The Mack Reynolds Megapack. Mack Reynolds

to someone who would expose—”

      Doc shrugged. “I don’t know, Mike. Maybe not. But I think that little story about Robin Hood rather appealed to him. Besides, I was rather persuasive, just before he left the ship.”

      The Doctr turned to go.

      “Just a minute,” Gurloff snapped, his face dark. “How long have you known the identity of this—this criminal Jackie Black? Just because these papers are now in our possession doesn’t mean we can brush away his existence on my ship for a year. We have a duty to perform.

      Where is he?”

      The doctor allowed himself only the faintest of grins. “As to how long I’ve known…well, I’ve suspected for some time, really, that our Kathy wasn’t quite as feminine as she’d like to have us all think. I—”

      Dick Roland, still in a semi-state of shock, blurted, “But…but…Kathy…I thought she was so womanly. So…” he reddened again.

      The Doctr cleared his throat. “As a matter of fact, my first clue was based on that very fact. In one of my old books I ran into the slang word, falsies and—”

      “The kert with all that,” Gurloff blurted, “Where is this criminal? Our duty is still to apprehend him.”

      The Doc said, “I’m afraid that ‘Kathy’ was the first man off the ship, Mike. Must have been ten minutes ago. Seems to me I saw him leave by way of the torpedo hatch.”

      Gurloff was weakening, but he grumbled, “Just because he turned these papers over to you doesn’t give him the right to escape the punishment that—” Doc said patiently, “Good grief, Mike, how sadistic are you? After what that poor man’s been through the last twelve months with this ship full of Romeos, you want to punish him further.”

      For an instant there was silence; then Mart Bakr grinned ruefully. “I guess you got a point there, Doc.”