The Ambulance Made Two Trips

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

24149

Title

The Ambulance Made Two Trips

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Detective Sergeant Fitzgerald investigates a local racketeer, Big Jake Connors, who uses mysterious gifts to bribe police and sabotage honest businesses. When violent attempts against a resistant cleaner fail, Fitzgerald discovers a hidden technology that alters probability to prevent crime, leading to a surprising conclusion.

Summary up to 500 words

In Murray Leinster's science fiction short story "The Ambulance Made Two Trips," Detective Sergeant Fitzgerald faces a rising threat from Big Jake Connors, a charismatic but violent racketeer who has moved into town. Connors employs a dual strategy: he systematically destroys legitimate businesses through sabotage and intimidation, while simultaneously bribing the wives of police officers with anonymous luxury gifts to soften their resolve against his operations. Fitzgerald, a man of integrity who refuses these bribes, becomes the primary target of escalating violence, including sabotaged vehicles and planted bombs. Despite the police force's inability to catch Connors, Fitzgerald notices a peculiar pattern: whenever Connors's hoods attempt violence, bizarre accidents occur, and their eyelids twitch. Fitzgerald visits Brink, the owner of Elite Cleaners and Dyers, the only business Connors cannot break. Brink reveals he uses a "psionic unit" that creates a field altering probability to prevent violence. This technology explains the strange accidents and twitching eyelids; the field makes violent actions increasingly improbable until they become impossible. When Connors finally attempts a direct assault on Brink's shop, the psionic field triggers a chain reaction of improbable accidents. The attackers are incapacitated by a series of unlikely events, such as sliding on oily floors, being struck by falling objects, and suffering injuries that neutralize their weapons without harming the innocent. Fitzgerald realizes the technology can be used to stop Connors legally and ethically. He agrees to help Brink confront the racketeer. The story concludes with Connors and his associates attempting direct violence against Brink and Fitzgerald. Their efforts are futile as the psionic field prevents their attacks. The criminals are eventually subdued and removed by the police, requiring the ambulance to make two trips to transport the incapacitated group. The narrative demonstrates that even organized crime can be stopped by a shift in probability, offering a unique, non-lethal solution to urban decay and racketeering.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Short Stories
• Adventure
• Science Fiction
• Crime Fiction