The Plotters Page 2

told him.

  "I don't believe I've seen you around before," he said. "You've got tohave a card to swim here, you know.'

  "Well, I don't have one. So I suppose I had better go."

  "Of all the cheap tricks," the girl said. "I think I'll go too. Wait forme."

  I waited for her while she went to get dressed. I put on my trousersover my swimming trunks, put on my shirt and shoes and sat on a benchand waited. When she came out we started for the exit. Ken came hurryingtoward us.

  "I thought I was taking you home," he said, his face red with anger.

  She didn't bother to reply and he put his hand on her arm. I told him tolet go and he let go. Then he swung around and hit me on the jaw withall his might. I grabbed his arm with one hand and his throat with theother and threw him into the middle of the pool.

  * * * * *

  Things were going better than I expected. As we walked along, she seemedquite interested in me. I told her my name and she told me that she wasBeth Copperd, the daughter of a professor at the university. I pretendedthat I had not known those things.

  When we got to her home, which was on a tree lined street, we paused fora moment. Across the street there was a car with a man sitting in it,pretending to read a newspaper.

  I knew all about that man. I knew there was another man who was watchingthe back of the house. If not for that I would not have had to gothrough this lengthy affair with Beth Copperd.

  "I regret very much this trouble with your friend," I said.

  "You needn't. He's had it coming for a long time." She stared at methoughtfully. "You know, Marko, I'm a little afraid of you."

  "Of me? But why?"

  "Well," she hesitated, "it's hard to say. But when a man jumps into apool and swims so much faster than one of our country's best swimmers,and then picks up that swimmer and throws him fifty feet without theslightest effort ... well, that man is slightly unusual, to say theleast."

  "Oh, the swimming...."

  I hadn't thought that what was quite ordinary for me might seem exactlythe opposite to these people. I had blundered. So I tried to shrug itoff, as though such things were common among my people. Which they were.But that line only dragged me deeper. This girl was no fool.

  "That's what I meant, Marko. You aren't being modest. You're acting asthough you're used to such feats, and take them as a matter of course.And there's your accent. I can't quite place it."

  "Some day I'll tell you all about it," I said lightly. "When we knoweach other better."

  "That's going pretty fast, isn't it?"

  "Some of us have found that we don't have all the time we should like.We must go fast, or not at all."

  It was a platitude, slightly jumbled, but none the less true. Beth waslooking up at me. There were things she might have noticed; that my skinwas uncommonly smooth, and that I hadn't even the faintest trace ofwhiskers.

  She didn't notice those things. She was looking into my eyes. I foundmyself enjoying this experience.

  "Will you come in for a while?" she asked slowly.

  I relaxed. Everything was all right, for the present. She was taking meat face value. She liked me and I liked her. The operation wasproceeding smoothly.

  We walked into a large room, pleasantly furnished. On a couch oppositethe doorway three men sat talking. Two others stood before them. Themoment we entered, the conversation stopped abruptly.

  "Beth?" said a tall, graying man. He was already stuffing papers into abag. "Back so soon?"

  He wasn't really listening for a reply and Beth didn't make one. When hehad the papers in the bag he locked it, then snapped it around his wristand put the key in his pocket.

  "We'll continue this at the lab," he said to the men. "I'll be along injust a few minutes." Then he came up to us.

  "I see you've replaced your blond young man," he smiled.

  I knew all about this man who stood before me, with his stoopedshoulders and keen eyes. Eldeth Copperd would have been surprised at theextent of my knowledge. I even knew why his government considered itwise to have several of its security agents near him at all times.

  "Can't you stay a minute and get acquainted with Marko?" Beth wassaying. "He's really a remarkable fellow. He can swim faster than you orI could run."

  "Literally? That would be quite fast."

  "Literally."

  He looked at me with sudden interest and I was sorry the conversationhad taken that turn. I didn't want those keen eyes examining me tooclosely. They might note the absence of skin porosity.

  Copperd didn't notice, but I made a mental note to watch my step. Andanother not to go swimming again. Beth would be watching me, and if shewere close enough she might see the webbing pop out between my fingersand toes when I got into the water.

  "That's my father," Beth said after he and I had shaken hands and he hadleft. "Demands exactness. He's a scientist, you know. A physicist."

  "Oh?" I said. As if I hadn't known. "Is he always this busy?"

  "Busier. If he isn't working at the lab till all hours, he's working athome in his study. Or having conferences. The only time I have him aloneand to myself is Sunday evening."

  That was the information I had been hoping for.

  * * * * *

  Beth and I sat on the couch her father had vacated. We talked. I watchedmy words carefully; there were a good many commonplace things I knewnothing about. And I didn't want any more questions about myself.Fortunately, conversation between a young man and a young woman is muchthe same everywhere. I didn't have to pretend I was interested in Beth.She was unusually attractive. And she seemed to find me so.

  We talked a bit, laughed a good deal, and when I got up to leave I knewthat I had done well in the initial stage. But there was still a gooddeal to be done.

  "May I see you tonight?" I asked. "Just a 'coke date'."

  That was an expression I'd heard and had taken the trouble to makecertain I understood. It seemed to be just the thing in the presentcase.

  "I'd like that," Beth said. "Pick me up about nine."

  Her choice of time could not have been more suitable. I was out ofmoney. There was Mrs. Mara to be paid, and now the cost of the evening'sentertainment.

  Until darkness fell I could do nothing about that. So I went back to myroom and read old newspapers I had collected. I had discovered on myfirst day that those were the best sources of information. Those and themoving pictures.

  For one who must learn a great deal about a people in a short time thereis one infallible way: watch them in their favorite sports andrelaxations. The moving pictures and the comic strips had beeninvaluable. In another few weeks I could have passed anywhere.

  At eight o'clock it was growing dark. I changed my shirt, put on a sportcoat and left the room. Five minutes later I was walking down a quietstreet that was lined with fashionable homes.

  After that it was merely a question of time. I went around the block,found that it was still too light, and went around again, this timeslowly.

  There was only one man on the street on my next time around. I sized himup quickly and decided that he was prosperous. He came on toward me. Imanaged to be looking the other way.

  We bumped into each other and he fell. I said, "Sorry" and bent to helphim up. My fingers touched his throat in the proper places and he wentlimp.

  Within a matter of seconds I had his wallet out of his pocket andextracted several bills. When his eyes flickered again I was justraising him to his feet.

  "All my fault," I said contritely. "Are you all right?"

  "Seem to be." He was gruff, but that was all. He didn't know that for amatter of seconds he had been unconscious.

  At nine o'clock I came up the walk to the Copperd home. This time thesecurity agent was leaning against a tree, lighting a cigarette. I madecertain that he saw my face clearly.

  One upstairs window showed a light, and the faint murmur of voicesdrifted down. That had to be Copperd's room. Then a porc
h light flashedon and Beth came out of the door. She was wearing a white dress and theoverhead light seemed to create a golden halo above her head.

  I momentarily forgot about her father.

  * * * * *

  How much can a man learn in a few weeks? I had to be so very careful.Historical matters had to be avoided at all costs. Contemporary affairswere fine. Philosophy was best.

  Philosophy is always the best. Good and evil are present everywhere.They can be discussed in the vaguest terms. We discussed many things invague terms.

  And yet there was a sense of intimacy which grew between us. It was