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convention. He had put the suggestion to Ruth, Leah, and Benjy, who

reacted enthusiastically.

The idea of getting a high room with a view was Nim's. He thought the

children would enjoy it.

His promise to speak at the NEI convention had been made nearly a year

ago, long before his removal from the role of company spokesman. When Nim

mentioned the commitment recently to Eric Humphrey,

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the chairman told him, "Go ahead, but stay away from controversy." In

fact, Nim's paper would be heavily technical, intended mainly for other

power company planners like himself. Whether or not he would season

it-despite the chairman's warning-with a soupgon of controversy, he had

not yet decided.

As Vicki closed the office door behind her, Nim went back to his red

file, then decided he would open Karen's letter after all.

He was sure the envelope contained verses-the verses Karen so

painstakingly typed with a stick held in her mouth. And, as always, be

was moved by the thought of her laboring long and patiently on his be-

half.

He was right.

TOP SECRET (as the military say); For your eyes only, darling

Nimrod, (Such dear, kind eyes). No others should alight On this

communiqu6Un-military, Very private, intimate, adoring.

My sensual delectation lingers: A swirling, heady, Cyprian

mixture, At once So sweetly light, robustly carnal.

My mind, my flesh My nerve ends, toes, lips, fingers, Tingling

with joyous residues, Remember-Oh my precious lover!The rich

fulfillment of your loving. Such ecstasy! From this day forth

I'll vote for hedonism!

You are indeed a noble knight In burnished armor, Whose shining

sword (Especially that sword) Brings golden happiness. I thrill

to it, And you, Forever.

Karen, he thought, when he had finished, you turn me on! Oh, how you turn

me on!

His best intentions seemed to melt. He would see Karen again, no matter

what. And soon.

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First, though, he reminded himself, he had a heavy work schedule,

including his convention speech. He settled down again to the official

mail.

Moments later the telephone buzzed. When Nim answered impatiently, Vicki

informed him, "Mr. London is on the line and would like to talk to you."

Conscious of the bulging red folder, Nim told her, "Ask if it's impor-

tant."

"I already did. He says it is."

"Put him on, then." A click and the Property Protection chief's voice

said, "Nim?"

"Harry, this is a full week for me. Is it anything that will keep?"

"I don't think so. Something tricky has come up, something I think you

ought to know about."

"Okay, go ahead."

"Not on the phone. I need to see you."

Nim sighed. At times Harry London acted as if everything in his de-

partment rated top priority compared with the rest of GSP & L. "All

right. Come up now."

Nim resumed work until London arrived some five minutes later.

Pushing his chair back from the desk, Nim. said, "I'm listening, Harry.

But make it brief."

"I'll try." The short, craggy Property Protection chief settled down in

a facing chair. In dress and demeanor he still looked the smart, sharp

ex-Marine, but there were more lines on his face than a few months ago,

Nim thought.

"You'll remember," London began, "that soon after we caught those Quayle

guys stealing power at the Zaco Building, I told you we'd uncovered a

rat's nest. I predicted there was a lot more to come, and that some big

names might be involved."

Nim nodded.

"Try this big name on: Mr. justice Paul Sherman Yale."

Nim shot upright. "You have to be kidding!"

"I wish I were," London said dolefully. "Unfortunately, I'm not."

All of Nim's impatience had vanished. He instructed, "Tell me everything

you know. Everything."

"That day you and I had lunch," Harry London said, "something else I told

you was that my department would check the records of Quayle Electrical

& Gas Contracting-working with the D.A.'s officeto review all the work

Quayle did in the past year. After that we'd do more investigating to

discover how much of it, if any, was illegal."

"I remember."

"We did all that. My people have worked like the devil and we found a

bundle. You'll get the details in a report I'm writing. The gist of it

is that the D.A. has many more cases to prosecute, with big dollar

numbers attached."

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"Get to Mr. Yale," Nim said. "How does he fit in?"

"I'm coming to that."

Among the Quayle company work orders, the Property Protection chief

reported, were an unusual number initiated for the same personan Ian

Norris.

Though the name seemed familiar, Nim couldn't place it.

"Norris," London said, "is a lawyer who works as some kind of financial

adviser. He has an office in town-it's in the Zaco Building, wouldn't you

know W-and he looks after trusts and estates. One of them is called the

Yale Family Trust."

"I know about the Yale Trust." Now Nim remembered Norris. They had met

briefly at the cattle feedlot near Fresno.

"We have solid proof," London continued, "that Norris is in power theft up

to his hairline. He controls a lot of property-office and industrial

buildings, apartments, stores, that kind of stuff. Apparently Norris

discovered some time ago that he could do a better job for his clientssave

them money and make some for himself-if he lowered electricity and gas

bills by cheating. He figured he could get away with it-at least, that's

the way it looks-so he went into stealing power on a grand scale, using

Quayle Electrical & Gas Contracting."

"But it doesn't follow," Nim pointed out "that the people Norris represents

bad the slightest idea of what was going on." He bad a sense of relief.

Even though the Yale Family Trust might be involved, he was confident that

Paul Sherman Yale would never be a party, personally, to anything

dishonest.

"What you say is true enough," London said, "and even if any of

Norris'clients did know, I doubt if we could ever prove it, But the D.A. is

building a case against Norris and the Yale name is bound to be in it.

That's why I thought you should know. It ain't going to look good, Nim, for

him or for us."

Harry was right Nim thought. The name of Yale and Golden State Power &

Light were now closely linked and there would be those whodespite all

evidence to the contrary-would believe some kind of conspiracy existed.

Never mind that it didn't make sense. It would not stop rumormongers, and

there could be resulting embarrassment all around.

"I haven't finished," Harry London said, "and maybe this is the most

important bit of all."

Nim listened, wondering what was coming next.

"A lot of the illegal work the Quayle people did for Norris-or rather, for

the people Norris represents-began nearly a year ago. But everything for

the Yale Family Trust, which includes illegal wiring in two apartment

buildings in the city, a winery in the Napa Valley, and at a cattle feedlot

near Fresno, has been done within the past three months. And, in case you

hadn't noticed, that's since Mr. justice Yale left the Supreme Court, and

since be came to work for Golden State Power."

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"Give me a minute, Harry," Nim said. He had a sense of shock and

bewilderment. "Let me think about that."

"Take your time," London told him. "Been doing plenty of thinking

myself."

Nim couldn't believe it. Simply could not believe that Paul Sberman Yale

would be a participant in power theft, even peripherally, even as a

silent spectator. And yet . . . Nim. was reminded uneasily of their con-

versation at the cattle feedlot. What was it Paul Yale had said? "It's

the inflated cost of everything that does us in . . . especially

electricity. This operation runs on it. We use electric power for the

mill . . . for forty thousand cattle . . . in the pens there are bright

lights on all night . . . our power bills are astronomical." And later:

"I've told the trust manager, Ian Norris, to cut down, economize . . .

We have to."

Even before then, on that day in the Napa Valley when Nim first met the

Yales, Beth Yale betrayed her husband's bitterness, and her own, that

their family trust was mismanaged and losing money.

Nim addressed Harry London. "One more question. Do you know if

anyone-from your department, the police, or the D.A's office-bas

contacted Mr. Yale about any of this?"

"I do know. No one has."

Nim paused, once more assessing all that he had heard. Then he announced,

"Harry, this is too big for me. I'm going to hand it to the chairman."

The Property Protection chief nodded his agreement. "I figured you'd have

to."

At 11 A.M. next day they assembled in the chairman's office suite:

Eric Humphrey, Nim, Harry London, Paul Sherman Yale.

Mr. justice Yale, who had just been chauffeured from the Napa Valley, was

especially jovial. His lined face beaming, he told the others, "Coming

back to California has made me feel younger and happier. I should have

done it years ago." Suddenly aware that no one else was smiling, he

turned to Humphrey. "Eric, is anything wrong?"

Humphrey, while outwardly dapper and composed as usual, was inwardly

uncomfortable, Nim could tell. He knew the chairman bad approached this

meeting with misgivings.

"Frankly, I'm not sure," Humphrey replied. "But some information has been

reported to me which I believe you should be told about. Nim, please fill

in the background for Mr. Yale."

In a few sentences Nim explained about the high incidence of power theft

and the role in the company of Harry London, whom Mr. justice Yale had

not met previously.

While Nim talked, the old man's brow furrowed. He appeared puzzled and

during a pause inquired, "How does my own work fit in with this?"

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"Unfortunately," Humphrey said, "what we're discussing does not concern

your work. There appear to be . . . well, some personal aspects."

Yale shook his head in a gesture of perplexity. "Now I'm even more at a

loss. Will someone please explain?"

"Harry," Nim instructed, "you take over."

"Sir," London said, addressing Yale, "I believe you know an Ian Norris."

Was it imagination, Nim wondered, or had an expression of alarm for the

briefest instant crossed Mr. justice Yale's face? Probably not. Nim

cautioned himself: Don't look for shadows that don't exist.

"Certainly I know Norris," Yale acknowledged. "He and I have business

dealings. But I'm curious about your connection with him."

"My connection, sir, is that Norris is a thief. We have definite proof."

Harry London went on, describing what he had revealed to Nim yesterday

about Norris' power stealing and the Yale Family Trust.

This time Paul Sherman Yale's reaction was unmistakable: In succes-