Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 66 — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

SLEEVE OF CARE “You find anything?’ “Plenty.” The sergeant reached towards a file. “He isn’t dead, or if he is we haven’t found him. He isn’t a hospital case, either physical or mental, and he wasn’t in an accident. He hasn’t been arrested and he isn’t wanted for any crime.” The big man shrugged. ““There isn’t any law which says that a man must live with his wife. That comes after she gets a court order for maintenance and he refuses to pay—and he can always get out by paying.” “What with?” Sam flicked ash from his cigarette. “Did he have private money? A secret woman who might be keeping him?” *“Not that we know.” **So he just vanished with- out any obvious reason?” “That’s about it.” The sergeant sighed as he replaced the file. “It happens all the time. We'll find him.” “*Are you sure about that?” “The percentages are sure. More than a thousand people disappear every week. They 51 just vanish—or try to. Most of them we trace pretty soon. Some are suffering from am- nesia, others are running from their responsibilities, most just can’t take it. Some- thing snaps and off they go.” He shrugged. “‘A few take the trouble to plan their dis- appearance; we know what’s happened to them,even though we don’t know where they are.” “But this case wasn’t like that,” protested Sam. “Jud didn’t sneak out a few clothes, hide a little money, have friends his wife didn’t know about.”” He remembered the woman and shuddered. “T’ll bet he couldn’t cross the road without her knowing when and why. They weren’t a couple, they were one unit, and she was the boss.” “All the more reason for his going.” “Perhaps, and yet a man like that wouldn’t know the first thing about it. He’d try to be clever, and give himself away. No. If you ask me, this is another one of those mys- conniicloooks.comn