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lesson very well indeed.

"Expressed another way: What ought to be positions of impartial public

trust are being abused and turned against the public interest.

"I have no easy remedy to suggest for these two formidable problems nor,

I suspect, have any of you. The best we can do is to let the public know,

whenever possible, that their reasonable interests are being un-

dermined-by a minority-an-m-sidii ou-s-alliance -of fanatics and

self-serving politicians."

Nim decided to leave it there.

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While he was wondering what, after all, would be the reaction to his

remarks by Eric Humphrey and other GSP & L colleagues, Nim found to his

amazement he was receiving an enthusiastic standing ovation.

"Congratulations! .. . . . .. took guts to say it, but all so true"

"hope what you said gets widest circulation" . . . "would like a tran-

script to pass around" . . . "the industry needs straight shooters like

you" . . . "if you get tired of working for Golden State Power, be sure

to let us know."

As delegates crowded around him, unexpectedly, incredibly, Nim found he

was a hero. The president of a giant Midwest utility assured him, "I hope

your company appreciates you. I intend to tell Eric Humphrey how good you

were."

Amid more handshaking and congratulations, and with a sudden weariness,

Nim eased himself away.

Only one thing marred the aftermath: The sight of Ray Paulsen's scowling,

hostile face. But the executive vice president said nothing and simply

left the convention hall alone.

Nim had reached a doorway to the outer mezzanine when a quiet voice

behind him said, "I came especially to hear you. It was worth it."

Nim turned. To his amazement he saw the speaker was Wally Talbot Jr. Part

of Wally's head was bandaged and he was walking with the aid of canes,

but managed a cheerful grin.

"Wally!" Nim said. "How great to see youl I didn't know you were out of

the hospital."

"Got out a couple of weeks ago, though not for good. I still have a lot

of repair work ahead. Can we talk?"

"Sure. Let's find someplace quiet." He had intended to look for Ruth and

the children but could meet them later in the suite.

They went down by elevator to the main floor. In a comer near a stairway

two chairs were unoccupied and Nim and Wally went toward them, Wally

using his canes a trifle awkwardly, but obviously preferring to manage

by himself.

"Watch it, pleasel" A figure in smart blue-gray coveralls moved past,

maneuvering a two-wheel trolley on which were balanced three red fire

extinguishers. "Won't be a moment, gentlemen. just have to put one of

these in place." The man, who was young, lifted aside one of the chairs

they were beaded for, set down a fire extinguisher behind it, then re-

turned the chair to its original position. He smiled at Nim. "That's all,

sir. Sorry to have held you up."

"You didn't." Nim remembered having seen the man earlier this morning,

driving one of the trucks which police escorted in during the p & lfp

demonstration.

It occurred to Nim that putting a fire extinguisher out of sight behind

a chair was a strange arrangement. But it was none of his busi-

296

ness and presumably the man knew what he was doing. His coveralls were

lettered "Fire Protection Service, Inc."

Nim and Wally sat down.

"Did you see that guy's hands?" Wally asked.

"Yes." Nim bad noticed that the young man's bands were badly stained,

probably from careless use of chemicals.

"He could fix that with a skin graft." Wally grinned again, this time

ruefully. "I'm getting to be an expert on that subject."

"Never mind anybody else," Nim said. "Tell me about you."

"Well, just as I said, the skin grafts I'm having will take a long time.

A little at a time is how it works."

Nim nodded sympathetically. "Yes, I know."

"But I got some good news. I thought you'd like to share it. I'm getting

a new dong."

"You're what?"

"You heard me right. You remember my old one was burned off?"

"Of course I remember." Nim would never forget the doctor's words the day

after Wally's electrocution. ". . . the electricity passed over the upper

surface of his body and exited . . . by the route of his penis . . . It

was destroyed. By burning. Totally . . ."

"But I still have sexual feeling there," Wally said, "and it can be used

as a base. That's why I was sent to Houston last week-to Texas Medical

Center. They're doing wonderful things there, especially for people like

me. There's a doctor named Brantley Scott who's been the mastermind; he's

going to build me a new penis, and he promises it will work.,,

"Wally," Nim said, "I'm happy for you, but how the hell can anyone do

that?"

"It's done partly by special skin grafts, partly by something called a

penile prosthesis. That's a little pump, some tubes and a tiny reservoir,

all connected, and implanted in the body surgically. The whole thing is

made of silicone rubber, the same stuff that's used for heart pacemakers.

Actually, it's a substitute for what nature gave us in the first place."

Nim asked curiously, "Does it really work?"

"Damn right it worksl" Wally's enthusiasm bubbled on. "I've seen it. I

also found out there are hundreds of people who've been fitted, who've

had the surgery, successfully. And, Nim, I'll tell you something else."

`Vnat?"

"That penile prosthesis isn't only for people like me, people who got

injured. It's for otbers-older men usually, who are normal except they've

run out of steam and can't make it with a woman any more. What it does

is give them a whole new lease on life. How about you, Nim? Do you need

help?"

"Not that kind. Not yet, thank Godi"

297

"But you might someday. just think of itt No sexual hangup-ever. You

could go to your grave with an erection."

Nim grinned. "And what would I do with it there?"

"Hey, there's Mary!" Wally exclaimed. "She came to pick me up. Can't

drive a car myself yet."

Across the lobby Nim could see Mary Talbot, Wally's wife. She had spotted

them and was coming over. Beside her, Nim saw with some concern, was

Ardythe Talbot. He had neither seen nor heard from Ardythe since their

encounter at the hospital when she hysterically blamed her own and Nim's

"sin" for Wally's troubles. Nim wondered if she bad modified her

religious fervor.

The signs of strain were on both women. It was, after all, only seven

months since Walter Talbot's tragic death during the bombing at La

Mission plant, and Wally Jr.'s accident had happened just a few weeks

later. Mary, who had been slim for as long as Nim remembered her, had

noticeably put on weight; worry and unhappiness could account for that,

of course. And her gamine look had modified, making her seem older. Nim

found himself hoping that what Wally bad just told him worked. It if did,

it should help them both.

Ardythe appeared to be a little better than when he had last seen her,

but not much. In contrast to the way she had been immediately before

Walter's death-handsome, stylish, athletic-she was now just another

elderly woman. But she smiled at Nim, and greeted him with friendliness,

which relieved him.

They chatted. Nim expressed pleasure once more at seeing Wally mobile.

Mary said someone had told her, on her way in, about Nim's speech and she

congratulated him. Ardythe reported that she had found some more of

Walter's old files and wanted GSP & L to have them. Nim offered to

collect them if she wished.

"There's no need for that," Ardythe said bastily. "I can send them to

you. There aren't as many as last time and .

She stopped. "Nim, what's wrong?"

He was staring at her, startled, his mouth agape.

"Last time. . ."Walter Talbot's files!

"Nim," Ardythe repeated, "is anything the matter?" Mary and Wally were

looking at him curiously too.

"No," be managed to say, "No, it's just that I remembered something."

Now he knew. Knew what that missing piece of information was which had

nagged at his mind, yet eluded him, since that day in Eric Humphrey's

office with the chairman, Harry London, and Mr. justice Yale. It was in

Walter Talbot's old files, the files Ardythe bad given Nim, in several

cardboard cartons, shortly after Walter's death. At the time Nim had gone

through them briefly; now they were stored at GSP & L.

"I guess we'd better go," Wally said. "It was nice seeing you, Nim."

298

"The same here," Nim responded, "and, Wally-good luck in everything]"

When all three had gone, Nim stood rooted, thinking. He knew what was

there now, in those files. He knew, too, what had to be done. But he

must verify, authenticate his memory, first.

In another three days. Immediately after the convention.

2

Rush, rush, rush! That was always the way it was, Nancy Molineaux thought

as she pushed her Mercedes well past the speed limit, taking chances in

the traffic, keeping a wary eye on the rearview mirror for any cruising

cops.

The pressures of life never seemed to let up for a single goddam day.

She had hurriedly phoned in her story on Goldman, which would appear in

this afternoon's edition, and now-already ten minutes latewas on the way

to meet Yvette. Nancy hoped the girl would have sense enough to wait.

This afternoon Nancy had some loose ends of other work to clear up, for

which she would need to return to the Examiner office. Ob yes, and

somehow she had to sandwich in time to get to the bank because she needed

money. She had a dentist appointment at four. Then, this evening she bad

promised to go to two parties, one a "drop in," early, and another wbich

would groove on for sure until well past midnight.

But she liked a fast tempo, at work and play, though there were days

-like this one-when a bit too much happened.

While she drove, Nancy smiled as she thought of her report of Goldman's

speech. It would probably surprise him because it was a straightforward,

no-slant job, as she had intended.

Several hundred leaders of America's electric power industry today gave

a standing ovation to Nimrod Goldman, a Golden State Power & Light vice

president, who declared that politically dominated regulatory agencies

are abusing public trust and "compete brazenly with each other in

establishing power bases."

He was addressing the National Electric Institute convention, meeting

in this city.

Earlier, Goldman criticized some environmentalists who, he said, oppose

everything. "T'here is nothing, absolutely nothing, we of the power

industry can propose .

Etcetera, et cetera.

299

She had quoted some of his statements, also, about that electric power

famine he claimed was coming, so if Goldman had any beef this time it would

have to do with what he had said himself, not the reporting.