Manfully, Dexter dispatched half the contents of the schooner, after which he introduced himself and explained the nature of his mission to Sugardale. "I never figured on anything like this, though," he concluded.
"You must have made it through just before the road-block was set up," Jeremiah said. "You were lucky."
Dexter started at him. "Lucky! I lost my car."
"Pshaw. What's a car to a newspaper man when a Big Story's in the air? Take this newspaper fellow I saw on TV Saturday night. He—"
"Big Stories went out long ago," Dexter said. "Newspapermen work for a living the same as anybody else. Get back to my car. Aren't you going to do anything about it?"
Jeremiah looked hurt. "I've already done everything I can do. The minute I saw those tanks I knew it was a job for the army, and the state police agreed with me. So we notified them, after which we advised everybody to stay indoors and to keep their cars under lock and key. All we can do now is wait." Jeremiah sighed. "Crazy, if you ask me. Tanks eating automobiles!"
"I imagine," Dexter said thoughtfully, "that our diet would give them pause too. Where did this star of yours fall?"
"In Ed Hallam's north timber lot. Take you there, if you like. There's not much to see, though—just a big hole in the ground."
Dexter finished his beer. "Come on," he said.