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the Ripper may be loose. I can't tell them who it is, of course. They'll have a lot of personnel looking for
him, and ..
"They won't know whom to look for," Caird said. "Officially, we don't know whether it's a man or a
woman who did this, one or two or more people. Have they found footprints?"
"Yes. Those of about twenty different people. No instruments, no knives or saws."
"He probably dumped them in the canal."
Colonel Topenski joined them, and the three talked. If the colonel resented Caird's being given
command, he did not show it. After summing up what he had found so far, no more than Horn had told
Caird, Topenski took Caird over the string-surrounded area. All photographs and laboratory work had
been done by then, and their footprints would not confuse the situation. Caird felt sick when he got close
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to the parts of the corpse, but he did not throw up. He listened while the colonel, who seemed
unaffected, pointed out various things that Caird could see for himself quite well. At a quarter after
eleven, the pieces were bagged by the lab personnel and taken away. They would be stoned at the
morgue, and, later, destoned for extensive analysis.
Patrollers and detectives had been sent out to question everybody in the neighborhood they could
before midnight. The desk workers at the local precinct would also be calling up many in the
neighborhood. They would report whom they had made contact with so that the foot personnel would
not duplicate efforts. Even so, only a few of the possible witnesses would be questioned before midnight.
"We've made sure that no escapee from Tamasuki has done this," Colonel Topenski said. "They're all
accounted for, all locked up."
"That's good," Caird said. What was not so good was that it
was possible that someone might notice the recording of Castor's transfer. If that were followed up, then
HQrn would be in deep trouble. Eventually, so would Caird and all immers.
Caird looked at his watch. He said, "I have to get back home, Colonel. I live in Greenwich Village."
"Why don't you use a stoner here? There are plenty in the precinct house, only two blocks away."
"My wife isn't feeling well."
One more lie to cover up many.
"Perhaps she could stone early and go to the hospital next Tuesday."
"Thanks for the suggestion, Colonel, but I know her. She'll want me to be there with her."
Topenski shrugged and said, "Ah, well. We don't have much time left, and what'll we do with it
anyway?"
"Not very much," Caird said. He started away, then stopped. "Well, yes, there is something we can
do right now and so save time when we get going in the morning. We're dealing with a homicidal maniac.
I think I'll put in a request for arms for the investigating personnel."
Topenski bit his lip, then said, "This situation really seems to call for extreme measures. I think the
general will agree. She's over there."
Caird hurried to catch Horn, who was just about to get into an organic vehicle. She stepped back out
when she heard him call and turned toward him. Caird gestured that she should join him. She understood
that he wanted them to be out of earshot of the others. After hearing his suggestion that weapons should
be requisitioned, she nodded.
"Of course, I'll have to justify it to the governor and the organic council. If they balk, I'll show them
recordings of the scene of the crime and take them to the morgue."
"Can you get away with orders to shoot to kill if necessary?"
"Yes. . . only. . . the murderer has to be identified first. And the other days may not want to issue an
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order to shoot. At least, not until they have ID.
"As for us, we must drop any plans for stoning and hiding him. What if he were found and destoned?
No. We must kill him."
"It's the right decision, hard as it is," Caird said. "Anyway, I suspect we'll have no choice. He's
probably got a gun or will get one. We'll have to kill him if only in self-defense."
"Yes, but I'll have to follow routine and order the armed personnel to warn him first."
"I know. Ijust hope I get to him first."
He looked at his watch. "I need a weapon right now. Just in case Castor should be in my
neighborhood when I get home."
Horn went into the car and turned on the rear seat strip. She was giving her order before he got
settled in beside her. The driver took the car off as fast as the electric motor would take it, orange lights
flashing, siren wailing. The traffic was thin; most people were home and getting ready to stone. By the
time the few blocks had been covered, the sergeant in charge at the precinct had opened the armory.
Caird and Horn went in past the organics lining up to receive their arms and got the sergeant to wait on
them immediately. Rank had its privileges.
Caird put his weapon in his shoulderbag, said, "Until tomorrow, Tony," and hurried out to the car.
The driver, delighted at being permitted to speed, took the car at its top velocity of forty miles an hour.
Horn had arranged that the signal lights would be green for them all the way to the house on Bleecker
Street. Caird did not know what excuse she might have to give for this special treatment, but he was sure
that she would think of something reasonable.
Five blocks from his house, Caird told the driver to turn off the siren. If Castor should be in the
house, he should not be frightened away. On the other hand, it might be better if he
were. He might be prevented from doing whatever he might have in mind-if he was there.
At Caird's order, the driver slowed the car down during the final block and stopped it two buildings
from Caird's house.
It was 11:22 P.M.
Caird got out of the car and said, "You can go now. There's an emergency stoner shelter at 200
Bleecker. You have eight minutes, plenty of time, to get there."
"Yes, sir, I know," the driver said. "Good night, sir."
Caird said good night and watched him drive off. He walked toward his house. The two guards were
gone, of course. There were no lights in the house. This might mean that Ozma had decided that he was
staying in an emergency shelter or in an extra stoner in a precinct station. She could already be in her
cylinder. Or.. . someone else had turned the lights off and was waiting for him.
That someone could only be Castor. He would know that the front room light would come on as
soon as Caird's ID tip entered the front door slot. Castor might have turned the light off with the manual [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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