"We're helpless," he said, looking at the young man with the crisp brown
hair who was sitting across the desk. "That's what it is, we're
helpless."

Kenneth Malone tried to look dependable. "Just tell me what to do," he
said.

"You're a good agent, Kenneth," Burris said. "You're one of the best.
That's why you've been picked for this job. And I want to say that I
picked you personally. Believe me, there's never been anything like it
before."

"I'll do my best," Malone said at random. He was twenty-eight, and he
had been an FBI agent for three years. In that time, he had, among other
things, managed to break up a gang of smugglers, track down a
counterfeiting ring, and capture three kidnapers. For reasons which he
could neither understand nor explain, no one seemed willing to attribute
his record to luck.

"I know you will," Burris said. "And if anybody can crack this case,
Malone, you're the man. It's just that--everything sounds so
_impossible_. Even after all the conferences we've had."

"Conferences?" Malone said vaguely. He wished the chief would get to the
point. Any point. He smiled gently across the desk and tried to look
competent and dependable and reassuring. Burris' expression didn't
change.

"You'll get the conference tapes later," Burris said. "You can study
them before you leave. I suggest you study them very carefully, Malone.
Don't be like me. Don't get confused." He buried his face in his hands.
Malone waited patiently. After a few seconds, Burris looked up. "Did you
read books when you were a child?" he asked.

Malone said: "What?"

"Books," Burris said. "When you were a child. Read them."

"Sure I did," Malone said. "'Bomba the Jungle Boy,' and 'Doolittle,' and
'Lucky Starr,' and 'Little Women'--"

"'Little Women'?"

"When Beth died," Malone said, "I wanted to cry. But I didn't. My father
said big boys don't cry."

"And your father was right," Burris said. "Why, when I was a ... never
mind. Forget about Beth and your father. Think about 'Lucky Starr' for a
minute. Remember him?"

"Sure," Malone said. "I liked those books. You know, it's funny, but the
books you read when you're a kid, they kind of stay with you. Know what
I mean? I can still remember that one about Venus, for instance. Gee,
that was--"

"Never mind about Venus, too," Burris said sharply. "Keep your mind on
the problem."

"Yes, sir," Malone said. He paused. "What problem, sir?" he added.

"The problem we're di