think. Start him walking in the direction of Chicago. I don’t believe he’ll want to come back and face the charges.”
“You certainly are a pretty generous guy, Mr. Kerch. Personally, I don’t think a few days in the cells would do him any harm.”
“Perhaps not, Moffatt. But I was young once myself. I wouldn’t want this boy’s life to be shadowed by a term in jail. Have you ever been in jail, son?”
“No,” I said.
“You’ll be careful not to come back, then. If you should happen to come back, you can expect to spend ten years in jail. I’m not exaggerating, nor am I bluffing. You may go now, Moffatt.”
“Yes, Mr. Kerch.”
He took me out a back door to the parking lot, and opened the door of his black police car for me. His hat was on the seat, and he put it on and slid behind the wheel. The car moved down the gravel drive and turned into the highway.
“You don’t know how lucky you are,” the plainclothes man said. “If you knew enough to keep your nose clean, you wouldn’t go messing around with Kerch. He’s a big man in these parts.”
“I can see that.”
“He gave you a real break. You want to remember that. This is your chance to straighten out, kid.”
“Yeah. From now on I’m going straight. Mr. Kerch has certainly made me see the light. How about taking these bracelets off me?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take ’em off when you get out. Those things cost money.”
The speedometer moved up to sixty and stayed there. The wind came through the half-open window and blew the hair around on my sick head.
“I’ll let you off near Section Corner,” Moffatt said. “You can maybe pick up a ride at Sid’s Hamburg. A lot of trucks stop there.”
“You’re very kind.”
“Hell, don’t mention it.”
A minute later he stopped the car and leaned across me to open the door. “You can get out now.”
“What about these handcuffs?”
“I’m getting out, too.”
I stepped out and stood on the soft shoulder of the road.About a half a mile up the highway I could see the green traffic signal at a crossroads. Moffatt got out behind me and reached in his pocket as if for his keys. Then something swished through the air. All the stars fell down and the night turned solid black.
I came to in a dry ditch beside the highway. The stars had returned to the sky, higher and brighter than ever. The handcuffs had been removed from my wrists, and the police car was gone.
Another car came sliding down its groove of light towards me, and I stood up and waved with both arms. It passed me as indifferently as it would have passed a scarecrow in a field.
I felt for my wallet and found it where it should be, but there was no money in it. I had nothing left but some change in my watch pocket.
I climbed back onto the road and started walking towards the city. The reflection of its neons hung a faint rosy glow in the sky, as if I was walking back into the suburbs of hell.
chapter
10
I left the highway at the first crossing, so as not to pass the Cathay Club again. On one side of the road there was a patch of woods, identified by a sign as Dingle Dell Developments, Inc. On the other side there was a scattering of houses, new and pretentious, with built-in two-car garages, high, tiled roofs, and leaded windows. All the windows were dark, but a dog behind one of the houses woke up and barked at me as I went by. I hated the smug, sleeping occupants of those closed houses. At the same time there was a strong wish deep in my mind to be safe in bed behind one of the blinded windows, with a plump wife to keep me warm.
There was a bus-stop sign at the next corner, and I sat down on a concrete bench and waited. Down the road towards the city I could see a lighted ferris wheel turning in the sky. After a while a bus appeared from the direction of the city and turned around at the corner. I got on and slumped in a seat behind the driver.
He said: “Pretty nice night for this early in the spring, eh,
“You certainly are a pretty generous guy, Mr. Kerch. Personally, I don’t think a few days in the cells would do him any harm.”
“Perhaps not, Moffatt. But I was young once myself. I wouldn’t want this boy’s life to be shadowed by a term in jail. Have you ever been in jail, son?”
“No,” I said.
“You’ll be careful not to come back, then. If you should happen to come back, you can expect to spend ten years in jail. I’m not exaggerating, nor am I bluffing. You may go now, Moffatt.”
“Yes, Mr. Kerch.”
He took me out a back door to the parking lot, and opened the door of his black police car for me. His hat was on the seat, and he put it on and slid behind the wheel. The car moved down the gravel drive and turned into the highway.
“You don’t know how lucky you are,” the plainclothes man said. “If you knew enough to keep your nose clean, you wouldn’t go messing around with Kerch. He’s a big man in these parts.”
“I can see that.”
“He gave you a real break. You want to remember that. This is your chance to straighten out, kid.”
“Yeah. From now on I’m going straight. Mr. Kerch has certainly made me see the light. How about taking these bracelets off me?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take ’em off when you get out. Those things cost money.”
The speedometer moved up to sixty and stayed there. The wind came through the half-open window and blew the hair around on my sick head.
“I’ll let you off near Section Corner,” Moffatt said. “You can maybe pick up a ride at Sid’s Hamburg. A lot of trucks stop there.”
“You’re very kind.”
“Hell, don’t mention it.”
A minute later he stopped the car and leaned across me to open the door. “You can get out now.”
“What about these handcuffs?”
“I’m getting out, too.”
I stepped out and stood on the soft shoulder of the road.About a half a mile up the highway I could see the green traffic signal at a crossroads. Moffatt got out behind me and reached in his pocket as if for his keys. Then something swished through the air. All the stars fell down and the night turned solid black.
I came to in a dry ditch beside the highway. The stars had returned to the sky, higher and brighter than ever. The handcuffs had been removed from my wrists, and the police car was gone.
Another car came sliding down its groove of light towards me, and I stood up and waved with both arms. It passed me as indifferently as it would have passed a scarecrow in a field.
I felt for my wallet and found it where it should be, but there was no money in it. I had nothing left but some change in my watch pocket.
I climbed back onto the road and started walking towards the city. The reflection of its neons hung a faint rosy glow in the sky, as if I was walking back into the suburbs of hell.
chapter
10
I left the highway at the first crossing, so as not to pass the Cathay Club again. On one side of the road there was a patch of woods, identified by a sign as Dingle Dell Developments, Inc. On the other side there was a scattering of houses, new and pretentious, with built-in two-car garages, high, tiled roofs, and leaded windows. All the windows were dark, but a dog behind one of the houses woke up and barked at me as I went by. I hated the smug, sleeping occupants of those closed houses. At the same time there was a strong wish deep in my mind to be safe in bed behind one of the blinded windows, with a plump wife to keep me warm.
There was a bus-stop sign at the next corner, and I sat down on a concrete bench and waited. Down the road towards the city I could see a lighted ferris wheel turning in the sky. After a while a bus appeared from the direction of the city and turned around at the corner. I got on and slumped in a seat behind the driver.
He said: “Pretty nice night for this early in the spring, eh,
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