back to
him. He wondered how well barricaded they were.

He felt the curious eyes of Mother Corey dancing from him to Izzy and
back, and heard the old man's chuckle. "Put a uniform on some men and
they begin to believe they're cops, eh, cobber?"

He shoved up from the table abruptly and headed for his room, swearing
to himself.

Chapter VIII

VOTE EARLY AND OFTEN

Izzy was up first the next morning, urging them to hurry before things
began to hum. From somewhere, he dug up a suit of clothes that Murdoch
could wear. He found the gun that Gordon had confiscated from O'Neill
and filled it from a box of ammunition he'd apparently purchased.

"I picked up some special permits," he said. "I knew you had this
cannon, gov'nor, and I figured it'd come in handy. Wouldn't be caught
dead with one myself. Knives, that's my specialty. Come on, Cap'n, we
gotta get out the vote."

Murdoch shook his head. "In the first place, I'm not registered."

Izzy grinned. "Every cop's registered in his own precinct; Wayne got the
honor system fixed for us. Show your papers and go into any booth in
your territory. That's all. And you'd better be seen voting often, too,
Cap'n. What's your precinct?"

"Eleventh, but I'm not voting. I'd like to come along with you to
observe, but I wouldn't make any choice between Wayne and Nolan."

Downstairs, the rear room was locked, with one of Mother Corey's guards
at the door. From inside came the rare sound of water splashing, mixed
with a wheezing, off-key caterwauling. Mother Corey was apparently
making good on his promise to take a bath. As they reached the hall, one
of Trench's lieutenants came through the entrance, waving his badge at
the protesting man outside.

He spotted the three, and jerked his thumb. "Come on, you. We're late.
And I ain't staying on the streets when it gets going."

A small police car was waiting outside, and they headed for it. Bruce
Gordon looked at the debacle left behind the drunken, looting mob. Most
of the barricades were down. Here and there, a few citizens were rushing
about trying to restore them, keeping wary eyes on the mobsters who had
passed out on the streets.

Suddenly a siren blasted out in sharp bursts, and the lieutenant jumped.
"Come on, you gees. I gotta be back in half an hour."

They piled inside, and the little electric car took off at its top
speed. But now the quietness had been broken. There were trucks coming
out of the plastics p