"A man named Donald Wagner always gave me my instructions," Walter Sterling said. "As far as I know, he's the boss."
"Not from what the men in the junk yard said," Remo recalled. "One of them told you that it was the 'big boss' who wanted you out of the way."
"I don't know who that is."
"I don't, either— at least, not for sure," Remo said, "but hopefully I'll be meeting someone tonight who will know."
"Maybe he won't tell you."
"Yes," Chiun said, "he will tell. He will have no choice."
"Have you been hiding at the church all this time?" Remo asked.
"Yes. The minister has been taking care of me."
"What do you know about him?"
The boy shrugged and said, "Just that he's a minister of some new religion. I don't exactly believe what he preaches, but he was helping me."
"Out of the goodness of his heart," Remo said.
"I suppose. What are you going to do now?"
"We'll wait," Remo said. "You give me the directions to my meeting, and then we'll wait until dark. You'll stay here with Chiun—"
"I'll go with you. I can show you how to get there better than I can tell you."
"I will go also," Chiun said. "I think this whole business is about to come to an end, and I intend to be there when it does."
"All right," Remo said.
"Besides," Chiun said, "I have to make sure that this child remains alive. He is my responsibility now."
"Whatever you say, Chiun. He's all yours."
Donald Wagner was gearing up for what he thought was a meeting with Danny the Man Lincoln. He inserted a .38 into his shoulder holster and then turned to face the five men he was taking with him.
"You're all armed?" he asked.
The men nodded. These were experienced men in their late twenties or early thirties. Wagner was not taking any chances by bringing kids along to back him up. Who knew what that nigger was planning for him?
"All right, we've picked an empty warehouse for this meeting, and you five will get there first. I want you all to be so well hidden on the catwalk that even I can't find you. But if something breaks, I want to see your ugly faces in a split second. Don't make me wonder where you are."
All five men nodded. He knew he could count on them because, unlike the majority of people involved in Moorcock's operation, they were pros.
He would feel better having them with him. What could go wrong with that many men to back him up?
Lorenzo Moorcock showed his Mexican guests out to the street, where their limousine was waiting to take them to their hotel. They would stay there for three days, during which time they would tour some of the automotive factories, and then they'd return to Mexico City. He wouldn't see them— or others like them— until the next shipment was due.
Reentering the church, Moorcock was excited. This was the largest and finest-quality shipment they'd ever had. He could cut it countless times, doubling or even tripling its normal worth.
As he approached the door to the basement, it opened, and Donald Wagner stepped out, followed by five other men.
"Time for the meeting?" Moorcock asked.
"Yes."
"It should be interesting," the minister said, "but don't take too long. We have to discuss how to dispose of those two meddlers."
"We'll be back soon," Wagner said, with more confidence than he was feeling.
"Be careful," Moorcock warned. "We're on top of the biggest score we've ever had, and we can't take a chance of ruining it now. If there is even a hint that Mr. Lincoln is setting us up for something, get rid of him."
"That," Wagner said, patting his .38, "would be a pleasure."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"That's it," Walter Sterling said.
"Do you know anything about it?" Remo asked.
"As a matter of fact, I do," Walter Sterling said. "It's been empty since I was a kid. We used to play there— me and all my friends."
"Good. What's the best way of getting in there without being seen?" Remo asked.
"Over the top. We used to play on the roof."
"Then we'll go that way."
Remo knew that he and Chiun could have gone right through the front door without being seen, but they couldn't do that with Walter around. This way, all of them could enter the warehouse unnoticed.
"What's the best way to get up there?"
"The next building. Come on."
Walter took them up the steps to the roof of the building next door and then seemed disappointed.
"What's wrong?" Remo asked.
"Well, there used to be this big wooden beam that went from this roof to the roof of the warehouse." He looked around. 'It's not here."
There were at least ten feet separating the two rooftops. Walter said, "We'll never get over there now."
"Of course we will," Chiun said. "There is a plank on the other roof that you can use to get across."
"Yes, but it's on the other roof," Walter said. As he spoke, he turned to face Chiun and did not see Remo easily leap to the roof of the warehouse. Nor did he see Remo pick up the plank and leap back with it. When he turned, the plank was there, in place, bridging the gap between rooftops.
"How did you do that?" he asked, staring at Remo in awe.
"That doesn't matter. Come on, let's get across."
"Uh—"
"What's the matter?"
"This plank is about half the width of that old beam."
"That doesn't matter," Remo said. "Chiun will take you across."
With that, Remo walked across the plank as if it were the width of a city block.
"I can't—" Walter started to say, but Chiun cut him off.
"You can," the old man said. "Come, I'll go with you."
Chiun got up on the plank and put his hand out to the boy. Walter took the hand and stepped up onto the plank.
"Don't look down, right?" he asked.
"Look at the plank," Chiun said. "How wide is it?"
"About six inches."
"Keep your eyes on it. Watch it grow. How wide is it now?" Chiun asked.
Walter Sterling stared in wonderment as the plank appeared to widen. "It's at least eight— no, nine inches wide now."
"You tell me when it's wide enough for you to walk on," Chiun said, "and we'll go."
Walter kept watching the plank, and it seemed to keep widening— to twelve inches, fifteen inches, a foot and a half…
"All right," he said, "let's go. We can't keep Remo waiting forever."
With Chiun walking ahead of him, Walter negotiated the length of the plank flawlessly, until he was standing on the roof of the warehouse.
"Sorry it took us so long," he said to Remo.
"What are you talking about?" Remo asked. "You came over right after I did. Come on, let's get moving."
"This way," Walter said, and led them to a large, heavy metal door. "It's locked."
"Stand back," Remo said.
"That door is inches thick," Walter said to Chiun. "We'll never get it open."
"Let's go," Remo said.
Walter turned to look at him and found that the door was already open. "How did you do that?"
Before Remo could answer, Chiun said, "You will have to learn to stop asking that question."
"Let's go down," Remo said.
Inside the stairway it was pitch black, as it now was outside as well.
"How are we going to see—" Walter began, but Chiun nudged him into silence.
The stairwell let out onto a catwalk, one of many crisscrossing the upper portion of the warehouse.
"Do you see them?" Remo asked.
"See who?" Walter asked.
"Of course I see them," Chiun said.
"See who?" Walter whispered.
"Five," Remo said, "all up here."
"Who?"
"Quiet!" Chiun hissed. "I will take the two nearest," he said to Remo, "you the other three."
They both looked down at the floor below and saw nothing.
"Whoever arranged the meeting hasn't shown up yet. We can get this done before he does," Remo said.