ring their own individuality.

He reached for the list again, put down:

4. Efficient

And looked at it. Now it didn't remind him quite so much of the
Monster. But it didn't look familiar, either. Who did he know, he
thought, who was large, old, disguised and efficient?

It sounded like an improbable combination. He set the list down again,
clearing off some of the papers the PRS had sent him to make room for
it.

Then he stopped.

The papers the PRS had sent him...

And he'd gotten them so quickly, so efficiently...

They were a large organization...

And an old one...

He tossed the cigar in the general direction of the ashtray, grabbed
the phone and jabbed at buttons.

The girl who answered the phone looked familiar. She did not look very
old, but she was large and she had to be disguised, Malone thought.
Nobody could naturally have that many teeth.

"Psychical Research Society," she said. "Oh, Mr. Malone, good
evening."

"Sir Lewis," Malone said. "Sir Lewis Carter. President. I want to talk
to him. Hurry."

"Sir Lewis?" the girl said slowly. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Malone, but the
office is closed now for the day. And Sir Lewis has gone already. It's
after six o'clock, Mr. Malone, and the office is closed."

"Home number," Malone said desperately. "I've got to."

"Well, I can do that, Mr. Malone," she said, "but it wouldn't do you
any good, really. Because he went away on his vacation, and when he
goes on his vacation he never tells us where. You know? He won't be
back for two or three weeks."

"Oog," Malone said, and thought for less than a second. "Miss
Garbitsch," he said. "Lou. Got to talk to her. Now."

"Oh, I can't do that, either, Mr. Malone," the toothy girl said. "All
of the executive officers, they left already on their vacation. And
that includes Miss Garbitsch, too. They just left a skeleton force
here at the office."

"They're all gone?" Malone said hollowly.

"That's right," she said cheerfully. "As a matter of fact, I'm in
charge now, and that's why I'm staying so late. To sort of catch up on
things. You know?"

"It's very important," Malone said tensely. "You don't know where any
of them went? You don't have any address?"

"None at all," she said. "I'm sorry, but that's how it is. Maybe it's
strange, and maybe you'd ask questions, but I obey orders, and
those're my orders. To take over until they get back. They didn't tell
me where they went, and I didn't ask."

"Gre