It only took a few moments for him to ascertain that the house was empty, and then he started his search. He was looking for a large stash of money or anything else that might help him. When he found what was obviously the kid's bedroom, he spent more time there than anywhere else and was rewarded. In the closet he found some loose floorboards and, prying them up, discovered what he was looking for. Not only did he find the cash, but there were some drugs hidden away as well. Still, there was nothing to tell where either had come from, so he left them there and replaced the floorboards.
He left the house and decided that he might as well go to the plant and talk to Louis Sterling, who might be able to tell him where his son was.
When he got to the plant, he received a pass from the same receptionist he had seen on his first visit and went looking for Sterling on the assembly line. When he didn't see him, he asked the foreman, Boffa, if he knew where he was.
"Did you check the lounge?"
"Yeah, he's not there."
"What about the locker room?"
"I don't know where it is."
Checking his watch, the foreman frowned and then said, "All right, come on, I'll show you."
Remo followed Boffa to the locker room, where they found Louis Sterling crouched down in front of his open locker.
"Lou—" Boffa began, but he stopped when he noticed something funny. Remo noticed also that Sterling wasn't crouched. He was slumped against the locker.
And dead.
"What the hell…" the foreman said.
Remo touched the man on the shoulder and leaned over him. In the middle of Sterling's chest was a gaping knife wound.
Remo left the plant in a hurry, not even stopping to drop off his badge. With Louis Sterling dead, Walter Sterling couldn't be that far behind. Obviously, Remo had gotten too close when he latched on to the Sterlings, and the intention now was to remove them before he could get anything out of them.
"Call the police and ask for Detective Palmer," Remo said, giving Boffa quick instructions. "Tell him I was here— that's Randisi— but 1 had to leave."
"Shouldn't you wait?"
"Louis Sterling is dead, and I think his son Walter is next on the list. Tell Palmer I'll get in touch with him when I can."
After that, he left the plant and hailed a cab. He wanted to go to the Church of Modern-day Beliefs and check in with Chiun. Maybe the Sterling kid was inside the church with Moorcock.
Remo was sure that no one had been able to spot Chiun for the simple reason that it had taken him fifteen minutes to spot him himself. The wily Oriental had simply taken up position in the shadows between the slats of the fence behind the alley where Remo had watched the drug deal go down.
"It took me awhile to see you," Remo said, joining Chiun behind the fence.
"I know," Chiun said. "I allotted you fifteen minutes to find me, and then showed myself."
"Right," Remo said. Chiun would never admit that Remo had spotted him on his own.
"Why are you here so soon?" Chiun asked.
"Things are starting to happen." He told Chiun what he had found in the Sterling house, and then what he found when he went to the plant. "The kid has to be next," he summed up.
"We must keep that from happening," Chiun said.
"That's why I'm here," Remo said. "You haven't seen any… children go into the church, have you?"
"No, none."
"Well, that doesn't mean he wasn't in there when you got here," Remo said. "How about Moorcock? Did you see him leave?"
"No."
"I think I'd better go in and have a talk with him. If he knows where the kid is, maybe I can convince him to tell me."
"I will come with you."
"I think it would be better if you stayed here. If Walter Sterling is in there, he might take off the back way when he sees me."
"Very well, but you must try your best to get the man to help us. It is vital that no more children die."
"For once, Chiun, I agree with you."
Remo left the cover of the broken fence and crossed the street to the church. When he entered, he found the place empty, and he was frankly surprised that the doors were not locked. As he started down the center aisle, a door in the front of the church opened, and Lorenzo Moorcock, minister and failed politician, came out.
"You have come back," he said. "To worship?"
"To ask for help."
"It is the same thing."
Remo stopped where he was and spoke to Moorcock from across the room. "I'm going to be very frank with you, Reverend."
"How refreshing."
"I'm looking for a boy named Walter Sterling. Do you know him?"
"He is a member of my flock, as is his family."
"His father isn't anymore," Remo said. "He's dead, and I think whoever killed him is out there looking for Walter right now to do the same to him."
"Why would anyone want to kill the boy?"
"Because he's involved with drugs, and he's become a liability to whoever he's working for."
Moorcock stared at Remo for a few seconds and then said, "How do I know that you don't simply want to arrest the boy for dealing drugs?"
"I'm not a policeman, Moorcock. I've told you that."
"Yes, you have, but I can't help but notice that you act very suspiciously like a policeman—"
"Moorcock, if you were any kind of a minister, you'd want to keep that boy from being killed—"