Free Color Him Gay: The Further Adventures of the Man from C. A. M. P. by V. J. Banis Page B

glancing about. Just past the spot a narrow alleyway led from the busy street. Jackie glanced at it as though he were merely a curious visitor and then stepped into it, starting down its dim path.
    It was a singular experience, as though a curtain had been closed upon the activity and rush of the city. Here, with only a few steps, he had left behind the tourist attractions and the gaudy displays. All was quiet. The signs displayed no English and the unfamiliar Chinese symbols on a few of the doors made them appear all the more mysterious and ominous.
    There was no way of knowing into which door his adversaries had disappeared. Nothing stirred except a big, indolent cat that glowered at him for a minute before disappearing into a shadow.
    Still another passageway opened off this one, a few feet of narrow tunnel that dropped down a short, steep flight of steps to a basement type building. The shades had been drawn over the door and window but beyond that a dim light could be seen. As he listened he heard the muffled sound of voices that seemed to be arguing.
    He hesitated for a moment and then started down. It could be something perfectly innocent, unrelated to his search—perhaps a family discussion or an argument over prices. The risk would have to be taken, however. He was convinced his quarry was somewhere in this alley, behind one of the closed doors. If necessary he would find some way to search the entire area, until he had caught the rats in their nest.
    His foot struck a stone on one of the steps and sent it clattering down before him. Ahead, the voices beyond the door grew silent. Jackie froze where he was. His presence had been clumsily announced. Would he find himself facing some irate resident? Or something more dangerous?
    The silence continued. As he stood motionless, Jackie hit upon a scheme that might save him some embarrassment. He would ask directions to some special shop that had been recommended to him. That would give him the opportunity to see who was inside and also explain his presence if this were not the right door.
    He started down again and reached the door. Without pause he knocked loudly. A minute later the door opened on a wizened, yellow-faced figure who would have looked more appropriate clad in the traditional garments of his past than in the typically Western suit he was wearing.
    â€œI’m trying to find the shop of Lin Chan,” Jackie answered the unspoken question in the man’s eyes. “I seem to be having some trouble locating it.”
    The man screwed up his face. “I do not know that shop,” he said in a cracked voice. “But come in, please. I will ask my daughter if she can direct you.”
    Jackie felt a warning tickle at his scalp but there was no logical way to retreat now. Tense beneath the deceptively innocent air he feigned, he followed the old man inside.
    He had no sooner stepped over the threshold than the door was closed swiftly behind him. Jackie whirled about to find himself facing the same threesome he had met before, the ones who had attacked Dingo Stark. Bruno Scotto’s evil face leered at him malevolently.
    â€œI’m afraid, Mr. Garden,” the Oriental man was saying, “that you’ve been impetuous.”
    Jackie had no time to answer. He reached instinctively for the gun under his jacket but the three thugs were faster. Scotto was upon him in a rush, his massive fist connecting with Jackie’s jaw before Jackie had time to dodge the blow. Someone grabbed him from behind. Jackie grabbed and twisted, lifting the man up and using his hip as a lever to fling his assailant into the air and against Bruno Scotto.
    There was no time, however, to protect himself from the gun barrel that crashed against the back of his head. He pitched silently forward, unconscious.
    * * * *
    Jackie awoke in darkness, the floor damp and cold beneath him. He stirred, half surprised to find himself alive and functioning. Finally, expecting