“Don’t think anything of it if you run into a handful of knuckles,” Tommy snarled.
“Are you kiddin’?”
“I’m not kidding, I’m warning you.”
“Well, I’m warning
Angrily Tommy started back to his car, got in and drove off. At Sunset he turned right and drove past Las Palmas. At the next corner he turned left and in a moment or two crossed Hollywood Boulevard, and began climbing the hill on Whitely. When he pulled up near the Lehigh Apartments, he looked back and saw the beige coupe pulling in to the curb a hundred feet away. He entered the apartment house and rode up to the fifth floor.
Trent’s houseboy answered his ring at the doorbell.
“Good evening, sar.”
“Mr. Trent.”
“Who iss calling?”
Before Tommy could reply Trent appeared behind the Filipino, coming out of the bedroom. His eyes met Tommy’s. “Oh, hello there, Tommy. Come in! Come in!”
The Filipino backed away and Tommy entered the apartment.
“Manuel,” Trent exclaimed, “get us a couple of drinks.”
The Filipino disappeared into the kitchen. Tommy waited until he had gone, then burst out, “What’s the idea of having me shadowed?”
Trent regarded Tommy coolly. “Do you think I’m a fool, Tommy? This is a big deal and I’m not taking any chances of anything going wrong.” He smiled thinly. “For that much money I wouldn’t trust my mother.”
Tommy glowered at him. “Well, you’re frank about it at least.”
“Why not?”
“In other words, from now on I can expect to have somebody follow me?” Tommy nodded. “Well, don’t be surprised if
Trent chuckled. “Attaboy!”
The Filipino entered the room with a tray on which were a couple of glasses. Trent took them off the tray and handed one to Tommy. “To us!”
“Good shadowing.”
Trent barely tasted his liquor. “Now, let’s talk about the big plan.”
Tommy looked at the Filipino but the servant was already beating a retreat to the kitchen.
“I got the box.” He reached into his pocket and drew out the safety deposit box keys. The two for Box 365.
“It’s going to take two trips for each key. Four altogether.”
Trent frowned. “You couldn’t get the impression of both keys on one trip?”
“Can I take a chance? The woman leaves the room, all right, but suppose she happens to come back? Suppose there’s another customer comes into the vault?” Tommy set his whiskey glass down on a polished end table and scowled at Trent. “Of course, if
Trent hesitated. “I was planning on something just like that on the last trip.” He paused. “As a matter of fact I’ve had a box in the Hollywood-Highland Bank for the last couple of years.”
Tommy drew two key blanks from his pocket. He held up one. “This is a blank for the customer’s lock. This other one is for the bank’s lock. I can make the impressions for both if I can count on a full sixty seconds without interruption. If you can give me that sixty seconds tomorrow and again in a couple of days I could finish the whole job in three trips. One, tomorrow, to make the impressions, another in a couple of days to test the keys and get the last changes and a third trip, well, for boodle.”
Trent’s eyes gleamed. “Three trips.” He suddenly seated himself and looked up at Tommy. “Tomorrow, Friday and—” he paused — “Monday!”
When the Hollywood-Highland bank was opened the next morning at ten o’clock, Tommy Dancer was one of the first people to enter. Only a few feet behind him was Willis Trent. Each was aware of the other, yet neither showed any signs of recognition. Trent went to one of the writing stands and filled out a deposit slip, while Tommy Dancer went to the Safety Deposit window and signed his name and the box number on one of the little slips. Then he noticed something that he had not been aware of the day before.
The woman behind the counter took his slip and put it in a little machine that stamped the time of the day. Tommy frowned uneasily when he noticed that. He went into the Safety Deposit vault. As he stepped through the door, he looked over his shoulder and saw Willis Trent at the Safety Deposit window. Box 365 was opened and the attendant, nodding, left the vault. Although he was as taut as a tightly wound steel spring, Tommy Dancer went about his little job seemingly oblivious of his surroundings. He took an envelope out of his pocket and removed two prepared key blanks. One he inserted in the lower lock of Box 294, the other he inserted perfunctorily in the upper lock. He already had a key that fitted this lock perfectly but the second blank was for emergency purposes. Finished with the keys, he dropped them carefully into the white envelope and returned it to his pocket. Then he closed his own safety deposit box and left the vault.
