The Door to December

puzzled expression lay upon Seames's anachronistically young face.
     'Where have they gone?' Dan asked.
     'I was hoping you could tell me ,' Seames said.
     'At my suggestion, she hired around-the-clock bodyguards—'
     'California Paladin.'
     'Yeah, that's right. But as far as I know, they weren't going to recommend that she go into hiding or anything like that. They were going to stay here with her.'
     'One of them was here. An Earl Benton—'
     'Yes, I know him.'
     'Until about an hour ago. Then, without warning, he split with Laura McCaffrey and the girl, went out of here like a bat out of hell. We have a surveillance van across the street.'
     'Oh?'
     'They tried to follow Benton, but he was moving too fast,' Seames frowned. 'In fact, it seemed like he was trying to give us the slip as much as anything else. You have any idea why he'd want to do that?'
     'Just a wild guess. I'm probably totally off the wall to even suggest it. But maybe he doesn't trust you.'
     'We're here to protect the child.'
     'You sure our government wouldn't like to have her for a while, to try to figure out what McCaffrey and Hoffritz were doing with her in that gray room?'
     'We might,' Seames admitted. 'That decision hasn't been made yet. But this is America, you know—'
     'So I've heard.'
     '—and we wouldn't kidnap her.'
     'What would you call it — "borrowing" her?'
     'We'd want to have her mother's permission for whatever tests we'd run.'
     Dan sighed, not sure what to believe.
     Seames said, 'You didn't maybe tell Benton that he should get them out from under us, did you?'
     'Why would I do that? I'm a public servant, same as you.'
     'Then you always work these hours, all day and half the night, on every case you handle?'
     'Not every case.'
     'Most cases?'
     Dan could honestly say, 'Yeah, in fact, on most cases I put in long hours. You get going on an investigation, and one thing leads to another, and it isn't always possible to stop cold at five o'clock each day. Most detectives work long hours, irregular shifts. You must know that.'
     'You work harder than most, I hear.'
     Dan shrugged.
     Seames said, 'They say you're a bulldog, that you love your work and you really sink your teeth into it, really hang on.'
     'Maybe. I guess I work pretty hard. But in a homicide, the trail can get cold fast. Usually, if you don't get a lead on your killer in three or four days, you'll never hang it on anyone.'
     'But you're putting more into this case than even the average homicide detective usually does, more than even you usually do. Aren't you, Lieutenant?'
     'Maybe.'
     'You know you are.'
     'Arf, arf.'
     'What?'
     'The bulldog in me.'
     'Why such a bulldog on this case?'
     'I guess I was just in the mood for some action.'
     'That's no answer.'
     'I just ate too much Purina Dog Chow, have too much energy, got to work it off.'
     Seames shook his head. 'It's because you've got a special stake in this one.'
     'Do I?'
     'Don't you?'
     'Not that I'm aware of,' Dan said, although an image of Laura McCaffrey's lovely face rose unbidden in his memory.
     Seames regarded him with suspicion and said, 'Listen, Haldane, if someone was bankrolling McCaffrey and Hoffritz because their project had a military application, then those same — let's call them financiers — those same financiers might be willing to spread a lot of money around to get their hands on the girl again. But any money they spread would be dirty, damned dirty. Any guy who took it would probably come down with an infection from it. Know what I mean?'
     At first it had appeared that Seames was somehow aware of Dan's romantic inclinations toward Laura. Now it was suddenly clear that a darker worry nagged the agent.
     For God's sake, Dan thought, he's wondering if I've sold out to the Russians or someone!
     'Jesus, Seames, are you ever on the wrong track!'
     'They might be willing to pay a lot to get their hands on her, and while a police detective is reasonably well paid in this city, he's never going to get rich — unless he moonlights.'
     'I resent the implication.
     'And I regret your