“Stolz is over there. He’s a partner at the Solano Sea.”

Willy nodded. “One of the big ones. Well established. You saw plenty of play in the casino, I bet.”

Skip said, “Yeah, it looked okay.”

Willy moistened his lips. “The next step, the girl. You’ve got to make sure this Karen knows where the money is, how much it is, how long before Stolz might get back. When will you see her? Not before tonight?”

“I’ll see her in class.”

Big Tom said, “We want to ease this Eddie Barrett out of it. Can you handle it?”

“I don’t know. Suppose I can’t?”

“It would be better for him if you do it,” Big Tom said.

“He’s going to be surprised,” Skip said. “I don’t know how he’ll take it.”

“This is the way he’d better take it. He’ll forget he knows Karen or ever heard of the money. He’ll think you changed your mind.”

Eddie might believe he’d changed his mind, Skip thought. He might even want to believe it. Eddie wasn’t nearly as keen on the job as Skip was. But Skip made a mental note: he wouldn’t follow any directions in regard to Eddie. Eddie might turn out to be what Skip needed. He could be the one to foul them up, if Skip could plan it. “Oh, he’ll go along,” Skip said to Big Tom. “I’ll convince him it wasn’t a good idea, there wasn’t any money there after all, or something like that.”

Big Tom said, “You let us know exactly what he says, how he takes it.”

“Sure. Sure.”

“There are going to be two other men in this. You won’t meet them,” Big Tom continued. “I’m just telling you about them so you’ll understand about the split. We’re letting you in for ten per cent.”

Skip said nothing. His rage was already throttled down; if anything, this lessened it. He saw with a cold certainty how Willy had rooked him, conned and betrayed him. Willy had taken the great golden opportunity, the once-in-a-lifetime chance, and turned it over to his friends. For what?

As if Willy knew what he was thinking, he said, “That’s what I get too, Skip. Between us—twenty per cent. Twenty per cent of possibly a million. Nothing to do, just sit tight.” He leaned forward as if trying to rouse some hint of enthusiasm from Skip. Or perhaps an uneasy warning stirred in him, the knowledge of what Skip was like when he was frustrated or crossed.