of work, built right into the wall, or so it seemed, but Luther knew
that hinges were carefully hidden into the slight recess six inches from
the top and bottom.
Luther looked back at the mirror. He had the distinct advantage of
having seen a target like this full-length model a couple of years ago
although he hadn’t planned to crack it.
But you didn’t ignore a second golden egg just because you had the first
in hand, and that second golden egg had been worth about fifty thou’.
The prize on the other side of this private looking glass he figured
would be about ten times that.
Using brute force and the aid of a crowbar he could overcome the locking
system built into the mirror’s carvings but that would take precious
time. And, more than that@ it would leave behind obvious signs of the
place having been violated.
And although the house was supposed to be empty for the next several
weeks, one never knew. When he left the Coppers there would be no
obvious evidence he had ever been there. Even upon their return the
owners might not check the vault for some time. In any event, he did not
have to take the hard route.
He walked quickly over to the large-screen TV located against one wall
of the vast chamber. The area was set up as a sitting room with matching
chintz-covered chairs and a large coffee table. Luther looked at the
three remotes lying there. One to work the TV, one for the VCR and one
that would cut his night’s work by ninety percent. Each had a brand name
on it, each looked pretty much like the other, but a quick experiment
showed that two worked their appropriate apparatus and one did not.
He walked back across the room, pointed the control at the mirror and
pushed the lone red button located at the bottom of the hardware.
Ordinarily that action meant the VCR was recording. Tonight, in this
room, it meant the bank was opening for business for its one fortunate
customer.
Luther watched the door swing open easily, silently on the now-revealed
no-maintenance hinges. From long habit, he replaced the control exactly
where it had been, pulled a collapsible duffel bag out of his backpack
and entered the vault.
As his light swept through the darkness he was surprised to see an
upholstered chair sitting in the middle of the room, which looked to be
about six feet by six feet. On the chair’s arm rested an identical
remote, obviously a safeguard against being locked in by accident. Then
his eyes took in the shelves down each side.
The cash, bundled neatly, went in first, then the contents of the
slender boxes that were definitely not costume jewelry. Luther counted
about two hundred thousand dollars’ worth of negotiable bonds and other
securities, and two small boxes of antique coins and another of stamps,
including one of an inverted figure that made Luther swallow hard.
He ignored the blank checks and the boxes full of legal documents, which
were worthless to him. His quick assessment ended at almost two million
dollars, probably more.
He took one more look around, taking care not to miss any stray nook.
The walls were thick-he figured they had to be fireproof, or as
fireproof as man could make something. The place wasn’t hermetically
sealed; the air was fresh, not stale.
Somebody could stay in here for days.
THE Limo MOVED QUICKLY DOWN THE ROAD FOLLOWED BY THE van, each driver
expert enough to accomplish this feat without the benefit of headlights.
Inside the spacious back seat of the linio were a man and two women, one
of whom was close to being drunk and who was doing her best to undress
the man and herself right there, despite the gentle defensive efforts of
her victim.
The other woman sat across from them tight-lipped, ostensibly trying to
ignore the ridiculous spectacle, which included girlish giggling and
much panting, but in reality she closely observed every detail of the
pair’s efforts. Her focus was on a large book that sat open in her lap
where appointments and notes battled each other for space and the