Bahama Crisis

"Jack had a heart attack an hour ago. He's being taken to the Texas Medical Center. Frank is with him and Pop is going there now. Of all the times…"

"Because of the times," I said.

"It probably wouldn't have happened if Debbie hadn't been kidnapped. He wasn't looking too good last night."

He nodded.

"That leaves you, me and Jim to plan and execute this operation. Not enough I'll draft a couple more."

Jim came in and Billy told him about Jack.

"Tough," said Jim.

"Poor old guy."

"Well, let's get to it," said Billy.

"Tom's outfit is in that grip there."

"Fine. " Jim frowned.

"I've been worrying about something. What happens if they strip Tom? His bugged clothes might be going one way and Tom in another direction."

"That's a chance we have to take," said Billy.

Jim smiled.

"Not so. I've got something, if Tom will go for it." He produced a capsule of plastic, about an inch long, three-eighths of an inch in diameter, and with rounded ends You have to swallow it. "

"What!"

"It's a transponder it returns a signal when interrogated by a pulsed transmitter; not a powerful signal but good '39 enough to get a direction finder on it. It goes into action when the gastric juices work on it, so you swallow it at the last B minute."

Billy inspected it critically.

"Ldtoks like one of those pills they blow down a horse's throat through a tube."

Jim laughed.

"That's all right if the horse doesn't blow first. How about it, Tom?"

I looked at it distastefully.

"All right if I have to. Where did you get it?"

"I have a pipeline into the CIA. I borrowed it."

"Borrowed!" said Billy, grimacing.

"Anyone going to use it afterwards?"

Jim said, "It's good for thirty-six to forty-eight hours before peristalsis gets rid of it."

"Just don't crap too much, that's all," said Billy.

"Anything else?"

"I had the contents of the second letter checked for fingerprints.

Result negative. No dice, Billy. "

"Okay," said Billy. T have things to do. Tom, why don't you go along with Jim and watch him ruin your coat and pants? I'm going out to round up some transport. "

So I went with Jim to the security section in the Cunningham Building which meant having my photograph taken in colour by a Polaroid camera and wearing a plastic lapel badge with my name, signature and aforesaid photograph. Jim wore one too, as did everybody else I was introduced to an electronics genius called Ramon Rodriguez who displayed and discussed his wares, all miracles of micro-miniaturization.

"Do you wear dentures, Mr. Mangan?" he asked.

"No."

"A pity." He opened a box and displayed a fine set of false gnashers.

"These are good; they'll transmit anything you say range over a mile.

If you keep your mouth a little open they'll also catch what the guy you're talking to is saying those two front top incisors are microphones. " He put them away.

"We'll put a bug in the car you'll be driving," said Jim.

"Two," said Rodriguez.

"Know anything about bugs, Mr. Mangan?"

"Not a thing."

"There are many kinds. Most fall into one of two categories active and passive. The active bugs are working all the time, sending out a signal saying, " Here I am! Here I am! " The passive bugs only transmit when asked by a coded impulse, like the do hickey Mr. Cunningham showed me this morning."

Jim chuckled.

"The pill."

"That's to economize on power where space is limited. Those bugs send out an unmodulated signal, either steady or pulsed. When it comes to modulation, a voice transmission, it becomes a little harder. You'll be wired up with every kind of bug we have."

Rodriguez put a familiar-looking box on the bench.

"Pack of cigarettes; genuine except for those two in the back right corner.

Don't try to light those or the sparks will fly. " Something metallic went next to the cigarette pack.

"Stickpin for your necktie will pick up a conversation and transmit it a quarter-mile. Belt to hold up your pants bug in buckle, but will transmit a mile because we have more room to play with. Try to face the man you're talking with, Mr. Mangan."

"I'll remember that."

Two identical objects joined the growing heaps.

"These go in the heels of your shoes. This one sends a steady signal so we can get a direction finder on it. But this one has a pressure transducer every time you take a pace it sends out a beep. If you're being hustled along on foot we'll know it we might even be able to calculate how fast. And if it stops we know you're static if you're not in an automobile, that is. Now, this is important. You know the rhythm ofshaveand-a- haircut?"

I smiled and knocked it out with my knuckles on the bench.

"Good. If you're being taken for a ride tap it out once for a car, twice for a boat, three times for an airplane. Repeat an five minute intervals. Got that?"

I repeated his instructions.

"Just tap it out with my heel? Which one?"

"The right heel." Rodriguez picked up my jacket and trousers.