sir_," he muttered.

-------------------------------------

The next two days dissolved into routine.

Frustrated, Larry Woolford spent most of his time in his office digesting
developments, trying to find a new line of attack.

For want of something else, he put his new secretary, a brightly efficient
girl, as style and status conscious as LaVerne Polk wasn't, to work typing
up the tapes he'd had cut on Susan Self and the various phone calls he'd
had with Hans Distelmayer and Sam Sokolski. From memory, he dictated to
her his conversation with Professor Peter Voss.

He carefully read the typed sheets over and over again. He continually had
the feeling in this case that there were loose ends dangling around.
Several important points he should be able to put his finger upon.

On the morning of the third day he dialed Steve Hackett and on seeing the
other's worried, pug-ugly face fade in on the phone, decided that if
nothing else the Movement was undermining the United States government by
dispensing ulcers to its employees.

Steve growled, "What is it Woolford? I'm as busy as a whirling dervish in
a revolving door."

"This is just the glimmer of an idea, Steve. Look, remember that
conversation with Susan, when she described her father taking her to
headquarters?"

"So?" Steve said impatiently.

"Remember her description of headquarters?"

"Go on," Steve rapped.

"What did it remind you of?"

"What are you leading to?"

"This is just a hunch," Larry persisted, "but the way she described the
manner in which her father took her to headquarters suggests they're in
the Greater Washington area."

Steve was staring at him disgustedly. How obvious could you get?

Larry hurried on. "What's the biggest business in this area, Steve?"

"Government."

"Right. And the way she described headquarters of the Movement, was rooms,
after rooms, after rooms into which they'd stored the money."

"And?"

Larry said urgently, "Steve, I think in some way the Movement has taken
over some governmental buildings, or storage warehouse. Possibly some
older buildings no longer in use. It would be a perfect hideout. Who would
expect a subversive organization to be in governmental buildings? All
they'd need would be a few officials here and there who were on their side
and--"

Steve said wearily, "You couldn't have thought of this two days ago."

Larry cut himself off sharply, "Eh?"

Steve said, "We found t