Johnny opened his eyes, blinked and lifted his head. He looked across the dimly lighted room as Ken got quickly to his feet.
“I guess I threw an ing-bing,” Johnny said, and half-sat up, grimacing. “Hell! My arm hurts. How long have we been here?”
“Twenty minutes,” Ken said, coming over.
“Where’s the girl?”
“She’s downstairs getting some milk.”
Johnny lay back with a little grunt of pain.
“I feel as weak as a rat. What’s happening outside?”
“I don’t know. From the sounds going on, they’re surrounding the place.”
“I don’t think I’m going to get far. Think we’re safe here?”
“I guess not. They may search each house. They must know we’re hidden in one of the buildings.”
“Yes.” Johnny shut his eyes. “Think you can get away on your own?”
“Not yet anyway.”
“Put the lamp out and take a look out of the window.”
Ken turned down the wick, blew out the flickering flame and groped his way across the room to the heavily curtained window.
“Be careful,” Johnny muttered.
Cautiously Ken lifted the edge of the curtain and peered out into the dark night. At first he could see nothing, then he spotted two shadowy figures almost under the window. He hurriedly lowered the curtain and stepped back.
“Two of them are right outside.”
He heard the door open.
“What’s happened to the light?” Rose asked out of the darkness.
“I’ll light it again,” Ken said, struck a match and lit the lamp. “I was looking out of the window. The police are right outside.”
She noticed Johnny was staring at her.
“Well, how do you feel ?” she asked, going over to him.
“Lousy,” Johnny said, and forced a grin. “Thanks for fixing my arm. I guess I must have bled a lot.”
“What do you expect?” she turned to Ken. “If you want to skip, handsome, you can get away over the roof. I’ll look after this guy.”
Ken didn’t hesitate. If he could get clear and telephone Adams and tell him where Johnny was holed up, he would solve a problem that had been nagging at him ever since he and Johnny had left Willow Point.
He looked over at Johnny.
“What do you say?”
“Sure,” Johnny said. “You skip.”
“What about you?”
“There’s something I want you to do for me,” Johnny said. “Come here.”
Ken went over to him.
“I don’t know if you have anywhere to go,” Johnny went on. “Every road will be watched, and you may have to hole up somewhere. Go to my sister. Her place is 45 Maddox Court.
She’ll let you stay with her until the heat cools off. Tell her what’s happened to me. Tell her O’Brien tricked me into writing her a letter so she should think I was going to Paris. Tell her about the barrel. I want her to know the kind of guy she’s marrying. Will you do that for me?”
Ken hesitated.
“You’ll do yourself some good,” Johnny urged. “She’ll give you money. She’ll get you out of town.”
“All right,” Ken said reluctantly. “I’ll get to her if I can.”
“Maybe she can think of some way to get me out of this jam. She’s full of ideas. Don’t let anyone see you. There’s a night clerk in the lobby. You’ll have to get past him without him seeing you.” He pointed to his coat, lying on a chair. “Get me my billfold.”
Ken took the leather billfold from the inside pocket of the coat and handed it to him.
Johnny found an old envelope addressed to himself in the billfold.
“Got a pencil?” he asked.
Ken gave him his pen.
Johnny scribbled on the back of the envelope.
“Give her that. She’ll know you’ve come from me.”
Ken took the envelope and put it in his pocket.
“Good luck,” Johnny said. “I’ll keep the gun. I may need it more than you.”
“So long,” Ken said, anxious to get away. He was uneasy about leaving Johnny. If the police found him before Adams got to him, and if Johnny were killed in a gun battle, he would be stuck with Fay’s murder. But he had to go. He had to get in touch with Adams.
“Come on, handsome, if you’re going,” Rose said impatiently. “They may get around to watching the roof before long.”
Ken followed her into the passage. At the far end was a skylight.
“Go ahead,” she said. “It’s not too bad. Make for the Paramount movie house. You can’t miss it. That’s the way my brother used to go when he was in trouble. There’s an escape on the movie house that’ll bring you down to their parking lot. Get over the wall and you’ll find an alley that’ll take you to Lennox Street. The rest is up to you.”
“Thanks,” Ken said awkwardly, “I owe you something. If I get out of this mess I won’t forget you.”
“I bet you do, handsome. Go on, beat it! I’ll look after your pal.”
“But I won’t forget you,” Ken said obstinately.
“Okay, then you won’t forget me,” she said carelessly. “Go on, beat it.”
“I’m very grateful for your help,” he said, and held out his hand.
She giggled, looking at him.
“You’re a nut, handsome,” she said, moved close, slid her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. Then she pushed him away. “Get going, Romeo. You’re wasting time.”
He reached up, slid the skylight back, caught hold of the wooden surround and hauled himself up.
He hung for a moment, looking over the dark roof; then, seeing no movement, he pulled himself up until he was on the roof. He looked down at the dim white shape of Rose’s face, waved to her, replaced the skylight, and, crouching down, began to move silently across the roof to the shelter of a chimney stack.
When he reached the stack, he paused to study the geography of the roofs. Away in the distance he could see the blaze of neon lights on the walls of the movie house. They looked some way from him. The sounds below of men’s voices and the tramping of feet unnerved him. It was some moments before he could steady himself to concentrate on his way of escape.
Roof after roof stretched away into the darkness; some of them flat, some sloping, some ridged. Having decided the way to go, he cautiously set off, climbing a six-foot wall to haul himself up on the next roof. This sloped gently into a gutter, then rose steeply to the next roof.
Half-way up the steep roof, his foot slipped, and he slithered back into the gutter, making a noise that brought him out in a cold sweat. He tried again, and this time managed to hook hi9 fingers over the ridge of the roof. He hung for a moment, then hauled himself up, trying to keep as flat as possible against the skyline.
He climbed down on to another roof, crossed it, and as he was peering down at the roof below, he heard an excited shout away to his right.
He looked quickly over his shoulder, his heart pounding.
Across the alley, standing on a balcony, he could just make out a man and a woman looking in his direction. The man waved at him, then he bawled at the top of his voice: “Hey! “A guy’s up on the roof. Over there!”
Ken swung his legs over the edge of the roof and dropped, landing with a thud. He staggered, regained his balance, as police whistles shrilled in the darkness below.
He bolted across the roof, then came to an abrupt stop when he found himself face to face with a twelve-foot brick wall.
Below, he could hear running feet, and then someone began to hammer on a door that seemed immediately below him.
He moved hurriedly along the wall until he came upon an iron ladder.
“Hey! You!” a voice shouted.
Ken didn’t pause. He went up the ladder, scraping his hands and knees, and as he reached the top of the wall, a gun banged and splinters of brickwork sprayed dangerously near his face.
He let himself drop into the darkness and landed on another roof.
“There’s only one of them,” a man shouted. “He’s heading to your right.”
Ken looked back over his shoulder, his heart hammering. A cop had joined the man and woman on the balcony. Ken ducked down just in time. The cop fired at him, and the slug whizzed within a foot of Ken’s head.
Keeping in the shadows, he ran desperately for the shelter of a long line of chimneys. He reached them as the cop fired again, but his aim was wild, and Ken didn’t even hear the slug. He dodged around the stack, paused for a second to take a quick look to right and left.
The movie house was still far off. He couldn’t hope to reach it now. He
had to get down somehow and take his chance in the mass of alleys below.
He heard noises behind him, and he peered between the chimneys.
Outlined against the skyline, he could see four figures moving cautiously towards him. They were still four roofs away from him, but they were coming fast.
Crouching, he bolted across the roof, came upon another ladder that led down to a lower roof. He went down it.
“Can you see him, Jack?” a voice bawled.
“Naw,” the cop on the balcony shouted. “More to your right. He’s behind that big stack.”
Ken spotted a skylight not far from him, and he ran over to k and lifted it. He bent to peer into darkness, trying to see what lay below, then, as the sounds of pursuit grew louder, he swung his legs over the wooden surround, hung with one hand while he lowered the skylight down on top of him. He released his hold and dropped quietly on to floor boards.
As he regained his balance, he heard gunfire, followed by three cracks from a heavier gun. He heard a yell, and then more gunfire. It sounded to him as if the police were shooting at each other.
He leaned against the wall, panting and scared, while he listened.
“There are two of them by the big stack,” a voice yelled. “I can see them.”
Again the heavier gun barked.
Bewildered, Ken struck a match and looked quickly around him. He found himself in a dusty attic, full of old junk. He went quickly to the door, opened it, and stepped cautiously out into a dark passage.