hought--"

"Much as I'd like to," Burris said, "I just can't make an exception;
you know that, Malone. I've got to go pretty much by the schedule."

"Yes, sir," Malone said, feeling just a shade disappointed.

"But I do think you deserve a rest," Burris said.

"Well, if I--"

"Here's what I'm going to do," Burris said, and paused. Malone felt a
little unsure as to exactly what his chief was talking about, but by
now he knew better than to ask a lot of questions. Sooner or later,
Burris would probably explain himself. And if he didn't, then there
was no use worrying about it. That was just the way Burris acted.

"Suppose I gave you a chance to take it easy for a while," Burris
said. "You could catch up on your sleep, see some shows, have a couple
of drinks during the evening, take girls out for dinner--you know.
Something like that. How would you like it?"

"Well..." Malone said cautiously.

"Good," Burris said. "I knew you would."

Malone opened his mouth, thought briefly and closed it again. After
all, it did sound sort of promising, and if there was a catch in it
he'd find out about it soon enough.

"It's really just a routine case," Burris said in an offhand tone.
"Nothing to it."

"Oh," Malone said.

"There's this red Cadillac," Burris said. "It was stolen from a party
in Connecticut, out near Danbury, and it showed up in New York City.
Now, the car's crossed a state line."

"That puts it in our jurisdiction," Malone said, feeling obvious.

"Right," Burris said. "Right on the nose."

"But the New York office--"

"Naturally, they're in charge of everything," Burris said. "But I'm
sending you out as sort of a special observer. Just keep your eyes
open, and nose around and let me know what's happening."

"Keep my eyes and nose what?" Malone said.

"Open," Burris said. "And let me know about it."

Malone tried to picture himself with his eyes and nose open, and
decided he didn't look very attractive that way. Well, it was only a
figure of speech or something. He didn't have to think about it.

It really made a very ugly picture.

"But why a special observer?" he said after a second. Burris could
read the reports from the New York office, and probably get more facts
than any single agent could find out just wandering around a strange
city. It sounded as if there were something, Malone told himself, just
a tiny shade rotten in Denmark. It sounded as if there were going to
be something in the nic