Part 42 (2/2)

Malone shrugged. ”Okay. You were tired.”

”You're not mad, are you,” she said, ”because I stole your notebook?”

”Of course not,” Malone said. ”I said forget it, didn't I? Sit down and help us out.”

”Help you?” she said.

”That's right,” Boyd said. ”Help us figure out how to catch this bunch of maniacs before they steal everything in New York.”

Dorothea said, ”Maniacs? I--” and Malone interrupted her in a hurry.

”Police Commissioner Fernack has called twice this morning already,”

he said. ”He's screaming about all the burglaries that have been occurring since midnight last night.”

”Oh,” Dorothea said. ”You mean the Spooks? Mike and the others?

They've been stealing again?”

”They sure have, Miss Fueyo,” Boyd said.

”I guess they're furnis.h.i.+ng their new hideout,” Malone said. ”Wherever it is. Only G.o.d knows.”

”And even if He told us,” Boyd said, ”it wouldn't do us any good.

Chase 'em out of there, and they'd go somewhere else.”

Malone stood up, fished for his cigarettes and lit one. ”What we need,” he said, blowing out smoke, ”is some way to trap 'em and hold 'em. And I don't see how we can do either.”

”After last night,” Dorothea said, ”I really don't see--”

”Wait a minute,” Boyd said. ”You said _trap_, didn't you?” He looked slowly and speculatively at Dorothea Fueyo.

A second pa.s.sed.

”Oh, no, you don't!” she said. ”Oh, no. Not on your life. I'll help catch him if I can, because I know you don't mean to hurt him or the others. But I wouldn't want Mike to know about it. You're not using me as bait in any trap.”

Boyd looked at Malone, shook his head slowly, and said disconsolately, ”Well, it was an idea.” He returned his gaze to the floor.

The furtive gleam of the half bottle of bourbon on Malone's dresser caught his eye. He'd had it sent up the night before, feeling the need of some medicinal refreshment. Now it winked at him. He ignored it resolutely. ”Dorothea,” he said.

”Yes?”

”Dorothea, do you have any idea how far one of those kids can go when he teleports?”

”No,” Dorothea said. ”I really haven't any idea about any of it. Mike tried to teach me once, but I guess I just don't have the talent.”

”Oh,” Malone said.

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