The Sandler Inquiry Part 97

"I'm not a fraud" she answered.

I.

Thomas looked at her with anger and was about to pursue the point when Hammond spoke.

"In any event" Hammond said, 'we're forced for the sake of expediency to a.s.sume you had no knowledge of your father's activities.

Miss McAdam here is convinced that you ire innocent of any espionage activities."

"Innocent?" repeated Thomas. A bizarre terminology, he thought, from one of the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds who'd send you out to do the spying.

"What the h.e.l.l are you implying?"

"I myself," said Hammond, standing, still rubbing a hand across his unshaven grayish chin,

"I have my doubts about you. But there's no case against you, anyway."

He seemed to weigh his next words in advance.

"That's why we're taking you in with us" he concluded.

"You might have a certain insight. You might want to help us help ourselves ... to let us know your name is clear. Get my meaning?"

"No, I don't!" snapped Thomas angrily.

"In what? Where are we going?"

Leslie smiled as Hammond explained with icy politeness.

"Why, into the Sandler mansion'" he said.

"We've broken a wall beneath the streets. We're all set to go exploring." He let the words sink in, disbelief all over Thomas's face.

"You would like to join us tonight, wouldn't you? Now that we've made it safe for you to step out the door?"

Thomas leaned back in his chair and felt the scratchy beard growing on his own face.

"Why are you breaking down walls?" Thomas asked.

"What's the ?"

matter with the front door "We don't wish to be seen" said Hammond icily.

"By anyone."

Thomas looked at Hammond, then glanced back to-Leslie.

"The three of us? Tonight?" he asked.

"More, if necessary," Hammond allowed.

"I wouldn't miss it for anything' Daniels said.

"It will allow me to answer several of my own questions."

Chapter 33 "I had a set of electric trains when I was a boy," Thomas said reflectively at seven minutes past two the following morning.

"And I ran them more efficiently than these trains' The three of them, Thomas, Leslie, and Paul Hammond, stood on the downtown express platform at the Eighty-sixth, and Lexington subway station.

The platform was not crowded, though not deserted either. A handful of early-morning stragglers waited for their late ride home.

Thomas stood by the edge of the platform. He looked to his left, northward, into the black mouth of the underground train tunnel.

In the distance he saw two headlights, gleaming like the eyes of an animal in the dark. A train was approaching.

"You're missing the point," said Hammond, large bags under the Treasury agenes eyes.

"We're not waiting for a train to arrive. We're waiting for one to leave."

"I'd almost forgotten' Thomas muttered. He, too, was tired. He considered the Christmas day when he was eight years old, the year his father had presented him with a four-hundred-dollar set of electric trains. An elaborate setup, it had been, three engines, pa.s.senger trains, yards and yards of track, two freight trains, mountains, cities, freight depots. Then what had William Ward Daniels done?

With his usual sensitivity, he'd prompted his son to invite in the poorest kids in the neighborhood, the better for them to see what their own parents could never afford. Better for Thomas to realize that he had so much, and the others had so little.

He saw a uniformed transit patrolman and turned away, afraid that any police officer might recognize him.

Leslie studied her surroundings, particularly the graffitied walls and defaced billboards.

"What a mess" she mumbled.

"Are all stations like this?"

"This one's cleaner than most

"Thomas explained. She looked at him and was surprised to see Ke wasn't smiling.

The train arrived. They remained on the rear of the platform.

They waited until the subway doors had slid shut and all pa.s.sengers had either embarked or disembarked. Hammond tensely studied the surroundings. The transit officer was gone. Their platform was vacant and only a bent-over black woman with a shopping bag was on the opposite side on the uptown platform.

"Okay, now!" said Hammond tersely in a loud whisper.

"Follow me! and don't touch the third rail or you're finished '

Kneeling quickly on the edge of the platform, Hammond eased himself down onto the tracks. He turned and extended a hand to Leslie, who followed. Thomas slid off the platform at the same moment and let himself drop between the rails.

"Hurry! Hurry!"

Hammond urged.

With Hammond leading, they jogged northward as fast as they could, just short of breaking into a run. First one block, then a second. Hammond was obviously winded already. Leslie kept pace well while Thomas, anxious as well as excited, was starting to lose wind, also.