Did he dare phone in? He was still breaking the law himself.
Don’t be silly. Giving the warning about a bank robbery would make up for being out late. They wouldn’t even mention it.
He started off again, this time going at a trot, hurrying down the two blocks to Whittier Street, looking down the cross-streets in hopes of seeing the headlights of the police car, but seeing nothing. At the phone booth, he paused to catch his breath and to find a dime, and then he stepped into the booth and closed the door. It was a glass-and-metal booth, mostly windows, and when he closed the door the light came on. Startled, he snapped the door open again, and the light went off. That was all he needed, the light on, so the robbers could see him making the call.
He did it the simplest way. Dropped the dime in, dialed operator, and when the girl came on said, “Police headquarters, please. This is an emergency.”
“Yes, sir.”
It seemed like a pretty long pause, but finally he heard a ringing sound, and then a male voice said, “Police headquarters, Officer Nieman.”
“I” He didn’t know how to phrase it. He cleared his throat, and blurted it out: “There’s a bank robbery going on! The Merchants’ Bank.”
“What? Who are you?”
“Eddie Wheeler. They broke the door, and they’re back by the vault.”
“What are you doing out at this time of night?”
“For Pete’s sake, will you listen to me? There’s a”
It was like a crack of thunder, the sudden sound, not too far away. Eddie looked up, startled, knowing they’d blown open the vault door. “They just blew up the vault!”
A different voice answered him. “Where are you?”
“I’m in the phone booth at Raymond and Whittier.”
“Stay there, the prowl car will be right there.”
“All right.”
The connection was broken.
Even with the light off, Eddie felt exposed, in the glass phone booth. He stepped out, and went over to lean against the side of the nearest building, Komray’s Department Store. He stared down toward the bank, waiting and watching, wondering what was keeping the police.
The prowl car, when it arrived, came without siren or flashing red light. It seemed to roll along leisurely, and then it stopped at the curb by the phone booth. Eddie stepped toward it, away from the wall, and saw the driver getting out. “They’re down at the Merch”
The driver was wearing a hood.
Eddie just stared at him. The driver came around the front of the car, and he was holding a pistol aimed right at Eddie’s stomach. He said, “You ought to know better than to be out after curfew, Eddie.”
“You’re one of them!”
“Walk down Whittier, Eddie. Ahead of me. Do like you’re told and you won’t get hurt.”
Eddie turned, and started walking. He didn’t believe it, didn’t believe that he wouldn’t get hurt. He was going to be murdered, he knew it.
He thought of Betty’s breasts, gleaming behind the robe. He thought of her asking him to stay the night. He thought of sex with her, thought of the glimpses of her body.
Why didn’t I stay?
“Turn right, Eddie.”
It was the loading dock behind the department store. God, it was dark back there! Eddie hesitated, and the hooded man said, “I don’t want to kill you, Eddie. I got nothing against you. I’m going to tie you and gag you, and early in the morning somebody’ll find you here, safe and sound. But if you try anything cute, I’ll have to cut you down.”
Eddie swallowed, painfully.
“Why you out after curfew anyway, Eddie?”
“I wish I knew.”
He walked into the darkness.
7
One a.m.
Most of Copper Canyon was asleep. Three policemen, six firemen, three telephone company employees, three plant employees, and a boy named Eddie Wheeler were all awake. Most of these were tied and gagged; none of them was sure he’d live till morning. Aside from these sixteen, there were about twenty other citizens awake in Copper Cannon; insomniacs reading, couples making love, two young mothers warming baby bottles.
The Merchants’ Bank and City Trust had both been blown open. Wycza was carrying trays of money from Merchants’ to the truck, Elkins was carrying trays of money from City to the truck. Paulus was working on the Nationwide Finance & Loan Corporation safe, and Wiss was working on the Raymond Jewelers safe. At the plant, Kerwin hadn’t yet opened the safe containing the payroll; he worked slowly, because he enjoyed his work.
