the key into my pocket and walked quickly to the guard room.
The guard appeared.
“I’m checking out,” I said. “My partner’s going through some papers. He may be some
time. Don’t disturb him, will you?”
“That’s all right, sir.”
“He has the key. He’ll give it to you when he leaves. What time do you shut?”
“Six-thirty, sir.”
I looked at my wrist-watch. It was now a quarter to four. I had nearly three hours in which
to get clear.
“He’ll be through by then.”
I rode down in the elevator. Mr. Evesham was waiting for me.
“My partner’s working up there. I’ve fixed it with the guard.”
“Quite all right, sir.”
“I’m taking the case. Do you want me to sign anything?”
He gave me a couple of forms. I signed where he indicated.
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“I’ll be back in a couple of days.”
“You are very welcome, sir,” he returned with a stately bow.
A guard opened the door of Ricca’s car as I came down the steps. I slung the suitcase in the
back and got in under the steering-wheel.
“Thanks,” I said as he closed the door.
I drove fast to Franklin Boulevard.
II
I parked the car outside the back entrance of 3945 in a narrow alley that ran parallel with
Franklin Boulevard. I put the suitcase in the boot of the car, then pushed open the garden gate
and entered a wilderness of trees, shrubs and overgrown flowerbeds. I made my way from
tree to tree until I was within sight of the back of the house.
Against the wall, built between two steel shafts, was an outside dumb-waiter, which
tradesmen used to haul up the groceries to the various apartments. I planned to haul myself up
to my apartment in it, and take Benno by surprise.
The chances were he was still in the front room with Ginny. If he was, and I could get into
the apartment without him knowing, I was sure I could take him. There could be no shooting
in that house unless I wanted a hoard of policemen swarming around me, and I didn’t.
As I stood looking up at the windows, a big white cat came out of the shrubbery and rubbed
itself against my leg. It belonged to the janitor, and used to come up to my apartment when
Ginny and I were there, and Ginny would feed it.
I had too much on my mind to bother with it, and I gave it a little nudge with my foot, but it
didn’t take the hint. When I began to dodge from shrub to shrub, working my way to the
dumb-waiter, it followed me.
I squeezed myself into the box. It was a tight fit, and I wondered if the rope would be
strong enough to take my weight.
The cat jumped on to my lap, and rubbed its face against mine. I was about to push it off
when an idea struck me. It might be useful in the apartment to create a diversion, and I
decided to take it up with me.
I caught hold of the rope and began to haul. The box moved creakily upward. In spite of the
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system of pulleys I had a lot of weight on my arms, and my progress was slow.
I was panting by the time I reached the third floor, and I stopped to get some breath back.
The cat kept bumping its face into mine. It didn’t seem at all perturbed that we were hanging
in space. After a minute or so I began to haul again. Inch by inch the box crawled upwards
