Page 32 - Extraterrestrials, Foreign and Domestic

The Hermits

Then he spoke. “Do you want them eliminated?”
“What? What do you mean? Killed? How could we do that
without drawing attention to ourselves? I’ve got nothing against
that boy; he doesn’t know what he’s doing, running errands for
that she-devil. And if she were to disappear, he wouldn’t be able to
survive on his own. No. Isn’t there another way to shut her up?”
“Yes,” intoned the alien, in the register of a bassoon. “Let me
get to the phone.” And he ambled back to his room.
Al sat on the steps, fidgeting. After a few minutes he could hear
Ricky’s voice, but not his words. Then silence. Al wondered if
murder could be committed over the phone. The right frequency,
a mysterious combination of syllables, somehow the hearer driven
to immediate self-destruction...
His reverie was broken by Ricky’s return to the landing. “It’s all
set, Al.” he said soothingly. “I’ve got it all under control.”
Al gaped. “But how? She’s sitting over there, just waiting for an
excuse to call the cops.”
“Not any more. There will be a change in our routine, however.
Don’t answer the phone on the first four rings. Seriously. I have to
monitor every call she makes from now on; it won’t be an
inconvenience: I have attention to spare.”
“Uh, okay, if you say so, Ricky. But what exactly did you do up
there just now?”
“I waited for her to call the police; as you predicted, she did so
almost immediately after seeing that picture in the paper. Since I’d
already tapped into her line, I knew the number she was calling,
just as I will know every number she calls, night and day, for the
rest of her life or mine. Whose number it is I also can find out, but
not quite as quickly; that’s why I need those extra rings. If it’s a call
for you, I’ll let it continue to ring; otherwise, I’ll intercept her call
and either seize the line and impersonate whoever she’s calling or
just listen in. In the latter case, if she starts talking about us, I’ll cut
into her end of the conversation and impersonate her voice, saying
harmless things until she changes the topic. Chances are, however,
that she won’t be bringing it up again with anyone.”
Al wrung his hands and despaired. “Why not? She knows
something is going on over here, damned nosy bitch!”

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