There was an instant of suffocation, then the giddy feeling again, and
Roy Auckland was lying on something. He took a deep breath cautiously.
There was air, pure air around him. Then a wave of exhaustion swept
over him.
When he opened his eyes again, darkness was complete, but his mind was
clear and the paralysis was gone. And now he knew where he was; he was
back at headquarters, lying on his own bunk. He sent out a thought of
thanks for the rescue, hoping that the Vaec would pick it up.
It was clear enough what had happened: they had teleported him to
safety--a short distance when needles were being fired at him, then the
longer distance to his own quarters as he sank beneath the quicksand.
What of the paralysis? He could only assume that the Vaec were also
capable of control over him; a control they had declined to use upon
Earthmen except in this one instance. Why?
It was obvious: so that the culprit would see Roy Auckland sink beneath
the quicksand and consider him finished. "Thanks," he thought to his
potential listeners. "Will you do one more thing? Will you come to
headquarters if I find I need your help in trapping the murderer? Just
Ekem-ve and Hcent?"
There was no answer, which could mean that he hadn't been heard, or
that the Vaec could not transmit their thoughts to him. He looked
at his watch. It was nearing 10:00 P.M. according to the
adjustments they had made to make the Carolinian day seem roughly
equal to that of Earth. He had started back to headquarters around 7:00.
He arose and changed, wishing he had time to take a shower. There was a
knock on the door. He opened it to see Shirley Mason. "Oh," she said.
"I didn't think you'd come back yet, but Dr. James asked me to see,
anyway." She gripped his arm. "Roy, something has happened and we're
all stunned. Amelia killed herself."