PROJECT HI-PSI
DR. LUCIFER BRILL stepped briskly down the corridor of the Federal Building. The taps on his leather heels clicked a precise rhythm on the marble floor.
He ignored the door that offered "Information", passed up office after office until he came to the glass paneled door which informed him that behind it functioned the Director of FBI operations in the Los Angeles area.
The door was locked.
Lucifer Brill rubbed the knuckles of his left hand over the bristles of his sand-colored, neatly trimmed bit of mustache. It was a gesture known to all graduate Students, Department of Parapsychology, Western University, as an indication of annoyance.
The possibility of this office being closed had definitely not been part of Lucifer Brill's prospectus.
A movement behind the opaque glass panel caught his attention. He rattled the knob. When this produced no results, he tapped with his immaculate fingernails on the glass.
A shadow moved inside the office. The lock clicked. The door opened.
An overweight young woman, obviously interrupted in the act of painting a lush mouth over thin lips, glared at him through a veneer of politeness.
"Yes?"
"I have an appointment with the Director." Lucifer Brill's voice still carried the twang of boyhood in Chelmsford, Mass.
The young woman's plucked eyebrows arched.
"This office is closed. If there is an emergency, you may...
Lucifer handed her his card. The eyebrows arched still higher.
"Dr. Brill! Your appointment was for 3:45!"
"I am aware of that," he told her, severely, "but the other drivers were not, and there were an incredible number of them on the road. Now, if you please..."
"Would you care to make another appointment for tomorrow?"
"I would not. You may inform the Director that I have arrived, that I regret my tardiness and that the purpose of my visit involves a matter of extreme urgency."
Lucifer hadn't raised the level of his voice, but behind the rimless spectacles, his mild blue eyes became very cold and direct. The secretary unpursed her lips and flounced toward the inner office.
She was back in a moment, and said with disapproval.
"This way, please--Sir."
The Director greeted Lucifer Brill with a courtesy that was somewhat strained. His briefcase was on his desk. So was his hat.
Lucifer went peremptorily to the point.
"I must report a most serious case."
From long training, the Director ignored the tone and inquired with careful politeness.
"What sort of a case, Dr. Brill?"
"I believe you would call it a case of kidnapping--multiple kidnapping."
"Kid--kidnapping!"
The Director's large hands hit the desk top with a cracking sound. His knee touched a button to flip on the tape recorder.
"When?--Where?--Who?" Lucifer considered the questions, methodically organized his answers.
"As to when, I would say over the last eight years."
"What?"
"As to where, I would say all over the United States."
"Now, one moment ... please!"
"As to who ... Well, that would require a rather lengthy answer."
The Director's voice shook with an effort to keep calm.
"Dr. Brill, I would appreciate an answer to my question."
"Very well."
Lucifer took a small, brown leather notebook from the inside pocket of his beautifully pressed gabardine.
"It will take a little time. You see, I believe that over 3,000 persons have been kidnapped."
The Director's thick neck turned prime-rib red, and swelled over the collar of his shirt. Lucifer began to read:
"Anthell, Ruth ... Atwater, Horace ... Borsook, George..."
"That's enough, Dr. Brill!"
"Thank you. Time really is of the essence, you know. I learned this morning that two of the missing persons disappeared as recently as four days ago."
The Director breathed heavily.
"Just who are these people, Dr. Brill?"
"They are all positives. Some of them are positive positives."
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