"Mack Reynolds - Pacifist" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Mack)

box and then watched it slip away into the traffic.
He walked to the door and let himself be identified at the screen. When the door opened he strolled through.


A young woman, her face so very earnest in manner that her natural prettiness was all but destroyed, sat at
the desk.


Rising, she led the way and held the door open for him and they both entered the conference room. There
were three men there at the table, all of them masked.


Casey was at ease in their presence. He pulled a chair up across from them and sat down. The girl took her
place at the table and prepared to take notes.


The chairman, who was flanked by the other two, said, “How did the McGivern affair go, Casey?”
“As planned. The boy proved no difficulty. He is now at the hide-away in charge of Operative Mary Baca.”


“And the Senator?”


“As expected. I gave him full warning.”


“The secretary, Walters. He was eliminated?”


“Well, no. I left him unconscious.”


There was a silence.


One of the other masked men said, “The plan was to eliminate the secretary to give emphasis to the Senator
as to our determination.”


Casey’s voice remained even. “As it worked out, it seemed expedient to follow through as I did.”


The chairman said, “Very well. The field operative works with considerable range of discretion. No one can
foresee what will develop once an operation is under way.”


Warren Casey said nothing.


The second board member sighed. “But we had hoped that the sight of a brutal killing, right before him, might