Stranger in a Strange Land

«Idon't know that they are. They might have hired those ill-fitting clown suits at a costumer's. The letter of the law, sir! You've come barging into my castle. You say you are a police officer — and you allege that you have a warrant for this intrusion. But I say you are trespassers until you prove otherwise … which invokes my sovereign right to use force to eject you — which I shall start to do in about three seconds.»

«I wouldn't advise it.»

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

«Hold it, Doctor. We'll do it your way.» Heinrich had turned red, but he kept his voice under tight control. He offered his identification, which Jubal glanced at, then handed back for Heinrich to show to Anne. He 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 troopers and the driver went through the rigmarole at Heinrich's frozen-faced orders.

When they were done, Jubal said sweetly, «And now, Captain, how may I help you?»

«I have a warrant 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. I have another 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. Accessory to this and that… and material witness on other things… and I'd take you in on my own for obstructing justice if the warrant didn't make it unnecessary.»

«Oh, come, 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 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. Barkmann? — 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 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 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 and turned his head toward the house. «I think, if Judge Holland were listening, habeas corpus proceedings — for all of us — might be rather prompt. And, if the Associated Press 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 murky water to the deepest part, under the diving board, and settled on the bottom. He did not know why his water brother had told him to hide; he did not know he was hiding. Jubal had told him to do this and remain until Jill came for him; that was sufficient.

He curled up, let air out of his lungs, swallowed his tongue, rolled his eyes up, slowed his heart, and became effectively «dead» save that he was not discorporate. He elected to stretch his time sense until seconds flowed past like hours, as he had much to meditate.

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

He knew that his human brothers could suffer intense emotion without damage, nevertheless Smith was wistfully sorry to have caused upset in Jubal. It had seemed that he had at last grokked a most difficult human word. He should have known better because, early in his learnings under his brother Mahmoud, he had discovered that long human words rarely changed their meanings but short words were slippery, changing without pattern. Or so he seemed to grok. Short human words were like trying to lift water with a knife.

This had been a very short word.