'There's more to it than that. He stole a car, broke into a house, got in a fight with a cop, stuff like that'
'My God, he's in worse shape than I thought'
Hide was buying the story, Anthony thought with relief. He pressed on. 'We think he's not rational, but you know him better than we do. What would you say is going on?' Anthony held his breath, hoping for the right answer.
'Hell, I think he's suffering some kind of breakdown.' This was exactly what Anthony wanted Hide to believe - but now Hide thought it was his own idear, and he proceeded to try to convince Anthony. 'Look, Mr. Carroll, the army wouldn't employ a nutcase on a top secret project Normally, Luke is as sane as you or me. Obviously something has destabilized him.'
'He seems to think there's some kind of conspiracy against him - but you're saying we shouldn't necessarily credit that'
'Not for a minute.'
'So we should soft-pedal this stuff. I mean, we shouldn't alert the Pentagon.'
'God, no,' Hide said worriedly. 'In fact, I'd better call them and warn them that Luke seems to have lost his marbles.'
'As you wish.'
Pete came in and Anthony raised one finger for him to wait He softened his voice and said into the phone: 'By happenstance, I'm an old friend of Dr and Mrs. Lucas. I'm going to try to persuade Luke to seek psychiatric help.'
'That sounds like a good idea.'
'Well,- thank you, Colonel. You've set my mind at rest, and we will proceed along the lines you have suggested.'
You're welcome. If there's anything you want to ask me or discuss with me, call me any time.'
'I sure will.' Anthony hung up.
Pete said: 'Psychiatric help?'
'That was just for his benefit' Anthony reviewed the situation. There was no evidence here at the hotel. He had prejudiced the Pentagon against any report Luke might make. That just left Billie's hospital.
He stood up. 'I'll be back in an hour,' he said. 'I want you to stay here. But not in the lobby. Take Malone and Curtis and bribe a room-service waiter to let you into Luke's suite. I have a feeling he'll come back.'
'And if he does?'
'Don't let him get away again - no matter what'
.
12 MIDNIGHT
The Jupiter C missile uses Hydyne, a secret, high-energy fuel that is 12 percent more powerful than the alcohol propellant used in the standard Redstone missile. A toxic, corrosive substance, it is a blend of UDMH - unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine - and diethylene triamine.
Billie drove the red Thunderbird into the parking lot of the Georgetown Mind Hospital and killed the engine. Colonel Lopez from the Pentagon pulled alongside her in a Ford Fairlane painted olive drab. 'He doesn't believe a word I say,' Luke said angrily.
'You can't blame him,' Billie reasoned. 'The assistant manager of the Carlton says no one was chased through the kitchens, and there are no cartridge cases on the ground at the loading dock.' 'Anthony cleaned up the evidence.' 'I know that, but Colonel Lopez doesn't' 'Thank God I've got you to back me up.' They got out of the car and walked into the building with the colonel, a patient Hispanic man with an intelligent face. Billie nodded to the receptionist and led the two men up the stairs and along the corridor to the records office.
I'm going to show you the file of a man named Joseph Bellow, whose physical characteristics match Luke's,' she explained.
The colonel nodded.
Billie went on: You'll see that he was admitted on Tuesday, treated, then discharged at 4 a.m. on Wednesday. You have to understand that it's very unusual for a schizophrenic patient to be given treatment without observation first And I hardly need to tell you that it's unheard of for a patient to be released from a mental hospital at four o'clock in the morning.'
'I understand,' Lopez said non-commit tally.
Billie opened the drawer, pulled out the Bellow file, put it on the desk, and opened it.
It was empty. 'Oh, my God,' she said.
Luke stared at the cardboard folder in disbelief. 'I saw the papers myself less than six-hours ago!'
Lopez stood up with a weary air. 'Well, I guess that's it'
Luke had the nightmare feeling that he was living in a surreal world in which people could do what they liked to him, shoot at him and mess with his mind, and he could never prove it had happened. 'Maybe I am schizophrenic,' he said somberly.
'Well, I'm not,' Billie said. 'And I saw that file too.'
'But it's not here now,' said Lopez.
'Wait,' Billie said. 'The daily register will show his admission.; It's kept at the reception desk.' She slammed the file drawer shut They went down to the lobby. Billie spoke to the receptionist 'Let me see the register, please, Charlie.'
'Right away, Dr Josephson.' The young black man behind the counter searched around for a moment. 'Dang, where did that thing go?' he said. .
Luke muttered: 'Jesus Christ'
The receptionist's face darkened with embarrassment 'I know it was here a couple of hours ago.'
Billie's face was like thunder. 'Tell me something, Charlie. Has Dr Ross been here tonight''
Yes, maam. He left a few minutes ago.'
She nodded. 'Next time you see him, ask him where the register went He knows.'
'I sure will.'
Billie turned away from the desk.
Luke said angrily: 'Let me ask you something, Colonel. Before we saw you tonight, had someone else talked to you about me?'
Lopez hesitated. Yes.'
'Who?'
Reluctantly, he said: 'I guess you're entitled to know. We got a call from a Colonel Hide down in Cape Canaveral. He said the CIA had been watching you and they reported that you were behaving irrationally.'
Luke nodded grimly. 'Anthony again.'
Billie said to Lopez: 'Hell, I can't think of anything else we can do to convince you. And I don't really blame you for not believing us, when we have no evidence.'
'I didn't say I don't believe you,' Lopez said.
Luke was startled, and looked at the colonel with new hope.
Lopez went on: 'I could believe you imagined that a CIA man chased you around the Carlton Hotel and shot at you in the alley. I might even accept that you and Dr. Josephson conspired to pretend there used to be a file and it disappeared. But I don't believe that Charlie here is in on the conspiracy. There must be a daily register, and it's gone. I don't think you took it -why would you? But then who did? Someone has something to hide.'
'So you believe me?' Luke said.
'What's to believe? You don't know what this is all about. I don't know either. But something sure as hell is going on. And I believe it must have to do with that rocket we're about to launch.'
'What'll you do?'
'I'm going to order a full security alert at Cape Canaveral. I've been there, I know they're lax. Tomorrow morning they won't know what's hit them.'
'But what about Anthony?'
'I have a friend at the CIA I'm going to tell him your story, and say I don't know whether it's true or not, but I'm concerned.'
'That's not going to get us far!' Luke protested. 'We need to know what's going on, why they wiped my memory!'
