n!" Boyd's voice said. "I've been trying to--"

"Hold it a second," Malone said. He opened his mouth, and then he saw
a car go by. The patrolman hadn't seen it. Malone felt sorry for the
driver, but not too sorry. "Say!" he said to the patrolman.

"Yes, sir?" the patrolman said.

"That boy was really going, wasn't he?" Malone said. "He must have
been doing at least ninety."

The patrolman jerked his head around to stare at the disappearing car.
"Well--" he said, and then: "Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Malone. Thanks.
I'll see you later." He raced for his machine, swung aboard and roared
down the road, guiding with one hand and manipulating the controls of
his radar set with the other.

Malone waved him a cheery farewell, and got back to the phone.

"Okay, Tom," he said. "Go ahead."

"Who was that you were talking to?" Boyd asked.

"Oh, just a motorcycle patrolman," Malone said. "He wanted to be
helpful, so I told him to go chase a Buick."

"Why a Buick?" Boyd said, interestedly.

"Why not?" Malone said. "There happened to be one handy at the time.
Now, what's on your mind?"

"I've been searching all over hell for you," Boyd said. "I wish you'd
just leave some word where you were going, and then I wouldn't have
to--"

"Damn it," Malone cut in. "Tom, just tell me what you want. In
straightforward, simple language. It just took me ten minutes to pry a
few idiotic facts out of a highway patrolman. Don't make me go through
it all over again with you."

"Okay, okay," Boyd said. "Keep your pants on. But here's the dope: I
just flew in from New York, and I brought all the files on the case--
the stuff you left in your office in New York, remember?"

"Right," Malone said. "Thanks."

"And I think we may be able to get the Big Cheese," Boyd went on.

"Manelli?" Malone said.

"None other than the famous Cesare Antonio," Boyd said. "It seems two
of his most valued lieutenants were found in a garage in Queens,
practically weighted down with machine-gun bullets."

Malone thought of Manelli, complaining sadly about the high overhead
of murder. "And where does that get us?" he said.

"Well," Boyd said, "whoever did the job forgot to search the bodies."

"Oh-oh," Malone said.

"Very much oh-oh," Boyd said. "They're loaded down, not only with
lead, but with paper. There are documents linking Manelli right up to
the International Truckers' Union--a direct tie-in with Mike Sand. And
Sand now says he's tied in with the