e of the upper desk
drawers open a few inches, and turned back to Telzey.

"Now, Miss Amberdon," he said affably, "you were about to say? About
these crest cats...."

Telzey swallowed. She hadn't heard the other side of the conversation,
but she could guess what it had been about. His office had called the
guest house, had been told by Halet's maid that Halet, the chauffeur
and Dr. Droon were out looking for Miss Telzey and her pet. The
Moderator's office had then checked on the sportscar's communication
number and attempted to call it. And, of course, there had been no
response.

To the Moderator, considering what Halet would have told him, it must
add up to the grim possibility that the young lunatic he was talking
to had let her three-quarters-grown crest cat slaughter her aunt and
the two men when they caught up with her! The office would be
notifying the police now to conduct an immediate search for the
missing aircar.

When it would occur to them to look for it on the Moderator's parking
terrace was something Telzey couldn't know. But if Halet and Dr. Droon
were released before the Moderator accepted her own version of what
had occurred, and the two reported the presence of wild crest cats in
Port Nichay, there would be almost no possibility of keeping the
situation under control. Somebody was bound to make some idiotic move,
and the fat would be in the fire....

* * * * *

Two things might be in her favor. The Moderator seemed to have the
sort of steady nerve one would expect in a man who had bagged two
Baluit crest cats. The partly opened desk drawer beside him must have
a gun in it; apparently he considered that a sufficient precaution
against an attack by TT. He wasn't likely to react in a panicky
manner. And the mere fact that he suspected Telzey of homicidal
tendencies would make him give the closest attention to what she said.
Whether he believed her then was another matter, of course.

Slightly encouraged, Telzey began to talk. It did sound like a
thoroughly wild story, but the Moderator listened with an appearance
of intent interest. When she had told him as much as she felt he could
be expected to swallow for a start, he said musingly, "So they weren't
wiped out--they went into hiding! Do I understand you to say they did
it to avoid being hunted?"

Telzey chewed her lip frowningly before replying. "There's something
about that part I don't quite get," she admitte