room, there was a chalk cross. The two men dropped to the floor and lay flat on their backs. Pushing with hands and heels, they snaked their way along the railing, away from the door. Once past the chalk cross, they got up and walked.

“That eye was close to the door.” Smiley was whispering. “Did you see it?”

“No. Just the cross. Good job. I guess we beat it through. Nothing happened.”

Just before they reached the large safe door, built flush into the wall, they saw the second electric eye This one didn’t need a marker. The post with the light and lens stood two feet from the wall to the left of the safe; the post with the photoelectric cell was opposite, on the right of the safe.

“Man, that’s close.” Smiley wiped his forehead.

Catell was sweating too. He had been dragging the heavy suitcase and the hand with the sore was throbbing. He didn’t know whether he was nervous about the job, but he didn’t feel so good. Almost feverish.

“That eye’s too close, Smiley.”

“You’re telling me! The diagram said eight feet.”

“That’s what comes from not doing your own casing. That jerk who mapped this layout is going to be one sorry-looking bastard.”

“Whatcha gonna do?”

“I gotta figure this. It’s risky, but I could work inside two feet. No good, though. Once that door falls, the beam’s cut.”

“Jee-sus!”

“Open that bag, Smiley.”

“O K. Now what?”

“There’s a pencil flashlight in the pocket. Take it out. Now turn it on. Got it? The button, stupid, the little button. Now step close to the eye, point the light at it, and slip the flashlight up in line with the beam. But be ready to run, Smiley. I’m going to cut my hand through the beam back here, and if you hear a click in that thing, bolt! Understand? Fast now, go!”

Smiley slipped the flashlight in line with the eye fast, but steady. Nothing happened.

“Hold it now, Smiley. Here I go,” and Catell swung his hand through the beam from the post

They listened tensely, Catell feeling the cold sweat run down his back. He shivered. No click.

“Once more, Smiley. Here goes.”

Catell stepped into the beam. No click.

“It works. Now listen, Smiley. You’ll have to hold that thing from here on. I don’t care if your hand drops off, but keep that light steady.”

“Got you, Catell. Get to work, and good luck.”

Catell pulled his tools closer and laid them out in a small half circle. After a swift study of the door, he changed his mind about the hinges and went to work on the tumblers. He stuck chisels, hammer, and probes in his pocket. Then, standing close to the door, he went to work on the lock with a drill.

“Keep looking out the window now and then, Smiley.”

Catell worked without pause.

“How’s your arm?”

“Dead. You getting anywhere?”

“Little more. Just keep that light steady.”

After a while Catell put the drill down and used the chisels. The lock cover and a few disks came off. Then he went to work on the tumblers. Catell’s movements were deft, sure, but he kept shaking his head.

“How’s the arm?”

“Let’s not talk about it. What I wanna know is are we gettin’ anywhere?”

“I’m fixing the tumblers. It’s going O.K.”

“Whyn’t ya use the soup?”

“And trip the alarm? This job wasn’t laid out that way.”

“Well, they tell me you know your stuff. But when you’re through, don’t pat me on the shoulder. My arm might drop off.”

“Not much longer, Smiley. Keep it up.”

There was silence for a while. Catell, working mostly by touch, started to swear under his breath.

“What’s eatin’ ya?”

“This whole goddamn job was laid out wrong. That’s what comes from not doing your own casing. Whose cockeyed idea was it to burn this door through, anyway? This job should have been done by rewiring the alarms, cutting in on the timing circuit, and then knocking the safe over any way at all. But this horsing around with a live alarm contact—How’s your arm?”

“What arm?”

“Anyway, looking at this place now, I would’ve knocked it over in the daytime, somehow.”

“And shoot the place up? That’s old-time stuff, Catell.”

“Not the way I do it. Uh, I think—Here she comes, Smiley!”

There was a last click inside the tumbler chamber and then Catell spun the wheel. The large bolts slid back into the door with an oily swish, making the door swing free on its hinges. Catell jumped fast, catching the door before it swung out of its frame.

“That goddamn live contact. That sonofabitchin’ live—”

He leaned against the door,