She rattled off the number.

“Sit tight. I’ll call you back in five minutes.” He ended the call. “Let’s go find a pay phone a few blocks away, I don’t trust the ones in the lobby.”

Nathan rapped on the door adjoining his room with the two FBI agents and opened it. Grangeland and Ferris were waiting for him. They’d obviously heard everything he’d said. “We’re going out to call Amber Sheldon from a pay phone. We’ll be back in a few minutes. Cross your fingers, with a little luck we’ll be able to formulate a plan.”

They took the elevator down to the lobby and diverted over to the registration desk to get some quarters. They found a pay phone outside a liquor store. Ignoring the green wad of gum jammed into the receiver, he dialed the number.

“It’s me again,” said Nathan. “How did it go?”

“About like I expected.” There was sarcasm in her voice. “He wants to give me and Janey some money. He said it’s his way of making up for all the shit he’s put us through over the years.”

“Do you believe him?”

“Ernie’s done plenty of bad things, but yeah, I believe him.”

“How much money?”

“Twenty thousand,” she lied.

“How’re you supposed to get it?”

“He said he’d leave it in a paper bag in a trash can at the gas-pump island at Pete’s.”

“Which one?”

“He didn’t say. We have eight islands if you include the commercial diesel pumps. I guess I’ll have to rummage through all of them.”

“When?”

“He said sometime after midnight.”

“Listen to me very carefully, Amber. Don’t do anything. Do not approach the trash cans. Understood? I mean it, stay away from them.”

“I will.”

“What else did he say?”

“He said he’s bugging out with Leonard and that I’d never hear from him again.”

“Okay, good job. Sit tight. You won’t see us, but we’ll be there. Don’t do anything.”

“I won’t.”

Nathan replaced the cradle and turned to Harv. “He took the bait, we’re on.”

“It’s a trap. He told her what to say. You know that, right?”

“Yep.”

“And now you’re taking the bait.”

He smiled. “Wrong. We’re taking his bait.”

Harv stopped cleaning their field glasses and shook his head. “Why do I get the feeling I’m going to regret this.”

“Relax, Harv, I’ve got everything under control.”

“I was afraid you’d say that.”

* * *