Skip didn’t look at his uncle. He said to Big Tom, “Are you cutting Karen out, too? She gives you the information and you leave her there with nothing, leave her for the old woman and the cops? Karen’s kind of young. She’s liable to squawk. She’ll squawk about me. For ten per cent, I’m the pigeon?”

“You don’t have to be,” said Big Tom easily. “You can handle her the way you do Eddie Barrett. Tell her it’s all off, you’ve changed your mind. Or if you want, take her away somewhere when the job comes off.” He made an emphasizing gesture, lifting a hand, the thick fingers curled above the fleshy palm. Skip noted the broad and powerful wrist. “There’s this, though. When she leaves they’ll look for her. They find her, they’ve got you then. They’ll work on your alibi. It had better be a good one.”

“In the can on drunk and disorderly is best,” said Willy.

“I’m not crazy about it,” Big Tom argued. “Still, they can’t blink away a jail booking.”

Skip got the complete picture now. He was going to be paid off to keep out of it, to build an unassailable alibi in case he was picked up. Willy would be paid for information given. The girl and Eddie were to be brushed aside as expendable. They would have no knowledge of Big Tom, represented no danger, had nothing with which to trade. The hog’s share of the loot would go to Big Tom and his two faceless helpers; plus, Skip suspected, something put aside for the organization.

“Why won’t you use me on the job so I could rate a bigger cut?” Skip begged, testing them.

Big Tom nodded in judicious approval. “In anything smaller I’d do just that. For Willy’s sake. But, kid, I’ve got experienced men I’ve worked with before. I know just how good they are and, even more, that in an emergency they won’t lose their heads and goof off. They’ll never break where the bulls are concerned, either. They’ve been tested.” His eyes mocked Skip with a wolfish humor.

“Skip,” said Uncle Willy, as if making a last plea for understanding, “it’s not just the job. It’s the beef, the squawk afterwards. Things can go haywire in a hell of a hurry. Somebody’s singing your name to the wrong folks before you even know it. Now just picture it, because I know you never did, but try: you and Karen and Eddie with all that dough. What were you going to do afterwards?”

Skip didn’t answer. He had nothing at all to say to Willy. He looked at Big Tom politely and said, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get some sleep now. I’ve been up all night and I’m beat.”