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teeth. Then silence filled him and he fell over with a rattling crash.
    The fallen computer spoke. “Don’t follow this any further, Cardigan,” it warned. Then it, too, died.

11
    T HE E MERGENCY C ENTER in the Santa Monica Sector was down near the Pacific Ocean. The visitor parking/landing area overlooked a wide stretch of yellow beach and the clear blue sea. When the black skycar descended for a landing, ten seagulls had been waddling over the grey surface of the field. They scattered now, swirling up into the afternoon.
    The man who stepped out of the car was lean, deeply tanned and wearing a dark blue suit. He reached back into the car, poking around in a scatter of ID badges that were strewn on the passenger seat. Selecting one that identified him as Dr. Warren S. Heddison of the Woodland Hills Sector, he attached it to his jacket.
    The badge was completely convincing and in less than five minutes he was on Level 13 and striding toward Jabb Marx’s room.
    A white enameled medibot was placing a lunch tray on the stand beside the banged-up detective. “Good afternoon, doctor.”
    â€œThat’ll be all for now, nurse. I’m this man’s medgroup physician and I have to do a prelim.”
    â€œAs you wish, doctor.”
    When the bot was gone, the tanned man moved closer to the bed. “Broken nose, three cracked ribs, minor concussion,” he said slowly. “I am mightily impressed, Jabb.”
    The big operative said, “Listen, he’s a dirty fighter. Hell, he kneed me in the balls before I even—”
    â€œWe hired you, old man, because of your reputation for being a dirty fighter,” reminded the spurious doctor. “We wanted somebody inside the Kendricks agency who’d be able to pick a fight with Cardigan and incapacitate him.”
    â€œSoon as I get out of here, I can—”
    â€œNo, you won’t make any further attempts, Jabb.” He shook his head.
    â€œBut, listen, about the fee you promised. I really need the money, what with two ex-wives and a kid who—”
    â€œOh, we always pay, regardless of results. That’s agency policy.” He went over to the window. “Damn, a gull just crapped on my car.”
    â€œI know I can take care of Cardigan if you give me—”
    â€œWe’ll use some other plan.” He smiled as he turned to face the injured detective. “How does this sound? We have you beaten up so severely that you die. Then we see that Cardigan is framed for the job. That would get him off the Devlin Gun business, wouldn’t it?”
    â€œThat’s not funny.”
    â€œHave I ever claimed to be a comedian?” he asked. “No, I’m a very effective government agent. And that, I assure you, is a job where a sense of humor is a distinct handicap.”
    â€œQuit talking about having me killed, funny or not.”
    The false Dr. Heddison said, “I really dropped in to tell you that you’re to be paid, despite the way you futzed up the job. In fact, the ten thousand dollars has already been, discreetly, deposited in your various accounts.”
    â€œGreat, I really appreciate—”
    â€œBut, old man, you have to be extremely careful from here on out. Don’t confide in anyone, don’t go near Cardigan again. Is that understood?”
    â€œListen, in spite of the thing with Cardigan going wrong—I’m still a pro. I’m not going to screw up again, Gardner.”
    â€œAh, but you just have.” He frowned in disappointment. “You used my name.”
    â€œNobody’s here and the room isn’t tapped. I checked that.”
    â€œSo did I. Yet it’s bad policy, Jabb, to use my name at all.”
    â€œHell, I’m not even certain your name is Gardner Munsey. So even if—”
    â€œI’ll be going now,” he announced. “Enjoy your lunch and watch yourself.” He walked to the door. “We’ll be