Cass drove steadily on toward her country home deep in thoughts of her last visit to a Broadway show. She had gone to see “Hair” with Cornelius Friday—who, so it had turned out, was one heck of a lot like Earl Box! So intent were Cass' thoughts of that nerve-wracking, wrist- grabbing, wrestling-match of an evening in the second row of the orchestra (thank heaven it wasn't the first row-even the "Hair" players would have gotten uptight) that she did not notice the flashing red beacon which followed her until the trooper hit the siren just as she neared her exit. Darn, she thought noticing that there were no other cars in sight, he must want me to stop . . . I might be about to spend a night in the pokey . . . what a night to get busted-and so near home— and, gosh, I'm innocent officer-never even had a traffic ticket! She pulled off the expressway onto the shoulder, stopped and pressed a but- ton. The window hummed down revealing the head and shoulders of the wet policeman. She smiled mechanically.

"Hi... I was only doing fifty-five."

"I know," the policeman replied. His non-committal expression grew into a wide-eyed, leerish sort of smile as his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness inside Cass' car and her exquisite beauty became clearer to him. He looked past Cass and into the back of the car: "You all alone... out here?"

Cass grew nervous. She nodded. It was one-fifteen and she really was alone except for the one or two cars that whipped by in the fast lanes. She tried to ask what the problem was but her mouth had suddenly become very dry. She drew a deep breath and felt her face flush under the steady gaze of the officer. The trooper stood up and looked first toward the front of the car and then the back. He leaned down on the window ledge, his face not six inches from Cass' ear.

"You was just goin' to pull off here, right?"

"Yes."

“Do you live in the village?"

"No, I live out on Fillmore Drive," Cass was having difficulty pitch- ing her voice high.

The policeman snapped his fingers: "Gotcha! I thought I recognized the car. Bellingham's... right?"

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