increasingly nervous Chester. '-I believe that might result in a touch more publicity than any of us would like.'
'Let's see,' he mused speculatively, 'the government rides in to steal legally claimed property from its discoverers. We could have some nice posed shots of the Shattucks standing on their front porch while Guard troops in helmets and full battle gear stand lined up across from them, machine guns and bazookas at the ready to deal with this massive threat to the American way of life. That would look impressive, say, on the front page of The Washington Post. What do you think, Major?'
All eyes focused on Chester, attention he could have done without. Hopefully he looked at Biggers, but the sheriff wanted nothing to do with that ream of legal documentation.
'As far as I can see, I've been overruled, Major. I'm willin' to do what you think best, though.'
Thanks a whole lot, Chester thought. 'I think,' he ventured after a brief pause, 'we'd better go back to Breckenridge and consider this very carefully.'
Perham Tut made a noise Chester wouldn't have thought was in him. He held his temper in check, managing also to ignore the low stream of bitter curses falling from Goldberg's lips. Calumet said nothing. He was eyeing Wheaton respectfully.
'We'll be back, of course,' Chester added, trying to salvage something from the meeting. Wheaton didn't appear fazed.
'I expect so. But if you'll excuse us-' He glanced up at the rancher. '-we'll have to hurry, Jesse, if we're going to get that new pipe put in before sundown.'
Shattuck nodded. Both men turned and headed for the rear of the house as the disgruntled scientists piled back into the station wagon.
'What now?' Goldberg wanted to know as they chugged and bumped back toward Breckenridge. 'In the papers we don't want anything, or a long court fight, either. '
'United States of America versus J. W. Shattuck and family,' Calumet added: Chester winced at the field day the papers would have with that one. 'Uncle Colossus and the Hitlerian physicists against just plain country folks. No, Major, we have to find another way.'
'I'm open to suggestions,' admitted Chester tersely.
It was silent in the car for several minutes. 'Washington is still expecting to hear from us,' the young chemist continued. 'It occurs to me that we have preserved secrecy very well. No one knows yet that we've actually located the spacecraft.'
Chester started. Calumet was right. Only the five of them-and Sheriff Biggers-knew that an alien craft had set down on the planet in one piece.
'I think it's time, Major, to bring larger forces to bear,' Calumet went on briskly. 'You'd best notify your General MacGregor and also the Pentagon. I'll want all three of us to speak with NASA headquarters. When more important people realize what we've found and convey it to their superiors, we should be able to persuade these people to give up the craft voluntarily.'
'From what I've seen,' Chester mused, 'neither Shattuck nor his wife persuades too easily. Who'd you have in mind to try and persuade them?'
'The President,' Calumet said, staring out the front windshield past Chester. 'It will take several days for those other people I mentioned to convince him of the urgency of the matter. After he is convinced, I'm sure he'll rush to cooperate with us.'
'What about Wheaton?'
Calumet frowned. 'He's going to be a problem. He's just obstinate and smart enough to make trouble. But the President can be a pretty persuasive man. He might be able to convince even a maverick legal genius like Cable Wheaton that it would be in the best interests of his clients to allow matters to take their natural and inevitable course . . .quietly.' He leaned back in the seat.
'For example, I've always heard that Wheaton aspires to sit on the Supreme Court some day. A President has a lot of options at his command. Who knows what pressures, benign and otherwise, he might bring to bear?'
What, indeed? wondered a benumbed Chester, feeling way out of his depth and wishing fervently he was back home before the family fireplace with Charlene and the kids.
Hmm-hmm-hmm . . . buzz-hmm-buzz . . . tick! sang they yellow blossom out of the galactic vastnesses from itss~ snug perch in the barn loft.
High above, the moon had commenced its descent, but the stars still shone bright and clear. Several hours remained until sunrise. Nothing stirred on the grounds of the ranch.
On the farm road up from the ranch house a large eighteen-wheeler slowed and stopped, pulling onto the road shoulder. Its headlights dimmed. Back doors opened, and a ramp slid out. A tight knot of men moved quickly down the ramp, ran forward.
At the cab of the truck they were joined by a bigger, older man. Plans were discussed in muted voices. Clutching various instruments of a nonscientific nature, they began moving, crouched low but still running, toward the ranch house.
Behind them activity continued as other men within the truck struggled silently to rig a mobile winch and sling in expectation of the others' return.
As was usual lately, Chester was having a difficult time sleeping. The Korean and Vietnam wars had made light sleepers out of many men. He woke as he found himself reaching across the mattress for the woman who wasn't there.
Rubbing his eyes, he rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Once again unarguably, helplessly awake, he slid his legs to the side and sat up.
The three scientists, he knew, would be sound asleep in their respective rooms. The budget for this kind of endeavor provided for privacy for all concerned.
Disgusted with himself, envious of their ability to sleep, and unhappy with the way events had gone the last couple of days, he wrestled his fatigued form into his clothes. A check of his watch showed the wrong side of four A.M.-an insane hour.
Down the main street was a twenty-four-hour cafe frequented by off-freeway truckers. He filled his pockets with the usual paraphernalia without which a man felt unbalanced: wallet, keys, pocketknife, and small flashlight.
He would, he decided, have a couple of cups of coffee, stretch them out for as long as possible, read the morning paper from Dallas, and then maybe eat some breakfast.
Hopefully he could at least prolong things until the sun came up.
He closed the motel-room door behind him, not bothering to lock it. That was one of the advantages of living outside a city. Partway through the motel lot he paused, thinking. This morning his loneliness was particularly strong. A little company would do him good.
The soft-spoken companionship of the sergeant was more to his liking that that of the scientists, who would be downright uncommunicative this time of the morning, even Calumet.
Turning, he walked two units past his own room and knocked on the door of number six. It was possible the sergeant was already awake. Chester had encountered him down at the truck stop several times, often before he arrived himself. He wondered if Pat had as much trouble sleeping as he did. –
There was no response, and he knocked again, louder. One last time. It was just as well, he decided. Pat was probably down at the cafe already and would be glad to see him.
But when he arrived, a quick search of the small dining area showed no sign of the sergeant. Chester took a seat, thinking perhaps that Pat was in the men's room. Ten minutes of waiting dispelled the likelihood of that.
Chester was puzzled. No place else in town except the gas station across the street would be open for several hours, and he could see that the sergeant wasn't lingering there, chatting with the sleepy attendant.
Prompted by something stronger than just curiosity, he left his coffee half-finished and strolled back to the motel. Further knocks, verging on pounding, produced no response from within number six. The station wagon was still parked in front of the room.
Had the sergeant gone off on some errand of his own? That seemed unlikely, since he was under strict orders to be available to drive at any time.
Chester made a decision he regretted in advance. Probably he'd come out looking the fool, he thought as he walked toward the office. There he woke the groggy manager-owner of the motel and borrowed the duplicate key to
