Past perfect in a story

Question

Sitting up in bed, his cheeks still flushed with heat, Bill had finished the boat—but when George reached for it, Bill held it out of reach. “Now get me the paraffin.” “Where is it?” “It’s on the cellar shelf as you go downstairs,” Bill said. George had gone obediently to get these things. He could hear his mother playing the piano. _{Stephen King's It}

Why is past perfect in order here?

The chronological order is this: Bill said to bring these things by pointing where they were (downstairs), then George went to bring them and as he was going to bring them he heard his mother playing the piano. This is the second chapter of the story.

The first chapter told about events that happened after Bill had pointed to these things and after George had brought them. The first chapter told about George running along beside a paper boat that had been made from the things that Bill had asked George to bring.

Answer 1

Because it is using (or perhaps setting) "story time" - the temporal focus, relative to which going to get the things is in the past.

If this is the beginning of the narrative, then it is establishing the story time, as a later time from which George is looking back to going to fetch the things. If it is not at the beginning, then the story time may already have been established.

The fact that Bill spoke in the simple past means that Bill's speaking is at story time, not the time when George went to fetch things, (though by its meaning, he has only just gone to fetch the things).

 earlier ------------------- later ('now' in the story)

George going to fetch ------------ Bill says... George can hear ...