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ever-present grin.
    I waved him over. “Yeah. You’re the main topic of conversation around here at this moment.” George Kalecki got up from the overstuffed cushions and walked to Pat. His old bluster was back.
    â€œOfficer, I demand the arrest of this man at once,” he fairly shouted. “He broke into my home and insulted me and my guest. Look at the bruise on his jaw. Tell him what happened, Hal.”
    Hal saw me watching him. He saw Pat standing ten feet away from me with his hands in his pockets and apparently no desire to stop what might happen. It suddenly hit him that Jack had been a cop and Pat was a cop and Jack had been killed. And you don’t kill a cop and get away with it. “Nothing happened,” he said.
    â€œYou stinking little liar!” Kalecki turned on him. “Tell the truth! Tell how he threatened us. What are you afraid of, this dirty two-bit shamus?”
    â€œNo, George,” I said quietly, “he’s afraid of this.” I swung on him with all of my hundred and ninety pounds. My fist went in up to the wrist in his stomach. He flopped to the floor vomiting his lungs out, his face gradually turning purple. Hal just looked. For a second I could have sworn I saw a satisfied leer cross his swollen face.
    I took Pat by the arm. “Coming?” I asked him.
    â€œYeah, nothing more to do here.”
    Outside Pat’s car was drawn up under the covered portico. We climbed in and he started it up and drove around the house to the graveled driveway to the highway and turned south toward the city. Neither of us had spoken until I asked him, “Get an earful back there?”
    He gave me a glance and nodded. “Yeah, I was outside the door while you were going through your spiel. Guess you laid it out the same way I did.”
    â€œBy the way,” I added, “don’t get the idea I’m slipping. I was onto the tail you put on me. What did he do, call from the front gate or the filling station where I left my heap?”
    â€œFrom the station,” he answered. “He couldn’t catch on to why the hike and called for instructions. By the way. Why did you walk a mile and a half to his house?”
    â€œThat ought to be easy, Pat. Kalecki probably left instructions not to admit me after he read that piece in the papers. I came in over the wall. Here’s the station. Pull up.”
    Pat slid the car off the road to the cindered drive. My car was still alongside the stucco house. I pointed to the grey-suited man sitting inside asleep. “Your tail. Better wake him up.”
    Pat got out and shook the guy. He came to with a silly grin. Pat motioned in my direction. “He was on to you, chum. Maybe you had better change your technique.”
    The guy looked puzzled. “On to me? Hell, he never gave me a tumble.”
    â€œNuts,” I said. “Your rod sticks out of your back pocket like a sore thumb. I’ve been in this game awhile myself, you know.”
    I climbed into my buggy and turned it over. Pat stuck his head in the window and asked, “You still going ahead on your own, Mike?”
    The best I could do was nod. “Natch. What else?”
    â€œThen you’d better follow me in to town. I have something that might interest you.”
    He got in the squad car and slid out of the cinders to the highway. My tail pulled out behind Pat and I followed him. Pat was playing it square so far. He was using me for bait, but I didn’t mind. It was like using a trout for bait to catch flies as far as I was concerned. But he was sticking too close to me to make the game any fun. Whether he was keeping me from being blasted or just making sure I didn’t knock off any prominent Joes whom I suspected I couldn’t say.
    The article in the paper didn’t have enough time to work. The killer wouldn’t be flushed as quickly as that. Whoever pulled the trigger was a smart apple. Too damned smart. He