'd been expecting me. But you need to be
fed first. Please believe me, we
don't." "All right, I'll take my chances," I gave in resignedly. I liked that. I looked starvingly at the items, trying to decide
which I wanted most. I couldn't blame them, I'd
have stared at somebody from George Washington's time, which is about
what I must have represented to them. "It's on its way. "It can't be too soon. He's very
hungry." I glanced around and noticed for the first time that there was nobody
else in the restaurant. But they didn't. I stared down at the food. "Not very appetizing. Isn't that so, Mr. I turned around, startled. I protested. "You were the only man in a gray suit. I demanded in alarm. I asked uneasily. "Quite sure." "Let Mr. Weldon clarify his
feelings about her, Rhoda. "They are," I admitted. "Go on," Carr encouraged me. I saw none. That
was surprising. Well, no, it wasn't really stealing. "She did," I said. I squirmed a bit. "Yes." "Correct," Blundell said. "But she took the chance," I said. The other was yourself. I asked, jittering. "That's not possible," I objected. "I did," he agreed. "Then they
could buy food. "Yes. No, Mr. Weldon. _All_ of
them, not just a few." I
did, with a sick shock. "And so you, too, would die of malnutrition. "I'm sorry, Mr. Weldon. Neither." She gave you plenty of time to get the data, you see. I did. It was the most wonderful month of my life. But she held it firmly in place. "Right here," I said. she gasped. "The
people of the future knew I was coming. she screamed at me. "Don't bother," I said quietly. she whispered. The law couldn't convict you of them, but I can. And
I couldn't be convicted, either." "Into the cage," I said. "I can be," I said. "You want me," she stated. I didn't argue. "You could have me." "All right, let's see if there's any proof," I suggested tiredly. "From what I was told, there ought to be plenty." he breathed. "She certainly did," I agreed. "You killed her, Mark. Come on, use your head." "That's easy. You lost your nerve." But you'll have to do the
proving, not me." He headed for the stairs. "I will. She was in the future now. I ran up
after them. "Set to short
if it was tampered with. he asked. Aaronson retorted. He went out, wrapping his hand in the handkerchief. "Aaronson is a top
physicist, Mark. I couldn't. This is
how. He turned to me puzzledly. "We'll have to," he said. "Call in the Marines. Call in anybody you like." I shrugged. I was here, in the present, without her. "That's what I kept telling you." She's not here, is she?" "She's not dead. You don't have to believe me about anything else,
just that." "You aren't
lying," he said. "All right, then." "Sure. Now you want to know why I didn't let them." I glanced out the
window at the smoky city. "That's why. I wasn't taking any chances. I broke in. "Good enough. "I have to go back on duty," he objected. "Not any more. "Enough to kill her for." "Enough to finance you and me," I repeated doggedly. We couldn't find a body, so you're free. You're going back to acting, Lou. "All right, what are they?" "Not that," I said. You don't have to believe me. Nobody does." Then he
grinned. "Not with a friend. "Then make it a token bet," he said.