I thought I heard steps, but I wasn't sure about that.
I rode down the hill a block and a half, turned at the intersection and started back up.
The sound of a muted whistling came to me faintly along the sidewalk.
Then steps. I double parked and slid out between two cars and went down low. I took Carmen's little revolver out of my pocket.
The sound of the steps grew louder, and the whistling went on cheerfully.
In a moment the jerkin showed. I stepped out between the two cars and said:
"Got a match, buddy?"
The boy spun towards me and his right hand darted up to go inside the jerkin.
His eyes were a wet shine in the glow of the round electroliers.
Moist dark eyes shaped like almonds, and a pallid handsome face with wavy black hair growing low on the forehead in two points.
A very handsome boy indeed, the boy from Geiger's store.
He stood there looking at me silently, his right hand on the edge of the jerkin, but not inside it yet.
I held the little revolver down at my side.
"You must have thought a lot of that queen," I said.
"Go — — yourself," the boy said softly, motionless between the parked cars and the five-foot retaining wall on the inside of the sidewalk.
A siren wailed distantly coming up the long hill.
The boy's head jerked towards the sound.
I stepped in close and put my gun into his jerkin. "Me or the cops?" I asked him.
His head rolled a little sideways as if I had slapped his face.
"Who are you?" he snarled.
"Friend of Geiger's."
"Get away from me, you son of a bitch."
"This is a small gun, kid.
I'll give it you through the navel and it will take three months to get you well enough to walk.
But you'll get well.
So you can walk to the nice new gas chamber up in Quentin."
He said: "Go — — yourself." His hand moved inside the jerkin.
I pressed harder on his stomach.
He let out a long soft sigh, took his hand away from the jerkin and let it fall limp at his side.
His wide shoulders sagged.
"What you want?" he whispered.
I reached inside the jerkin and plucked out the automatic.
"Get into my car, kid." He stepped past me and I crowded him from behind.
He got into the car. "Under the wheel, kid.
You drive."
He slid under the wheel and I got into the car beside him.
I said: "Let the prowl car pass up the hill.
They'll think we moved over when we heard the siren.
Then turn her down hill and we'll go home."
I put Carmen's gun away and leaned the automatic against the boy's ribs.
I looked back through the window.
The whine of the siren was very loud now.
Two red lights swelled in the middle of the street. They grew larger and blended into one and the car rushed by in a wild flurry of sound.
"Let's go," I said.
The boy swung the car and started off down the hill.
"Let's go home," I said. "To Laverne Terrace."
His smooth lips twitched.
He swung the car west on Franklin.
"You're a simple-minded lad.
What's your name?"