Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- Fiction; Police -- Fiction; Science fiction, American
The trembling became worse. He tried to press it away by hugging his
body with his arms. It didn't help. He looked wildly around and tried to
concentrate. He thought about the bureau ... no. The dresser ... no. His
clothes ... he felt feverishly about his body ... no. Under the bed ...
no ... wait ... maybe. He'd brought some beer home. Now he remembered.
Maybe there was some left.
He rolled over on his stomach and groped under the bed. His tremulous
fingers found the paper bag and he dragged it out. It was full of empty
cans; the carton inside was ripped. He tore the sack open ... empty cans
... no! there was a full one ... two full ones--
He staggered to his feet and looked for an opener. There was one on the
bureau. He stumbled over and opened his first beautiful, lovely can of
beer. He put his mouth down close to the top so that none of the foam
could escape him. He'd be all right 'til seven, now. The bars opened at
seven. He'd be all right 'til seven.
He did not notice the knife lying beside the opener. He did not own a
knife and had no recollection of buying one.
It was a hunting knife and he was not a hunter.
* * * * *
The light at the end of the second row was growing gradually brighter.
The needle traveled slowly across the dial, 68.2, 68.4, 68.6....
King called over to the audio controller. "They all report in yet?"
The controller nodded. "Squirrel Hill's got your signal on, same reading
as you have. Bloomfield thinks they may have it. Oakland's not too sure.
Everybody else is negative." The controller walked over. "Which one is
it?"
King pointed to the end of the second row.
"Can't you get it on your screen?"
"Hell, yes, I've got him on my screen!" King swiveled in his chair and
turned on the set. The scope was covered with pale dots. "Which one is
he? There?" He pointed to the left. "That's a guy who didn't get the
raise he wanted. There?" He pointed to the center. "That's a little girl
with bad dreams. She has them every night. There? That's my brother!
He's in the Veteran's Hospital and wanted to come home a week ago."
"So don't get excited," said the controller. "I only asked."
"I'm sorry, Gus," King apologized. "My fault. I'm a little edgy ...
probably nothing at all."
"Well you got it narrowed down anyway," Gus said. "If you got it, and
Squirrel Hill's got it, then he's in Shadyside. If Oakland doesn't have
him, then he's on this side of Aiken Avenue." The controller had caught
King's fever; the "it" had become a "him". "And if Bloomfield doesn't
have him, then he's on the other side of Baum Boulevard."
"Only Bloomfield might have him."
"Well what the hell, you've still got him located in the lower half of
Shadyside. Tell you what, I'll send a man up Ellsworth, get Bloomfield
to cruise Baum Boulevard in a scout car, and have Squirrel Hill put a
patrol on Wilkens. We can triangulate."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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