`I saw Mike yesterday.'
`Who are you?'
`A friend.'
I didn't say whose friend. `He left his car for you, I see.'
'That's between him and I' His defensive tone encouraged me. I moved across the lighted space between us and stepped up into his kitchen, closing the door behind me. He didn't try to keep me out. He stood barefoot in his pajamas facing me, gray-haired and haggard-faced, with drooping hound eyes.
`My brother didn't tell me about a partner.'
`Oh? What did he tell you?'
`Nothing. I mean-' He tried to bite his lower lip. His teeth were false, and slipped. Until he sucked them back into place he looked as if I had scared him literally to death. `He didn't tell me a thing about you or anything. I don't know why you come to me. That car is mine. I traded him my crate for it.'
`Was that wise?'
`I dunno, maybe not.'
He glanced at the unwashed dishes piled in the sink as if they shared responsibility for his lack of wisdom. `Anyway, it's none of your business.'
`It's everybody's business, Harold. You must know that by now.'
His lips formed the word `Yes' without quite saying it. Tears came into his eyes. It was Harold he mourned for. He named the most terrible fear he could conjure up: `Are you from the FBI?'
'I'm a police agent. We need to have a talk.'
`Here?'
`This is as good a place as any.'
He looked around the dingy little room as if he was seeing it with new eyes. We sat on opposite sides of the kitchen table. The checkered oilcloth that covered it was threadbare in places.
`I didn't want any part of this,' he said.
`Who would?'
`And it isn't the first time he got me into trouble, not by a long shot. This has been going on for the last thirty-five years, ever since Mike got old enough to walk and talk. I kid you not.'
`Just what do you mean when you say he's got you into trouble? This time.'
He shrugged crookedly and raised his open hands as if I should plainly be able to see the stigmata in his palms. `He's mixed up in a kidnapping, isn't he?'
`Did he tell you that?'
`He never told me anything straight in his life. But I can read. Since I saw the papers today I've been scared to go out of the house. And you know what my wife did? She left me. She took a taxi to the bus station and went back to her mother in Oxnard. She didn't even wash last night's dishes.'
`When was your brother here?'
`Last night. He got here around ten-thirty. We were on our way to bed but I got up again. I talked to him right here where we're sitting. I thought there was something screwy going on he had that wild look in his eye - but I didn't know what. He gave me one of his stories, that he won a lot of money in a poker game from some sailors in Dago, and they were after him to take the money back. That's why he wanted to change cars with me. He said.'
`Why did you agree to it?'
'I dunno. It's hard to say no when Mike wants something.'
`Did he threaten you?'
`Not in so many words. I knew he had a gun with him. I saw him take it out of his car.'
He lifted his eyes to mine. `You always feel sort of under a threat when Mike has something going. Stand in his way and he'll clobber you soon as look at you.'
I had reason to believe him. `What was the make and model and license number of your car?'
`1958 Plymouth two-door, license IKT 449.'
`Color?'
`Two-tone blue.'
I made some notes. `I'm going to ask you a very important question. Was the boy with Mike? This boy?'
I showed him Tom's picture. He shook his head over it. 'No sir.'
`Did he say where the boy was?'
`He didn't mention any boy, and I didn't know about it, then.'
`Did you know he was coming here last night?'
`In a way. He phoned me from Los Angeles yesterday afternoon. He said he might be dropping by but I wasn't to tell anybody.'
