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Chapters (65)
  1. Cover
  2. BOOKS BY STUART WOODS
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  64. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  65. What’s next onyour reading list?

“Pretty fancy neighborhood,” Butch replied. “Let’s get out of here before Sis gets home.” He carefully replaced the key on the coffee table, cleaned up the kitchen, grabbed the bottle of scotch, and they departed the premises. They hoofed it over to Third Avenue and found Gracious Homes. Curly located two files and a small vise, then he saw the key department. A clerk waited on them, and Curly selected two blank keys from their collection. “I think that’ll do it,” he said.

“Is this going to work?” Butch asked.

“You bet your sweet ass,” Curly replied. “All we have to do is find out when our mark won’t be there.”

12

BUTCH CALLED THERESA. “Hello, sis.”

“Hello, Butch. I hear you got the job. For God’s sake, please don’t screw it up. You’ll ruin my reputation with the company.”

“Don’t worry about it. I guess you’ve noticed that Curly and I cleared out of your place. We found a furnished studio in the far East Eighties, and we’ll bunk here for a while. What have you been up to? Seeing your new client?”

“My new client has buggered off to Wichita for a couple of weeks.”

“Oh, well.”

“Don’t worry about it. Okay, maybe I’ll see you around the store,” she said.

“Good luck, baby.” They hung up.

“Curly,” Butch said, “there’s good news—our mark is leaving town for two weeks. We’re in.”

“Oh, yes!” Curly exclaimed.

—

LAURENCE MET the Cessna pilot at Teterboro. The aircraft was a CJ 3 Plus demo, and for having ordered two airplanes, he rated a free ride to Wichita. He was allowed to fly left seat for the nonstop flight, and he flew an instrument approach into Eisenhower Field. He was in his hotel suite half an hour later and looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

—

CURLY AFFIXED the small vise to the kitchen tabletop in their new apartment and went to work on one of the key blanks. Since he didn’t have an emery wheel, he did all the work by hand, filing the blank until it dropped easily into the wax form, fitting perfectly. “Okay,” he said an hour later, “we’re ready.”

—

IN THE LATE EVENING, Butch and Curly took a cab south, got out a block short of the Fairleigh, and walked from there. “We’ll go in through the garage,” Butch said, “and avoid the gaze of the concierge and hotel staff.” They found the garage entrance on the side street and waited across the way until the drop-off area was clear of workers, then hurried in and took the elevator straight to the fifteenth floor. They emerged in the entrance hall.

“What if there’s an alarm system?” Butch asked.