ave been started deliberately." Entman
beamed on Taber. "I think we deserve another Scotch."

Entman poured the drink. He looked kindly at Taber as he handed it to
him, and made what seemed an abrupt change in subject. "They're giving
you a very hard time, aren't they, son?"

Taber considered the question as he downed a healthy belt from the
glass. "I guess you could call it that. I'm getting pretty unpopular in
some places. As a matter of fact, I've wondered why you stick by me."

Entman poured himself a drink. "That hurts me a little, son."

"I'm sorry. It's getting so I don't even know how to treat a friend."

Entman raised his glass in salute. "I'm afraid this sentimental
chit-chat doesn't become either of us. Let's go back to our friend from
the _Herald Tribune_. You're sure he photographed the data?"

"I think we can depend on it."

"When I got your call, I acted as fast as I could. The data looks
authentic, I'm sure, but it was a quick job of fiction. Now I'd like to
know the rest--whatever you didn't have time to tell me."

"It's still a logic-chain, with some pretty flimsy strands in some
places, but I'm afraid I'm stuck with it. King was greedy and hungry
when I first talked to him, but I think I scared him off. I think, left
to himself, he would have let the thing alone.

"So I was surprised when he showed up at the old location. My first
thought was that Crane had sent him. It would have been logical--Crane
sending a man to try and find out where we'd taken the cadavers he
obviously wants to get his hands on.

"But I couldn't connect Crane with King. I couldn't figure how Crane
could have known of King's existence." Taber paused to drink and grin
his humorless grin. "So I made a daring leap. If it had to be someone
else, why not the tenth android himself?"

Entman frowned as he toyed with the idea. "Why, good lord--!"

"You said yourself that the androids probably possessed extraordinary
powers."

"Yes, but--"

"All right. If we accept the need-of-data theory, which we have to, what
would the tenth android be doing? Trying to get his hands on it. He
could conceivably have made contact with King. King took a picture of
the ninth android. Our still able and functioning number ten found his
way to Doctor Corson's room in Greenwich Village and demolished number
nine, for reasons of his own, so he could have made contact with King,
put him under domination, and sent him after the data."

"How co