Read Online The Long Twilight by Keith Laumer - Free Book Online

net, just that he's still at large."

    "How long ago was this?"

    The captain's eyes snapped to the wall clock, snapped back. "Just under half an hour."

    "Was the shack occupied?"

    "Ah—I can't say as to that—"

    "Find out. How did he leave? In the patrol car?"

    "No, it was parked in front of the place. That's how—"

    "Find out what kind of car the occupant owned. Meanwhile, watch every road. He can't be far away. And, Brasher—don't let him slip through your fingers. I don't care what you have to do to stop him—stop him!"

    "I'll stop him, all right." Brasher hesitated. "You know he's attacked three of my men now—"

    "That doesn't say a hell of a lot for your men, Brasher. Tell them to get on their toes and stay there!"

    "That's what I wanted to hear you say, Governor." Brasher wheeled and left the room.

    "Governor," Lester said, "I have a feeling that somewhere along the line there's been a serious mistake—"

    "Don't talk like a fool, Lester. Grayle's commitment papers are in order; I have that much—"

    "I don't mean an error on your part, Governor. I mean prior to his transfer to Caine Island. Possibly that's why he made this rather desperate break. Perhaps he's innocent—"

    Hardman leaned forward, his big hands flat on the desk.

    "He broke out of a prison under my command, Lester. I have twenty-one years invested in this business without an escape, and I'm not letting anyone blot a perfect record, clear?"

    "Governor, this is a man's life—"

    "And of course there's more to it than just my reputation," Hardman said, leaning back. "If one man crashed out of Caine—and got clear—we'd have every malcontent on the inside making a try. It would be a blow at the entire modern penological system—"

    "Brasher will shoot him down like a dog, Governor!"

    "I gave no such orders."

    "Brasher will interpret them that way!"

    "He can interpret them any way he likes, Lester—as long as he nails his man, I won't be overly critical of his methods!"

    3

    "I'm not interested in excuses, Mr. Hunnicut," the voice of the Deputy Undersecretary of the Interior for Public Power rasped in the ear of the chief engineer at Pasmaquoddie. "I've gone out on a limb for you people; now I expect answers from you that I can give to the Committee. They're looking for scalps, and they think mine will do!"

    "I've already explained that there seems to be a transmission loss greatly in excess of the theoretical factor, Mr. Secretary—"

    "Meaning the system is a failure! Don't fall back on the kind of jargon you technical people use to obfuscate the issues when things go wrong! I want it in plain language! Your generating station is drawing ten percent over its rated operational standard, while the receiving stations report anywhere from thirty- to forty-percent effectiveness. Now, just tell me in words of one syllable—where is all that power going, Mr. Hunnicut?"

    "It's obvious there's a leakage somewhere, Mr. Secretary," Hunnicut said, holding his temper with an effort.

    "Where? In the transmission end? In the receiving stations? Or in the giant brains that dreamed up this fiasco?"

    "Mr. Secretary, this is a wholly new area of technology! There are bound to be certain trial-and-error adjustments—"

    "Hogwash! You didn't mention that when you were pleading with Appropriations for another hundred million!"

    "Look here, this isn't as simple a matter as tracing the point of breakdown in a conventional line-transmission system—and even there, it sometimes takes days to pinpoint the trouble. Remember the New York blackout in the sixties, and—"

    "Don't give me a history lesson, Hunnicut! Are you telling me that anybody and his dog Rex can tap our broadcast system at will, and there's nothing we can do about it?"

    "Wait a minute, I didn't say that—"

    "The newspapers will say it! Give me a better line to feed to them!"

    "Mr. Secretary, you have to understand, we have no instruments, no procedures for this situation!