likely had, it seemed
that we were talking fairly freely. He went on.

"And that Solution Two has within itself another unsolved problem; who
watches you, and who watches the watchers?"

That didn't matter to me, and I said so.

"I suppose not to you, but it would matter to the army, and it would
matter to the navy, and when J. Edgar Hoover gets around to thinking
about it, it will matter to the FBI."

"So what? Would I get a choice?"

* * * * *

He was curious for a moment. "Would you want one?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I had a uniform once. The FBI go to college and
take off their hats in the house, but they're still cops, and I don't
like cops. Don't look at me like that; you wouldn't like cops either,
if you made less than a couple of hundred a week. Nobody does. So I'm
prejudiced against everybody, and just what difference does it make?"

"Not a great deal. I was just curious." He was honest, anyway. "But
you can see the possibilities, or the lack of them."

"Look," and I got up to take as many steps as the cabin would allow.
"This is where we came in. We could talk all day and get no further.
All I want to know is this--what's going to happen to me, and when,
and where?"

He followed me with his steady eyes. "Well, at the immediate moment,
I'm afraid that--" He hesitated.

"I'm afraid that, quick like a bunny, you're going to have one solid
headache if we don't quit using the same words over and over again.
Here I am stuck in the middle of all the water in the world, and I'm
tired, and I'm disgusted, and I'm starting to get mad. You're trying
to smother my head in a pillow, I've got nothing but a first-class
run-around from you and everyone I've seen, who has been one man named
Bob Stein. I see nothing, I know less, I get cold shoulders and hot
promises."

I sailed right on, not giving him a chance to slide in one word. "Why,
there must be ten thousand men and maybe some women right upstairs,
and who knows how many within a few miles from here, and do I get to
even pass the time of day with any of them? Do I? You bet your sweet
life I don't!"

"There aren't any women within miles of here, except nurses, and maybe
a reporter, and I'm not sure about that."

"Nurses and reporters are human, aren't they?"

Had he found a chink in the armor? He frowned. "Is it women you want?"

"Sure, I want women!" I flared at him. "I want a million of them! I
want Esther Williams and Min