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afterwards, you won't be alive to know it."
"You're bluffing," the bearded man said. "I...."
"Let me point out something," Johnson interrupted. "Suppose he isbluffing and doesn't use the gun: The odds are still two to oneagainst you. Are you sure you could handle both of us--even with thehelp of that pipe?"
The man wasn't sure. He stood undecided, then his face showed blackfrustration. He mouthed a few choice phrases through his beard, turnedand walked away.
* * * * *
The lean man extended his hand. "My name's Alton Hawkes."
The rising whine of the next "sand-blaster" drowned out Johnson'sanswer. He drew his new acquaintance into the shelter of a sand-arm.
As they hugged the corner, they felt a third body press against them.The musky odor, mingled with the taint of old leather, told Johnsonthat their companion was a native.
The storm eased its force and the two Earthmen raised their heads toregard the corner's other occupant. He was a mahogany brown, almostthe exact color of the ankle-length leather skirt he wore. "Man, hestinks!" Hawkes said.
Their visitor spread his hairy, wide-nostriled nose into the nativeequivalent of a smile. His hairy ears twitched with pleasure and heswelled his chest. "Blee strong all over," he said. "Want him guard?"
"Why not?" Johnson answered, glancing inquiringly at Hawkes. Heslipped a coin into the extended brown palm. "Guard us until we get tothe big-house section."
"Pale-smells be very safe," the native said.
They left their shelter as the wind died down and started toward thetaller buildings of the foreign section. "I must have said the rightthing when I said he stinks," Hawkes remarked.
"Telling a native that is the same thing, to him, as calling himstrong and virile," Johnson answered. "They admit, reluctantly, thatwe foreigners have some good fighting qualities, but we're stillregarded as unmanly because of our weak odor. Their females wouldn'tlook twice at either of us."
When they reached one of the few three-story structures in the city,Johnson dismissed their guard. They entered the building and walkeddown a short corridor and through a door lettered:
DONALD H. JOHNSON
District Manager
Interplanets Trade Company
"To be frank with you," Hawkes said, as he eased his lank body intothe chair Johnson offered, "I had planned to learn more about yourlocal activities before I introduced myself. However, I've found inthe past that my first judgment of a man is usually right, so I thinkI'll get down to business immediately." He drew a set of papers froman inside pocket and tossed them on the desk in front of Johnson. "I'ma Company Secret Service man," he said.
* * * * *
Johnson raised his eyebrows, but looked at the papers without comment.He glanced up at Hawkes.
"Do you recognize either of the men in the pictures?" Hawkes asked,when he saw that Johnson had no intention of speaking.
Unhurriedly Johnson picked up the papers and removed a rubber binder.He pulled out two photos and laid them on the desk in front of him."The bearded one is the man who waylaid me," he said. "Of course."
"Look at both a little closer," Hawkes suggested, "and see if youdon't notice something else."
Johnson studied the pictures. "There's no doubt about the first," hemurmured. "Evidently I'm supposed to recognize the other also."Abruptly he sat erect. "They're both the same man," he exclaimed."Only in the second picture he's clean-shaven."
Hawkes nodded. "There's a story about those two pictures," he said."But first, let me fill you in on some background. You know thatInterplanets has branches on more than a thousand worlds. Because ofthis widespread operation it's particularly vulnerable to robbery. Butit would cost more than the Company's earnings to post adequate guardson every station. And it would be impractical to depend on theprotection of the local governments, many of which are extremelyprimitive. On the other hand, allowing themselves to be robbed withimpunity would be financial suicide."
Johnson nodded. "Of course."
"That," Hawkes continued, "is where the Company's Secret Servicecomes in. It never lets up on the effort it will make to solve arobbery and bring the perpetrators to justice. And it never quits,once it begins an investigation. That policy has proven very effectivein discouraging thievery. During the Company's entire tenure therehave been less than a dozen unsolved thefts--and two of them occurredright here on Marlock."
"I was a clerk with the Company at the time of the second," Johnsonsaid reminiscently. "Been with them about three years then. That musthave been over twenty years ago. I...." He paused and looked down. "Iremember," he said. "The picture without the beard.... That's thethief. The photograph was taken by one of the automatic cameras set upfor just that purpose; we still use them. But they never found theman."
"That's right," Hawkes agreed. "That robbery occurred a little overtwenty years ago. And the other picture you have was taken at the timeof the first robbery--approximately twenty-five years before that."
"But it isn't possible," Johnson protested. "These pictures are of thesame man. And there's obviously no twenty-five year spread in agebetween them. Unless...."
"Unless one is the other's father, or a relative that resembles himvery closely?" Hawkes finished. "Look at the pictures again. There'sthe same scar on both foreheads, the same pock-mark on the rightcheek; our special section has even made measurements of thecomparative sizes of the nose, ears and other features. There's nopossible doubt that the pictures are of the same man."
* * * * *
"How do you explain it?" Johnson asked.
"I don't," Hawkes replied quietly. "That's one of the things I'm hereto learn. But did you notice this? The man we encountered thisafternoon was not only the same as the one on those pictures: he stilllooks the same. We might, for the sake of argument, grant that a man'sappearance would change only slightly in twenty-five years. But whenyou add another twenty-three on top of that--and he's stillunchanged...?"
"If you're certain that he's the man, why don't you arrest him?"Johnson asked.
"Can we arrest a man apparently about thirty years old and accuse himof a crime committed forty-eight years ago--or even twenty-three yearsago?"
"I suppose not," Johnson agreed. "What do you intend to do?"
"I haven't decided yet. First I'll have to learn more about thesituation here. You can help me with that. Right now I'd like to knowsomething about the native customs--especially in regard to legalmatters."
"Their laws are fairly simple," Johnson began. "There's no law againststealing or taking by force anything you can get away with. Thatsounds absurd by Earth standards, it prevents the amassing of moregoods than an individual needs, and makes for fairly equitabledistribution. If a native somehow acquires a sudden amount ofwealth--goods, in their case--he must hire guards to protect it.Guarding is a major occupation. They do an especially big businessduring the tourist seasons. In time the pay of the guards will eat upany native's surplus. Either way--by loss or guard pay--the wealth issoon redistributed."
"Can they even kill one another with impunity?"
"No. Their laws are rigid in that respect. In the processof--relieving another of his property, they must neither break a majorbone, nor inflict permanent damage. If they disobey, they are torturedto death in the public square."
Hawkes asked, "Who enforces their law?"
"One of the clans. Its members are supported in their duties by allthe others. And there's a permanent open season on murderers. Anyone,police or civilian may revenge a victim."
"How about the law against carrying firearms?"
"With them, intent is tantamount to commission," Johnson replied."Only foreigners are ever foolish enough to be caught armed. However,all native laws apply to them also. The only concession the Companyhas been able to force is that a foreign offender isn't tortured: He'sput in jail for
ten years. None ever live to come out."
"I see," Hawkes said. "Interesting. However, the immediate situationis this. I've been sent here because the Service received reports thatour bearded friend had made another appearance. And we believe it'ssafe to assume that he's here to attempt a third robbery. Right nowwe'll have to pass over his trick of longevity. Our problem is tocatch him in the act.