was and what he was doing. He came in the back door, shut it carefully behind him, and then started up the stairs. Parker had shut the second-floor door behind him, so it was inky black in the stair well. He sat on the top step, the .38 in his right hand and the pencil flash in his left, waiting. Both were aimed down at the landing.
The man came slowly up the stairs, and finally reached the landing. He made the turn and started up the other half-flight towards Parker. Parker switched on the pencil flash. It was one of the bodyguards, staring up at him, blinded by the light. Parker fired, and the face fell away. He switched off the light and heard the bodyguard go crashing back down the stairs.
Parker followed him, hurrying. He’d been delayed too long. Handy would be wondering where the hell he was.
He went out the back door and around the outside of the house. He saw the open window the bodyguard had crawled through, trying Parker’s tactic in reverse. He moved up to the window, peered over the edge, and saw the two men inside. The remaining bodyguard was crouched by the doorway, peering out around the corner, an automatic in his hand. Quill was at the far end of the room, sitting in a leather chair, the briefcase on his lap. He had the blank expression of somebody in a waiting room.
Parker called to the bodyguard, “Drop the gun. Don’t turn around.”
But the bodyguard wouldn’t quit. He spun around, firing wildly, and Parker dropped him with one shot. Then he turned and showed the gun to Quill, resting it on the window sill. “Don’t move,” he said. “Don’t make any move at all.”
“I’m just sitting here,” Quill answered. He didn’t act particularly worried.
“Handy! Come on down.”
They waited, and, after a minute Handy came in, grinning. He looked around and said, “One more. There’s one missing.”
“I met him on the back stairs. Watch this guy Quill.”
“Right.”
Parker left the window and went around to the back of the house again. He entered and walked through the house to the game room where Handy and Quill were waiting.
Parker went over to Quill. “You know Karns?”
“Not personally. I’ve heard of him.”
“I hear he’ll be taking over.”
“Bronson’s dead?”
“I want you to give Karns a message from me.”
“I take it you’re Parker.”
“That’s right.”
“And since you want me to deliver a message, that means you’ll let me live?”
“Why not?”
Quill smiled. “Exactly. Why not?”
“You heeled, Quill?”
“A gun? I never carry one.”
“I didn’t think so. All right, the message. Tell Karns I’ll start getting in touch with my friends, telling them to forget the Outfit. But it’ll take a while. There’ll probably be a few more robberies before I can get in touch with everybody. This thing’ll be tougher to stop than it was to start. But that was Bronson’s doing, making me start it in the first place. I’ll stop it as soon as I can. You tell Karns that.”
“There may be some more robberies, but you’ll stop them as soon as you can?”
“That’s it. And tell him, if I have to, I can always start in again. And if I happen to be killed by the Outfit, my friends will even the score.” The last was a he, but Karns couldn’t be sure of it.
“I’ll tell him.”
“Good.” Parker turned to Handy. “I’ll keep an eye on this bird while you go through the house.”
“Right.” Handy pocketed his gun and left the room.
“Have you been masterminding these robberies?” Quill asked.
“No. My friends have been doing them on their own.”
“They’ve been very professional robberies.”
“My friends are very professional.”
“Yes, of course.”
They were silent then.
About ten minutes later, Handy came back. “I found a safe,” he said. He turned to Quill. “You know anything about it? What he might have in there?”
“No, I’m sorry, I didn’t know Mr Bronson that well.”
“I’d hate to take the trouble to go in there and not find anything but a lot of paper.” Handy shrugged. “I’ll take the chance.”
This time he was gone longer. Parker sat at the table where the bodyguards had been playing Monopoly, and
