“She won’t spot you,” Morgan said shortly. “Let me give you the idea. She is crazy about music and she’s rich enough to indulge herself. In her sitting-room she has a small organ loft. This loft’s a kind of balcony about ten feet from the floor, looking into the room. It’s reached by a special staircase and there is a back entrance to the staircase.”
Duffy reached for the Scotch, but Morgan put his hand on the bottle. “Don’t you think…?” he began, but Duffy took his hand away. He just lifted the fat man’s hand and flung it back at him. His eyes looked annoyed.
“Listen,” he said tersely, “if you think I’m gettin’ drunk, forget it. When I want a drink, I have a drink, see?”
Morgan shrugged. His face was pale and he gently rubbed his wrist. “Quite a grip you have there,” he said.
Duffy grinned. “Sure,” he said. He poured the Scotch into the glass and swallowed it. “Go on,” he said.
Morgan tapped on the table with his thick fingers. “You see, my wife didn’t want the musicians tramping through her room. They could come up the back entrance and get fixed without any fuss. All you have to do is to go up the stairs and lie on the floor in the dark and take photos of the room below. You can’t be spotted.”
When he put it like that, Duffy thought it certainly seemed easy. At the same time, something told him that this set-up was not quite on the level. For one thing, Morgan didn’t give him any confidence. On the other hand, the dough was good, and he was going to need it. He had another go at him.
“Let’s look on the dark side,” he said; “suppose she takes it into her head to play the organ and finds me up there, what then?”
Morgan shrugged his fat shoulders. “There’s no other way up to the loft, so all you have to do is to slip the bolt. Once you’re there, you’re safe.” He took out his wallet and pushed five one-hundred-dollar bills over the table. “Besides,” he said with a little oily smile, “you surely expect to earn this money and not just have it given you.”
Duffy reached over and took the bills. He shoved them in his inside pocket. “Okay,” he said, “when do I start?”