general."
"How did you hypnotize him? And don't hand me any of that stuff abouthim being sensitive because of his job."
Thornberry smiled. "You've seen too many conditioned men, and in a wayI'm surprised that I got past Chief Scott with my ... General Mosbyshould have been more alert, too.
"You're right, it was his skin, not his job."
"I'm still puzzled."
"I won't go into the physical structure of the man, his character asrevealed by his choice of profession, and so on. Briefly, he ishyper-sensitive to the thought of physical pain, that's all. So I gavehim a simple choice. Talk to us in such a way that what he said couldnever be used against him, or go for a ride with you, Chief Scott, andGeneral Mosby.
"This is very odd, a fact I must further check into, that your namefrightened him most."
"_You_ threatened someone with violence!"
Thornberry sniffed. "It was no threat. I knew the man and simplyappealed to him in the proper way. Then with the spray of cannabisindica that I carry, I speeded his willingness--"
"Marihuana!"
"Please don't be so shocked!" and Thornberry was horrified thatBennington should be shocked. "The prescription I use is a carefullycompounded medical dosage specifically prepared to promotesuggestibility...."
"Doctor, I am not in the least suggesting that you would use anymethod or drug not thoroughly commended by your profession.
"In addition, I am delighted beyond expression that you found some wayto learn what we needed from Judkins.
"But, just as I was surprised that your profession did find a use fora drug previously condemned, I now want to be surprised in anotherway:
"_What can you do for someone like Clarens?_"
Thornberry's lips came together and his cheeks began to pull in.Bennington resigned himself to hearing again the phrase, "There aresome areas of human behavior--"
* * * * *
"_Car 17, at M dash 9, Code Two Zero, times two. Standing by forinstructions._"
Bennington turned to watch Chief Scott's big fore-fingers travel aline from the side and a line from the top that brought them togetheron the big map. "Signs of breaking and entering, down on Hickory,where it's all big warehouses."
Thornberry leaped to the chief's side. "Lonely at this time of night?Dark? Not too many people?"
"Right on every count," Scott said. "Only a few night watchmen."
"This should be carefully checked," and Thornberry started for thedoor.
Scott turned to the dispatcher. "Tell them just to keep the placeunder observation until I get there."
There was an odd eagerness about the chief, odd until Benningtonremembered Scott's grim analysis of Clarens' behavior, the chief'shope that Clarens would resist arrest.
_And why do I now recall that time in Burma when I followed thewounded tiger into the cave?_
_What was I thinking of at the time?_
Thornberry had disappeared into the corridor, but for once even theprospect of immediate action was not enough to get the impetuous Mosbyout the door ahead of Scott.
_Was I thinking of mercy, that I could not let a wounded beast whichcould not destroy itself live with continual pain? Thornberry wouldnever agree, but Clarens is certainly both wounded and incapable ofself-destruction._
Thornberry was already seated in the back of the car. Mosby was readyto seat himself in the front, Scott was opening the door to slide inbehind the driver's wheel, but Bennington did not change his steadypace.
_Retribution and punishment, because the tiger had killed humanbeings? No, no and never no, for these are worthless withoutunderstanding by the person upon whom they are visited. A babyunderstands not the reason why, but only the whack across its buttockswhen its fingers or its life are in danger, and that action is thenceforward "reject"; but Clarens is not a baby and a baby is not a tiger,with all three having only this in common, that 'don't do this' is amystery...._
Bennington seated himself beside Thornberry in the rear of Scott'ssedan, more aware of his thoughts than his movements.
For a moment the whine of the turbine was high, the gleam of theheadlights low, then they were on their way.
* * * * *
Hickory Street was a fast three-minute run from the police station.
"Nothing but warehouses," Scott said. "We're a big trans-shipmentcenter."
The narrow, one-way streets and the broad-shouldered bulk of the bigbuildings emphasized what the chief had said. The railroads and therivers were still the most economical way to ship the space-takingstuff, coal, steel, grain. Harrisburg was a crossroads where theeast-west and north-south main lines met, with a natural growth of thelong warehouses at the intersection.
Scott spun the driver's wheel to the left and cut the car lights."Hickory Street."
It is a lonely place at night, Bennington decided.
Thornberry leaned forward from the back seat of the car, leanedforward so far between Scott and Mosby that his thin nose almosttouched the front window.
"Ideal, ideal, just the way Clarens would be thinking."
"Thank God we found Judkins," Mosby said, "but say, that reminds me.Why didn't he take the first plane or train out of town? He had plentyof time before we knew we wanted him."
Thornberry pulled himself back, re-condensed his lean frame in theleft corner of the back seat. "He was waiting for Senator Giles to payhim off and tell him where to hide out."
Chief Scott idled his car to a halt beside another dark-blue sedanalmost invisible in the shadowed street.
A figure loomed large in the shadows, came forward and identifieditself.
"Patrolman Whelton, sir, and Sergeant Kerr is in the back."
Somehow Scott managed to return the salute while at the same timedisentangling himself from his seat-belt and from behind the driver'swheel.
"What did you spot?"
"According to orders, we were riding the alleys and we saw that thewindow had been broken since our last inspection."
They were in a tight group around the young patrolman because Wheltonhad spoken in a soft, church-going whisper. Now Mosby walked away fromthe group, thoughtfully fingering the ivory-handled butts of hisrevolvers, but returning to the group when Scott began speaking.
"Thanks, General Mosby. They couldn't have checked the alleys as oftenas they did without your men helping out on the streets. This way, wecaught it fast."
"Sir, we can't find the watchman for this area," and Patrolman Wheltonwas very worried.
"Watchman?" Mosby asked.
"Fire-warden would be more accurate," Scott said. "He isn't here toprevent theft. The stuff in these buildings is too big to stealwithout a convoy of trucks that would awaken the whole town. But hedoes have a definite route, with fixed posts where he clocks in."
Two more cars drifted to a halt, disgorged men armed with shotguns andsubmachine guns.
Scott rubbed his chin thoughtfully, gave his orders carefully,obviously aware that he had two renowned tacticians with him.
His car and one of the newly-arrived ones were to remain in front ofthe warehouse. The other patrol car would pull around the block andjoin Sergeant Kerr in the alley. At Scott's signal, they would floodthe building with light.
And not until much later did Bennington remember to laugh at the waythey had all followed the elephantine Whelton's example and gone ontiptoe down the walk between the two concrete-walled warehouses, intothe alley behind.
* * * * *
The broken window was in a small door, part of the large door whichlet trucks in and out.
"Nice eye," Scott said to Whelton.
Bennington agreed.
The break in the window was just big enough to allow a hand throughthe door, a small hand through the pane to the lock on the inside ofthe door.
Scott stretched out his arm to try to slide his big, freckled handthrough the break in the window, but abruptly Thornberry steppedforward, ca
tching the chief's hand in mid-gesture.
"One moment, Chief Scott!"
The chief was startled. "What's up?"
"This isn't your job, it's mine. If that poor boy _is_ in there, heneeds a doctor, not a bullet."
"Whatthehell--" Scott sputtered, the phrase emerging as a single word.
"Thornberry's right, Chief Scott, though he's right for the wrongreason. Clarens is our job."
_Following the tiger had been a simple act of necessity in two ways.To rid the tiger of the pain it could not remove from itself and torid society of the menace the beast had been and would continue to beuntil it was destroyed._
With his words to Scott, with that last thought, Bennington shook