Summary

Walker talks to Billy about the trouble he has faced since returning from the war, and mentions a girlfriend he had back in Broad Cove. Later, he wanders by a film shoot and chats with the director. He walks through Skid Row, giving coins to panhandlers, and then sees a police car pull up, in pursuit of a suspect. A police officer opens fire, shooting the man they were pursuing twice.

Christmas and New Years pass, and Walker talks to Billy again about the mad dash for development in L.A. that is encroaching on Skid Row, where the indigent live. Walker meanders through town and past the ocean, where he remembers a boat journey during the war. He watches several noir movies.

At work, Walker continues to get along well enough with Rennert and Sherwood, but he hates Pike, who always seems...