d began searching. Nick the Croop
had ridden his reputation long enough to be careless, and the third
truck had its key still in the lock. He threw the two into the back and
struck a cautious light.

One of them was Jurgens' apelike follower, his stupid face relaxed and
vacant. The other was probably also one of Jurgens' growing mob of
protection racketeers. Gordon yanked out the man's wallet, but there was
no identification; it held only a small sheaf of bills.

He stripped out the money--and finally put half of it back into the
wallet and dropped it beside the hoodlum. Even in jail, a man had to
have smokes.

He stuck to the alleys, not using the headlights, after he had locked
the two in and started the electric motor. He had no clear idea of how
the battles were going, but it looked as if the Seventh Precinct was
still in Municipal hands.

There was no one at the side entrance to Seventh Precinct Headquarters
and only two corporals on duty inside; the rest were probably out
fighting the Legals, or worrying about it. One of the corporals started
to stand up and halt him, but wavered at the sight of the captain's star
that was still pinned to his uniform.

"Special prisoners," Gordon told him sharply. "I've got to get
information to Trench--and in private!"

The corporal stuttered. Gordon knocked him out of the way with his
elbow, reached for the door to Trench's private office, and yanked it
open. He stepped through, drawing it shut behind him, while his eyes
checked the position of his gun at his hip. Then he looked up.

There was no sign of Trench. In his place, and in the uniform of a
Municipal captain, sat the heavy figure of Jurgens. "Outside!" he
snapped. Then his eyes narrowed, and a stiff smile came onto his lips as
he laid the pen down. "Oh, it's you, Gordon?"

"Where's Captain Trench?"

The heavy features didn't change as Jurgens chuckled. "Commissioner
Trench, Gordon. It seems Arliss decided to get rid of Mayor Wayne, but
didn't count on Wayne's spies being better than his. So Trench got
promoted--and I got his job for loyal service in helping the Force
recruit. My boys always wanted to be cops, you know."

Gordon tried to grin in return as he moved closer, slipping the heavy
locust club off his wrist.

"I sent Ape and Mullins out to get in touch with you," Jurgens said.
"But I guess they didn't reach you before you left."

Gordon shook his head slightly, while the nerves bunched and tingled