The Ultroom Error Read online

thewalk."

  The policemen went out.

  "Thank God you woke up, Nancy," Martin said. "I'd have let them havethe baby." He reached over and smoothed the sleeping Reggie's hair.

  Nancy, who was rocking the boy, narrowed her eyes.

  "I wonder why they want our baby? He's just like any other baby. Wedon't have any money. We couldn't pay a ransom."

  "Reggie's pretty cute, though," Martin said. "You will have to admitthat."

  Nancy smiled. Then she suddenly stopped rocking.

  "Martin!"

  He sat up quickly.

  "Where's Tiger?"

  Together they rose and walked around the room. They found him in acorner, eyes open, tongue protruding. He was dead.

  * * * * *

  "If we keep Reggie in the house much longer he'll turn out to be ahermit," Martin said at breakfast a month later. "He needs fresh airand sunshine."

  "I'm not going to sit on the lawn alone with him, Martin. I justcan't, that's all. I'd be able to think of nothing but that day."

  "Still thinking about it? I think we'd have heard from them again ifthey were coming back. They probably got somebody else's baby by thistime." Martin finished his coffee and rose to kiss her good-bye. "Butfor safety's sake I guess you'd better keep that gun handy."

  The morning turned into a brilliant, sunshiny day. Puffs of cloudsmoved slowly across the summer sky and a warm breeze rustled thetrees. It would be a crime to keep Reggie inside on a day like this,Nancy thought.

  So she called Mrs. MacDougal, the next door neighbor. Mrs. MacDougalwas familiar with what had happened to the Laughtons and she agreed tokeep an eye on Nancy and Reggie and to call the police at the firstsign of trouble.

  With a fearful but determined heart Nancy moved the play pen and setit up in the front yard. She spread a blanket for herself and putReggie in the pen. Her heart pounded all the while and she watched thestreet for any strangers, ready to flee inside if need be. Reggie justgurgled with delight at the change in environment.

  * * * * *

  This peaceful scene was disturbed by a speeding car in which two menwere riding. The car roared up the street, swerved toward the parkway,tires screaming, bounced over the curb and sidewalk, straight towardthe child and mother. Reggie, attracted by the sudden noise, looked upto see the approaching vehicle. His mother stood up, set her palmsagainst her cheeks and shrieked.

  The car came on, crunched over the play pen, killing the child. Themother was hit and instantly killed, force of the blow snapping herspine and tossing her against the house. The car plunged on into atree, hitting it a terrible blow, crumbling the car's forward end soit looked like an accordion. The men were thrown from the machine.

  "We'll never be able to prosecute in this case," the states attorneysaid. "At least not on a drunken driving basis."

  "I can't get over it," the chief of police said. "I've got at leastsix men who will swear the man was drunk. He staggered, reeled andgave the usual drunk talk. He reeked of whiskey."

  The prosecutor handed the report over the desk. "Here's the analysis.Not a trace of alcohol. He couldn't have even had a smell of nearbeer. Here's another report. This is his physical exam made not longafterwards. The man was in perfect health. Only variations are he hada scar on his leg where something, probably a dog, bit him once. Andthen a scar on his chest. It looked like an old gunshot wound, theysaid. Must have happened years ago."

  "That's odd. The man who accosted Mrs. Laughton in the afternoon wasbitten by their dog. Later that night she said she shot the same manin the chest. Since the scars are healed it obviously couldn't be thesame man. But there's a real coincidence for you. And speaking of thedogbite, the Laughton dog died that night. His menu evidently didn'tagree with him. Never did figure what killed him, actually."

  "Any record of treatment on the man she shot?"

  "The _men_. You'll remember, there were two. No, we never found atrace of either. No doctor ever made a report of a gunshot wound thatnight. No hospital had a case either--at least not within severalhundred miles--that night or several nights afterwards. Ever been shotwith .30-.30?"

  The state attorney shook his head. "I wouldn't be here if I had."

  "I'll say you wouldn't. The pair must have crawled away to die Godknows where."

  "Getting back to the man who ran over the child and killed Mrs.Laughton. Why did he pretend to be drunk?"

  It was the chief's turn to shake his head. "Your guess is as good asmine. There are a lot of angles to this case none of us understand. Itlooks deliberate, but where's the motive?"

  "What does the man have to say?"

  "I was afraid you'd get to him," the chief said, his neck reddening."It's all been rather embarrassing to the department." He coughedself-consciously. "He's proved a strange one, all right. He says hisname is John Smith and he's got cards to prove it, too--for example, asocial security card. It looks authentic, yet there's no such numberon file in Washington, so we've discovered. We've had him in jail fora week and we've all taken turns questioning him. He laughs and admitshis guilt--in fact, he seems amused by most everything. Sometimes allalone in his cell he'll start laughing for no apparent reason. Itgives you the creeps."

  * * * * *

  The states attorney leaned back in his chair. "Maybe it's a case foran alienist."

  "One jump ahead of you. Dr. Stone thinks he's normal, but won't putdown any I.Q. Actually, he can't figure him out himself. Smith seemsto take delight in answering questions--sort of anticipates them andhas the answer ready before you're half through asking."

  "Well, if Dr. Stone says he's normal, that's enough for me." Theprosecutor was silent for a moment. Then, "How about the husband?"

  "Laughton? We're afraid to let him see him. All broken up. No tellingwhat kind of a rumpus he'd start--especially if Smith started hisfunny business."

  "Guess you're right. Well, Mr. Smith won't think it's so funny when wehang criminal negligence or manslaughter on him. By the way, you'vechecked possible family connections?"

  "Nobody ever saw John Smith before. Even at the address on hisdriver's license. And there's no duplicate of that in Springfield, incase you're interested."

  The man who had laughingly told police his name was John Smith lay onhis cot in the county jail, his eyes closed, his arms folded acrosshis chest. This gave him the appearance of being alert despitereclining. Even as he lay, his mouth held a hint of a smile.

  Arvid 6--for John Smith _was_ Arvid 6--had lain in that position formore than four hours, when suddenly he snapped his eyes open andappeared to be listening. For a moment a look of concern crossed hisface and he swung his legs to the floor and sat there expectantly.Arvid 6 knew Tendal 13 had materialized and was somewhere in thebuilding.

  Eventually there were some sounds from beyond the steel cell anddoorway. There was a clang when the outer doorway was opened and Arvid6 rose from his cot.

  "Your lawyer's here to see you," the jailer said, indicating the manwith the brief case. "Ring the buzzer when you're through." The jailerlet the man in, locked the cell door and walked away.

  The man threw the brief case on the jail cot and stood glaring.

  "Your damned foolishness has gone far enough. I'm sick and tired ofit," he declared. "If you carry on any more we'll never get back tothe Ultroom!"

  "I'm sorry, Tendal," the man on the cot said. "I didn't think--"

  "You're absolutely right. You didn't think. Crashing that car intothat tree and killing that woman--that was the last straw. You don'teven deserve to get back to our era. You ought to be made to rothere."

  "I'm _really_ sorry about that," Arvid 6 said.

  * * * * *

  "You know the instructions. Just because you work in the Ultroom don'tget to thinking human life doesn't have any value. We wouldn't be hereif it hadn't. But to unnecessarily kill--" The older man shook hishead. "You could have killed your
self as well and we'd never get thejob done. As it is, you almost totally obliterated me." Tendal 13paced the length of the cell and back again, gesturing as he talked.

  "It was only with the greatest effort I pulled myself back togetheragain. I doubt that you could have done it. And then all the whileyou've been sitting here, probably enjoying yourself with your specialbrand of humor I have grown to despise."

  "You didn't have