John Stark's Experiment

Marjorie cried over the loss of Bozo—her fat “Maltese” dog that hadn’t come home after a regular night walk in search of prey. Recently, a real epidemic of cat disappearances had been raging in the area, and Marjorie was inconsolable. Because I couldn’t stand seeing Marjorie cry, I went looking for the missing pet, though I didn’t really expect to find him. From time to time some sadist indulges his whims by poisoning pets, and I was convinced that Bozo and dozens like him who had disappeared in the last few months had fallen victim to one of these degenerates.