e ordinary.

"Fine," he said. "Now, getting on back to the facts, we've established
something, anyhow. Some agency is causing flashes of telepathic static
all over the place. And those flashes are somehow connected with the
confusion that's going on all around us. Somehow, these flashes have
an effect on the minds of people."

"And we know at least one manifestation of that effect," Boyd said.
"It makes spies blab all their secrets when they're exposed to it."

"These three spies, anyhow," Malone said.

"If 'spies' is the right word," Boyd said.

"O.K.," Malone said. "And now we've got another obvious question."

"It seems to me we've got about twelve," Boyd said.

"I mean: who's doing it?" Malone said. "Who is causing these
telepathic flashes?"

"Maybe it's just happening," Boyd said. "Out of thin air."

"Maybe," Malone said. "But let's go on the assumption that there's a
human cause. The other way, we can't do a thing except sit back and
watch the world go to hell."

Boyd nodded. "It doesn't seem to be the Russians," he said. "Although,
of course, it might be a Red herring."

"What do you mean?" Malone said.

"Well," Boyd said, "they might have known we were on to Brubitsch,
Borbitsch and Garbitsch--" He stopped. "You know," he said, "every
time I say that name I have to reassure myself that we're not all
walking around in the world of Florenz Ziegfeld?"

"Likewise," Malone said. "But go on."

"Sure," Boyd said. "Anyhow, they might have set the three of them up
as patsies--just in case we stumbled on to this mess. We can't
overlook that possibility."

"Right," Malone said. "It's faint, but it is a possibility. In other
words, the agency behind the flashes might be Russian, and it might
not be Russian."

"That clears that up nicely," Boyd said. "Next question?"

* * * * *

"The next one," Malone said grimly, "is: what's behind the flashes?
Some sort of psionic power is causing them--that much is obvious."

"I'll go along with that," Boyd said. "I have to go along with it. But
don't think I like it."

"Nobody likes it," Malone said. "But let's go on. O'Connor isn't any
help; he washes his hands of the whole business."

"Lucky man," Boyd said.

"He says that it can't be happening," Malone said, "and if it is we're
all screwy. Now, right or wrong, that isn't an opinion that gives us
any handle to work with."

"No," Boyd said reflectively. "A certain amount of co