“What about the people who don’t have television sets?” Klinger asked.
“There’s not much to do in a place as isolated as Black River,” Salsbury said. “The recreation hall in the camp has ten sets. Virtually everyone in town owns a set. Those who don’t will be directed, by the first wave of preliminary subliminals, to watch the movies at a friend’s house. Or with a relative or neighbor.”
For the first time, Klinger looked at Salsbury with respect. “Incredible.”
“Thank you.”
“What about the drug? How will that be introduced?”
Salsbury finished his whiskey. He felt wonderful. “There are only two sources of food and beverage within the site. The lumber camp men get what they want from the mess hall. In town everyone buys from Edison’s General Store. Edison has no competition. He even supplies the town’s only diner. Now, both the mess hall and the general store receive their goods from the same food wholesaler in Augusta.”
“Ahhh,” the general said. He smiled.
“It’s a perfect commando operation for Holbrook and Rossner. They can break into the wholesaler’s warehouse at night and quickly contaminate several different items set aside for shipment to Black River.” He pointed to the cathode-ray tubes where the list of requirements for an ideal site was being reprinted. “Number four.”
Klinger looked at the screen to his left.
4A. SITE SHOULD HAVE RESERVOIR THAT SERVES NO LESS THAN
90 PERCENT OF TOTAL POPULATION
4B. BLACK RIVER RESERVOIR SERVES–100 PERCENT OF TOWN RESIDENTS
–100 PERCENT OF LUMBER
CAMP RESIDENTS
“Ordinarily, in a backwoods village like this,” Salsbury said, “each house would have its own fresh-water well. But the mill needs a reservoir for industrial purposes, so the town benefits.”
“How did you choose Black River? Where did you learn all of this stuff?”
Salsbury depressed a tab on the programming keyboard and cleared the screen. “In 1960, Leonard bankrolled a company named Statistical Profiles Incorporated. It does all the marketing research for his other companies-and for companies he doesn’t own. It pays for a trunk line to the Census Bureau data banks. \Ve used Statistical Profiles to run a search for the ideal test site. Of course, they didn’t know why we were interested in a town that met these particular requirements.”
Frowning, the general said, “How many people at Statistical Profiles were involved in the search?”
“Two,” Salsbury said. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry. They’re both scheduled to die in accidents well before we begin the field test.”
“I suppose we’ll send Rossner and Holbrook to contaminate the reservoir.”
“Then we get rid of them.”
The general raised his bushy eyebrows. “Kill them?”
“Or order them to commit suicide.”
“Why not just tell them to forget everything they’ve done, to wipe it from their minds?”
“That might save them from prosecution if things went badly wrong. But it wouldn’t save us. We can’t wipe from our minds all memory of what we had them do. If problems develop with the field test, serious problems that throw our entire Operation in the garbage, and if it turns out that Rossner and Holbrook were seen at the reservoir or left any clues behind-well, we don’t want the authorities to connect us with Glenn and Peter.”
“What problems could arise that would be that serious?”
“Anything. Nothing. I don’t know.”
After he bad thought about it for a while, Klinger said, “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
“I know I am.”
“Have you set a date yet? For the field test?”
“We should be ready by August,” Salsbury said.
9
Friday, August 26, 1977
TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT . . Since his experience with Brenda Mackim on Monday,
Salsbury had been able to resist temptation. At any time he could have taken full control of another good-looking woman, could have raped her and erased all memory of the act from her mind. He took strength from the knowledge that the bitches were his for the asking. Whenever he could honestly conclude that the field test was a smashing success, and that no danger of discovery existed, he would screw every one of them that he wanted. The bitches. Animals. Little animals. Dozens of them. All of them. Because he knew the future held an almost endless orgy for him, be was able to cop; if only temporarily, with his desire. He went from house to house, using the key-lock code phrase, interviewing his subjects, observing and testing. Denying himself. Working hard. Doing his job. So strict with himself. . . He was proud of his will power.