hit the floor in a flat dive as the purple
streak of a stat blast flashed through the space where he had been.
The jockey needed no further stimulation. He slammed his foot down and
we took off with a screech of polyprene, whipped around the next
corner and headed for the hub, the cops, and safety.

"Figured you was jerking some guy, Cyril," the jockey said over his
shoulder. "But who is he?"

* * * * *

Redman picked himself off the floor as I swore under my breath. The
jockey _would_ have to know me. Abie'd hear of my part in this by
morning and my hide wouldn't be worth the price of a mangy rat skin. I
had to get out of town--fast! And put plenty of distance between me
and Marsport. This dome--this planet--wasn't going to be healthy for
quite a while. Abie was the most unforgiving man I knew where money
was concerned, and if the large, coarse notes dripping from Redman's
pockets were any indication, there was lots of money concerned.

"Where to now, Cyril?" the jockey asked.

There was only one place to go. I damned the greed that made me pick
Redman up. I figured that he'd be grateful to the tune of a couple of
kilomunits but what was a couple of thousand if Abie thought I was
mixed up in this? Lucky I had a spaceship even if she was an
unconverted Centaurian. I could stand the cramped quarters a lot
better than I could take a session in Abie's back room. I'd seen what
happened to guys who went in there, and it wasn't pretty. "To the
spaceport," I said, "and don't spare the hydrocarbons."

"Gotcha!" the jock said and the whine of the turbine increased another
ten decibels.

"Thanks, Wallingford," Redman said. "If you hadn't pulled me out I'd
have had to shoot somebody. And I don't like killing. It brings too
many lawmen into the picture." He was as cool as ice. I had to admire
his nerve.

"Thanks for nothing," I said. "I figured you'd be grateful in a more
solid manner."

"Like this?" he thrust a handful of bills at me. There must have been
four thousand in that wad. It cheered me up a little.

"Tell me where you want to get off," I said.

"You said you have a spaceship," he countered.

"I do, but it's a Centaurian job. I might be able to squeeze into it
but I doubt if you could. About the only spot big enough for you
would be the cargo hold, and the radiation'd fry you before we even
made Venus."

He grinned at me. "I'll take the chance," he said.

"Okay, sucker," I