But he was too late: Stern's hand had already touched his neck. Patrolman Garetti didn't argue in the least when the Sergeant said: "Okay, Garetti; let's get to Manhattan as fast as possible. Use the siren."

John Stern leaned back and relaxed while the police car headed toward Manhattan with its siren wide open. The cars ahead of them pulled over to the side as the State Police roared down the road toward Manhattan.

The road was fairly empty, that late at night. They sped toward the city at eighty miles an hour, roared down the open stretches of flat roadway into the city.

The highway crowded up in Queens, but they hit the Triboro, crossed over into Manhattan, and moved on down Fifth Avenue toward 582.

"Okay," Stern said, as they reached Fiftieth Street. "Cut the siren and pull up outside 582. I'll take care of it from here."

The officers did as ordered. When Stern got out, he said, "Forget all about what has happened. Go back to your beat."

The policemen pulled away without a sound.

Stern looked up at the building. There was still a light on the eighteenth floor.

But—how could he get up there? The front door was locked. If he broke in, he'd have to deal with another group of cops—and that was too risky.

What could he do? To get to the eighteenth floor, he'd have to get into the building, open the elevator, go....

Stern shook his head. It wasn't worth it. He flexed his muscles and looked up the side of the building. It wasn't too high: it could be done. Stern squeezed his fingers together and began the climb up the sheer side of the great building.

It was nearly half an hour later that John Stern pulled himself up outside the eighteenth floor of the suite occupied by Matt Skardoth.

Hanging precariously by his fingertips, he looked inside the brightly illuminated window. Inside, he saw Matt Skardoth watching Elizabeth Kirk, who was tightly bound to a chair in the corner of the room.

"It's too bad your hero's been killed," Skardoth said. "Because now there's no one to rescue you."

"What are you going to do to me, Skardoth?" he heard the girl ask.

"Unfortunately, you've found out too much about my plans, 

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