ld it. "Go ahead," he said. "Don't
try anything funny. It's been hell up and down this road, mister."

Malone flipped out his wallet and showed the identification.

"FBI?" the Major said. "What're you doing out here?"

"Special assignment," Malone said. "Oh ... by the way ... you might
send some men back a ways. There are four dead mean in military
uniforms lying on the road near a couple of sawhorses."

The major stared. "Dead?" he said at last. "Dead how?"

"I shot them," Malone said.

"You--" The major's finger tightened on the trigger of his gun.

"Now wait a minute," Malone said. "I said they were in military
uniforms. I didn't say they were soldiers."

"But--"

"Three enlisted men carrying M-1 rifles?" Malone said. "When the M-1's
out of date? And a captain with his bars on sideways? No, major.
Those were renegades. Looters of some kind; they wanted to kill me and
get the car and any valuables I happened to have."

The major, very slowly, relaxed his grip on the gun and his arm fell
to his side. "You did the smart thing, Mr. Malone," he said.

"And I've got to go on doing it," Malone said. "I'm in a hurry."

He noticed a newspaper fluttering at the side of the road, not too
near the cars. Somehow it made everything seem even more lonely and
strange. The headlines fluttered into sight:

MARTIAL LAW EDICT

"MUST BE OBEYED," SAYS GOVERNOR

But Riots Are Feared In Outlying Towns

MAN AND WIFE CONFESS KILLING OF RELATIVES ABOARD PRIVATE
PLANE:

Force Kin To Drop Off

There was a photo of a woman there, too, and Malone could read just a
little of the caption:

"Obeying the edict of martial law laid down by the President, Miss
Helen A.--"

He wondered vaguely if her last name were Handbasket.

The major was looking at him. "O.K., then," he said.

"I can go on?" Malone said.

The major looked stern. "Drive on," he said.

Malone got the car going; the roadblock was lifted for him and he went
on by.

After a moment, he said: "Pardon the interruption. I trust that all
the devoted listeners to Uncle Kenneth's Happy Hour are still tuned
in."

_Go ahead,_ said Lou's voice.

"All right, let's take a look at what you've been doing. You've caused
people to change their minds about what they've been intending to do.
You can cause all sorts of hell to break loose that way. You have a
lot of people you want to get rid of, so you play on their neuroses
and concoct erro