impression that it was dawn; then he realized that the sunlight had a 

reddish cast to it. He blinked at the bedroom clock, amazed to find that 

he had slept until late afternoon. 

My God, he thought groggily. 

His headache was nearly gone, he noticed as he threw off the covers and 

swung his long legs to the floor. The soreness was still there, thumping 

dully in his stiff muscles, but sleep had been deep and brought no fresh 

nightmares to worry about. He cleaned himself up in the bathroom and got 

a pair of slacks and a shirt from the closet, still feeling somewhat 

like a stranger. While he dressed himself, he thought of the woman he 

was married to. 

Despite the feeling of being a stranger in a strange world, and of being 

caught up in a strange set of circumstances, he found himself feeling 

delightful tremors when he thought of Beth. Even now, there was a tight, 

fluttering sensation in his insides when he thought of the talcumed 

satin of her skin, the warm lift of her brightly nippled breasts and the 

strong response of her rounded thighs. She was a beautiful woman. She 

was sex all rolled up in a frame of gentle curves and soft flesh, and he 

could see that to love a woman like her would not only be easy, it would 

be a privilege. 

He buckled the belt about his waist, trying to dispel the thoughts of 

the woman, and went downstairs to the kitchen. Hunger gnawed at him 

violently. 

The coffee was cold. He turned the gas on under it and the note on the 

table caught his eye. He picked it up to scan it briefly. 

DARLING, 

HAD TO RUSH OFF TO WORK. KISSED YOU GOOD-BY AND YOU SAID "GLUMPTH". 

BE HOME SOON. LOVE YOU TERRIBLY. 

BETH 

He grinned at the note, balled it into his fist and threw it into the 

paper can. When the coffee was hot, he poured himself a cup and fixed a 

couple of sandwiches with what was left of the package of cold meat. As 

he was finishing the last couple of bites of the sandwich, he heard the 

thud of the evening paper against the front door. For a moment, it 

startled him, then, when he had realized what it was, he was half out of 

the chair... He paused there momentarily, then sank back into his seat. 

He _couldn't_ go out there and get the paper - if the neighbors saw him 

picking it up ... He sat there, waiting for Beth to come home, the 

suspense digging into his guts with ragged teeth. Had they found the 

plane? Were they onto him? Who were those two men? How did they know 

where to find him? Why were they looking for him? 

He drank damned near the whole pot of coffee and watched the hands of 

the electric clock move with agonizing slowness. Finally, at five forty, 

Beth drove up to the house and came through the door. Nick leaped from