Tom Purdom

“ A rifleman shuffled uneasily. "It's the only way. Mind killers use their Talent to tie their tongues and confuse us. Only pain can break their control."
"That's a fairy tale," Sordman said. "Without drugs a Talent is helpless."
"We've got the girl," John Dyer said. "She can't hurt us while we're waiting."
"He can!" the young man screamed. "Are you a plain fool? He can go outside and kill us all." ”

“ Sordman said. "My Talent has its limits. I can't deep-probe everybody's mind, any more than a baseball pitcher can pitch all day."
Lee said, "Even if he could, our warrant says we can't probe more than four suspects."
"Now can you tell us why you think the killer is a woman?" George asked.
The girl held out her glass and George filled it. "Because he was the kind of man who made you want to kill him. He was understanding and loving. He made me feel like a princess all the time I lived with him. But he can't keep to one girl." ”

“ Esponito had been a Catholic, and that faith still called short-term marriages a mortal sin.
For a moment Sordman wondered what it would be like to know only one woman your entire life. He loved the infinite variety of God's creation and wanted to sample as much of it as he could.
"Mylady Widow, our apologies." Lee bowed, hands before her chest, and Sordman and George Aaron bowed with her. "We intrude on you," Lee said, "only because we have to find the real killer. Other people may be in danger." ”

“ I wanted to build rockets and ride to the planets. But the Voc people told me I was too weak in math. So I became a healer of the psyche and I learned my love for rockets was a hunger for power. But still I love the brutes and now I'm an old man I still sometimes wish I'd been an engineer."
"That's too bad," the girl said politely.
"Yes. I suppose your husband feels that way about art?"
"He gets drunk about it sometimes."
"Double motive!" Sordman said.
"One conscious," George said, "plain jealousy. The other half-conscious—resentment. Nobody kills at random. ”

“ He ran his hands along the rough bark and smelled the cool water of the stream. Most of the big park was wilderness, but here and there were pavilions, an outdoor theatre, open playing fields and beautifully planned gardens. A man could have a home surrounded by the shops and pleasures of civilized living and yet only be a ten-minute elevator ride from God's bounty.
"The fact the killer used the newspaper picture doesn't prove Bedler was the real victim," George said. "But it indicates it."
"Let's assume it's true," Sordman said, "and see where it leads us."
"Bedler was married," Lee said. ”

“ Lee said.
"The world is filled with it," George said. "I favor short-term marriages. They're the only way a person can practice a difficult art and make mistakes without committing himself for life. But about half the mental breakdowns I used to get were due to the insecurities caused by a temporary contract. One party almost always hopes the marriage will somehow become permanent."
"Let's talk to Bedler's ex-wife," Sordman said. ”

“ Lee studied the painting. "Why does your husband hate Talent?"
"Is this a survey?"
Lee grinned. "I'm the lobbyist for the Guggenheim Foundation. Asking that kind of question is a reflex."
The girl walked around the room. She looked out the window and stretched. Sordman bellowed lust at her flanks and the long curve of her hips.
"Why do men do anything?" Raven yawned. "When he was in Voc school some kid took him in the back room and showed him some tricks. Maybe that did it. Is there a psycher in the house?"
"There is," George said. "Is Citizen Smith an astronautical engineer?" ”

“ Sordman said. "Who's the leader of your group?"
The young man said, "We don't have a leader. Here we're all equals."
Sordman studied the young man's emotions. He was frightened, but only a little more than the others. There was something else there, too. Something very strong. Sex frustration! The young man had an athletic body and a handsome, chiselled face. On his yellow vest he wore the emblem of a Second Class Technician. But even a young man with adequate finances could be frustrated. Keeping the stone in his mind, he undressed a certain actress. ”

“ Will you give me that long?"
"How do we know you'll bring in the right man?"
"If he's the right man, he'll make it plain enough."
"You'll make him confess," the young man said. "You'll manipulate him like a puppet." ”

“ What's the evidence against this girl?"
"We found drugs and a divining rod in her room."
"She's had a reputation for a long time."
"The school kids say she's a daydreamer."
Sordman understood their fear. Psi was a new and dangerous force. Its use demanded moral and intellectual discipline. Only a rare and carefully developed personality could encounter the anger, hostility and fear in other minds and still retain compassion and reasonable respect for human beings. An undisciplined person panicked and went into a mental state approaching paranoia. ”

“ Sordman said.
"I didn't do it!"
"I'm going to probe your husband."
"My husband hates Talent."
"We have to hurry," Sordman said. "If your husband's innocent, I'm sorry. We're not saying he's guilty. But I have to examine him."
At the door he paused and thought, God of Infinite Compassion.... The girl sat down and stared at the wall.
Many drugs activate the psi powers. The commonest, available in any drug store, is a pill of codeine and half a dried peyote bean. Leonard Smith had both in his pocket when he ran out the side door of the beer hall.
Sordman swore wildly. The girl screamed. ”

“ Mylady said.
"We'll have to ask the Baltimore police to check on the Manager. It may not mean anything, but we have to follow every lead."
"Use the phone, Protector."
Sordman and George stepped into the dining room.
"We're wasting time," George said. "They're both upset and there seems to be a family quarrel."
"I know. But Esponito's murder gives us more leads than Bedler's. Bedler didn't even have a one-month wife when he died. Lots of people knew the Administrator and might have had a grudge against him." ”