He swung the door open for me to get in.

“I thought you might come up here,” he said as I sat beside him, “but I was a second or two too late. I saw you go in, but was too far away to catch you.”

“How’d you make out with the police?” I asked. “Better keep driving while we talk.”

“I didn’t know anything, couldn’t guess anything, didn’t have any idea of what you were working on, just happened to hit town and meet you. Old friends⁠—that line. They were still trying when the riot broke. They had me in one of the little offices across from the assembly room. When the circus cut loose I back-windowed them.”

“How’d the circus wind up?” I asked.

“The coppers shot hell out of them. They got the tip-off half an hour ahead of time, and had the whole neighborhood packed with specials. Seems it was a juicy row while it lasted⁠—no duck soup for the coppers at that. Whisper’s mob, I hear.”