He Wasn't There, also known as The Spy Who Was Out-of-Focus, is a mystery short story by Isaac Asimov.
Part of the Union Club series, it was first published in the February 1981 issue of Gallery magazine. It was later collected in The Best Mysteries of Isaac Asimov and The Union Club Mysteries.
Summary[]
At the Union Club, Griswold recounts a case from his past involving a foreign agent, codenamed "Out-of-Focus," whom his department was struggling to locate. Their investigation eventually centered on a run-down apartment rented under the name "William Smith." However, when they attempted to make contact, Smith had vanished.
A legitimate police search of the apartment was initiated. The apartment was set up to look like a writer's workspace, complete with bookcases, a desk, a typewriter, and filing cabinets. The building superintendent claimed to have occasionally seen and heard Smith typing. Despite the convincing setup and the superintendent's testimony, Griswold's personal inspection of the apartment revealed a critical omission.
Griswold deduced that the apartment was an elaborate decoy. While it contained all the trappings of a writer's life, it lacked one essential item: a wastepaper basket. He reasoned that no professional writer, who would inevitably produce drafts and discarded pages, could work without one. The superintendent's claim of having seen Smith typing was therefore a lie, revealing that he himself was the agent, maintaining the deception to mislead the investigation. With the agent identified, the department was able to neutralize his effectiveness and eventually take him into custody.
Characters[]
- Griswold
- Club Member (the narrator)
- Jennings
- Baranov
- "William Smith" (the decoy identity)
- The Superintendent (the real agent)
- Griswold's Boss
- The Lawyer
- The Local Detective
- The Neighbors
Referenced Figures[]
- Judge Crater (a famous missing person)
- James Hoffa (a famous missing person)