Needle

The doctor welcomed him with some surprise.

"Good evening, Bob. Are you getting impatient for another test, or do you have some news? Or are you just being sociable? Come in, whichever it is." He closed the door behind his young guest and motioned him to a seat.

"Idon't exactly know what it is, sir. At least I do partly: it's this trick we're playing on Charlie. I know we have good reason, and it won't hurt him permanently, but I don't exactly feel right about it."

"I know. I don't pretend to like it myself-I'm going to have to lie, you know, in a way that goes very much against the grain. When I give a wrong diagnosis, I'd like it to be an honest mistake." He smiled wryly. "Still, I see no alternative, and deep down I know we are doing no wrong. You must realize that too. Are you sure there's nothing else on your mind?"

"No, I'm not," was the reply, "but I can't tell you what it is. I just can't seem to relax."

"That's natural enough; you are involved in a tense situation-more so than I, and I can certainly feel it. Still, it is possible that there is something of importance you have seen and can't bring back to mind-something you didn't notice at the time but which has some co

"Not only that, but everything that's happened since last fall."

"Have you just thought, or have you talked it over with your friend?"

"Thought mostly."

"It might be a good idea to talk-it frequently gets one's thoughts in better order. We can at least discuss the cases against your friends, to see whether you've considered all the points. We have covered young Teroa pretty thoroughly, I should say-the fact that he slept near the reef and was present at your accident on the dock seem to be all we have against him. Besides, we already have a plan of action covering him.

"You mentioned a minor point in favor of Malmstrom, when he cut himself on those thorns. Have you anything else that could be given, either for or against him? He has not slept near the reef, for example?"

"All of us were sleeping on the beach the day the Hunter arrived, but come to think of it Shorty wasn't there that day. Anyway, that doesn't matter. I told you about finding that piece of the ship; it was a mile from the beach, and anyway the Hunter says it would have taken a long time for this creature to bring it ashore. He couldn't have landed until later." He paused. "The only other thing I remember noticing about Shorty was that he left us and went off with Charlie this afternoon; and they were always good friends, so there's nothing fu

"Yes, I should say that everything you've dredged up on young Malmstrom is either immaterial or in his favor. How about the redhead-Ken Rice?"

"Pretty much the same as the rest, as far as haunting the reef and being there on the dock. I haven't seen him get injured, so- Wait a minute; he did get his foot pretty badly bruised by that chuck of coral. He had his heavy shoes-the kind we always wear on the reef-on, though, so there's no reason to suppose he got any cuts. I suppose the bruise wouldn't mean any more than Shorty's scratches, though."

"When did all this take place? I don't recall your telling me about it."

"Out on the reef, the same time we found that generator shield-same place, in fact; I should have thought of that." He went on to tell the story in detail "We've kept quiet about it, of course; after all, he did come pretty close to getting himself drowned."

"That is a very interesting little tale. Hunter, would you mind enlarging once more on your reasons for suspecting people who have slept on the outer reef?"

The alien could see what the doctor was driving at, but answered the question as it was asked.

"He must have come ashore somewhere on the reef; he could not possibly catch a human being who saw him first; and he would be too obsessed with the need for secrecy to waylay an intelligent host and enter his body regardless of objection-which would, of course, be physically possible. He would not mind terrifying his host, but he would not want to have anyone with the desire and ability to report his whereabouts to, say, a medical specialist. I think, Doctor, that if a lump of jelly had swarmed onto any one of these island people and soaked into his skin, you would have heard about it in very short order."

The doctor nodded. "That's what I thought. It occurs to me, however, that young Rice could very easily have been invaded without his own knowledge while his foot was trapped under water. Between the natural fear and excitement of the situation and the pain caused by the weight of the block on his foot any sensations incident to such an attack would have passed u

"That is perfectly possible," agreed the Hunter.

Bob transmitted this speech as he had the other, but continued with a remark of his own. "We can't have it both ways. If this creature entered Red's body only that afternoon, he couldn't have had anything to do with the trouble at the dock a few minutes later-first, because it would probably take him days, like the Hunter, before he would be well enough set up to look around; second, because he wouldn't have any reason for it-he could not possibly have begun to suspect that the Hunter was with me."

"That's true enough, Bob; but the dock affair might really have been an accident. After all, all these things that keep happening to you and your friends can't have been pla

Bob had to admit the justice of this point. "It was Ken who wrecked the boat this time too," he said, "though I can't see how that would co

"Nor do I, at the moment, but we'll remember it. So far, then, young Rice has one of the best grounds for suspicion against him that we've dug up to date. How about the others? Norman Hay, for example? I've had a thought or two about him myself since you came up with this yarn."

"What's that?"

"Not being completely brainless, I now see why you were digging information about viruses from me the other day. It has occurred to me that Hay might have had a similar motive-you remember he had one of the books I wanted to lend you. I admit his sudden interest in biology might be natural, but it might be as much of a sham as yours. How about it?"

Bob nodded. "That's an idea. He had lots of opportunity too; he was often on the reef working on that pool of his, I understand. I don't know whether he ever took a nap on the job, but it's possible. He was willing to go in the water with me, too, that time we thought there might be some peculiar disease in his pool."

The doctor raised his eyebrows interrogatively, and Bob took time out to give the details of that occurrence.

"Bob," the doctor said when he had finished, "I may know more medicine, but I'd be willing to bet there's enough data right now in your memory to solve this problem if you could evaluate it properly. That's a darned interesting point. It would imply, of course, that Norman was in communication with his guest, as you are with the Hunter, but we've assumed that before without straining any of the known facts. The creature could easily have told a phony story to enlist Hay's sympathy."

It was at this point that Dr. Seever was first struck by the idea that the Hunter might have done just that; like Bob, he thought fast enough to keep the idea to himself; and, like Bob, he resolved to test the possibility at the first opportunity.