was bobbing up and down as he munched on a
wad of chewing gum.

But I did not connect. As my fist completed but half its lethal orbit,
the officer blew up in my face! He went _pop_, just as so many others
had gone _pop_ at our wedding reception; his entire anatomy flying in
all directions, to turn into a cloud of sooty smoke and mix with the
elements.

I was frozen with consternation. But not Joy. Instantly she dragged me
back into the car. "Don't you get it? Uncle Peter gave him that stick of
gum!"

"You're damn right!" Bag Ears stated. "The old monkey's gone clear off
his trolley. Maybe he plans to clean out the whole town!"

Joy, her eyes slitted, was weaving in and out of traffic so as not to
lose track of the blue roadster. "It's as plain as your nose! He's hand
in glove with McCaffery and that blonde is bird-dogging him around town
and pointing out McCaffery's enemies. Uncle Peter is knocking them off
like clay pigeons."

I was amazed at this revelation, but was also thunderstruck by the
underworld jargon flowing so easily from Joy's luscious lips. "Angel," I
gasped. "Where did you learn to talk like that? Those underworld terms!"

"I read all the true detective magazines I can get my hands on," she
said. "They're good fun, but that's beside the point. We've got to nail
Uncle Peter and nail him quick, or Aunt Gretchen will ring up a nice big
zero in the social world."

"How about nailing him without me?" Bag Ears suggested. "It's nine
o'clock and Red Nose Tessie never likes to miss none of the show."

"I'm sure, Bag Ears," Joy said, "that Tessie would sympathize with our
efforts to keep Uncle Peter out of the electric chair."

"I doubt it," he replied dubiously. "Tessie's brother got burned in
Frisco for knocking over a bank clerk and Tessie never even attended.
Let him fry in his own grease was what she said about it."

"Nevertheless," Joy said, "I have no time to stop and let you out."

A fast, fifteen-block chase followed. Once we lost the blue roadster
completely, but, by sheer luck, picked it up three blocks further on as
it came wheeling out of a side street.

We were in a quiet residential section now, so there was no one to
interfere as Joy skillfully forced the roadster to the curb. I jumped
out and leaped swiftly toward the driver's door.

* * * * *

The blonde sat behind the wheel with a sullen look on her face. "What is
this?" she asked. "A stickup?"