"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Mr. Jay said when he answered the knock on the door of his suite at the hotel.
"Take it easy," Pete Madrid said, pushing past him. "I'm the one who got hurt."
Mr. Jay's beard jerked angrily. "Did you have to come straight here? Don't you know he'll be watching you?"
"I'm not that stupid. He's having breakfast at the restaurant."
They went into Mr. Jay's little parlor. Madrid eased himself into a chair. Mr. Jay stood glaring at him.
"So he let you out. Hobson too?" Mr. Jay said.
"He and Hobson are having breakfast together."
"Will Hobson talk?"
"Maybe. But all he can say is that Pinky promised him ten dollars if he'd break some bones. Pinky had a grudge from back in Idaho, so there's nothing to point to anybody else."
Mr. Jay considered that. When he spoke, his tone was milder. "We've all been stupid. We underestimated the man. How bad are you hurt?"