Call Him Nemesis

In Short

When a series of bizarre physical anomalies—from melted escape-car tires to freezing gang weapons—accompanies low-level crimes in New York, a persistent detective tracks down an unlikely pattern. The culprit is not a mad scientist with a death ray, but Eddie Clayhorn, an ordinary fifth-grader who has developed psychokinetic heat control. Calling himself "The Scorpion," Eddie wages a quiet war on wrongdoers while sending anonymous notes to the press. Donald E. Westlake’s lighthearted 1961 novella endures as an early, clever subversion of superhero tropes, blending mid-century police procedural beats with charmingly low-stakes parapsychological science fiction.

The Story

The mystery opens in a modest Brooklyn bank, where three disguised bandits carry out a textbook robbery. As the thieves speed away in a stolen getaway car, their tires inexplicably melt into liquid rubber on a mild afternoon, leaving them stranded for the police. Shortly after, an unhinged man named Jerome Higgins barricades himself in his Canarsie home with a rifle, only to surrender frantically when his gun barrel suddenly becomes too hot to hold, inflicting severe burns on his hands. In both instances, law enforcement discovers the words "The Scorpion" crudely scorched into the property—on the getaway car's trunk and the stock of the rifle.

While Precinct Captain Hanks dismisses the incidents as random teen vandalism or coincidence, Detective-Sergeant William Stevenson senses a deliberate pattern. Stevenson's suspicions are confirmed when local newspaper reporter Tom Roberts receives anonymous, clipped-letter notes signed by "The Scorpion," taking credit for thwarting the crimes and demanding the press warn the city's underworld.

The vigilante strikes a third time on Halloween night. When two rival youth gangs assemble in a schoolyard for a territorial clash, the metal weapons, belt buckles, and leather jackets of every participant suddenly freeze to sub-zero temperatures. Forced to shed their gear, the gang members stand helpless as the police sweep in, discovering the word "Scorpion" branded across the back of their discarded jackets.

Joining forces with FBI agents Stephen Marshall and Stewart Lang, Stevenson and Roberts methodically trace the evidence. By interviewing a teenage gang lookout and cross-referencing bank witnesses who were present during the initial heist, the investigators narrow their search to ten-year-old Eddie Clayhorn. A search of Eddie's home and school locker reveals no advanced machinery or secret weapons, baffling the agents who assume he is using stolen government technology.

Desperate for answers, the team consults Professor Abner Streitman Long, a government expert in psionics. Long identifies Eddie as a rare "pyrotic"—someone capable of manipulating molecular motion through pure thought. Long warns the agents that confronting the boy directly might cause him to lose his powers or turn hostile, as comic-book lore dictates that a hero's abilities are tied to his secret identity.

The debate ends abruptly when moisture on Marshall's office window rapidly freezes, spelling out a message in the frost: "POO. MOM TOLD ME." Eddie walks into the room, revealing he overhead his mother mention the FBI's visit. Rather than losing his abilities or retreating, the young hero cheerfully invites the investigators to become his "trusted friends on the police force" who supply him with tips on local criminals.

How It Unfolds

The runaway robbery Three armed bandits hold up a neighborhood bank and make a clean getaway, only for the tires of their stolen sedan to melt mysteriously onto the pavement two blocks away. Investigating the vehicle, Detective-Sergeant Stevenson notices the phrase "The Scorpion" freshly burned into the paint of the trunk lid.

The siege in Canarsie A disgruntled civil servant barricades himself in his house and shoots at passersby until his hunting rifle suddenly grows scalding hot, blistering his fingers and forcing him to surrender. Stevenson inspects the abandoned weapon on the lawn and finds the same crude signature scorched into the wooden stock.

The frozen rumble Two street gangs gather in a dark schoolyard on Halloween, but their fight ends instantly when their knives, chains, and leather jackets drop to sub-zero temperatures. After arresting the bewildered teens, police find every jacket branded with the name of the mysterious vigilante.

Tracing the trail Comparing notes with reporter Tom Roberts—who has received crank letters signed by "The Scorpion"—Stevenson brings in the FBI, and together they question witnesses from the bank and the gang fight to identify a child named Eddie Clayhorn.

The psionic diagnosis Government expert Professor Long explains that Eddie possesses natural pyrotic abilities to alter molecular speed, warning the agents that exposing the boy's secret identity might break his heroic delusion or destroy his gift.

A frosty compromise Eddie uses his mental power to write a message in the frost on the office window, offering to partner with the police as long as they keep his secret from his parents.

The People

• Eddie Clayhorn (The Scorpion): A ten-year-old fifth-grader who prefers reading history to playing with Erector sets. After gaining the mental ability to manipulate temperatures, he adopts the persona of his favorite comic-book heroes, using his power to stop neighborhood crimes while keeping his identity hidden from his parents.
• Detective-Sergeant William Stevenson: A methodical Brooklyn police officer who refuses to dismiss the strange clues left at crime scenes. His insistence on following the recurring "Scorpion" mark leads the investigation from local precincts to federal agencies.
• Tom Roberts: A cheerful, bow-tied newspaper reporter for the Daily News. He connects the anonymous letters sent to his paper with Stevenson's unusual case files, providing the crucial link that establishes the vigilante's pattern.
• Stephen Marshall & Stewart Lang: A pair of lean, serious FBI agents assigned to track down what they initially suspect is an unregistered, highly dangerous thermal weapon.
• Professor Abner Streitman Long: A barrel-chested, bushy-haired government psionics expert who recognizes Eddie's power as pyrokinesis and provides psychological insight into the boy's comic-book mindset.

In Its Own Voice

"I mean, it was a hot day and all, but it wasn't that hot. And they weren't going that fast. I don't think you could go fast enough to melt your tires down."

Detective-Sergeant Stevenson tries to make sense of the ruined getaway car at the police garage.

"He's only in the fifth grade. His best subject is history, but that's because he likes to read, and history is all reading."

Mrs. Elizabeth Clayhorn describes her son's normal habits to the visiting FBI agents.

"Sometimes the hero has one or two trusted friends on the police force who know who he is and give him tips about criminals."

Eddie Clayhorn explains his compromise after surprising the investigators by freezing a message onto their office window.

What It's Really About

Beneath its playful sci-fi premise, Westlake's story examines how pop culture shapes childhood imagination and morality. Eddie does not gain superpowers and immediately seek fame, wealth, or chaos; instead, he translates his abilities directly through the lens of mid-century comic books. To him, possessing extraordinary power automatically carries a duty to fight "bad boys" and write dramatic letters to the press.

The narrative also gently parodies institutional bureaucracy. The police force, the FBI, and thermal weapons experts approach the phenomenon with absolute gravity, envisioning complex military technology or high-level conspiracies. The story's humor relies on the contrast between solemn adult authority—obsessed with threats, procedure, and national defense—and the innocent simplicity of a ten-year-old who just wants to play detective before bedtime.

Why Read It Today

Call Him Nemesis is a swift, entertaining read that will appeal to fans of classic science fiction, vintage mystery procedurals, and lighthearted superhero origins. Published in 1961 in Worlds of If, Donald E. Westlake brings the same crisp timing, dry humor, and economical prose that defined his later celebrated crime fiction.

The story moves at a brisk pace, free from heavy exposition or overly technical jargon. Modern readers will enjoy its nostalgic early-1960s setting—complete with ten-cent phone calls, news-tip rewards, and neighborhood street gangs—while appreciating how presciently it captures the enduring appeal of superhero mythology. It offers no dark, brooding dilemmas or apocalyptic stakes; instead, it delivers a charming, grounded slice of speculative fiction about what happens when extraordinary power falls into the hands of an ordinary kid who just wants to do the right thing.

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