Diane's husband spent most of his time on
Mars, and I spent most of mine with Diane. It
was a nice arrangement—much too nice to last!
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
July 1954
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
"It's tonight or never," Diane said.
"Yes," I said.
I watched her as she walked back and forth across my bedroom floor.She had on a sheer plasto dress that clung to her round white breastsand full milky thighs. "I'm picking him up at the spaceway," she said."We're supposed to go dining and dancing tonight." She stopped pacing."It's my birthday. I'm thirty today."
And I was twenty-four and in love. Six years between us. So what? Ididn't give a damn. I wanted to marry her, to live with her.
"I'm thirty," she said again. "Do you mind?"
"I know your age. Why bring it up?"
"Someday you'll find out you married an old woman. If we ever domarry."
"Stop it." I got off the bed, went to her. "Just tell me what to doand I'll do it."
"Do you love me?" she looked up at me.
"You know I do."
"Say it."
"I love you."
"Never stop saying that." She put up her face and I kissed her. Along hard kiss. She broke away. "You'll be in back in the racer. Justcrouch low. As soon as we're away from the spaceway you hit him withthe wrench. It has to be quick and sure. Then we carry him up to theapartment and drop him out the window."
I shuddered a little as she talked. She was so calm about the wholething.
"You'll have plenty of time to get out. It'll be listed as a suicide.He's been sick for a long time. His doctor will testify to that. He wasso sick and worried he jumped to his death."
She stared at me hard. "Is it all clear?"
"Yes." I looked at her. Her long blond hair, her oval face, the slimwhite column that was her throat. "It's all clear. Like glass."
I poured myself a drink. I needed it. I was going to need a lot more.
"We won't be able to see each other for a long time," she said. Shewatched me drink. "We don't want to give our friends something to talkabout."
"I won't like not seeing you."
She patted my face. I put down my drink, caged her slender hand inmine, and kissed her wrist. I saw the light blue veins criss-crossingunder the delicate skin.
I brought her close to me. I kissed her warm lips. "Baby," I breathed."Diane, baby."
"Paul, listen to me. We haven't much time."
"All right, sweet." I kissed her again.
"Come on. We can't afford to get there late."
I crouched low in the back of the racer. I heard the street noises,the gab of the night crowds, the not-so-mild cursings of the taxi-jetdrivers.
It all seemed so unreal. Back there, on my haunches, a wrench grippedtight in my sweaty hand. I was going to kill a man. A man I knew, a manI respected. And for a woman. All for a woman. I thought about gettingup and telling Diane to go to hell and to get herself another stooge. Ithought about a lot of things. Then I thought of Diane. Her sweet whitebody. The way she sighed when I kissed her hard. And I knew I was goingto go through with it.
The racer stopped, its jets cut off. I heard the hum as the door openedand she got out.
This was it. I sweated. It dripped down in an endless stream.
The seconds went by. Then the minutes.
They got in and the door hummed shut and I heard their laughterblending together. They settled back and the jets roared. The racerwoke up to new life and it shot away