Basil rose to a sitting position, shook his head to clear his senses, looked up at Earl, and grinned feebly. He said, his speech thick and clumsy, "Now I believe you. That paralysis gun did it."
Earl was startled. "You didn't believe me before?"
"Hell no!" Basil sighed. "I just thought you were going a long ways to explain what some people would call a sordid affair." His grin became more natural. "I was right though. This George Ladd is now a hero." He frowned. "Only—your Nadine didn't seem to want to be rescued."
"Get up and move around," Earl said desperately. "Get some circulation back. We may still be able to catch up with them and get her back."
"I don't know," Basil said doubtfully, getting to his feet. "I hate the idea of that paralysis gun."
"I've got a gun too," Earl said.
He half stumbled toward the bench with the locked drawer. He searched for his keys, remembered he had left them in the hall door. He started for the door, then stopped. The locked drawer was open and damaged. A heavy screwdriver was on the table over it. The drawer was empty.
"He got my gun!" Earl said. "He got the stasis spheres too!"
Basil came to stand beside him and stare broodingly into the empty drawer. "That does it," he mumbled. "Now you don't have anything."
"There's that thing out on the hill," Earl said. "Maybe George Ladd headed for that. He hasn't had time to get located in town. We can find him hiding out there. Wait until I get a flashlight."