A few minutes later, Ken put on his black cap and thick glasses and exited The Pits. He did not want to leave at the same time as Starsky. He looked left and right and began walking. A block away, he heard a voice in the alley and paused when he recognized the name "Starsky".
" . . . Sal will be pleased and I will get the drugs I need," sing-songed a man pacing back and forth. He giggled.
Ken froze. The man apparently intended to expose Starsky to Sal. Ken looked around and saw no one around the area.
"Gotta tell . . . gotta tell . . . then I'll be living well," the man continued, still swaying, but moving away. He had greasy brown hair, unshaven face and was tall and thin.
"Wait!" Ken impulsively ran to the man. "Stop!"
The man jerked around in surprise to squint at Ken. "What do you want? I got things to do! Things to do so I won't be blue!" He began to walk away.
"No you don't! You're coming with me!" Ken ordered, grabbing the man by his right arm. Ken intended to take the man to Starsky before he could tell Sal.
"Hey, let go!" The snitch tried to jerk out of Ken's grip, not longer amused by his silly song. His ragged blue shirt tore, but Ken held firm.
They kept struggling until a shadow appeared from the alley wall and hit Ken in the head with a beer bottle. Ken jerked, then fell flat on his stomach.
"Jacky, thanks!" the snitch said, sniggering. "Creep wouldn't let me go!"
"What is he, a cop?" Jacky said, kneeling beside Ken and searching his pockets.
"Don't know, gotta go, gotta get some more snow!"
"Are you high, Stan?" Jacky asked, then the rangy redhead turned his full attention to searching Ken. "Hey, look, sixty bucks! A pocketwatch, a silver ring! Gotta be worth something!" He stood up, pleased. Then he snatched the black cap, exposing the blond hair glowing in the moonlight.
"No! I think he's Sal's blond crush! Let's get outta here!" Stan screamed in fear.
"Sal's what?"
"I think this is the kid Sal wants! Gotta go before Sal knows!" Stan exclaimed, lurching away and running as fast as he could while stumbling into trash cans.
"Thanks, Blondie!" Jacky sniggered, and then stood listening, and then took off as well.
Ken lay motionless, a pool of red blood expanding beneath his head.
TBC