Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, Issue 45 — page 42: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

SOME OTHER TIME tie straight. His face was flushed but the glitter in his eyes shone far more fiercely. Crossing over to the wash- room, he remembered Louise and turned to see her looking wide-eyed at him, one hand to her mouth. He smiled re- assuringly. **Do you think I’ve been act- ing strangely today, Louise ?”’ “Strangely? Of course not —that is, well——”’ “Okay, Louise.” There was an inner excitement bubbling in him now. First Katrin’s doll and now those four faint scratches. They were fragile things, but they were the proof he had needed. “‘ Whatever you may have been thinking,” he went on, calmly, “I am per- fectly all right. I’d like you to go down to Security and bor- row a gun for me, will you? Tell them any yarn you can think of why I should want one—but get me a gun. Okay ?” “Tl try, Doctor, but you know what Security are.” “T know. Still, see what you can do.” 41 Before Louise had left the office, reluctant to leave him, Carpenter knew, hehad pushed open the door to the wash- room and switched on the light. He crossed directly to the tap. Careful inspection showed him a slight burr on the heads of two screws holding the splashback, and a slight amount of dust in a distinct line on the floor beneath. The splashback, containing the soap rack and the water taps, had been bodily removed and then replaced. The line of dust still dark with moisture, had sifted down when the plastic plate had been shifted. He turned back to the door and found the four scratches. They wheeled sharply at a right angle inside the wash- room and stopped beside the near wail. So—someone had taken his chair out of the office. And someone had taken down the tap. Why? So that the tap that had comicloooks.cormn