“We’re going to wait until we get what we’re after; and we’re going to fix the feet of a smart alec that’s been causing all this trouble.”
“All right,” agreed Homer reluctantly. “I’ll work with you, Farley, when I know what it’s all about. But I’ve been doing nothing but lay low — and things have been going wrong.
“I played square with you, didn’t I? I came to you a month ago and told you the old man had something we ought to get — and I told you where it was. But you said to wait — and we waited too long.”
“You are right,” declared Farley. “Sometimes people wait too long; sometimes they don’t wait long enough. We’ve done both.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, Homer. I’m going to give you the lay — and to make it clear, I’m starting at the beginning.
“You told me the old man had a machine that you figured would be worth a million,” Farley said. “Maybe you were wrong. But it sounded good enough to be interesting.
“I’ve grabbed off some mighty easy dough dealing with patent lawyers who didn’t ask too many questions. I know plenty of big shots who are phonies, even though their businesses are O.K. with the law.
“So I listened. When you told me where the gimmick was, I was ready to get it. You could have pulled an inside job, but you didn’t have the nerve.
“We’ll forget about that, because you haven’t had experience, and we were dealing with a pretty cagey guy — old Harshaw. I didn’t want to pull it, because I’ve got to be clear later on. So I wired to Max Parker.
“He came on to New York, and you met him at the Black Ship. I wanted him to get the lay straight from you. Then he joined me, here.