the cab and took Clay's
vacant control seat. The snow had started falling again and in the
mid-morning light it tended to soften the harsh, utilitarian landscape
of the broad thruway stretching ahead to infinity and spreading out in
a mile of speeding traffic on either hand.

"Attention all cars on NAT 26-West and east," Washington Criminal
Control radio blared. "Special attention Cars 56 and 82. Suspect
vehicle, white over green Travelaire reported re-entered NAT 26-West
on St. Louis interchange 179. St. Louis Control reports communications
difficulty in delayed report. Vehicle now believed...."

"Car 56, Car 56," St. Louis Control broke in. "Our pigeon is in your
zone. Commercial carrier reports near miss sideswipe three minutes ago
in blue lane approximately three miles west of mile Marker 957.

"Repeating. Car 56, suspect car...."

Ben glanced at the radiodometer. It read 969, then clicked to 970.

"This is Five Six, St. Louis," he broke in, "acknowledged. Our
position is mile marker 970...."

Kelly had been glued to the video monitors since the first of the
bulletin. Suddenly she screamed and banged Ben on the shoulder. "There
they are. There they are," she cried, pointing at the blue lane
monitor.

Martin took one look at the white-topped car cutting through traffic
in the blue lane and slammed Beulah into high. The safety cocoons
slammed shut almost on the first notes of the bull horn. Trapped in
the shower, Clay was locked into the stall dripping wet as the water
automatically shut off with the movement of the cocoon.

* * * * *

"I have them in sight," Ben reported, as the patrol car lifted on its
air pad and leaped forward. "They're in the blue five miles ahead of
me and cutting over to the yellow. I estimate their speed at two
twenty-five. I am in pursuit."

Traffic gave way as Car 56 hurtled the divider into the blue.

The radio continued to snap orders.

"Cars 112, 206, 76 and 93 establish roadblocks at mile marker
crossover 1032. Car 82 divert all blue and yellow to green and
white."

Eight Two was one hundred fifty miles ahead but at
three-hundred-mile-an-hour speeds, 82's team was very much a part of
the operation. This would clear the two high-speed lanes if the
suspect car hadn't been caught sooner.

"Cars 414, 227 and 290 in NAT-26-East, move into the yellow to cover
in case our pigeon decides to fly the median." The controller
continued to move cars