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n afterthought added some to the hair of his wig； and by the time Kelly had passed through the city…block…length of the alley； he was just one more wino； a street bum like those who dotted the area even more than the drug pushers。 Kelly adjusted his gait； slowing down and being deliberately sloppy in his movements while his eyes searched for a good perch。 It wasn‘t all that difficult。 Several of the houses in the area were vacant； and it was just a matter of funding one with a good view。 That required half an hour。 He settled for a corner house with upstairs bay windows。 Kelly entered it from the back door。 He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw two rats in the wreckage of what a few years before had been a kitchen。 Fuckin‘ rats！ It was foolish to fear them； but he loathed their small black eyes and leprous hair and naked tails。
‘Shit！‘ he whispered to himself。 Why hadn‘t he thought about that？ Everybody got a creeping chill from something： spiders； snakes； or tall buildings。 For Kelly； it was rats。 He walked towards the doorway； careful to keep his distance。 The rats merely looked at him； edging away but less afraid of him than he was of them。 ‘Fuck！‘ they heard him whisper； leaving them to their meal。
What followed was anger。 Kelly made his way up the unbanistered stairs and found the corner bedroom with the bay windows； furious with himself for allowing such a dumb and cowardly distraction。 Didn‘t he have a perfectly good weapon for dealing with rats？ What were they going to do； assemble into a battalion for a rat…wave attack？ That thought finally caused an embarrassed smile in the darkness of the room。 Kelly crouched at the windows； evaluating his field of view and his own visibility。 The windows were dirty and cracked。 Some glass panels were missing entirely； but each window had a fortable sill on which he could sit； and the house‘s location at the corner of two streets gave him a long view along each of the four main points of the pass； since this part of the city streets was laid out along precisely surveyed north…south； east…west lines。 There wasn‘t enough illumination on the streets for those below him to see into the house。 With his dark； shabby clothing； in this unfit and derelict house； Kelly was invisible。 He took out a small pair of binoculars and began his reconnaissance。
His first task was to learn the environment。 The rain showers passed； leaving moisture in the air that made for little globes of light punctuated by the flying insects attracted to their eventual doom by streetlights。 The air was still warm； perhaps mid…eighties； falling slowly； and Kelly was perspiring a little。 His first analytical thought was that he should have brought water to drink。 Well； he could correct that in the future； and he didn‘t really need a drink for some hours。 He had thought to bring chewing gum； and that made things easier。 The sounds of the streets were curious。 In the jungle he‘d heard the tittering of insects； the calls of birds； and the flapping of bats。 Here it was automotive sounds near or distant； the occasional squeal of brakes； conversations loud or muted； barking dogs； and rattling trash cans； all of which he analyzed while watching through his binoculars and considering his actions for the evening。
Friday night； the start of the weekend； and people were making their purchases。 It seemed this was a busy night for the gentry business。 He identified one probable dealer a block and a half away。 Early twenties。 Twenty minutes of observation gave him a good physical picture of both the dealer and his assistant…‘lieutenant。‘ Both moved with the ease that came both with experience and security in their place； and Kelly wondered if they had fought either to take this place or to defend it。 Perhaps both。 They had a thriving trade； perhaps regular customers； he thought； watching both men approach an imported car； joshing with the driver and passenger before the exchange was made； shaking hands and waving afterwards。 The two were of roughly the same height and build； and he assigned them the names Archie and Jughead。
Jesus； what an innocent I was； Kelly told himself； looking down another street。 He remembered that one asshole they‘d caught smoking grass in 3rd SOG … right before going out on a job。 It had been Kelly‘s team； and Kelly‘s man； and though he was an FNK right from SEAL school； that was no excuse at all。 Confronting the man； he‘d explained reasonably but positively that going into the field in anything less than a hundred…percent…alert state could mean death for the entire team。 ‘Hey； man； it‘s cool； I know what I‘m doing‘ had not been a particularly intelligent response； and thirty seconds later another team member had found it necessary to pull Kelly off the instantly ex…member of the team； who was gone the next day； never to return。
And that had been the only instance of drug use in the entire unit as far as Kelly knew。 Sure； off…duty they‘d had their beer bashes； and when Kelly and two others had flown to Taiwan for R&；R； their collective vacation had not been terribly unlike a mobile earthquake of drunken excesses。 Kelly truly believed that was different； blind to the explicit double standard。 But they didn‘t drink beer before heading into the boonies either。 It was a matter of mon sense。 It had also been one of unit morale。 Kelly knew of no really elite unit that had developed a drug problem。 The problem … a very serious one indeed； he‘d beard … was mainly in the REMFs and the draftee units posed of young men whose presence in Vietnam was even less willing than was his own； and whose officers hadn‘t been able to overe the problem either because of their own failings or their not dissimilar feelings。
Whatever the cause； the fact that Kelly had hardly considered the problem of drug use was both logical and absurd。 He set all of that aside。 However late he had learned about it； it was here before his eyes。
Down another street was a solo dealer who didn‘t want； need； or have a lieutenant。 He wore a striped shirt and had his own clientele。 Kelly thought of him as Charlie Brown。 Over the next five hours； he identified and classified three other operations within his fiel