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. So go on.What are you driving at? I was just thinking you remember what you said to Rilker about werewolves? Youmight not have been too far wrong. That s ridiculous. Not really.Say they ve existed throughout recorded history.If they really are assmart as we think, people in the past would have believed that they were men turned intowolves. Then what happened? Why did the legends die out? He braced his knee against the glove compartment and slumped in the seat. Maybethe reason is that the population of the world grew.Back in the past their hunts werenoticed because there were so few people.But as the population got bigger they startedconcentrating on the dregs, the isolated, the forgotten people who wouldn t be missed.Typical predators in that respect they only take the weak. She glanced at him as she drove. I think that s a hell of an idea, she said. I don tthink it s very good news for you and me, though. He laughed. We re not weak.That probably means they ll be very careful.There alsoisn t any knowledge about them at all, which must mean that they re very thorough aboutcovering their tracks. He means that they hunt down people like us, Becky thought as she guided the carthrough the traffic.It was like being in a bad dream, this feeling of being hunted.Hermind kept going back to the shadow on the ceiling, the shadow on the ceiling& the patientshadow waiting for that single, perfect instant when it could destroy the woman whoknew its secret.The world was whirling around her, around her and Wilson, a world oflights and voices and warmth except for the darting shape, the shadow leaping inpursuit. It s a shame nobody believes us, Wilson said. I mean, it s a shame the& things arewasting their time hunting us down, seeing as how we couldn t reveal them even if wewanted to. He rubbed his face. Except maybe to Rilker and Evans.Even Ferguson ifhe ll quit worrying about what they ll say in Science News.But we just might be able toconvince Rilker and Evans hell, I don t care what they decide is after us, I just wantthem to know we re in danger and give us a hand! He turned his head, looking at herwith a haggard face. You know, that Ferguson was a prize jerk.I think he was attractedto you. He s jealous, she thought, and he doesn t even know it. I could tell he was a jerk fromthe first moment I saw him, she said; he looked like one. There, Wilson will like that.True to her expectations he put his arm out along the seat. I like it when you wear that smell. I m not wearing any perfume. Must be your deodorant then.It s very nice. Thank you. The poor man, his best efforts were so terrible.She felt a twinge ofsorrow for him; his loneliness was becoming more and more obvious to her. You re verysweet to say that, she heard herself say, but the words sounded false.Apparently they did to him, too, because he didn t say anything more.When theyreached Police Headquarters Becky pulled the car to a stop on a crowded nearby streetrather than risk the big, empty garage beneath the building. We ve got to try and get Underwood to assign a special detail, she said when theywere back in their office.Wilson nodded.He sat down at their desk and shuffled throughthe papers heaped on top of it: a day-old Times covered with coffeecup rings, a copy ofthe New York magazine crossword, half a dozen departmental memos. Nobody ever calls us, he said. So let s call Underwood ourselves.We ve got to do something, we can t just letourselves rot. Don t say that! It does bad things to my gut.Why don t you call Underwood? Hello, this is the Detective with a capital D.You know the one? Well, please assign me a specialprotective detail.You see, I m being chased by these werewolves.That ll get action. An invitation from Psychiatric Services and a little confidential note in the oldpersonnel file.I know.But we don t want protection, we want to eliminate the menace! You think we can, Becky? We ve got to try. So we ll call Evans and Rilker and try to get them on our side.And maybe even thescientist will put his two cents in if Rilker pushes him.Stranger things have happened.Maybe we ll at least get a scratch squad together, enough men to uncover some positiveevidence. Becky didn t feel particularly confident but she got on the phone.Wilson didn t evenoffer to lend a hand; they both knew that his services were, at best, counterproductive inthe area of convincing people to give him help.Evans listened to the story.Rilker said he had suspected something like that.Ferguson was willing to attend the meeting as long as absolutely everything was off therecord.Becky considered offering him the loan of a false beard and dark glasses but let itgo. Three hits, Wilson said, they can t resist you. Now, now, don t get jealous.All that s left is for you to get an appointment withUnderwood. Despite his lack of skill with people, there was no way that Wilson could avoid being theone to call Underwood.He was senior man on the team, and their mere connection withthe Chief of Detectives was a major disruption of the chain of command
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