“Bronson probably keeps most of his stuff in a safe-deposit vault.”
The men were silent. Then Waltham spoke:
“This trail ends with Birch,” he said. “We only slipped in one thing. That was Aaron’s fault. He let Birch burn the stuff.”
“Birch caught him unawares.”
“That wasn’t all Aaron’s fault. He thought we were coming downstairs. He didn’t know it was Birch. But he should have been ready for anything.”
“We should have had Vic Marquette to do that job.”
“Right enough. But Vic isn’t available right now.”
“Where is he?”
“Nobody knows. You know how Vic is. Gets the wildest clues, and drops out of sight. Every now and then he has luck. But this time he missed out. While he’s away in the sticks, we nab Birch.”
“I guess I’m like Vic,” observed Jim. “I always look for something more than there is. I wish I had Vic’s nerve!”