ge of the curb, obeying
her expectant stare. The expectant stare continued to transfix him,
and he stepped off the curb and close to the Bear Cat that was growling
in its throat.

"Bland Halliday, where have you _been_, for gracious sake? And where's
Johnny?"

"I ain't been anywhere but here--and I wisht I knowed where Johnny was.
I--"

"Bland Halliday, you tell me instantly! Where's Johnny?"

"Honest, I don't know. I been looking for him myself, and--"

"Bland Halliday, do you want to be torn limb from limb, right here on
the public street before everybody? I want to know where Johnny is,
and I want to know _now_."

"Aw, f'r cat's sake! I ain't saw Johnny f'r three weeks--not since the
night we got here. I been looking--"

Behind them sounded a succession of impatient honks that extended
almost to Seventh Street. The traffic cop had blown his whistle, the
street car had clanged warning and gone on. The truck had shaved past
Mary V and the Ford had followed. Other cars coming up behind had
mistaken the Bear Cat's inaction for closed traffic and had stopped.
Others had stopped behind them; then two other street cars slid up and
blocked the way around.

Mary V was quite oblivious to all this. She was glaring at the one
link between herself and Johnny Jewel. She was bitterly regretting the
fact that she had no gun with which to scare Bland into telling the
truth, and she was wondering what other means of coercion would prove
effective. Bland knew where Johnny was, of course. He was lying, for
some reason--probably because he had the habit and couldn't stop.

Bland kept an eye on Mary V's right hand. He suspected a gun, and
when, in involuntary obedience to the frantic honkings behind her, she
let her hand drop to the gear lever, Bland turned to flee.

"Bland, you come back here!" Bland came. "What do you mean, trying to
avoid answering a perfectly civil question?"

"I did answer it," Bland protested in his whining tone. "I said I
didn't know--"

"That's no answer; that's nothing but a plain old lie. You do know
perfectly well where he is. You left Tucson with Johnny, and you left
Yuma with him. Bland Halliday, what have you done with him?"

Bland's eyes turned slightly glassy. Like a trapped animal, he sent
roving glances here and there--and took in the purposeful approach of
the traffic cop. He turned again toward the curb.

"Don't you dare attempt to leave before--"

"What's the