Tommy hesitated, then throwing down his newspaper got to his feet. “Lead on, chum.”
Herbie the Lugan had no car so they drove to the Lehigh Apartments in Tommy’s old flivver.
Trent was at home, lounging in a big easy chair, wearing a fine brocaded dressing gown and immersed in a Racing Form. He got up and greeted Tommy warmly.
“Ah, Tommy, my boy. Glad you dropped in.”
“I didn’t drop in,” Tommy said sourly. “Your friend here said I had to come or else.”
“Or else what?” Trent smiled at Herbie, but there was ice in the smile. “Always the kidder, aren’t you, Herbie?”
“Sure,” said Herbie the Lugan. “Anything for a laugh.”
“Well, here’s a laugh for you, Herbie. A howl.”
Trent chuckled and walked up to Herbie. His hand flicked out and the palm of it cracked across Herbie’s mouth. Herbie yelped and leaped back. A little trickle of blood seeped from his mouth, down onto his chin. Herbie dabbed at it with a silk handkerchief.
“I gotta be runnin’ along,” he mumbled.
“That’s all right, Herbie,” Trent said.
Herbie shot a quick, anguished look at Tommy and made a quick exit.
When the door closed behind him, Tommy said, “I’m surprised a man’ll take that.”
“Herbie? He’ll take anything. It’s all he understands. But I didn’t ask you here to talk about Herbie the Lugan. As a matter of fact, you can forget Herbie entirely. But you and I have got some things to talk about.”
“What?”
“Sit down. Relax.”
Trent resumed his own seat and folded his Racing Form. Tommy remained standing a moment, then sat down across the room from Trent. Trent studied him a moment, smiling sardonically. Then he suddenly said: “How’d you like to make a thousand dollars?”
“Fine,” said Tommy grimly.
“How about five thousand?”
“I can make five thousand without any trouble. All I’ve got to do is work two years for it.”
“Ah,” exclaimed Trent. “Now you’re talking my language.”
“No,” said Tommy, “I’m not. I’m willing to make five thousand by working. I don’t think you had that in mind.”
“Work? What the hell do you think I do?”
“I don’t think you work.”
“There’s work,” said Trent, “and work. I sit here all day and people call me on the phone and say, Tut me down for two dollars on Silver Slippers,’ or, ‘What do you think of War Goddess in the fifth at Belmont?’ What difference does it make what I think as long as I don’t get too much money on one nag. But don’t ever kid yourself that isn’t work.”
“You’re a bookie, then.” Trent nodded. “That’s what I thought you were.”
“Smart boy.”
“Well, I’m not interested in betting on a sure thing.”
“Who said anything about horses?”
“You asked me if I wanted to make five thousand dollars.”
“You’ll never make five grand playing the nags, Tommy, my lad. That’s a tip right from the feedbox. I tell it to all my clients. You can’t beat the races, but if you’ve got to bet, bet with me. Fair and square. I’ll take your money if you’ve got to put it on something, because if I don’t take it someone else will. But my best advice is to get yourself a safe deposit box at the bank and put your money in it.”
“I put it in barrels,” said Tommy. “Great big wooden barrels and whenever I fill one I take it out to the back yard and bury it in the ground.”
“Play with me, Tommy, and you might do just that.”
Tommy got to his feet. “I’ll think about it.”
“What’s your hurry?” Trent asked sharply. “Sit down. Relax. I haven’t told you the setup yet.”
“I don’t think I’d be interested.”
The door buzzer whirred sharply and a white-jacketed Filipino appeared and went to the hall door. He opened it and Earl Faraday came in.
He grunted when he saw Tommy Dancer. “This Shetland Pony’s the man you were telling me about?”
Trent grimaced a little. “You met him last night?”
“He was stepping on my toes.” Faraday came forward and sized up Tommy with a jaundiced eye. “He doesn’t hardly look smart enough.”
Tommy said: “Any time, Faraday.”
Faraday’s lips curled in a sneer. “I’ll be damned. He wants to fight.”
“Easy, Tommy,” Trent said quickly. “This is Earl Faraday.”
“Am I supposed to be impressed?”
Faraday swore. “Dammit, Trent, I like a rib as well as the next man, but I’ll be damned if I take it from a punk.”
Trent beamed ingratiatingly. “Look, fellows, this is a big deal. There’s enough in it for all of us, but we’ve got to stick together. Each of us needs the other and I suggest we don’t let personalities stand in the way of a good thing.”
“There are a million other locksmiths,” Faraday snapped.
“Sure,” said Trent. “And there are a million guys can play a fiddle, but there’s only one Stokowski.”
“I never heard of Stokowski playing a fiddle.”
“All right, so it’s Tommy Dorsey, or Benny Goodman. The point is Tommy Dancer’s the best in his line. Like you are in yours, Earl.”
Faraday’s eyes narrowed. “Are you starting cracks now, Trent?”
Trent groaned. “Cut it out, Earl. I’ve got enough trouble now.”
Faraday glowered for a moment. “All right, get on with it. You’ve told him about the caper?”
“Well, no, we were just nibbling around the edges when you came in.”
“Then how do you know he’s the man for the job?”
“I’m not,” Tommy Dancer said flatly. “And if you don’t mind, I’ll be running along now.”
Faraday strode up to Tommy Dancer, his eyes blazing like polished agates. “Look here, punk, I’ve had just about enough from—” He drew back his right first, but Trent, exclaiming, sprang forward and caught the arm.
“Cut it out, Earl.” He whirled on Tommy. “And you, Dancer, sit down and keep your trap shut for awhile, or by God, I’m going to get sore.” He shoved Tommy back and stepped in between the two belligerents. “I’ve had enough of this. If you two can’t sit down and talk business, the hell with the whole thing.”
“You’re talking pretty big, Trent,” snarled Faraday. But there was less bite in his tone.
Chapter Six
Tommy dancer studied Trent for a moment. “All right,” he said. “I’m not saying I’m going into anything, but I’ll listen, anyway.”
“You’ll listen, hell,” said Faraday. “I’m not sticking out my neck unless...”
“Shut up, Earl!” cried Trent. He returned to his armchair and plopped down heavily in it. Tommy and Faraday exchanged hostile glances then both went to chairs as far from each other as possible.
Trent looked from Tommy to Faraday, then back to Tommy. He said: “Can you open a safety deposit box?”
“Any lock any man can make can be opened,” Tommy replied. “That’s no good. Can you open any lock?”
“With the right tools and enough time — yes.”
“Come again. Can you open a safety deposit box, without the right tools and without enough time?”
“How’m I supposed to open it — with my teeth?”
“Cut it out, Tommy, I’m serious. Can you walk into a bank vault and open somebody else’s safety deposit box — without getting caught?”
“No,” said Tommy promptly. “I can’t and neither can anyone else. Every one of those locks is different and besides it takes two keys one of which is owned by the bank.”