Stranger in a Strange Land

“Who are you to advise? If I am hurt in attempting to enforce this my right, your action becomes constructive assault—with deadly weapons, if those things those mules are toting are guns, as they appear to be. Civil and criminal, both—why, my man, I’ll wind up with your hide for a door mat!” Jubal drew back a skinny arm and clenched a bony fist. “Off my property!”

“Hold it, Doctor. We’ll do it your way.” Heinrich had turned bright red, but he kept his voice under tight control. He offered his identification, which Jubal glanced at, then turned back to him for him to show to Anne. Heinrich then stated his full name, said that he was a captain of police, Federation Special Service Bureau, and recited his pay number. One by one, the other six men who had left the car, and at last the driver, went through the same rigamarole at Heinrich’s frozen-faced orders.

When they were done, Jubal said sweetly, “And now, Captain Heinrich, how may I help you?”

“I have a search warrant here for Gilbert Berquist, which warrant names this property, its buildings and grounds.”

“Show it to me, then show it to the Witness.”

“I will do so. But I have another search warrant, similar to the first, for Gillian Boardman.”

“Who?”

“Gillian Boardman. The charge is kidnapping.”

“My goodness!”

“And another for Hector C. Johnson… and one for Valentine Michael Smith… and one for you, Jubal Harshaw.”

“Me? Taxes again?”

“No. Look at it. Accessory to this and that… and material witness on some other things… and I’d take you in on my own for obstructing justice if the warrant didn’t make it unnecessary.”

“Oh, come now, Captain! I’ve been most cooperative since you identified yourself and started behaving in a legal manner. And I shall continue to be. Of course, I shall still sue all of you—and your immediate superior and the government—for your illegal acts before that time… and I am not waiving any rights or recourses with respect to anything any of you may do hereafter. Mmm… quite a list of victims. I see why you brought an extra wagon. But—dear me! something odd here. This, uh, Mrs. Borkmann?—I see that she is charged with kidnapping this Smith fellow… but in this other warrant he seems to be charged with fleeing custody. I’m confused.”

“It’s both. He escaped—and she kidnapped him.”

“Isn’t that rather difficult to manage? Both, I mean? And on what charge was he being held? The warrant does not seem to state?”

“How the devil do I know? He escaped, that’s all. He’s a fugitive.”

“Gracious me! I rather think I shall have to offer my services as counsel to each of them. Interesting case. If a mistake has been made—or mistakes—it could lead to other matters.”

Heinrich grinned coldly. “You won’t find it easy. You’ll be in the pokey, too.”

“Oh, not for long, I trust.” Jubal raised his voice more than necessary and turned his head toward the house. “I do know another lawyer. I rather think, if Judge Holland were listening to this, habeas corpus proceedings—for all of us—might be rather prompt. And if the Associated Press just happened to have a courier car nearby, there would be no time lost in knowing where to serve such writs.”

“Always the shyster, eh, Harshaw?”

“Slander, my dear sir. I take notice.”

“A fat lot of good it will do you. We’re alone.”

“Are we?”

XV

VALENTINE MICHAEL SMITH SWAM through the murky water to the deepest part of the pool, under the diving board, and settled himself on the bottom. He did not know why his water brother Jubal had told him to hide there; indeed he did not know that he was hiding. His water brother Jubal had told him to do this and to remain there until his water brother Jill came for him; that was sufficient.

As soon as he was sure that he was at the deepest part, he curled himself into the foetal position, let most of the air out of his lungs, swallowed his tongue, rolled his eyes up, slowed his heart down to almost nothing, and became effectively “dead” save that he was not actually discorporate and could start his engines again at will. He also elected to stretch his time sense until seconds flowed past like hours, as he had much to contemplate and did not know how quickly Jill would come to get him.

He knew that he had failed again in an attempt to achieve the perfect understanding, the mutually merging rapport—the grokking—that should exist between water brothers. He knew that the failure was his, caused by his using wrongly the oddly variable human language, because Jubal had become upset as soon as he had spoken to him.