Biddy shrugged. "Well, I'll be with you and you're an old person so
that ought to make it all right."
"Well--"
"Anyhow, let's worry about that later. You make the jeep go real slow
and I'll ride beside you. I can make Buck go faster that way."
"All right."
So the strange little cavalcade started slowly off across the desert.
Biddy prattled on as she rode the phlegmatic Buck beside the jeep and
Davey's heart sang a song within him, a crazy, ecstatic song: _We're
looking for Joe. We're riding over the night desert hunting for him.
And maybe we aren't the only ones. Maybe everybody in the world is
stumbling through the darkness looking for Joe._ What Davey's heart
was saying made little sense to his mind. But he did not question
its source. He was only twenty-one and not a wise philosopher so he
completely over-looked the wisdom of his instinct....
Cecil Bates sat in the Sage Bend tavern celebrating his luck and
preparing for his triumph. This preparation consisted of spreading the
word because his very nature demanded witnesses or there would be no
triumph at all.
"So you know where this foreign invader is, eh Ceec?"
"Sure do." Cecil emptied his shot glass and tapped his forehead with a
knowing finger. "Used my head. Used my head, I did."
"Old blind Haney led you right to the stop, huh?"
"Almost as close as I am to you. Now nobody'd think a blind man could
do a thing like that--nobody but a man who uses his head like I do."
"You sure are smart Ceec. You say you actually saw the machine he's
going to blow us up with?"
"Not us, I don't think. I think the rat's after our space station. Now
what better spot could they pick? Visibility clear as a bell out here--"
"Think he's from the Eastern Bloc, Ceec?"
"Course he is. Where else could he come from?"
* * * * *
The voice of a more logical hanger-on came from somewhere in the
greatening group. "But it doesn't make sense to come over here to do
it. Too risky. They've got deserts over there--just as good visibility."
* * * * *
Cecil was annoyed. Always some guy goofing things up. "Is that so? Well
listen to me. Just what in the hell do you know about the mechanics of
space-fire and locations and--and things? Seems to me you take a mighty
lenient view of things in general mister. It sure does."
"Gosh, Ceec--I didn't mean--"
"Then keep your trap shut." Cecil Bates glanced around. Plenty of
people here now. Quite a crowd. "Me--I'm going out and get him. I'll
have him back in town in an hour. We'll show those rats we got pretty
alert law around here."
"You going alone, Ceec?"
"Sure am." Bates got up and walked importantly toward the door. There,
he stopped and turned. "Course, if a body of citizens tagged along to
see how justice works, I guess there's nothing I could do about it." He
grinned and winked.
A shout of approval went up and last drinks were hurriedly slopped down
and additional quickies ordered. Then they followed Cecil Bates out
into the street, moving with drunken anticipation of excitement.
Loaded with the dynamite of irresponsibility.
They streamed out of town behind Cecil Bates' car, not stopping to get
other cars or mount horses for fear of being left behind. There was no
danger of that however. Bates was not eager to face the strange man in
the cave without some show of force in his wake so he traveled slowly
enough for all to follow....
* * * * *
Dan and Jane Parker stood on their porch watching the town empty
out into the desert. Jane said, "Dan! You must do something.
They're--they're dangerous!"