The Oldsmobile made a U-turn and went east on Addison. A block away from the river the car turned left, going up a narrow street. Then it turned right onto a narrower street. There were no lights. A little more than halfway down the block she stopped the car. As they got out of the car, he expected that she’d pull some caper like pretending to accidentally honk the horn, but she didn’t do that, and he wondered what the signal would be.

It’s gonna hafta be some kind of signal, he thought. To let them know we’re here. So they can get ready.

Lita pointed to the house. It was across the street. Then her hand clasped his arm and they walked across, went up three sagging wooden steps to the splintered unpainted door with a notice tacked on it: No trespassing. Lita put her hand on the doorknob and tried the door. It was locked. She kept trying it and the doorknob rattled loudly.

He stood behind her, smiling thinly.

The doorknob rattled very loudly.

He said, “Give it up. It’s locked.”

“Try the window,” Lita said. She pointed to the grimy window adjacent to the doorway.

Corey went toward the window, stepped on one of the loose boards about eighteen inches above the pavement level and got a hold on the lower section of the window. He worked on it and it gave way. Then the window was open and she said, “Get hold of me. Lift me up.” He got down onto the pavement and boosted her onto the loose board. She climbed through the open window. He followed. He lowered himself off the windowsill, onto the floor. It was very dark in the room and he couldn’t see her; he couldn’t see anything in the darkness. Then someone grabbed his legs and someone else got him around the middle in a very tight hold that shackled his arms. While they held him that way, someone’s hands checked him for weapons, found the gun and took it. Now he began to see blurred faces through the darkness, but he didn’t try to make them out. You’ll see them soon enough, he thought.

His legs were released, but the hold that locked his arms was tightened and a man’s voice, close to his ear said, “All right, let’s walk.”

Then the weight of the man pushed against him and they moved slowly going through the darkness. They went from the room into a hallway. Ahead of Corey some blurred shapes were ascending a narrow staircase. The voice close to Corey’s ear said, “Now we’re gonna go up them stairs. And you won’t try no stunts, will you?”

“Of course not,” Corey said.