On my way out, Howlet caught me at the door of the bar.
"How about some coffee?" he asked. "We'll have to start back soon. You'll be surprised at the time. Dining room still open?"
"Always. Okay, let's sober up and watch the fountain."
Only two or three women and a dozen men sat in the restaurant now. The part-time musicians had disappeared for a few hours of sleep before their usual jobs. We ordered a thermos pot of coffee and Howlet asked me about McNaughton.
"I guess it was on the level," he said when I described the man's Committee position. "He got a boost out of how they had to patch up some troublemaker he knew, after that bar fight we had. Wanted to make me chief cop here."
"Some domes have regular police forces already," I confirmed.
"So he said. Claimed a lot of police chiefs have been elected as mayors. Then he said that someday there will be a Martian Assembly, and men with a start in dome politics will be ready for it, and so on."
"He's exactly right," I admitted. "When do you figure to start?"
"Maybe the next time I pass through." He winked. "If it's still open."
I relaxed and grinned at him. Somehow, I liked his looks just then.