Mrs. Ellingbery reached for a king, but her fingers were nervous. She played a six instead and lost the trick. "Yes," she said quietly, "I have." Her voice was sad.
I waited a minute. Then, "How did you know how to tune in on her?" I asked Slim.
"I got her wave-characteristics when she came up the other day to get us to serve the papers," he said. "I got Tom's today while we were talking. The machine was all set and the recording needles made a permanent record."
I swallowed. "Can you get the landlord's characteristics too?"
Slim held up a sheet of ruled paper. "Got his already. I was just practicing; I got him when he was trying to hammer the door down yesterday."
Suddenly I felt a deep peace. I had the landlord in my power, now, and I didn't have to hurry; I could take my time.
But Slim notched me down. "Get this hundred changed," he said. "Give the landlord fifty and then have the telephone connected again."
I took the hundred.
"Get some more sandwiches, too. We'll be here late tonight."
Well, the landlord wasn't as sarcastic as I had feared. He defrosted slightly when he saw the fifty. Now we owed him only two hundred. I knew he was probably going to put us out on September the first, but I soothed my hurt feelings by imagining him walking around in his shorts. There is nothing else that will so undignify a man. But before long—in fact, as soon as I could get to the Brain-Finder while Slim wasn't watching—I'd get the facts.