p.

He dialed the man's home, but he wasn't there, either.

Sam Bending stuck a cigarette in his mouth, fired it up, walked over to
his easy-chair and sat down to think.

According to the police, the first Converter had been stolen on Friday
night. The second one had obviously been taken sometime this morning,
while he was in the lab with the police.

That made sense. The first one they'd tried to open had fused, so they
decided to try to get a second one. Only how had they known he had had
more than one? He hadn't told anyone that he had three--or even two.

Well, no matter. They _had_ found out. The question was, what did he do
next? Inform the police of the two thefts or--

There was a car pulling up outside the house.

Sam stood up and glanced out the window. It was a steel-blue Ford.

By Heaven! Did they intend to steal the third Converter, too? And right
in front of his eyes, before it even got decently dark?

Sam was so furious that he couldn't even think straight. When the two
men climbed out of the car and started walking toward the house, Sam ran
back into his study, pulled open his desk drawer, and took out the .38
Special he kept there. It was the work of seconds to thumb six
cartridges into the chambers and swing the cylinder shut.

The door chime sounded.

* * * * *

Sam went back into the front room with the revolver in his jacket pocket
and his hand ready to fire it.

"Who is it?" he called, in what he hoped was a steady voice.

"We're Special Agents of the FBI," said a voice. "May we see you for a
few moments, Mr. Bending?"

"Certainly. Come on in; the door's unlocked." _Just walk in, you
phonies! Just trot right on in, he thought._

And they did. The two men walked in, removing their hats as they did so.

"We--" one of them began. He stopped when he saw that he was addressing
a round, black hole that was only a fraction more than a third of an
inch in diameter but looked much, _much_ larger from his viewpoint.

"Get your hands in the air and turn around very slowly," said Bending.
"Lean forward and brace your hands against the wall."

They did as they were told. Bending frisked them carefully and
thoroughly, thankful that the two years he had spent in the Army hadn't
been completely wasted. Neither one of them was carrying a gun.

Bending stepped back and pocketed his own weapon. "All right. You two
can turn around now. If you want to try anything,