“Stolz must have had a plan for it,” Big Tom said. “Maybe I can figure out what it was, use it myself.” He stood up, checked his keys, adjusted the gun inside his belt against his belly. He said as if to himself, excluding Harry, “I’ll have to go it alone.”

“You sure will,” Harry agreed.

Big Tom walked over to the door. “Will you phone Snope for me?”

“He’ll blow his stack. They don’t want hot moola!”

“It’s his cut anyway,” Big Tom said. “Hot or cold.” He had a look of ironic amusement as he went out, not even bothering to shut the door. Harry sat for a minute or more as if undecided. He plucked at his lip. He heard Tom’s Ford, first inside the garage down by the road, warming up, then out in the open. Finally Harry stood up, went to the front door to listen. The sounds of Tom’s car died in the distance, and Harry shook his head in relief.

He said to the listening cats, “He’s crazy as a bedbug. He ought t’ be in the loony bin.”

Harry went out, snapping the lock but leaving all the lights on. The cats wandered around the room for a brief while, annoyed at being alone, then settled in the shabby chairs to sleep.

And then after all, along with the terrific fright there was desperate defiance. Mrs. Havermann had had time to gather her forces somewhat. When Skip had taken out enough of the cotton wadding so that she could speak she croaked, “Mr. Stolz is on his way here. I’m doing you a favor by telling you. When he comes he won’t stand for any nonsense, and he certainly won’t let you take his money!”

For the first time Skip’s assurance slipped. He grabbed Mrs. Havermann by the shoulders and dragged her up and shook her. “When? When’s he coming?” Karen, trying to interfere, got in his way then, and he jabbed viciously with an elbow, still hanging onto Mrs. Havermann. Karen gave a cry and put a hand to her cheek. “When? When is Stolz coming?”

“Any minute now.” She was tied, helpless, and the nerves twitched in her face, but she kept her eyes angrily on Skip. “You’d better leave at once.”

Perhaps she thought she really had frightened him. Skip grew quiet, bent over the bed, his foxy eyes suddenly still and watchful. So she pressed it a little further. “I believe I hear Mr. Stolz at the front door downstairs now.”

The three of them waited, frozen, listening for some sound from below. Skip went softly out into the hall, listened, came back. “She’s giving us a line of crap. I’m going to work her over.”

Karen flung herself between him and Mrs. Havermann. “Don’t hurt her! You promised. I wouldn’t have let you in if you hadn’t promised!”