“Here is a recording of Councilman Salgath’s call to me from his apartment to my office at 1945 this evening.”

The screen-image shattered into light-shards and rebuilt itself:  Salgath Trod, at his desk in the library of his apartment, the brandy-goblet and the needler within reach, appeared.  He began to speak:  from time to time the voice of Tortha Karf interrupted, questioning or prompting him.

“You understand that this confession renders you liable to psycho-rehabilitation?” Tortha Karf asked.

Yes, Councilman Salgath understood that.

“And you agree to come voluntarily to Paratime Police Headquarters, and you will voluntarily undergo narco-hypnotic interrogation?”

Yes, Salgath Trod agreed to that.

“I am now terminating the playback of Councilman Salgath’s call to me,” Tortha Karf said, re-appearing on the screen.  “At this point Councilman Salgath began making a statement about his criminal activities, which we have on record.  Because he named a number of his criminal associates, whom we have no intention of warning, this portion of Councilman Salgath’s call cannot at this time be made public.  We have no intention of having any of these suspects escape, or of giving their associates an opportunity to murder them to prevent their furnishing us with additional information.  Incidentally, there was an attempt, made on the landing stage of Paratime Police Headquarters, to murder Councilman Salgath, when he was brought here guarded by Paratime Police officers—­”

He went on to give a colorful and, as far as possible, truthful, account of the attack by the two pseudo-policemen and their pseudo-prisoner.  As he told it, however, all three had been killed before they could accomplish their purpose, one of them by Salgath Trod himself.

The image of Tortha Karf was replaced by a view of the three assassins lying on the landing stage.  They all looked dead, even the one who wasn’t; there was nothing to indicate that he was merely drugged.  Then, one after another, their faces were shown in closeup, while Tortha Karf asked for close attention and memorization.

“We believe that these men were Fifth Level Proles; we think that they were under hypnotic influence or obeying posthypnotic commands when they made their suicidal attack.  If any of you have ever seen any of these men before, it is your duty to inform the Paratime Police.”

* * * * *

That ended it.  Tortha Karf pressed a button in front of him and the screen went dark.  The spectators relaxed.

“Well!  Nothing like being sincere with the public, is there?” Della commented.  “I’ll remember this the next time I tune in a Management public statement.”

“In about five minutes,” one of the bureau-chiefs, said, “all hell is going to break loose.  I think the whole thing is crazy!”

“I hope you have somebody who can give a convincing impersonation,” Lovranth Rolk said.