The city spread below the foothills made a great blaze in the sky and frosted the tips of the hills with reflected light; but here in the canyon it was dark, quiet except for the rustle of trees under the wind, and nothing moved except the small car creeping up the grade. The car rolled to a stop below Big Tom’s house, the motor died, the lights went out, and a short stocky man in a black suit got out and looked all around. The only light in all that darkness was beside Tom’s door.

Harry sniffed the breeze, noting the absence of exhaust fumes and city smoke. He looked back down the hill, toward the turnoff from the canyon highway. There was no traffic whatever. The canyon might have been a thousand miles from L.A. Big Tom had certainly picked him a spot.

Harry climbed to Big Tom’s porch and rattled the screen door. The door within opened promptly. Big Tom was all dressed, ready to leave. A couple of cats were sitting attentively in the middle of the room, looking at their master as if wondering what possible business he had out at this hour.

“Just a minute. I want to check the back door.” Big Tom started away, and the phone began ringing. Big Tom ignored it, went into the kitchen for a minute, then came back. Harry had his head inside, holding the screen ajar with his shoulder.

“Aren’t you going t’ answer the damned phone?”

“I know who it is. Benny.” Big Tom walked by the table where the phone sat, didn’t give it a glance. “To hell with him.”

“Maybe he knows something,” Harry said. “Maybe you ought t’ hear what he says, anyhow.”

“I know what he says. He’s been saying it all day.”

“Well, then, maybe I ought t’ hear what he says,” Harry declared. A touch of truculence had come into his manner. He stepped into the room.

Big Tom gave him a cool stare. “Are you going with me, or aren’t you?”

“I might be going, after I hear from Benny. He saved me one hell of a blowup in Frisco. I just want t’ hear what he says.”

“Oh, hell, go ahead and listen.” Big Tom sat down on a chair and folded his hands between his knees and looked unlovingly at the cats sitting together in the middle of the rug.

Harry went to the phone and lifted it out of its cradle and put it to his ear. “Yeah. No, this is Harry. We’re ready t’ roll.” He listened and pretty soon his tongue came out and licked at his lips. “You think it’s on the level?”