Clive said, “I’m going to rub this heel out.”
The little guy scratched his head, then looked up at Joe. “You heard that?”
Joe grinned. “Why not? It’s some time since Clive knocked anyone off.”
The little guy said, “Yes, that’s right. It is some time. Yeah, okay, you knock him off.”
Clive turned slowly on Duffy, who was standing near the wall. Duffy’s face was tense, he pushed out his chin a little, the muscles in his neck suddenly going hard.
Annabel said from the floor, “Give it to him low down.”
Clive and the little guy both jerked their heads in her direction, and Duffy snapped up the light switch, then he dropped to his knees and shot away to the left. In his mind he could clearly see the wires that fed the two standard lamps. He groped for them, found nothing, groped again, touched them, and then pulled sharply. He felt them come away loose.
The little guy said in a sharp voice, “Don’t start shooting. We don’t want the cops here. Clive, stand by the door. I’ll put on the lights.”
Duffy grinned. He stood up, listening for the slightest sound. The darkness made him feel like a blind man.
Joe said, “I’m coming down.”