From Venus, Wes said: "You sure did. He's giving orders to drop more
stock. This is too dirty to be funny, but Kingman asked for it. I know
him. He's got this set up so that no one can do a thing on this market
program without orders from him. Too bad we can't withhold the Northern
Landing quotations from him."
The Lunar beam brought forth another message intended for Kingman's
interceptor at Luna. "V. E. Preferred is dropping like a plummet. When
can we buy?"
Walt smiled and said into Kingman's set-up: "Kingman! V. E. Preferred
is now at eight hundred and seventy!"
Not many minutes later, Wes said: "That was foul, Walt. He's just given
orders to run the market down at any cost."
"O.K.," said Walt. "But he's going to go nuts when the Northern
Landing Exchange starts down without ever getting to that mythical nine
hundred."
"Let him wonder. Meanwhile, fellows, let's run ourselves a slide on
Terran Electric. Sell the works!"
Terran Electric started down just as V. E. Preferred took its third
drop. It passed three hundred, and started down the two hundred
numbers. Walt shook his head and said to Kingman: "Kingman, we're
getting results now. She's dropped back again--to six hundred and
three." Then he said: "Kingman, someone is playing hob with T. E.
Preferred. She's up to two hundred and fifty-one."
To Don, Walt said: "Good thing that Kingman has that Chinese Symphony
for a bit of mood music, or he'd recognize my voice."
"Which way will he jump?" laughed Don. "That was a slick bit of
Kingman-baiting, Walt, in spite of your voice."
"Kingman's taking it hard," said Wes. "He says to drop some of his own
stock so that they can use the money to manipulate the V. E. stuff."
"O.K.," said Jim Baler. "This looks like a good time to think about
buying some of Kingman's stuff. Right?"
"Wait until sales hit bottom," said Don. "Walt, tip us off."
"O.K. What now?"
"Wait a bit and see."