There was a narrow strip of lawn behind the building, with a couple
of trees, and then a dimly-lit alley. The cabbie handed me a pair of
binoculars, and I strained my eyes on the sprawling shadows. I couldn't
see anything suspicious, but I decided it might be worth a trip on foot.
The third time around I glanced at Stella's lighted windows--the rear
ones--and gasped. A dark shadow clung to the side of the building,
edging slowly along the ledge towards her window. Gregory.
"See that?" I said to the cabbie.
As we watched, he got the window open, and disappeared into the
apartment.
I tried to radio the men on the stakeout, and couldn't rouse them. I
called headquarters. Both Walker and Captain Marks were out. They would
be back in a few minutes. But I didn't have minutes left.
"Skip it," I said. I snapped out a description of the situation, and
cut off.
"Can you get close enough to get me through that window?" I asked the
cabbie.
"I can try," he said. "But watch your step, fellow. It's a long drop."
He hovered close, and I grabbed the edge of the window and pulled
myself through. Gregory faced me across the living room, a bewildered,
panicky look on his huge, child-like face. I was thinking, how stupid
can we get? From the way he came into Cronus's picture we should have
known he didn't come through the door. Stella had come through the
door, and we just assumed he was already in the room. But who would
have thought Gregory could make like a human fly?
"All right, Gregory," I said. "You're under arrest."
Tears streaked his face. His jaw moved, but no sound came out. Suddenly
I saw how we had blundered. This grotesquely oversized child meant no
harm to anyone. Stella was the only person he'd ever known who treated
him like a human being, and he wanted to see her again. For some
reason he couldn't understand, the police were trying to prevent that.
Suddenly the entire universe was against him, even Stella, and he was
frightened.
And dangerous.
He lunged at me like a pile driver, and forced me back towards the open
window. I got my gun out, and he just casually knocked it out of my
hand. He had me on the window ledge, forcing me back and all I could
see were the stars out in space.
Then the apartment door opened and closed and Gregory glanced back over
his shoulder.