He continued down the stairs. Just before he opened the door to walk out of the rooming house, he tapped his fingers against the fabric of the polo shirt where it covered the gun. As his fingers felt the hard metal under the fabric, he grimaced with annoyance. For some unaccountable reason, he was bothered about the gun. Not about the possibility that he might be forced to use it. The uncertainty went beyond that. He wished he knew the reason for it. His grimace tightened as he wondered about the gun for another instant. Then he shrugged, opened the door and walked out.

They picked him up at Third and Addison.

He was crossing Third when the noise of the car came close and the brakes squealed. He started a move, his right hand going under his polo shirt. Then he heard the voice, “Hold it—this is Squad.”

His head turned and he looked at the squad car. It was Heeley and Donofrio. They just sat there looking at him for a long while.

Donofrio opened the car door, got out and beckoned to Corey.

“Me in the middle?” Corey murmured as Donofrio held the door open for him.

“That’s right,” Heeley said from behind the wheel. “You in the middle.”

Corey got in. Donofrio climbed in and closed the car door and they started off. Heeley turned on the siren and went through a red light at First and Addison. The siren was humming low. Heeley raised it a few octaves as they moved faster on Addison going toward the bridge.

“What’s the rush?” Corey asked.

They didn’t answer. They didn’t look at him. Now the car was on the bridge, doing sixty, and the siren was up another octave. Coming off the bridge the car was doing close to seventy and Heeley had the siren going full blast.

What gives here? Corey wondered. He turned his head and looked at Donofrio. For a moment the Italian’s face stayed in profile. “Hey you,” Corey said softly.

Donofrio looked at him and muttered, “You talkin’ to me?”

Corey winced slightly, seeing something in the squadman’s eyes that spoke in terms of claws and fangs, a big cat crouched and ready to leap.

“Look, I wanna know what’s happening,” Corey said.

Donofrio looked past Corey, saying to Heeley, “So whaddya think? You think Fullmer?”

“Sure,” Heeley said. “It won’t go five rounds.”

“I don’t know,” Donofrio frowned and bit the corner of his mouth. “It looks like Fullmer and yet—”

“He can’t do nothing with Fullmer. He’s made for Fullmer.”

“But that left. If he connects with that left.”

“He won’t,” Heeley said. “He won’t have a chance to get set.”