A kick in the ribs reminded him he was still helpless. "All right, get back in there." They aimed him through the vault door and kept kicking him until he went. They hauled him up into his chair. He tried to strike out blindly, but his chest was full of licking flames that spread pain out to his shoulders. Now rope whipped around his feet, hands, chest and neck, jerking his body hard against the castered desk-chair and cramping his head back. "Tie him good. No way to lock him in with this door." Neff opened his eyes. The boys were wet blurs rummaging through his desk. "Look! Just look at that! We can't carry all that." "Get one of those burlap sacks out there. By the door." Footsteps went and returned. "Now, just the small bills. Up to twenty. No, Jerry, leave the big stuff alone. Who'd take one from a kid?" "Okay, let's make tracks." "Wait!" Neff said desperately. "My legs and hands. You've cut off the circulation!" * * * * * Something hard like the barrel of a gun rapped down on the top of his head. "I ought to blow your dirty brains out. Killing my little sister's dog, damn you. Damn you, I think I will kill you. Damn you, damn you!" the voice crested. "Wait a minute Jerry," the other voice cut in. "I got a better idea. Here. Look at this." Short silence. "Yeah! Yeah, that's just dandy. Look how thin he is. That's just what the doctor ordered. Okay, the top's loose. Stand by the door and don't let him get by you. Wait. Got your flash? Good! In the dark. That's real good. Which switch is it?" "Throw them both." "Okay. Flash it over here. Look out, here I come!" "Hurry up! Look at that hungry, black-eyed little devil. That ought to fix up the son-of-a--" ..._Thunk!_ The compression rammed heavily into Neff's ears. The bolts shot solidly into place from the outside, and the combination knob rang faintly as it was spun. Silence. They'd go out the same way they came in and tack the board back in place. How long before anybody would miss him? Twenty-four hours? Hell, no. Nobody would bust a gut worrying that soon. Two days? Some weeks he was gone several days making the rounds of his loan offices. A week? Maybe. Girls at the Palace would get suspicious. Tell Collin Burns. But a week! They'd cut off the blower when they threw both switches. No ventilation. No air. Neff strained at the ropes. His legs were pulled under the seat so tightly that his feet were turning numb. Hands were tingling, too. Dirty little sadists. Turning John loose thinking-- He _had_ to get loose. Less than one day's air, then-- "John!" Thank God John wasn't an ordinary rat. "John, come over to me. These ropes. Chew them, John. Come on, John. Come on, boy." No sound at first, then a faint motion in the old newspapers. "John, say the alphabet!" "Eh--bih----" "That's right. Go on!" "Fih----jih----" The squeaking stopped. "Come over to me, John. Come to me, boy."