BRINK OF MADNESS
By Walt Sheldon
Illustrated by KELLY FREAS
[Transcriber Note: This etext was produced from If Worlds of ScienceFiction July 1953. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence thatthe U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Contents
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter I
The night the visitors came Richard Pell worked late among the greatbanks of criminological computers. He whistled to himself, knowing thathe was way off key but not caring. Ciel, his wife, was still in hismind's eye; he'd seen her on the viewer and talked with her not tenminutes ago.
"Be home shortly, baby," he'd said, "soon as I fill in a form or two."
"All right, dear. I'll wait," she'd answered, with just the slightesttone of doubt.
It was an important night. It was at once their second anniversary andthe beginning of their second honeymoon. Just how Pell—knobby, more orless homely, and easygoing—had won himself a lovely, long-limbed blondelike Ciel was something of a mystery to many of their friends. She couldhardly have married him for his money. Central Investigation Bureauagents were lucky if all their extras and bonuses brought them up to athousand credits a year.
Pell had unquestionably caught her in a romantic moment. Maybe that waspart of the trouble—part of the reason they needed this secondhoneymoon, this period of re-acquaintance so badly. Being the wife of aC.I.B. agent meant sitting at home nine-tenths of the time while he wasworking on a case, and then not hearing about the case for securityreasons during the one-tenth of the time he was with her.
Four times now Pell had been ready to take his vacation; four times lastminute business had come up. No more, though, by golly. Tonight he'd getout of here just as quickly as....
The Identifier, beyond the door, began to hum. That meant somebody wasputting his hand to the opaque screen, and if the scanner recognized thefingerprints the door would open. Pell scowled at the bulky shadowsoutside.
"Go away, whoever you are," he muttered to himself.
Some of the other agents were out there, no doubt; they were alwaysgetting sudden inspirations late at night and returning to use thecomputers again. In fact, it had been tactfully suggested to AgentRichard Pell that he might use the computers a little more himselfinstead of relying on hunches as he so often did. "Investigation's acold science, not a fancy art," Chief Larkin was fond of saying to thegroup—with his eyes on Pell.
Well, whoever it was, Pell was definitely through. No time-wastingconversation for him! He was ready for six glorious weeks of saved-upvacation time. He and Ciel, early tomorrow, would grab a rocket for oneof the Moon resorts, and there they'd just loaf and relax and payattention to each other. Try to regain whatever it was they'd had....
The door opened and Chief Larkin walked in.
Ch