matter of fact, he had felt capable of pointing out a few things wrong with the mechanotherapist. 

 Now that sense of well-being evaporated, as it always did, and Caswell was alone, terribly alone and lost, a creature of his compulsions, in search of a little peace and contentment. 

 He would undergo anything to find them. Sternly he reminded himself that he had no right to comment on the mechanotherapist. These machines knew what they were doing and had been doing it for a long time. He would cooperate, no matter how outlandish the treatment seemed from his layman's viewpoint. 

 But it was obvious, Caswell thought, settling himself grimly on the couch, that mechanotherapy was going to be far more difficult than he had imagined. 

 

 

  The search for the missing customer had been brief and useless. He was nowhere to be found on the teeming New York streets and no one could remember seeing a red-haired, red-eyed little man lugging a black therapeutic machine. 

 It was all too common a sight. 

 In answer to an urgent telephone call, the police came immediately, four of them, led by a harassed young lieutenant of detectives named Smith. 

 Smith just had time to ask, "Say, why don't you people put tags on things?" when there was an interruption. 

 A man pushed his way past the policeman at the door. He was tall and gnarled and ugly, and his eyes were deep-set and bleakly blue. His clothes, unpressed and uncaring, hung on him like corrugated iron. 

 "What do you want?" Lieutenant Smith asked. 

 The ugly man flipped back his lapel, showing a small silver badge beneath. "I'm John Rath, General Motors Security Division." 

 "Oh ... Sorry, sir," Lieutenant Smith said, saluting. "I didn't think you people would move in so fast." 

 Rath made a noncommittal noise. "Have you checked for prints, Lieutenant? The customer might have touched some other therapy machine." 

 "I'll get right on it, sir," Smith said. It wasn't often that one of the operatives from GM, GE, or IBM came down to take a personal hand. If a local cop showed he was really clicking, 

 Prev. P 9/20 next