He pushed through the door into a rich carpeted reception room. At the far end was a second door beside which sat a desk, door and desk being railed off from the rest of the office. The door into Albert Peet's inner sanctum was ajar. Jaro could distinguish voices; then quite clearly he heard Albert Peet say in a high girlish tone: "Stanley, I thought I left you in the native quarter. Why did you follow me? How many times have I told you never to come here?" The reply was unintelligible. Then the pale-faced young man came through the door shutting it after himself. At the sight of Jaro Moynahan he froze. "What're you sneaking around here for?" Jaro settled himself warily, his light blue eyes flicking over the youth. "Let's get this straight," he said mildly. "I've known your kind before. Frankly, ever since I saw you I've had to repress a desire to step on you as I might a spider." The youth's black eyes were hot as coals, his fingers twitching. His hands began to creep upward. "You dirty ..." he began, but he got no further. Jaro Moynahan shot him in the shoulder. The compressed air slug gun had seemed to leap into Jaro's hand. The big slug, smacked the gunman's shoulder with a resounding thwack, hurled him against the wall. Jaro vaulted the rail, deftly relieved him of two poisoned needle guns. "I'll get you for this," said Stanley, his mouth twisted in pain. "You've broken my shoulder. I'll kill you." The door to the inner sanctum swung open. "What's happened?" cried Albert Peet in distress. "What's wrong with you, Stanley?" "This dirty slob shot me in the shoulder." "But how badly?" Peet was wringing his hands. "Nothing serious," said Jaro. "He'll have his arm in a sling for a while. That's all." "Stanley," said Mr. Peet. "You're bleeding all over my carpet. Why can't you go in the washroom. There's a tile floor in there. If you hadn't disobeyed this wouldn't have happened. You and your fights. Has anyone called a doctor? Where's Miss Webb? Miss Webb! Oh, Miss Webb! That girl. Miss Webb!" * * * * * Stanley climbed to his feet, swayed a moment drunkenly, then wobbled out a door on the left just as a tall brunette hurried in from the right. She had straight black hair which hung not quite to her shoulders, and dark brown eyes, and enough of everything else to absorb Jaro's attention. "Oh!" exclaimed Miss Webb as she caught sight of the blood staining the carpet. [Illustration: _Joan Webb_] "There's been an--ah--accident," said Mr. Peet, and he licked his lips. "Call a doctor, Miss Webb." Miss Webb raised an eyebrow, went to the visoscreen. In a moment she had tuned in the prim starched figure of a nurse seated at a desk. "Could Dr. Baer rush right over here? There's been an accident." "Rush over where?" said the girl in the visoscreen. "These gadgets aren't telepathic, honey." "Oh," said Miss Webb, "the offices of the Latonka Trust."