The Servants of Twilight

They ran to Hilgarde Avenue, then beyond it, away from UCLA and the commercial area of Westwood, into an expensive and quiet residential neighborhood. Charlie welcomed each convocation of shadows, but dreaded the pools of light surrounding every streetlamp, because here they were the only people on the sidewalks and easily spotted. They turned several times, seeking concealment in the upper-class warren of lushly landscaped streets. Gradually he began to think they had lost their pursuers, though he knew he wouldn't feel entirely safe for a long time to come.

Although the rain had subsided to little more than a light mist, and although they were all wearing raincoats, they were wet and cold again by the time Charlie began looking for transportation.

Automobiles were parked along the street, and he moved down the block, under the dripping coral trees and palms, stealthily trying doors, hoping no one was watching from any of the houses. The first three cars were locked up tight, but the driver's door on the fourth, a two-year-old yellow Cadillac, opened when he tried it.

He motioned Christine and Joey into the car." Hurry."

She said, "Are the keys in it?"

"No."

"Are you stealing it or what?"

"Yes. Get in."

"I don't want you breaking the law and winding up in prison because of me and-"

"Get in! " he said urgently.

The velour-covered bench seat in front accommodated the three of them, so Christine put Joey in the middle, apparently afraid to let him get even as far away as the rear seat. The dog got in back, shaking the rain off his coat and spraying everyone in the process.

The glove compartment contained a small, detachable flashlight that came with the car and that was kept, except when needed, in a specially designed niche where its batteries were constantly recharged. Charlie used it to look under the dashboard, below the steering wheel, where he located the ignition wires. He hot-wired the Cadillac, and the engine turned over without hesitation.

No more than two minutes after he had opened the car door, they pulled away from the curb. For the first block, he drove without headlights.

Then, confident they had gotten away unnoticed, he snapped on the lights and headed up toward Sunset Boulevard.

Christine said, "What if the cops stop us?"

"They won't. The owner probably won't report it stolen until morning.

And even if he discovers it's gone ten minutes from now, it won't make the police hot sheets for a while."

" But they might stop us for speeding-"

"I don't intend to speed."

— or some other traffic violation-"

"What do you think I am-a stunt driver?"

"Are you?" Joey asked.

"Oh, sure, better than Evel Knievel," Charlie said.

"Who?" the boy asked.

"God, I'm getting old," Charlie said.

"Are we gonna get in a car chase like on TV?" Joey asked.

"I hope not," Charlie said.

" Oh, I'd like that," the boy said.

Charlie checked the rearview mirror. There were two cars behind him. He couldn't tell what make they were or anything about them. They were just pairs of headlights in the darkness.

Christine said, "But sooner or later, the car will end up on the hot sheets-"

"We'll have parked it somewhere and taken another car by then," Charlie said.

"Steal another one?"

"I'm sure not going to Hertz or Avis," he said." A rental car can be traced. They might find us that way."

Jesus, listen to me, he thought. Pretty soon I'm going to be like Ray Milland in Lost Weekend, imagining a threat in every corner, seeing giant bugs crawling out of the walls.

He turned left at the next corner.

So did both of the cars behind him.

"How did they find us?" Christine asked.

"Must've planted a transmitter on my Mercedes."

"When would they've done that?"

"I don't know. Maybe when I was at their church this morning."

"But you said you left a man in your car while you went in there, someone who could call for help if you didn't come back out when you were supposed to."

"Yeah. Carter Rilbeck."

"So he'd have seen them trying to plant a transmitter."

"Unless, of course, he's one of them," Charlie said.

"Do you think he could be?"

"Probably not. But maybe they planted the bug before that.

As soon as they knew you'd hired me."

At Hilgarde, he turned right.

So did both of the cars behind him.

To Christine, he said, "Or maybe Henry Rankin is a TWilighter, and when I called him from the restaurant awhile ago, maybe he got a trace on the line and found out where I was."

"You said he's like a brother."

"He is. But Cain was like a brother to Abel, huh?"

He turned left on Sunset Boulevard, with UCLA on the left now and Bel Air on the hills to the right.

Only one of the cars followed him.

She said, "You sound as if you've become as paranoid as I am."

"Grace Spivey gives me no choice."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Farther away."

"Where?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"We spent all that time buying clothes and things, and now a lot of it's one," she said.

"We can outfit ourselves again tomorrow."

"I can't go home; I can't go to work; I can't take shelter with any of my friends-"

"I'm your friend," Charlie said.