Гарри Гаррисон - To The Stars

“Do that. Now. I’m not happy about this.”

“Nor should you be, sir. A complete investigation will be made.”

How subtle they were, Jan thought. Could the TV have been left off the marks on the rug on purpose? Was this a warning, a slight nudge in the ribs? He didn’t know. But now that he had seen the moved set, reported it, he had to investigate further. If he were innocent that is what he would do.

He rubbed his jaw as he walked around the set. Then knelt to look at the screws that held the back in place. One of them had a fresh shine where a screwdriver had recently cut the surface. They had been inside it!

Within ten minutes he had the back off, the guts pulled, the circuit boards out — and was looking at the device wired across the power leads on one of them. It was the size of an acorn and shaped very much like one, with a glint of crystal in the rounded end. It had lined up with a tiny hole drilled in the front panel. Bugged! With a sharp movement he pulled it loose and bounced it in his palm angrily, making up his mind what to do next, what he would do if he were as innocent as he pretended to be. He went to the phone and called Thurgood-Smythe at home. His sister answered.

“Jan, darling, it’s been ages! If you’re free tomorrow…

“Sorry, Liz, all tied up. And it was Smitty I wanted to talk to in any case.”

“And not a word for your sister I suppose?” She pushed her hair back with her hand and tried to look martyred, but did not succeed very well.

“I’m a beast, Liz, you’ve always known that. But I’m in a rush now. We’ll get together next week, I promise.

“You better. There’s the sweetest girl I want you to meet.”

“Lovely.” He sighed heavily. “Now would you kindly put me through to your husband?”

“Of course. Wednesday at eight.” She blew him a kiss and touched the transfer button. An instant later Thurgood-Smythe was on the screen.

“Someone broke into my apartment while I was away, Jan said.

“Petty crime is getting very bad this winter. But not my department, as you must know. I’ll transfer this to the police…”

“Perhaps it is your department. Nothing was stolen but I found this wired to the TV.” He held it up. “Very compact, very expensive. I haven’t looked inside it but I imagine it has full sound and video and broadcasts a signal for at least a kilometer. If it doesn’t belong to your people it is certainly something you would want to know about.”

“Indeed it is. I’ll look into it at once. Are you involved in anything the industrial espionage people might have an interest in?”

“No. Communication satellite work.”

“Then it is mysterious. I’ll have that gadget picked up and let you know.”

Jan had just finished putting the back on the set when the door annunciator chimed. A heavy-built man somber expression stood outside and produced a Security identification which he held before the camera when asked.

“That was quick,” Jan said, letting him in.

“You have something for me?” the man said, tonelessly.

“Yes, here it is.”

The Security man pocketed the bug without looking at it. He was staring at Jan instead, coldly. “Don’t mention this to Mr. Thurgood-Smythe again,” he said.

“‘What do you mean? What are you talking about?”

“I mean exactly what I said. The matter is out of your brother-in-law’s hands because of the family relationship.” He turned to leave and Jan called after him, angrily.

“You can’t just walk out after saying that kind of thing. Who are you to order me about? What is the meaning of this bug?”

“You tell me,” the man said, turning about sharply. “Are you guilty of anything? Do you have a statement to make?”

Jan felt the color rising in his face. “Get out,” he finally said. “Get out and don’t bother me again. I don’t know what this is about and I don’t care. Just go away and stay away.

The door closed and it was the door of a cage. Jan was locked in and they were watching him from the outside.

During the day the circuitry work occupied his mind. He buried himself in the communication satellite — much to the pleasure of Sonia Amarigli — working hard to distract his thoughts. He was usually the last one to leave at night. Tired, and very glad that he was. A few drinks at the bar, sometimes even eating dinner there, staying on until he was tired enough to go home and to bed. It was foolish of him — he knew that surveillance could work as well any place — but he detested the idea that they were watching and listening in his own flat. Nor did he bother to search for any of the devices. That would be a fool’s game. Better to imagine that he was being watched at all times and act accordingly.

It was the following Wednesday morning when his brother-in-law phoned him in the laboratory. “Morning, Jan. Elizabeth asked me to call you.”

The silence stretched as Jan waited. Thurgood-Smythe was silent as well, watching; It was obvious that nothing more was going to be said about Security.

“How is Liz?” Jan finally answered. “What’s up?”

“Dinner tonight. She was afraid you would forget.”

“I didn’t forget. But I just won’t be able to make it. I was going to call with my apologies…”

“Too late. There’s someone else coming and it would be impossible to cancel now. Too embarrassing for her.”

“Oh, God. She did say something about another of her girls! You couldn’t…”

“Not easily. Better take your medicine. From the way she talks this one is really something different. From Ireland, Dublin, all the charm of the Gael and the beauty and so forth.”

“Stop — I’ve heard it often enough in the past. See you at eight.”

Jan broke the connection first, a feeble gesture that made him feel better. He had forgotten the damn dinner. If he had called earlier he could have gotten out of it — but not on the same day. Liz would be too unbearable. In fact it might be a good idea to go. Get a decent meal for a change — the food in the bar was giving him indigestion. And it wouldn’t hurt Security to be reminded whom he was related to. And the girl might be presentable, though Liz’s choices usually weren’t. Social connections were more important to her than grace of form, and she had trotted out some diabolical women.

He left work early in the afternoon and mixed a drink for himself at home, soaking some of the tension out in a hot bath, then changing into a good suit. Liz would be looking daggers through him all night if he wore the shabby jacket he used for the office. She might even burn his food. It was best to stay on Liz’s best side for peace of life.

The Thurgood-Smythes had a Georgian house in Barnet and the drive made Jan feel better. The countryside was attractive under the waning moon, silver and black and hard. Though it was already March, the winter showed no sign of loosening its grip. All of the lights in the front of the house appeared to be on, but there was only one car in the drive. Well, he would smile and be polite. And at least the food would be good. And he ought to play a few games of snooker with his brother-in-law, whether he wanted to be with him or not. The past was gone. The present and the future had to be innocent.

There was the sound of female laughter from the drawing room and Thurgood-Smythe rolled his eyes as he took Jan’s coat. “Elizabeth has made a mistake this time,” he said. “This one is actually bearable to look at.”

“Thank God for small blessings. I can hardly wait.”

“Is it going to be whiskey?”

“Please. Malt.”

He put his gloves inside his fur hat and dropped them onto the table, then gave his hair a quick comb in the mirror. There was more laughter and the clink of glasses and he followed the sound. Thurgood-Smythe was bent over the drinks trolley. Elizabeth waved to him and the other woman on the sofa turned toward him and smiled.