you."

"Then she swiped the book to protect her little brother," Malone said.
"Oh, boy."

"Exactly, Sir Kenneth," the Queen said.

"And she doesn't care about me at all," Malone said. "I mean, she only
went out with me because I was me. Malone. And she wanted the
notebook. That was all there was to it." He added an expletive. The
Queen frowned, but said nothing about it.

"I wouldn't say that if I were you," she went on. "Quite the contrary.
She does like you, you know. And she thinks you're a very nice
person." The Queen beamed. "You are, you know," she said.

"Oh," Malone said uncomfortably. "Sure."

"You don't have to think that she merely went out with you because of
her brother's notebook," the Queen said. "But she does have a strong
sense of loyalty--and he is--her younger brother, after all."

"He sure is," Malone said. "He's a great kid, little Mike."

"You see," the Queen continued imperturbably, "Mike told her about
losing the notebook the other night--when he struck you."

"When he struck me," Malone said. "Oh, yes. He struck me, all right."

"He guessed that you must have it when you started asking questions
about the Silent Spooks, you see," the Queen said. "That was the only
way you could have found out about him--unless you were telepathic.
Which, of course, you're not."

"No," Malone said.

"Now, understand me," the Queen said. "I do not think that his
striking you was a very nice act."

"I don't either," Malone said. "It hurt like--it hurt quite a lot."

"Certainly," the Queen said. "But he didn't hurt the car any, and he
didn't want to. He just wanted to ride around in it for a while."

"He likes red Cadillacs," Malone said.

"Oh, yes," the Queen said. "He thinks they're wonderful."

"Good for him," Malone said sourly.

"Well, now," the Queen said. "You just go right on over to her house.
Of course she doesn't live with an aunt."

"No," Malone said. "She lives with Mike and his mother."

"Why not?" the Queen said. "She's part of the family."

Malone nodded silently.

"She'll give you the book, Sir Kenneth. I just know that she will. And
I want you to be very nice to her when you ask for it. She's a very
nice girl, you know."

"She's a swell girl," Malone said morosely. "And I'll--hey. Wait a
minute."

"Yes, Sir Kenneth?"

"How come you can read her thoughts?" Malone said. "And Mike's? I
thought you had to know somebody pretty well before you could read
them at a distan