ked up. He was on Pennsylvania Avenue,
heading toward the White House.

That was no good. He went to the corner and turned off, down the
block. He had, he told himself, nothing at all to see the President
about.

Not yet, anyhow.

The streets were dark and very peaceful. _I get my best ideas while
walking_, Malone said without convincing himself. He thought back to
the video tapes.

The report on the original use of the machine itself had been on one
of the first tapes, and Malone could still see and hear it. That was
one thing he did have, he reflected; his memory was pretty good.

Burris had been the first speaker on the tapes, and he'd given the
serial and reference number in a cold, matter-of-fact voice. His face
had been perfectly blank, and he looked just like the head of the FBI
people were accustomed to seeing on their TV and newsreel screens.
Malone wondered what had happened to him between the time the tapes
had been made and the time he'd sent for Malone.

Maybe the whole notion of telepathy was beginning to get him, Malone
thought.

Burris recited the standard tape-opening in a rapid mumble, like a
priest involved in the formula of the Mass: "Any person or agent
unauthorized for this tape please refrain from viewing further, under
penalties as prescribed by law." Then he looked off, out past the
screen to the left, and said: "Dr. Thomas O'Connor, of Westinghouse
Laboratories. Will you come here, Dr. O'Connor?"

Dr. O'Connor came into the lighted square of screen slowly, looking
all around him. "This is very fascinating," he said, blinking in the
lamplight. "I hadn't realized that you people took so many
precautions--"

He was, Malone thought, somewhere between fifty and sixty, tall and
thin with skin so transparent that he nearly looked like a living X-
ray. He had pale blue eyes and pale white hair, and, Malone thought,
if there ever were a contest for the best-looking ghost, Dr. Thomas
O'Connor would win it hands (or phalanges) down.

"This is all necessary for the national security," Burris said, a
little sternly.

"Oh," Dr. O'Connor said quickly. "I realize that, of course.
Naturally. I can certainly see that."

"Let's go ahead, shall we?" Burris said.

O'Connor nodded. "Certainly. Certainly."

Burris said: "Well, then," and paused. After a second he started
again: "Now, Dr. O'Connor, would you please give us a sort of verbal
rundown on this for our records?"

"Of course," Dr. O'Con