Now, seated side by side, looking at the yellow moon, Elliot took her hand.
‘You mean a lot to me, Cindy,’ he said. ‘I believe I’m half in love with you and I get the idea it’s the same with you, but it won’t work. I’m not for you. There’s something fatal about me. I’ve never brought anyone any happiness least of all myself. I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to get hurt.’
‘I won’t get hurt. I love you and that’s that,’ Cindy said, not looking at him. ‘I’ve loved you from the moment I met you.’
He shook his head despondently.
‘I’ve got no future to share with you. You know something? You’re dead without money.’ He let go of her hand. ‘That may seem a crazy thing to say, but it’s true. I don’t mean that you or Joey are dead without money... but I am. I’ve always thought this way. Life means nothing to me without the things, the power, the service that money can buy. That’s the way I’m made. If it wasn’t for you and all the process servers after me I couldn’t have stayed in this mean little house for ten minutes. But just having you around and the thought that with luck I’ll pick up a lump of money has made it possible. When I get that money I’m going to have a final splash and it’s going to be one hell of a splash.’
‘But with a hundred thousand dollars,’ Cindy said quietly, ‘you can live well for a long time, Don. With me to help out, you could live...’
He laughed. ‘We’re on the wrong wave length, Cindy. I don’t want to live a long time... I’m tired of living... like ol’ man River.’ He made an impatient movement. ‘I’m talking too much. I just want you to know that after this job we’re going to say goodbye. I want you to put me right out of your mind as I intend to put you out of my mind... that way no one gets hurt.’
He broke off abruptly as Vin and Joey came out of the bungalow and moved towards them.
Vin dropped into a nearby chair while Joey sat on the grass.
‘My part of the operation is fixed,’ Vin said. ‘I’ve got all the info I need from the chick to get at the stamps except in which drawer they’re kept. No trouble at all. The alarms can be fixed. There’s just one problem but this can also be fixed. This is where Joey pulls his weight.’
Cindy heard Vin’s voice, but she didn’t hear what he was saying. Her mind was far away, thinking of what Elliot had just said to her. She felt a pang of misery. There had been something in his quiet voice that warned her he had meant what he said. How could she ever put him out of her mind?
But if Cindy wasn’t listening, Elliot was.
‘What’s the problem?’
‘There’s a TV scanner in the stamp room,’ Vin said. ‘Judy has shown me on her plan where it is. It revolves in a semicircle, sweeping the room, but by keeping on my hands and knees I can keep out of its range. But the snag is I have to get into the room by the door. Even if I crawl in, the guard watching the monitor would see the door open even if he didn’t see me. It’ll take me around three seconds to open the door, get into the room and then close the door. In those three seconds I could be spotted. Now the system works like this. All Security Guard scanners are hooked to monitors in their headquarters: there are around forty monitors to a room and a guard sits watching them. If he sees something on one of the monitors he doesn’t like he presses a button on the monitor that alerts a patrol car that goes at once to investigate.’
‘Never mind the system,’ Joey said uneasily. ‘Where do I come in on this?’
‘You cause a diversion.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘You know the Kennedy memorial at the City Hall?’
Joey blinked.
‘Yes... what’s that to do with this?’
‘Once a practical joker splashed paint on it and since then it has been protected by a Security Guard scanner. The City Hall is pretty touchy about the memorial... it cost them a lot of dough. Now your job is to look as if you’re going to damage the statue... you don’t of course, but you look as if you might be going to do something. When the guard spots you on the monitor, he isn’t going to be looking at Larrimore’s monitor. If we time it to a split second, I can get the door open, get in, shut the door, get the stamps and get out again while the guard is watching you, trying to make up his mind whether to alert the patrol car or not.’ Vin looked at Elliot. ‘What do you think?’
‘It’s a good idea, but it’s certainly got to be timed right.’
‘What happens to me if the cops pick me up?’ Joey asked uneasily.
‘Nothing,’ Elliot said gently. ‘You don’t have to worry about that. The way I see it: you’re on vacation. You are a Kennedy fan and you’ve got a little drunk. You want to pay a tribute to him. You have a bottle of Scotch with you. What nicer thought than to leave the bottle at the foot of the statue? Maybe the cops will treat you a little rough, but they’ll let you go once they see you’re harmless. Yes... it’s a great idea... it’ll work.’
Vin sat back, grinning. ‘You see? I’ve buttoned my end up, now it’s up to you and Cindy to button your end up. Get me the number of the drawer and I’ll get the stamps.’
‘There’s one of your buttons left undone,’ Elliot said quietly. ‘Has Judy told you the name of the buyer?’
Vin’s smug smile slipped.
‘Not yet. When I get the stamps, she’ll tell me.’
‘Can you trust her?’
Vin stiffened. ‘What does that mean?’
‘You said she wanted a thousand dollars. She could give you any name, couldn’t she?’
‘You take me for a dope? She has agreed in return for a grand to give me the letter this guy wrote to her old man offering to buy the stamps,’ Vin said hotly. ‘That covers us, doesn’t it?’
‘Suppose this buyer has changed his mind by now?’
‘To hell with that for an idea! But suppose he has changed his mind, then we sell the stamps to Kendrick. Okay, we don’t make so much, but we make something.’
Elliot nodded.
The following morning, a letter addressed to Cindy was in the mailbox. Joey found it and brought it to the breakfast table. All four stared at the neat writing on the envelope.
‘This is it,’ Elliot said. ‘Go ahead, Cindy... open it.’
Cindy shook her head. ‘You open it, Don.’
Elliot slit open the envelope, extracted a sheet of notepaper and read the few lines. His eyes lit up with excitement.
‘It’s worked! Larrimore will see you tomorrow morning at eleven!’ He tossed the letter on the table.
When they had all read it, Vin said, ‘Okay, now it’s up to you, baby. For Pete’s sake, don’t louse it up!’
‘She won’t.’ Elliot smiled at Cindy. ‘You’ve got to dress the part. Buy yourself a simple cotton dress; make yourself look as young as you can... fix your hair. You’re just a small time kid left something by her grandfather and you’re hoping it’s worth a fortune.’
Tense, her eyes wide, Cindy nodded.
Elliot regarded her.
‘It doesn’t scare you?’
‘No, but if he hasn’t the book on him...’
‘He lives with it,’ Vin broke in. ‘Judy swears he’s never without it.’
‘All right, then I can get it, but I may not have a chance to look at it. He may not leave me long enough for me to find the entry... that really worries me.’
‘Yes.’ Elliot nodded. ‘That’s the gamble. Let’s see if we can shorten the odds.’ He thought for a moment. ‘Suppose I telephone him while you are with him? When he answers the phone you can check the book. How’s that?’