worked out easy as pie except now we are stuck with a worthless chunk of gold.”

Catell took a deep breath, with an effort. When he spoke his voice sounded squeezed. “Otto, how come you know so much? How come it’s on again, off again, and nobody knows but you?”

Schumacher started to toss his hands in exasperation. Then he stopped as if the gesture had exhausted him.

“Tony, for God’s sake, I’m telling you straight. Something slipped and the bar you got was already hot. You’re worried how come I know so much? From the horse’s mouth I know, straight from the FBI bulletins on the radio, ads in the papers, and all of them screaming that the loot you got is radioactive. They send out warnings. Haven’t you read it or heard it?”

“I haven’t had time to read the papers.”

“All right, so I’m telling you. When radioactive stuff disappears, maybe stolen, they right away put out a total alarm. To you, to the guy that’s toting that dangerous stuff around and doesn’t know it.” Schumacher leaned back in his seat and unbuttoned his overcoat. He was sweating. “So listen to me, Tony, and listen to reason. We don’t know how hot that gold is, perhaps just a little, but it’s poison just the same. We’ve got to stay clear of it and we can’t move it right now. Not for a while. That radioactivity wears off in time, so it’ll be safe again after a while, but right now—” Schumacher made a helpless gesture.

Suddenly Catell felt so weary he could have lain down in the booth and slept. He felt that if he couldn’t sleep right now he might cry.

“The deal’s got to be canceled,” Schumacher was saying. “It came off good but it ended up bad. Later, maybe. Right now it’s a flop.”

The words came to Catell like a curse. They stung him with a fine, deep pain that gripped his body and shook him awake. He gritted his teeth and leaned toward Schumacher.

“And now I’ll say my piece. I don’t know about this radioactive crap, Otto, and it’s not going to scare me. It may be true what you say, and then again it may not. I’ve been toting this stuff around and nothing’s happened to to me. If it’s rotten or if it’s hot, that stuff won’t stop me, because I’m not stopping. Get that, Otto. Nothing’s going to stop me and I wouldn’t want you to be the one to try it.”

He took a deep breath. He felt all right again.

“Selma,” he said, “how’s it been for excitement?”

He was glad Selma was there. Right then he felt she was the sexiest female he had ever seen. He didn’t notice the wrinkles around her heavy eyes or the loose skin under her chin. He just saw her big face, which had been very handsome, and he noticed her white arms, which still had beautiful skin.

“How about a dance, kid?” he said.

“Tony,” Schumacher said, “where’s the gold?”

“Oh, leave him alone now, Otto. Can’t you ever stop talking business?”

“She’s right, Otto. We’ll talk tomorrow. We don’t need to push that stuff in this town. So we get rid of it someplace else. We’ll figure some other way. We won’t let this thing die on the vine, eh, Otto?”

This was the first time Catell had smiled in a long time. But he wasn’t looking at Otto. Selma smiled back at him and started to push her way out of the booth.

“Tony,” said Schumacher, “where’s that rotten gold?”

“Lemme out, Otto. Tony wants to dance with me.” Selma pushed against Schumacher’s side.

“Let the lady out, Otto,” Tony said. He got up, taking Schumacher by the arm.

“All right, Tony, all right. Go dance. But where’d you stash that gold? You got to tell me.”

Tony had pulled Schumacher to his feet and Selma got out of the booth. She stood close to Catell and didn’t move when he put his arm around her and dug his fingers into the flesh of her waist.

“The loot is safe, Otto. I left it at your place.”

“At my place? How’d you get in?”

“How’d I get in!” He laughed at Schumacher’s worried face.

“Tony, get it out of there, man. I’m telling you it’s dangerous stuff.” He clutched at Catell’s arm.

“Let go,” Catell said, and he gave Schumacher a vicious push.

The older man sat down in his seat with a thump and looked up at the couple. “Selma, you reason with him,” he said. “You and I aren’t safe with that