The Lock and the Key полностью

Trent pushed open the door. “Hello, Tommy,” he said, easily and took in the dingy apartment in a swift glance. “Nice place you got here.”

“It isn’t the Lehigh,” Tommy retorted.

He walked back to the bed and seated himself on it. “Why the early visit?”

“You forgot to call me back last night,” Trent replied. “Remember?”

Tommy grimaced. “I didn’t get in until after two.”

“Out with Faraday’s girl, eh?”

“I’m no good for fighting,” Tommy said, “not until I’ve had my breakfast.”

“Get dressed then and well go out and get a bite. I haven’t had my own breakfast.”

Trent seated himself in the single mohair-covered chair in the room. Tommy headed for the bathroom and taking off his pajamas stuck his head under the cold shower. Then he dried himself and dressed quickly.

When he re-entered the other room Trent was still in the mohair chair. “We worked out the details last night,” he said. “Faraday’s going into the bank with you.”

“I thought he didn’t have a box there?”

“He doesn’t. That’s the point. He’ll step up to the window right behind you and ask about renting a box. He can take longer that way; in fact, he’s going to make a point of keeping the attendant occupied until you come out. We went over it carefully. It’s a matter of seconds and if I just filled out a slip, the girl might go in too soon.” He drew a deep breath. “Besides, when the kickback comes they may check over the slips and see that on two occasions a man named Trent followed one named Dancer.”

Tommy shrugged. “You may be right, but — where’ll you be?”

“Outside, in a car. Oh, don’t worry, I’ve timed it. I’ll manage to come up about thirty seconds after you’ve stepped into the bank; and I’ll see that I’m caught by the red light. That’ll be another thirty seconds. Sixty altogether. Then I’ll make a slow right turn...”

“You’re taking it for granted that I’m waited on as soon as I enter the bank.”

“You will be, if you’re outside the bank when it opens. You’ll be the first one at the window and Faraday will see that no one steps up right after you, except himself.”

Tommy nodded thoughtfully. “Sounds all right.”

“It’s got to be all right. I wouldn’t go through this a second time for twice what there’ll be in that box.”

Tommy got his coat from the closet. “You’ve figured everything out, Trent. What about afterwards; do we split the money and run for the tall timber?”

Trent snorted. “Are you crazy? That’d be the surest way of drawing suspicion to us. We stash the money and we continue exactly the way we are now; you go back to your lock and key shop. You don’t spend a dime more than you earn; not until I give you the word I mean that, Tommy.”

“It’s all right with me. Only I was thinking about Faraday... and Flo Randall. She’s going to be one of the first to know that Paul deCamp’s money is gone and she’s going to remember that she gave the box number to Faraday...”

Trent looked steadily at Tommy. “Don’t you worry about that, Tommy. Little Flo didn’t give that number to Faraday. In fact, she doesn’t know that he got it.” He was silent a moment. “You’ve kept your mouth shut, haven’t you?”

“I don’t think I talk very much.”

“No, you don’t, Tommy. You’ve got a tight lip.” He shook his head. “Faraday’s forte is women. I don’t think anyone will suspect him of a caper like this. And me — I’ve kept to my own line pretty closely. As a matter of fact, I hardly know deCamp. I don’t think we have much to worry about from that end. It’s the bank. The insurance people. Their dicks are pretty smart and they never quit. There are five hundred boxes in that bank and everybody who’s got one will be investigated.” He hesitated. “At least everyone who’s been in his box during the past week.”

“Week? Why, week?”

“Because deCamp goes in every Friday...”

“Friday! That’s to-day.”

“I know. But don’t worry, he never gets up until noon.”

“I rented my box this week,” Tommy said slowly, “and I’ve been in the vault three times since — counting today.”

“You’ll be called on. You can expect that. But if you keep your mouth shut there isn’t a thing they can prove.”

“My box,” Tommy said. “It’s got a fifty-dollar bond in it and the lease of this apartment. If they make me open it they’ll wonder what the hell I kept going back and forth for... and the girl may remember that I went in today with a Boston bag.”

“I’ve thought of that.” The ghost of a smile flickered across Trent’s face. “That’s why I filled up the Boston bag for you. You’ll dump the stuff into your box. Two hundred nice, shiny silver dollars, one hundred Indian pennies and twenty-seven dollars’ worth of Navajo turquoise jewelry. Your life’s savings and your hobby. Just about what they’d expect of a man in your position.”

Tommy grunted his appreciation of Trent’s foresight. “You haven’t missed much.”

“I haven’t missed anything,” Trent said. He got to his feet. “Are you ready?”