"My technique was faulty."
"Oh," Smith said. "Er— you'd better work on that, Remo." Chiun tittered. "At any rate," Smith continued, "the assignment was relatively minor. I've got something else for you."
"Something that does not require good technique," Chiun said.
Smith ignored him. "A fifteen-year-old boy was murdered in Detroit three days ago. A William— Billy— Martin. He was stabbed to death by at least three people with knives."
Remo shook his head. "That's too bad. But it's a case for the police, not us."
"A child has been killed," Chiun said indignantly, as if that explained it all, Remo was afraid that Chiun was going to go off on one of his diatribes concerning the holiness of children, but Smith cut him off.
"Let me explain. This is just the most recent in a rash of juvenile murders around the country."
"What's the spread?"
"It's happened more often in Detroit, but we've also had reports from New York, Los Angeles, and New Orleans."
"What was this last kid's claim to fame?"
"He murdered his parents, most likely, although he was killed before his trial."
"Sweet kid."
"He beat them to death with a baseball bat or something while they were asleep."
"What was he doing on the street?"
"He was out on bail."
"What the hell kind of laws do they have in Detroit?" Remo asked.
"Everybody was surprised," Smith said, "especially considering the judge who was on the bench for the arraignment. No explanation. The kid was just out on bail."
"How long?"
"How long what?"
"How long was he out on bail before he was killed?"
"Less than an hour."
"So somebody set him up. They went his bail to get him out so they could kill him."
There was silence for a moment, then Remo asked, "What about the others? Were they killers too, or just hubcap snatchers?"
"Some of them had records, but none had been arrested for murder."
"So what do you want us to do? Find out who killed the killer? I mean, if the kid killed his own parents, who cares who killed him, anyway?"
"He was a child," Chiun said, and Remo knew it was just a matter of time now.
"Whatever," Smith said in exasperation. "Go to Detroit, since that's where the most recent incident was."
"Incident?" Chiun shrieked, and Remo knew that zero hour was finally upon them. "You call the murder of a child an incident?"
Smith looked at Remo, who shrugged and prepared for the verbal onslaught that was about to take place.
"Children are promises of greatness…"
"I know," Remo said.
"…in all manners possible."
Remo gave Smith an I've-heard-it-all-before look and said, "I know, Chiun."
"They have all been made holy in our eyes."
"Chiun—"
"They are the hope of the future…."
"Chiun—"
"You cannot kill hope. It is unthinkable. It is against the laws of Sinanju."
Remo gave up and said to Smith, "Do you have our tickets?"
"Yes," Smith said. "You're on a flight to Detroit tonight." He handed Remo the tickets.
"No matter what the child did, no one had the right to kill him."
"We know, Chiun, we know," Remo said, getting to his feet. "Come on, we have some packing to do."
"It is unthinkable," Chiun said, standing up. "It is our responsibility to find out who is committing this most despicable of crimes."
"I agree, Chiun," Remo said. "It's our responsibility."
"Good luck," Smith said.
"We will not need luck," Chiun assured him. "This is something that must be done, and it will be done. I so swear."
And with that Chiun strode purposefully from the room. Remo shrugged at Smith and said, "He'll walk all the way to Detroit if I don't stop him. We'll keep in touch."
CHAPTER THREE
Remo and Chiun stopped at their hotel just long enough to drop off their luggage and then proceeded immediately to a car rental agency. They did not go to the number-one company but to one of the others because Chiun always said that he had respect for anyone who was constantly trying harder.