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It was just past three an that read Zachry: pop 67 He groaned Another in an endless string of Maine seaside towns He closed his eyes hard a second, then opened theed forward under him Maybe, with luck, he’d reach a decent motel soon It certainly wasn’t likely there’d be one in Zachry: pop 67

Mr Ketchus It had been a sour vacation Motoring through New England’s historic beauty, coia hat he’d planned Instead, he’d found only boredom, exhaustion and over-expense

Mr Ketchum was not pleased

The town see its Main Street The only sound was that of the car’s engine, the only sight that of his raised head bean Speed 15 Li down on the gas pedal Three o’clock in the h their lousy has rush past his

Goodbye Zachry, he thought Farewell, pop 67

Then the other car appeared in the rear-viewred spotlight on its roof He knehat kind of car it was His foot curled off the accelerator and he felt his heartbeat quicken Was it possible they hadn’t noticed how fast he was going?

The question was answered as the dark car pulled up to the Ford and ahat leaned out of the frontPull over!’ he barked

Sing dryly, Mr Ketchuency brake, turned the ignition key and the car was still The police car nosed in towards the kerb and stopped The right front door opened

The glare of Mr Ketchu He felt around quickly with his left foot and staain Damned nuisance this Three am in the middle of nowhere and a hick policeritted his teeth and waited

The man in the dark uniform and wide-brimmed hat leaned over into the’Licence’

Mr Ketchu hand into his inside pocket and drew out his billfold He felt around for his licence He handed it over, noticed how expressionless the face of the policeman was He sat there quietly while the policeht beam on the licence

’Froht,’ said Mr Ketchu at the licence Mr Ketchuether ’It hasn’t expired,’ he finally said

He saw the dark head of the policeht blinded hione Mr Ketchu eyes

’Don’t they read traffic signs in New Jersey?’ the policen that said p-population sixty-seven?’

’No, 1 don’t n,’ said the policeman

’Oh’ Mr Ketchun I saw,’ he said

’You’re a bad driver then’

’Well, I’n said the speed li fifty’

’Oh I I’m afraid I didn’t see it’

’The speed limit is fifteen miles an hour whether you see it or not’

’Well at �C at this hour of the n?’ the policeman asked

’No, of course not I n at all,’

’Didn’t you?’

Mr Ketchu the nape of his neck ’No see here,’ he began faintly, then stopped and stared at the policeman ’May I have my licence back?’ he finally asked when the police He stood on the street, motionless

’May I -?’ Mr Ketchum started

’Follow our car,’ said the officer abruptly and strode away

Mr Ketchum stared at him, dumbfounded Hey wait! he aliven him back his licence Mr Ketchum felt a sudden coldness in his stomach

’What is this?’ heback into his car The police car pulled away froain

Mr Ketchum followed

’This is ridiculous,’ he said aloud They had no right to do this Was this the Middle Ages? His thick lips pressed into a jadedMain Street

Two blocks up, the police car turned Mr Ketchulass store front Hand’s Groceries read the weather-worn letters

There were no lae Ahead were only the three red eyes of the police car’s rear lights and spotlight; behind only iht Mr Ketchu in Zachry, Maine He shook his head and groaned Why hadn’t he just spent his vacation in Newark; slept late, gone to shows, eaten, watched television?

The police car turned right at the next corner, then, a block up, turned left again and stopped Mr Ketchuhts went out There was no sense in this This was only cheap melodrama They could just as easily have fined hi soeful egle He’d pay his fine without a word and depart He jerked up the hand brake Suddenly he frowned, realising that they could fine hie him 500 if they chose! The heavy man had heard stories about small town police, about the absolute authority they wielded He cleared his throat viscidly Well, this is absurd, he thought What foolish iination

The policeman opened the door

’Get out,’ he said

There was no light in the street or in any building Mr Ketchuure of the policeman

’Is this the �C station?’ he asked

Turn out your lights and come on,’ said the policeot out The police noise-as if they were inside an unlighted warehouse instead of on a street Mr Ketchulanced upward The illusion was complete There were neither stars nor ether blackly

The policeers claht hiure of the police in a voice not entirely fa The other policeman fell into step on the other side of him Mr Ketchu their best to intimidate him Well they wouldn’t succeed

Mr Ketchu air and let it shudder out A cru the streets at three in theRidiculous

He almost tripped over the step when they reached it The policeht him under the elbow

’Thank you,’ Mr Ketchum muttered automatically The policeman didn’t reply Mr Ketchued a fleeting s this get to him

He blinked as the door was pulled open and, despite hih hiht There was the podiumed desk, there a bulletin board, there a black, pot-bellied stove unlit, there a scarred bench against the wall, there a door, there the floor covered with cracked and grireen

’Sit down and wait,’ said the first policeled face, his swarthy skin There was no division in his eyes between iris and pupil It was all one darkness He wore a dark uniforet to see the other policeman because both of the the closed door a moment Should he leave, drive away? No, they’d have his address on the licence Then again, they ht actually want him to attempt to leave You never knehat sort of warped ht even �C shoot him down if he tried to leave

Mr Ketchuination run amuck This was merely a s to fine him for-

Well, why didn’t they fine hi? The heavy ether Very well, let the anyway He closed his eyes I’ll just rest theain It was damned quiet He looked around the dimly lit room The walls were dirty and bare except for a clock and one picture that hung behind the desk It was a painting �C more likely a reproduction �C of a bearded man The hat he as a seaman’s hat Probably one of Zachry’s ancient mariners No; probably not even that Probably a Sears Roebuck print: Bearded Searunted to himself Why a police station should have such a print was beyond him Except, of course, that Zachry was on the Atlantic Probably itsAnyhat did it aze

In the next room he could hear the muffled voices of the two police but he couldn’t He glared at the closed door Coain Three twenty-two He checked it with his wrist watch About right The door opened and the two police one �C the one who had taken Mr Ketchum’s licence �C went over to the raised desk and switched on the gooseneck laer out of the top drawer and started writing in it At last, thought Mr Ketchum

A minute passed

’I -’ Mr Ketchu your -’

His voice broke off as the cold gaze of the policeer and fixed on him

’Are you That is, am I to be �C fined now?’

The policeer ’Wait,’ he said

’But it’s past three in the ht hierent ’Very well/ he said curtly ’Would you kindly tellin the ledger Mr Ketchuht This was the last dao within a hundred land

The policeman looked up ’Married?’ he asked

Mr Ketchum stared at him

’Are you married?’

’No, I �C it’s on the licence,’ Mr Ketchum blurted He felt a tremor of pleasure at his retort and, at the sa back to the man

’Family in Jersey?’ asked the policeman

’Yes I mean no, Just a sister in Wiscons -’

Mr Ketchum didn’t finish He watched the policeman write it down He wished he could rid himself of this queasy distress

’Employed?’ asked the policeman

Mr Ketchum sed ’Well,’ he said, ’I -1 have no one particular em -’

’Unemployed,’ said the policeman

’Not at all; not at all,’ said Mr Ketchum stiffly I’m a �C a free-lance salesman I purchase stocks and lots from’ His voice faded as the policeman looked at him Mr Ketchum sed three times before the lu on the very edge of the bench as if poised to spring to the defence of his life He forced himself to settle back He drew in a deep breath Relax, he told himself Deliberately, he closed his eyes There He’d catch a few Winks May as well ht

The roo of the clock Mr Ketchu beats He shifted his heavy fraht

Mr Ketchum opened his eyes and frowned That daine that bearded sea at you

’Uhr

Mr Ketchum’sHe started forward on the bench, then shrank back

A swarthy-faced man was bent over him, hand on Mr Ketchum’s shoulder

’Yes?’ Mr Ketchu

The man smiled

’Chief Shipley,’ he said ’Would you come into my office?’

’Oh,’ said Mr Ketchu at the stiffness in his back muscles The runt, his eyesautomatically to the wall clock It was a few minutes past four

’Look,’ he said, not yet awake enough to feel intimidated ’Why can’t I pay my fine and leave?’

Shipley’s ss a little different here in Zachry,’ he said

They entered a s office

’Sit down,’ said the chief, walking around the desk while Mr Ketchuht-backed chair that creaked

’I don’t understand why I can’t pay my fine and leave’

’In due course,’ said Shipley

’But -’ Mr Ketchuave the ’ i nohis teeth, the heavy man cleared his throat and waited while the chief looked down at a sheet of paper on his desk He noticed how poorly Shipley’s suit fitted Yokels, the heavy ht, don’t even kno to dress

’1 see you’re notGive them a taste of their own no-talk medicine he decided

’Have you friends in Maine?’ Shipley asked

’Why?’

’Just routine questions, Mr Ketchum,’ said the chief Tour only family is a sister in Wisconsin?’

Mr Ketchu What had all this to do with a traffic violation?

’Sir?’ asked Shipley

’I already told you; that is, I told the officer I don’t see -’

’Here on business?’

Mr Ketchu ! he ordered himself furiously

’Routine Are you here on business?’

’I’m on my vacation And I don’t see this at all! I’ve been patient up to now but, blast it, I demand to be fined and released!’

’I’m afraid that’s impossible,’ said the chief

Mr Ketchuht on ’I -1 don’t understand,’ he said

’You’ll have to appear before the judge’

’But that’s ridiculous’

’Is it?’

’Yes, it is I’hts’

Chief Shipley’s shts when you broke our law,’ he said ’Now you have to pay for it as we declare’

Mr Ketchum stared blankly at the man He realised that he was co they pleased or put him in jail indefinitely All these questions he’d been asked; he didn’t knohy they’d asked them but he knew that his answers revealed him as almost rootless, with no one who cared if he lived or �C

The room seemed to totter Sweat broke out on his body

’You can’t do this,’ he said; but it was not an arguht in jail,’ said the chief ’In the e’

’But this is ridiculous!’ Mr Ketchuht himself ’I’m entitled to one phone call,’ he said quickly ’I can ht,’

’It would be,’ said Shipley, ’if there was any telephone service in Zachry’

When they took hi in the hall It was of the same bearded seaman Mr Ketchum didn’t notice if the eyes followed him or not

Mr Ketchum stirred A look of confusion lined his sleep-nu sound behind him; he reared up on his elbow

A policeman came into the cell and set down a covered tray

’Breakfast,’ he said He was older than the other policerey, his cleanly shaved faced seamed around the mouth and eyes His unifor the door, Mr Ketchue?’

The policeman looked at him a moment ’Don’t know/ he said and turned away

’Wait!’ Mr Ketchu footsteps of the policeman sounded hollowly on the ce at the spot where the policeman had been Veils of sleep peeled froers over his eyes and held up his wrist Seven oing to hear about this! His nostrils twitched He sniffed, started to reach for the tray; then pulled back his hand

’No,’ he muttered He wouldn’t eat their da at his sock-covered feet

His storumbled uncooperatively