The Big Ball of Wax by Shepherd Mead

Author:Shepherd Mead
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Ace Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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8

Friday morning

The next morning I sat down in front of the Vid in my hotel room and put through a call to Ben Burry at headquarters in Port Washington. It was ten after nine Central time, or ten after ten there.

The switchboard operator smiled and said, "Con Chem's Katie, Happy Momsday!" It made me realize we only had about ten days till Momsday, and I still hadn't done my shopping. I said Happy Momsday to her, too, and she put me on to Regina, Ben's secretary, sitting at her desk in the middle of all those nice simulated colonial wormholes.

"Why, hello, Mr Martin," she said, turning her dimple toward the Vid lens, "Happy Momsday!"

"Happy Momsday, Regina, may I talk to Mr. B?"

"He's in a meeting, Mr. Martin."

"This is very important. The St. Louis situation is coming to a head."

"I think that's what they're meeting about, the St. Louis situation."

"But they don't know anything about the St. Louis situation. That's what I'm finding out."

"Oh, that's all right. This is high level."

I should have known that my going away wouldn't stop high-level thinking at Con Chem, which went on all the time, even when they had very little to go on. You just can't turn off a high-level thinker, particularly of our type.

"Well, Regina, maybe you could let me know when he's free." I couldn't very well ask him to call me, since he was on a higher level, but this would amount to the same thing.

"I'll be only too glad, Mr. Martin," said Regina, giving me the dimple. She was probably swinging her leg, too, but the Vid only shot you down to the desk. "However, the way he talked, I think it will ver-ry likely be all day. Even the agency is coming in after lunch."

"Do me a favor, Regina. Flip on your tape. I'll do him a quick memo."

"Okay, surely."

I could see her flip on the recorder.

"Listen, Ben," I said, speaking distinctly for the tape, "I've got hold of something here that's red hot. It isn't exactly the answer to the St. Louis situation; it's bigger than that. It's so big I can't tell you over the Vid. Try to get back to me, Ben." I paused and then said, "That's all, Regina, would you mind typing the front?"

"I'd be delighted, Mr Martin." She kind of winked at me.

"Thanks," I said, and "be good!" In fact, it is possible I even jollied her a little after that, for it is just as well to keep on good personal though not intimate terms with the secretary of your superior, a fact I imagine you young fellows have discovered for yourselves.

I went down and had breakfast and after that I figured it would be time to call Mrs. Schroeder at the Temple. She was there, though of course she looked slightly different on the Vid than she did the night before, as she was not wearing her date dress. I said I would take her up on the offer of an introduction to Mr.

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