The Prince and I - 4

“Why me?”

“Impulse I suppose. I wasn’t looking for someone right then but when I saw you shoplifting I just acted, or reacted.”

“My lucky day,” I muttered dourly.

Arthur shot me a somewhat scathing look. “Do you like living the way you do?”

I snorted. “Would you? But what is—is.”

“It doesn’t have to be. If you find Connor I’m sure you’ll be duly rewarded. Perhaps even with a job. My friend has interests in several small companies.”

“La-de-da. Like they’d hire some guy off the street to work for one of them.” But I couldn’t help the sudden rise in hope, which I quickly squashed.

“Sarcasm isn’t necessary.”

I shrugged. “So how am I supposed to find this Connor? And even if I luck out what makes you think he’s going to go back home just ‘cause I did find him?”

All the time he’d been talking I’d been wondering what the real story was. No one willingly decides to go live on the streets. Either something bad had been happening to Connor or he was kicked out. No matter which, you don’t leave without taking something, clothes, your cell, and for damned sure if his family really is rich then he had a phone. Arthur’s story stunk but for the time being I didn’t say so.

“I’ll give you my number. When you find him, call me.”

“You seem damned sure I will.”

Instead of replying he took an envelope out of his pocket, wrote a phone number on it and handed it to me. “There are a couple of pictures of him inside.”

I took a look. He was a nice looking kid, maybe a year younger than me if they were recent shots. In one he was wearing a school uniform. In the other he was sitting with a couple of other guys in what I instantly recognized as Cheesman Park. Not a bad neighborhood if that’s where he’d lived. Not the Polo Grounds but hey. I took a quick look at Arthur then back at the pictures. One thing for sure, Arthur wasn’t Connor’s dad—an idea which had flicked through my head for a minute while he’d been telling me his story. I stuffed the photos back in the envelope and put it in my pocket. “It’s a big city but I’ll keep an eye open.”

Arthur nodded. “That’s all I can ask.”

He reached into his pocket again, took out his wallet and gave me a couple of twenties. Trust me I took them fast, before he could change his mind. Since all the food was gone and my shake was a memory I wanted to get moving so I stood up, thanked him for feeding me and promised I’d call if I ran across Connor.

“Any time, day or night,” he told me.

I just nodded and left.