Sandy hears about the planned attack on LSR from Bob Tompkins, who gives him a call that afternoon. “Good news, Sandy. Raymond is going to give us a hand in the matter of the lost laundry. Our guardian angel is going to have some trouble tomorrow night, at about midnight. One of those accidents that have been happening lately, you know.”

“One of Arthur’s ventures?” Sandy asks.

Brief silence at the other end. “Yeah, but let’s not talk about it in too much detail now. The point is, when the accident happens our guardian angels will have their hands full, and it’ll be on the side opposite our little aquatic problem, so we think surveillance there will be temporarily abandoned. If you’re ready out there, you’ll be able to rescue the laundry you had to put on hold.”

“I don’t know, Bob.” Sandy is frowning to himself. “I don’t like the sound of it, to tell you the truth.”

“We need that laundry, Sandy. And since you put it there, you’ll have the easiest time finding it again.”

“I still don’t like it.”

“Come on, Sandy. We didn’t make the mess. In fact, we’re the ones making you the opportunity to get out of it gracefully. Solvently. Just go for a little night boating, cruise in to your beach, collect the laundry, and return. There won’t be a problem tomorrow night, and all will be well.”

Sandy recognizes the threat behind the pleasantry, and in some ways it does sound like a very easy out of a sticky dilemma, which up to this point has only offered him the choice of either big debt, or the permanent loss of his Blacks Cliffs friends (at best). And it does sound like it will go.…

“Okay,” he says unwillingly. “I’ll do it. I’ll need some help, though. My assistant from last time probably won’t be interested.”

“We’ll send someone, along with the keys to a motorboat based in Dana Point. In fact I may come myself.”

“That would be good. What time does this happen?”

“Tomorrow, midnight.”

“All right. And you’ll show when?”

“I’ll give you a call tomorrow morning. Me or a friend will meet you in Dana Point in the evening.”

“All right.”

“Tubular, man. See you then.”

Sandy calls Tash and asks for his help, but as he expected, Tash refuses to have anything to do with it. “It’s stupid, Sandy. You should pass on the whole thing.”

“Can’t afford to.”

This gives Tashi pause, but in the end he still refuses.