“Is she all right?” he asked anxiously, as soon as he saw me.
“Sure,” I said. “So long as you play ball with me, you don’t have to worry about Laura. She isn’t worrying, and she has a woman to look after her.” I tapped him on his bony chest. “But one false move from you, Maxison, she won’t be all right.”
He flinched, looked away. I felt sorry for the old geyser, but there was nothing else I could have done. I knew I couldn’t trust him, and I had to have a hold on him.
“Did you get rid of your assistant like I said?” I asked.
Maxison nodded. “He’s been wanting to do a trip with his wife to Miami for a long time. I told him he could go.”
“Okay,” I said. “We’re almost set?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go into the back room,” I said, and pushed past him.
The coffin was standing on trestles. I raised the lid, examined the false bottom and the airholes. Maxison had made a swell job. I told him so.
“We’d better have a couple more air-holes by the handles,” I said. “It’s going to be a tight fit, and I don’t want her to have a bad journey. Will you fix that?”