“There’s really nothing to think about,” Corey said mildly. “It comes to instructions, there’s just one thing we gotta remember. From here on in we move like cats. I mean absolutely quiet. We get in the house and we hafta talk, we’ll talk in whispers. Another thing, we can’t switch on any lamps. I’m gonna need a flashlight.”

“Why no lamps?” Kingsley asked tightly, suspiciously.

Corey sighed patiently. “Police cars,” he said. “They drive past the house and see a light, they might come knocking on the door. Just to ask Mr. Grogan if everything’s all right. Because Mr. Grogan is a very important man and he’s buddy-buddy with the precinct captain. And the police in this precinct, they give Mr. Grogan the best of protection.”

“All right, all right,” Kingsley muttered. “You don’t hafta hammer it in.”

Lita had opened the glove compartment. She took out a three-cell flashlight with a large lens and handed it to Corey. As Corey tested the glow on the floor of the car, Kingsley snatched the flashlight from him and handed it back to Lita.

Corey gave Kingsley a mild questioning look.

Kingsley smiled thinly. “She’ll hold the flashlight. That is, if you don’t mind.”

“It makes no difference,” Corey shrugged.

“It makes plenty of difference,” Kingsley spoke slowly to get the point across, mostly for Lita’s benefit—to let her know he was still in charge and that he knew what he was doing. He kept smiling thinly at Corey. “If I let you hold the flashlight, and you switched it off when we’re in the house, then I wouldn’t be able to see you. Which means I couldn’t cover you with this,” indicating the gun. “Because it’s this that binds you to the contract.”

“I’m wise to that fact,” Corey smiled lazily. He didn’t bother to look at the gun.

Kingsley said, “We ready?”

“Ready,” Lita said.

“Ready,” Corey said.

“Let’s roll it,” Kingsley gritted.

They got out of the car and walked slowly across the street, then they quietly went up the steps. Lita took a key case from her skirt pocket, Corey at her side and Kingsley slightly behind Corey, the gun lightly touching Corey’s side. Lita delicately put the key in the lock, turning the key noiselessly. Only a slight clicking sounded as the lock gave way. She opened the door and they went in. Kingsley carefully closed the door as they stood close together in the darkness of the vestibule. Then Lita switched on the flashlight and they went through the vestibule into the parlor. The glow from the flashlight was very bright and covered a wide area. The yellow-white brightness was reflected back at them from the shiny ebony and teakwood furniture, the jade and quartz lamp-bases and ornaments, the oriental brass fireplace and the glimmering bronze bulk of the placid-faced observer, the Buddha.