“Look again—it’s not here,” she said. “Look on the shelves. See if there isn’t a secret panel, or something.”
Fay had already searched for any break in the metal of the vault. It was smooth and enameled. He regarded the remaining objects.
“The spools of iron wire are here.”
“Give one of them to me. Put it in my hands.”
“It’s very heavy. We might as well leave them.”
“No! We must not overlook a single thing. Hand me a spool. I can lift it.”
Fay poised a heavy spool between his fingers. Saidee drew it through the opening. He waited until she lowered a short piece of clothes-line. He went up this, hooked his knee over the edge of the plate, and rose to her side.
“We might as well split the money two ways and go,” he said coldly. “I’m not exactly satisfied. I should never have gone into this thing. We’ve smeared things up. We’ve left more or less of a trail and gotten very little for our trouble.”
Saidee sat on the floor. She started searching through the torn books. Now and then she glanced at Fay without saying anything. Disappointment stamped her features when she finished. She projected the package of money toward him with a sharp kick.
“It’s all yours, Chester!”