"We must keep that from happening," Chiun said.
"That's why I'm here," Remo said. "You haven't seen any… children go into the church, have you?"
"No, none."
"Well, that doesn't mean he wasn't in there when you got here," Remo said. "How about Moorcock? Did you see him leave?"
"No."
"I think I'd better go in and have a talk with him. If he knows where the kid is, maybe I can convince him to tell me."
"I will come with you."
"I think it would be better if you stayed here. If Walter Sterling is in there, he might take off the back way when he sees me."
"Very well, but you must try your best to get the man to help us. It is vital that no more children die."
"For once, Chiun, I agree with you."
Remo left the cover of the broken fence and crossed the street to the church. When he entered, he found the place empty, and he was frankly surprised that the doors were not locked. As he started down the center aisle, a door in the front of the church opened, and Lorenzo Moorcock, minister and failed politician, came out.
"You have come back," he said. "To worship?"
"To ask for help."
"It is the same thing."
Remo stopped where he was and spoke to Moorcock from across the room. "I'm going to be very frank with you, Reverend."
"How refreshing."
"I'm looking for a boy named Walter Sterling. Do you know him?"
"He is a member of my flock, as is his family."
"His father isn't anymore," Remo said. "He's dead, and I think whoever killed him is out there looking for Walter right now to do the same to him."
"Why would anyone want to kill the boy?"
"Because he's involved with drugs, and he's become a liability to whoever he's working for."
Moorcock stared at Remo for a few seconds and then said, "How do I know that you don't simply want to arrest the boy for dealing drugs?"
"I'm not a policeman, Moorcock. I've told you that."
"Yes, you have, but I can't help but notice that you act very suspiciously like a policeman—"
"Moorcock, if you were any kind of a minister, you'd want to keep that boy from being killed—"
"How would you suggest I do that?"
"Tell me where he is."
"And if he shows up dead anyway, I would have no recourse but to suspect you of having something to do with it."
"You've got a suspicious nature for a minister," Remo said. "Or maybe I should say, for an ex-politician."
Moorcock did not look surprised that Remo knew something about his past. "You are well informed," he said. "A policeman would be."
"What do I have to do to convince you?"
"Suppose I think about that question for a while and then get back to you," the minister suggested.
"Reverend, I wouldn't wait too long if I were you," Remo said. "And to make it easy, here's the number where I'm staying."
"That sounds like a threat."
"Take it any way you want."
Remo started for the exit, then turned to face the minister again. "Talk to the boy, Moorcock. Give him a chance to decide his own fate."
"I'll be in touch."
Remo left the church and walked directly across the street to where Chiun was watching.
"Did anyone leave the building?" he asked.
"No one," Chiun said. "I take it the minister was not very cooperative."
"He's a suspicious man," Remo said, "or he wants us to think he is."
"What does that mean?"
"He's more than he seems to be," Remo said. "Maybe tomorrow we'll find out, when the Mexicans arrive."
"And until then?"
"He's supposed to call me if he decides to cooperate. I think one of us should go back to the hotel and wait for that call."
"Do you really think it will come?"
"I don't think I want to take a chance that it will and we aren't there to answer."
"What have you in mind?"
"I think you should go back, Little Father. I want to try another way of bringing Walter Sterling to the surface."
"How?"
"I'm going to ask someone else for help."
"Detective Palmer?"
"I'll have to talk to him, yes," Remo said, "but even before I see Palmer, I want to go and see an old friend of mine— a pusher named Danny the Man."
"What makes you think he will help?"
"I'll ask him real nice, Chiun," Remo said. "You know how persuasive I can be."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Danny the Man wasn't expecting company… again. This time the young lady was white, blond, and busty instead of willowy, and she was right in the middle of earning her "candy" when there was a knock at the door.
"Jesus!" Danny the Man said viciously.
"Mmmm?" the girl asked.
"Let me loose, Carla, I got to answer that."
"Mmm-mmm," the girl said, unwilling to give up when she was so close to earning her fix.
"Business before pleasure, Carla, honey," the black man said. He gave her an open-handed slap alongside her head and snapped, "Let me loose, dammit!"
The girl allowed him to slip away, and then pouted as he swung his legs to the floor, stood up, and put on his silk robe.
As he was heading for the door, the knocking became a pounding, and he wondered which of his customers was so hard up for a fix already. He was sure that business had been concluded for that particular day. Danny the Man knew his regular customers, and knew when they were due to fix, and that meant that whoever was knocking wasn't a customer.
Cops, he wondered, or… Naw, it couldn't be that crazy white dude again, could it?
He swung the door open and said, "Aw, man…"
"Hello, Danny," Remo said, walking past the pusher into the apartment.
"Man, you can't be doing this to me all the time. My sex life is turning to shit."
"Try getting some nice young lady to do it for love, Danny, and not for candy."
"Thank you, Dear Abby," Danny said. He slammed the door shut and put his hands on his hips, facing Remo. "What is it this time?"
"Before we start, why don't you keep your friend from walking out here naked. I'd hate to have to play that whole scene again."
"And I can't afford to have you cure another one of my girls," Danny agreed. "Wait a sec."
Danny went into the bedroom, and Remo heard him exchange a few less than friendly words with a young lady. In a few moments the pusher was stepping back into the room, pulling the bedroom door shut behind him.
"You got anything on under that robe?"
"What the hell do you think I was doing when you barged in," Danny said, "dressing for the policeman's ball?"
"Just see if you can keep the robe from falling open. I don't think I could take the excitement."
"Ha-ha. I'm dying laughing." He poured himself a drink. "You want one this time?"
"No."
Danny sat down on the couch, taking care not to allow his robe to gape open. "All right, man, lay it on me. What do you want?"
"I want your help finding somebody."
"Who?"
"A kid pusher named Walter Sterling."
Danny made a face and said, "Don't sound like the name of one of my people."
"He's not. He's white."
"A street pusher?"
"Yeah."
Danny shrugged and said, "I don't know him."
"That may be so, but that doesn't mean you can't help me find him."
"How do you propose I do that?"
"You've got street people of your own, Danny. Put the word out. One white boy can't be that hard to find in this neighborhood, right?"
"What makes you think he's hanging out here?"
Remo shrugged and said, "A hunch. If he's hiding out, he's hiding where he thinks no one will look for him."
"You want my people to find this kid for you," Danny said. "Is that all?"
"Not quite. The next part is tricky."
"1 don't like tricks."