27 February 2019

Miss Yvette set herself up to look drunk and garrulous, and went to work distracting the desk clerk (the doorman was a bit more of a problem). I moved down the stairs to get into the manager’s office.

Miss Yvette perched on the stairs to stay out of sight, but close enough to be aware of what was going on.

The safe was a Mosler, an old one but still solid; it looked like the model with the wire relocker, so I settled in to work.

Terry was spotted by some of the beer cellar gamers, and found himself invited to join the game.

Mac recognised that there was another group of people, lurking in a town car much as he was. They thought it might be another operator, presumably a rival of Federwell. After a while one of them got out for a call of nature, and Mac called on Miss Eva to take a closer look in passing. When she got back she seemed thoughtful; they felt like Monroe’s boys, the fellow who controlled the gate Mustard had arrived through.

I persuaded the strongroom door open, and took a look round the shelves inside. One box felt like very much the right sort of thing, heavy and magically lively, so I took that and backed out, leaving the place nearly as secure as before; I got out, and we moved up the staff staircase and out through the service door. We got to the car, and out into the city. Max was waiting with his boat, and we loaded the goods and broke up. Mac drove us back to Vanderbilt Station, and I went home to get some rest.

Meanwhile, Mac, Terry and Miss Eva went downriver with the goods; they were joined by another passenger, in mid-river: a woman dressed like fishing crew, making the boat list. She collected the package, and returned to the water.

They dropped off Miss Eva on the shore of Calm’s Point, and headed back to the city.