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.
III
Tux and Solly made their way over the roofs towards Rose's skylight.
They had had several narrow escapes in getting up on to the roofs, but once there, they felt free to move quickly.
Suddenly Solly grabbed Tux's arm and pulled him down.
'Look! Over there,' he muttered, and pointed.
Tux stared into the darkness. For some seconds he couldn't see anything, then he thought he saw something moving ahead of him.
'Someone up here,' Solly whispered.
Tux's hand slid behind him and he jerked out his .45. They lay still and watched.
The figure ahead of them began to climb up the steep slope of a roof, three roofs away from them. He got halfway up and then slithered back.
'Think it's Johnny?' Solly whispered.
'Johnny was hit. Must be the other guy,' Tux said. 'To hell with him. I want Johnny.'
They watched the figure climb the roof and slide over. Then they heard a man shout.
Tux cursed under his breath.
'The cops will be here in a moment. Come on! I've got to get Johnny.'
Bending low, he moved hurriedly across the roof, dropped down on another roof, followed by Solly.
A shot rang out.
Four roofs away, Tux could see Rose's skylight.
'Cops!' Solly muttered, and slid like a shadow towards a line of chimneys.
Tux hesitated, then followed him.
As they crouched in the shadows, Tux caught sight of four cops climbing through a nearby skylight. They spread out and began to move cautiously forward.
'They'll walk right into us!' Tux snarled.
Solly pulled a .38 from inside his coat.
'Yeah,' Tux said. 'Get them before they get us. I'll take the outside guy. You take the one on the left.'
They both fired.
Two cops dropped. The remaining two threw themselves flat, and opened up with their guns.
The cop on the balcony across the alley yelled excitedly, 'There are two of them by the big stack. I can see them.'
Tux swung around, lifted his gun and fired.
The cop on the balcony staggered, his legs banged against the rail of the balcony, and he pitched forward into the alley below.
Tux felt a violent blow on his arm, then a searing pain. The bang of a gun followed immediately.
Cursing, he dropped the gun and clutched at his wrist. Solly fired calmly, and one of the cops who was lying flat heaved up and rolled over.
'Get the other lug,' Tux snarled, groping for his gun with his left hand.
Both Solly and the cop fired simultaneously. The cop jumped up, ran a few yards, then dropped.
Tux felt Solly recoil as the cop's slug slammed into his thick body. Solly gave a little coughing grunt and dropped his gun.
