attered that
you could find time to lunch with me."

Porter had a thin, aristocratic face, delicate features. His expression
was usually benign, but there was steel behind it. He could scowl and
hurl righteous invective, for instance, when a policeman questioned his
right to park by a fireplug in spite of his official license plates.

But mainly he was a shy person who nursed his inferiority complex in
secret.

"That's very flattering, Senator. But the truth is quite the opposite.
It's we fellows who are honored to put ourselves at your beck and call.
After all, you're the ones the people elect to office."

The flattery boomeranged nicely and put Porter one up on Crane.

"The people must be served, of course," Crane said, "and that's one of
the things I want to talk to you about. The people's interests."

Matthew Porter cocked an alarmed eye as he bit into a roll. "Have their
interests been violated?"

Crane glanced around and lowered his voice. "There's been too much loose
talk going around about that project you've got Brent Taber on."

Porter laid the roll down very carefully, as though he feared it might
go off. "I'm not sure I know what you're referring to, Senator."

"Your reticence is quite understandable. That I bring it up at all must
shock you, but--" Crane hesitated, a touch of sadness brushing across
his face.

"But what, Senator?"

"You understand, certainly, that I hold the greatest respect for Brent
Taber. That's why I hesitated to come to you."

"It seems to me Halliday said something about calling Taber in.
It had to do with a mild reprimand over Taber's attitude on
legislative-executive relations."

"Halliday?" Senator Crane asked innocently. "He's another of the really
good men you picked for government service."

"I trust Halliday implicitly, but he's carrying a big load so I'm glad
you came directly to me, Senator. Exactly what is the trouble?"

"In plain words, there have been some bad leaks out of Taber's office.
There is in existence a taped recording of a meeting."

Porter was aghast. He tried to hide it, which made his greenish
expression all the more ludicrous--as though he'd swallowed a worm out
of his salad.

"Impossible."

"You'd think so, with all the top-secret precautions that have been
taken."

"How did you discover this?"

Crane held up a restraining hand. "I'd be happy to tell you if it would
serve any purpose, but believe me, it wouldn't. I would only tend t