"But I promised you I'd resign in your favor today, Fred. I don't think I ever used those words, but I certainly implied it, didn't I?"
"Of course you did. You told me to come here at 1100 and you'd arrange the transfer."
Walton nodded. "Exactly so." He waited a long moment and then said quietly, "I lied, Fred."
He had chosen the words carefully, for maximum impact. He had not chosen wrongly.
For a brief instant Fred's face was very pale against the blackness of his garb. Total disbelief flickered across his eyes and mouth.
Walton had considered his brother's mental picture of him—the elder brother, virtuous, devoted to hard work, kind to animals, and just a little soft in the head. Also, extremely honest.
Fred hadn't expected Walton to be lying. And the calm admission stunned him.
"You're not planning to go through with it, then?" Fred asked in a dead voice.
"No."
"You realize what this means in terms of the serum, don't you? The moment I get out of here and transmit your refusal to my employers, they'll begin wholesale manufacture and distribution of the Lamarre serum. The publicity won't be good, Roy. Nor the result."