“You haven’t reported yet,” Miss Chandragore said. “What happened?”
“Reason,” said Edwin James, “and an appeal to the intelligence seem to be the best operating procedures. After due thought, Brynne decided not to keep his appointment with Ben Baxter. But—”
Ben Baxter was short, solid, bull-chested. He was totally bald and his eyes, behind gold pince-nez, were expressionless. His business suit was severe and affixed to the lapel was the small ruby-and-pearls emblem of the Wall Street Club.
He had been sitting motionless for half an hour now, thinking about figures, trends, movements.
His buzzer sounded.
“Yes, Miss Cassidy?”
“Mr. Brynne was here. He just left.”
“What do you mean?”
“I really don’t understand it, Mr. Baxter. He came up and said he wanted to cancel his appointment.”
“What did he say? Repeat it exactly, Miss Cassidy.”
“He said he had an appointment with you and I said he could go right in. And he stood there looking at me very strangely, frowning. He seemed angry and upset. I told him again he could go in. Then he said—”
“Word for word now, Miss Cassidy.”
“Yes, sir. He said, ‘I’ve changed my mind. I’m canceling the appointment. Tell Baxter I’m sorry—for everything.’”
“That’s all he said?”
“Every last word, Mr. Baxter.”
“And then?”
“He turned and hurried downstairs.”
“Stairs?”
“Yes, Mr. Baxter. He didn’t wait for the elevator.”
“I see.”
“Is there anything else, Mr. Baxter?”
“No, nothing else, Miss Cassidy. Thank you.”
Ben Baxter turned off the intercom and slumped wearily behind his desk.
So Brynne knew!
It was the only possible explanation. Word must have gotten out somehow, somewhere. He had thought it was safely hidden for another day, at least. But there must have been a leak.
Baxter smiled grimly to himself. He couldn’t blame Brynne, though the man should at least have talked to him. But perhaps not. Maybe it was best this way.
But how had he found out? Who had broken the news to him that the Baxter industrial empire was hollow, decaying, crumbling at the foundations?
If only the news could have been concealed for another day, another few hours! He would have signed with Brynne. A fresh venture would have pumped new blood into the Baxter holdings. By the time people found out, he would once again have had a solid base from which to operate.
Brynne knew and had been scared off. That meant everyone knew.
There was no holding things together now. The wolves would be at him. His friends, his wife, his partners, and all the little people who had depended upon him…
Well, he had decided years ago what to do in this eventuality.
Without hesitation, Baxter opened his desk drawer and took out a small bottle. He extracted two white tablets.
He had always lived by his own rules. Now was the time to die by them.
Ben Baxter popped the pills into his mouth. In two minutes, he slumped forward on the desk.
His death precipitated the great stock market crash of ’59.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
“The Prize of Peril” copyright © 1959 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
“The Humours” copyright © 1958 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine under the title “Join Now.”
“Triplication” copyright © 1959 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Playboy.
“The Minimum Man” copyright © 1958 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine.
“If the Red Slayer” copyright © 1959 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Amazing.
“The Store of the Worlds” copyright © 1959 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Playboy under the title “World of Heart’s Desire.”
“The Gun Without a Bang” copyright © 1958 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine.
“The Deaths of Ben Baxter” copyright © 1957 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine.
Copyright © 1960 by Robert Sheckley
ISBN: 978-1-4976-4998-9
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Store of Infinity Page 18
