The Project Gutenberg EBook of Felony, by James Causey

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Title: Felony

Author: James Causey

Illustrator: Vidmer

Release Date: April 8, 2010 [EBook #31922]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FELONY ***

Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online
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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction July 1954.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed.

FELONY

By JAMES CAUSEY

Illustrated by VIDMER

_Vogel started with crossword puzzles ... and worked his way
up to Man's greatest enigma!_

* * * * *

When he was nine, Vogel almost killed another boy who inadvertently
scattered his half-completed jigsaw puzzle.

At sixteen, he discovered the mysteries of the Danish Gambit, and
cried.

At twenty-two, he crouched in a foxhole on Okinawa, oblivious to the
death bursting about him, squinting in a painful ecstasy at the
tattered fragment of newspaper on his knee. His sergeant screamed in
agony, then died at his elbow. Vogel's face lit up. "Slay," he said
happily, scribbling. As crossword puzzles go, it had been a toughie.

At thirty, he was Production Manager of Sachs Fixtures. His men hated
him. The General Manager loved him. Tall, gaunt and ruthless, he could
glance at any detail print and instantly pinpoint the pattern of final
assembly, total man-hour budget and fabrication lead time.

Once, he made a mistake.

On a forty-thousand-dollar job lot he estimated too high on production
scrap. When the final assemblies were completed, they had two feet of
bulb extension left over. It disturbed him. He spent that evening in
his den brooding over chessmen. His wife let him alone.

Next day, he hired Amenth.

* * * * *

Personnel called that morning and apologized. "No experience, but
amazing shop aptitude. He's coming down