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soning。〃
〃Poisoning？〃
〃Yes。 Of a mon food or water supply。〃
〃When did you contact the Health Authority？〃
〃Friday the twelfth； late in the afternoon。〃
〃And they sent a man？〃
〃Not until Monday。〃
〃Was there still an epidemic at that time？〃
〃No；〃 Troutman said。 〃Everyone in town had the chills； the cold sweats； and the nausea again Saturday night。 But no one was ill Sunday night。 Whatever it was； it disappeared even more suddenly than it came。〃
〃Did the State Health Authority still run an investigation？〃 Intently studying the food on the napkin； Troutman shifted in his chair and said； 〃Oh； yes。 Dr。 Evans； one of their junior field men； spent all of Monday and most of Tuesday interviewing people and taking tests。〃
〃Tests？ You mean of food and water？〃
〃Yes。 Blood and urine samples too。〃
〃Did he take water samples from the reservoir？〃
〃Yes。 He filled at least twenty vials and bottles。〃
〃Has he filed his report yet？〃
Troutman licked his lips and said； 〃Yes。 He called me last evening to give me the results of the tests。〃
〃I suppose he found nothing？〃
〃That's correct。 All the tests were negative。〃
〃Does he have any theories？〃 the stranger asked； a vague trace of anxiety in his voice。
That bothered Troutman。 The key should not be anxious。 The key had all the answers。 〃He believes that we've experienced a rare case of mass psychological illness。〃
〃An epidemic of formulated hysteria？〃
〃Yes。 Exactly。〃
〃Then he's making no remendations？〃
〃None that I know of。〃
〃He has terminated the investigation？〃
〃That's what he told me。〃
The stranger sighed softly。 〃Doctor； earlier you told me that
everyone in town and at the mill had experienced the night chills。 Were you speaking figuratively or literally？〃
〃Figuratively；〃 Troutman said。 〃There were exceptions。 Perhaps twenty children； all under eight years of age。 And two adults。 Sam Edison and his daughter； Jenny。〃
〃The people who run the general store？〃 〃That's correct。〃
〃They didn't suffer from the chills at all？〃 〃Not at all。〃
〃Are they connected to the town's water supply？〃
〃Everyone in town is。〃
〃All right。 What about the lumbermen who work in the planned forests beyond the mill？ Some of them virtually live out there。 Were they all affected？〃
〃Yes。 That was something Dr。 Evans wanted to know too；〃 Troutman said。 〃He interviewed all of them。〃
The stranger said； 〃I've no more questions； Dr。 Troutman； but I do have some orders for you。 When you hang up your receiver； you will instantly wipe all memory of our conversation from your mind。 Do you understand？〃
〃Yes。 Perfectly。〃
〃You'll forget every word we've exchanged。 You'll erase this memory from both your conscious and subconscious； so that it can never be recalled no matter how much you might wish to recall it。 Understood？〃
Troutman nodded somberly。 〃Yes。〃
〃When you hang up your receiver； you will remember only that the phone rang…and that it was a wrong number。 Is that clear？〃
〃A wrong number。 Yes； that's clear。〃
〃Very well。 Hang up； doctor。〃
Carelessness； Troutman thought； a bit irritably； as he put down the receiver。 If people paid attention to what they were doing； they wouldn't dial so many wrong numbers or make one tenth of the other mistakes that peppered their lives。 How many patients； badly cut or burned； had he treated who had been injured only because they were inattentive； careless？
Scores。 Hundreds。 Thousands！ Sometimes； when he opened the door of his waiting room and peered inside； he had the feeling that he had just pulled a pan from the oven and was staring not at people but at a row of wall…eyed trout with gaping mouths。 And now； tying up a doctor's line with a wrong number； even for half a minute or so…well； that could be damned serious。
He shook his head； dismayed by the ineptitude and inefficiency of his fellow citizens。
Then he grabbed the roast beef sandwich and took an enormous bite from it。
At 11：45 Paul Annendale stepped into Sam Edison's study on the second floor of the house； just above the general store。 〃Squire Edison； I wish to arrange to take your daughter to lunch。〃
Sam was standing in front of a bookcase。 A large volume lay open in his left hand； and he was paging through it with his right。 〃Sit down； vassal；〃 he said without looking up。 〃The squire will be with you in just a minute。〃
If Sam had chosen to refer to this place as his library rather than his study； he would have been justified。 Two lushly cushioned； somewhat tattered armchairs and two matching footstools stood in the center of the room； facing the only window。 Two yellow…shaded floor lamps； one behind each chair； provided adequate but restful light； and a small rectangular table lay between the chairs。 A pipe was turned upside down in a large ash tray on the table； and the air was redolent with the cherry scent of Sam's tobacco。 The room was only twelve feet by fifteen feet； but two entire walls； from floor to ceiling； were lined with thousands of books and hundreds of issues of various psychology journals。
Paul sat down and put his feet up on a stool。
He didn't know the title of the volume that the other man was looking through； but he did know that ninety percent of these books dealt with Hitler； Nazism； and anything else that was even remotely related to that philosophical…political night…
mare。 Sam's interest in the subject had been unwavering for thirty…two years。
In April of 1945； as a member of an American intelligence unit； Sam went into Berlin less than twenty…four hours behind the first Allied troops。 He was shocked by the extent of the destruction。 In addition to the ruin caused by Allied bombers； mortars； and tank fire； there was damage directly attributable to the Führer's scorch…the…earth policy。 In the final days of the war； the madman had decreed that the victors must be allowed to seize nothing of value； that Germany must be transformed into a barren plain of rubble； that not even one house could be left standing to e under foreign domination。 Of course； most Germans were not prepared to take this final step into oblivion…although many of them were。 It seemed to Sam that the Germans he saw in the devastated streets were survivors not merely of the war but also of the frenzied suicide of an entire nation。
On May 8； 1945； he was transferred to an intelligence unit that was collecting data on the Nazi death camps。 As the full story of the holocaust became known； as it was discovered that millions of men and women and children had passed through the gas chambers and that hundreds of thousands of others had been shot in the back and buried in trenches； Sam Edison； a young man from the backwoods of Maine； found nothing within his experience to explain such mind…numbing horror。 Why had so many once…rational； basically good people mitted themselves to fulfilling the evil fantasies of an obvious lunatic and a handful of subordinate madmen？ Why had one of the most professional armies in the world disgraced itself by fighting to protect the SS murderers？ Why had millions of people gone with so little protest to the concentration camps and gas chambers？ What did Adolf Hitler know about the psyc