{"product_id":"2940014010047","title":"THE PERFECTIONISTS","description":"_Is there something wrong with you?\u003cbr\u003e Do you fail to fit in with your group?\u003cbr\u003e Nervous, anxious, ill-at-ease? Happy\u003cbr\u003e about it? Lucky you!_\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over\u003cbr\u003eLemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first\u003cbr\u003ecustomer. He had been in business for a week and as yet had had no\u003cbr\u003ecallers. Therefore, it was with a mingled sense of excitement and\u003cbr\u003esatisfaction that he greeted the tall, dark, smooth-faced figure that\u003cbr\u003ecame up the stairs and into the office shortly before noon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Good day, sir,\" said Pembroke with an amiable smile. \"I see my\u003cbr\u003eadvertisement has interested you. Please stand in that corner for just a\u003cbr\u003emoment.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOpening the desk drawer, which was almost empty, Pembroke removed an\u003cbr\u003eautomatic pistol fitted with a silencer. Pointing it at the amazed\u003cbr\u003ecustomer, he fired four .22 caliber longs into the narrow chest. Then he\u003cbr\u003emade a telephone call and sat down to wait. He wondered how long it\u003cbr\u003ewould be before his next client would arrive.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e       *       *       *       *       *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe series of events leading up to Pembroke's present occupation had\u003cbr\u003ecommenced on a dismal, overcast evening in the South Pacific a year\u003cbr\u003eearlier. Bound for Sydney, two days out of Valparaiso, the Colombian\u003cbr\u003etramp steamer _Elena Mia_ had encountered a dense greenish fog which\u003cbr\u003eseemed vaguely redolent of citrus trees. Standing on the forward deck,\u003cbr\u003ePembroke was one of the first to perceive the peculiar odor and to spot\u003cbr\u003ethe immense gray hulk wallowing in the murky distance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen the explosion had come, from far below the waterline, and the decks\u003cbr\u003ewere awash with frantic crewmen, officers, and the handful of\u003cbr\u003epassengers. Only two lifeboats were launched before the _Elena Mia_ went\u003cbr\u003edown. Pembroke was in the second. The roar of the sinking ship was the\u003cbr\u003elast thing he heard for some time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePembroke came as close to being a professional adventurer as one can in\u003cbr\u003ethese days of regimented travel, organized peril, and political\u003cbr\u003erestriction. He had made for himself a substantial fortune through\u003cbr\u003especulation in a great variety of properties, real and otherwise. Life\u003cbr\u003ehad given him much and demanded little, which was perhaps the reason for\u003cbr\u003ehis restiveness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e       *       *       *       *       *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLoyalty to person or to people was a trait Pembroke had never recognized\u003cbr\u003ein himself, nor had it ever been expected of him. And yet he greatly\u003cbr\u003eenvied those staunch patriots and lovers who could find it in themselves\u003cbr\u003eto elevate the glory and safety of others above that of themselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLacking such loyalties, Pembroke adapted quickly to the situation in\u003cbr\u003ewhich he found himself when he regained consciousness. He awoke in a\u003cbr\u003esmall room in what appeared to be a typical modern American hotel. The\u003cbr\u003ewallet in his pocket contained exactly what it should, approximately\u003cbr\u003ethree hundred dollars. His next thought was of food. He left the room\u003cbr\u003eand descended via the elevator to the restaurant. Here he observed that\u003cbr\u003eit was early afternoon. Ordering a full dinner, for he was unusually\u003cbr\u003ehungry, he began to study the others in the restaurant.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMany of the faces seemed familiar; the crew of the ship, probably. He\u003cbr\u003ealso recognized several of the passengers. However, he made no attempt\u003cbr\u003eto speak to them. After his meal, he bought a good corona and went for a\u003cbr\u003ewalk. His situation could have been any small western American seacoast\u003cbr\u003ecity. He heard the hiss of the ocean in the direction the afternoon sun\u003cbr\u003ewas taking. In his full-gaited walk, he was soon approaching the beach.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn the sand he saw a number of sun bathers. One in particular, an\u003cbr\u003eattractive woman of about thirty, tossed back her long, chestnut locks\u003cbr\u003eand gazed up intently at Pembroke as he passed. Seldom had he enjoyed so\u003cbr\u003eingenuous an invitation. He halted and stared down at her for a few\u003cbr\u003emoments.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You are looking for someone?\" she inquired.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Much of the time,\" said the man.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Could it be me?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"It could be.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Yet you seem unsure,\" she said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePembroke smiled, uneasily. There was something not entirely normal about\u003cbr\u003eher conversation. Though the rest of her compensated for that.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Tell me what's wrong with me,\" she went on urgently. \"I'm not good\u003cbr\u003eenough, am I? I mean, there's something wrong with the way I look or\u003cbr\u003eact. Isn't there? Please help me, please!\"","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47176741159152,"sku":"2940014010047","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940014010047_p0.jpg?v=1763598943","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940014010047","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}