Part 31 (1/2)

”Part through the middle might be a forest fire,” Murphey said. He watched Thurlow's mouth.

”Have you ever seen a forest fire?”

”Where one'd been. Stank to heaven with dead cows. Burned out a ranch up on the Siuslaw.”

Thurlow wrote on the pad.

Murphey glared at him, swallowed, turned to the final card. As he looked at it, he drew in a sharp, hard breath as though he'd been hit in the stomach.

Thurlow looked up quickly, studied him.

A look of confusion pa.s.sed over Murphey's face. He squirmed in his chair, then: ”Is this one of the regular cards?”

”Yes.”

”I don't remember it.”

”Oh. Do you remember all the other cards?”

”Kind of.”

”What about this card?”

”I think you've rung in a new one.”

”No. It's one of the regular Rorschach cards.”

Murphey turned a hard stare on the psychologist, said: ”I had a right to kill her, Doc. Let's remember that. I had a right. A husband has to protect his home.”

Thurlow sat quietly waiting.

Murphey jerked his attention back to the card. ”A junkyard,” he blurted. ”It reminds me of a junkyard.”

Still, Thurlow remained silent.

”Wrecked cars, old boilers, things like that,” Murphey said. He tossed the card aside, sat back with a look of cautious waiting.

Thurlow took a deep breath, collected the cards and data sheets, slipped them into a briefcase which he lifted from the floor beside his chair. Slowly, he turned, stared directly into the pantovive.

Kelexel had the disquieting sensation that Thurlow was staring him in the eyes.

”Tell me, Joe,” Thurlow said, ”what do you see there?” He pointed at the pantovive's watchers.

”Huh? Where?”

”There.” Thurlow continued to point.

Murphey now stared out of the pantovive at the audience. ”Some dust or smoke,” he said. ”They don't keep this place too clean.”

”But what do you see in the dust or smoke?” Thurlow persisted. He lowered his hand.