“You say the slappers are separated by three paces?”
“Three, four, thereabouts,” Burgess said. “I never cared to know for certain, but it’s certain I hate the damn things, and that’s—”
“All right,” Pierce said, “you’ve told me what I need to know.”
“I’m glad of that,” Burgess said, with a sort of confused relief, “but I swear, there’s no way a man or even a chavy can slip down that hole, and once they lock me in—”
Pierce cut him off with a wave of his hand and turned to Agar. “This padlock on the outside. Is it hard to pick?”
“I don’t know it,” Agar said, “but a padlock’s no trick. They’re made strong, but they have fat tumblers, on account of their size. Some a man can use his little finger for the betty, and tickle her broke open in a flash.”
“Could I?” Pierce said.
Agar stared at him. “Easy enough, but you might take a minute or two.” He frowned. “But you heard what he said, you don’t dare break her at the station stops, so why—”
Pierce turned back to Burgess. “How many second-class coaches are there on the morning train?”
“I don’t know exact. Six, as often as not. Seven near the weekend. Sometimes, midweek they run five, but lately there’s six. Now, first class, that’s—”
“I don’t care about first class,” Pierce said.
Burgess fell silent, hopelessly confused. Pierce looked at Agar: Agar had figured it out. The screwsman shook his head. “Mother of God,” Agar said, “you’ve lost your mind, you’ve gone flat debeno, sure as I stand here. What do you think, you’re Mr. Coolidge?” Coolidge was a well-known mountaineer.
“I know who I am,” Pierce said tersely. He turned back to Burgess, whose confusion had steadily increased during the last few minutes until he was now nearly immobilized, his face blank and expressionless, having lost even the quality of bewilderment.
“Is your name Coolidge, then?” Burgess asked. “You Said Simms….”
“It’s Simms,” Pierce said. “Our friend here is only making a joke. I want you to go home now, and sleep, and get up tomorrow and go to work as usual. Just carry on as usual, no matter what happens. Just do your regular day of work, and don’t worry about anything.”
Burgess glanced at Agar, then back to Pierce. “Will you pull tomorrow, then?”
“Yes,” Pierce said. “Now go home and sleep.”
__________
When the two men were alone, Agar exploded in anxious fury. “Damn me if I’ll voker flams at this dead hour. This is no simple kynchin lay tomorrow. Is that not plain?” Agar threw up hands. “Make an end to it, I say. Next month, I say.”
Pierce remained quiet for a moment. “I’ve waited a year,” he said finally, “and it will be tomorrow.”
“You’re puckering,” Agar said, “just talk, with no dense.”
“It can be done,” Pierce insisted.
“Done?” Agar exploded again. “Done how? Look here, I know you for a clever one, but I’m no flat, and there’s no gammoning me. That lay is coopered. It’s too damn sad the wine was snaffled, but so it was, and we must know it.” Agar was red-faced and frantic; he swung his arms through the air in agitation.
In contrast, Pierce was almost unnaturally still. His eyes surveyed Agar steadily. “There is a bone lay,” Pierce said.
“As God is my witness, how?” Agar watched as Pierce calmly went to a sideboard and poured two glasses of brandy. “You’ll not put enough of that in me to cloud my eyes,” he said. “Now, look plain.”
Agar held up his hand, and ticked the points off on his fingers. “I am to ride in the van, you say. But I cannot get in— an eager jack of a Scotsman stands sharp at the door. You heard as much yourself. But fair enough: I trust you to get me in. Now.”
He ticked off another forger. “Now, there I be in the van. The Scotsman locks up from the outside. I’ve no way to touch that lock, so even if I make the switch, I can’t open the door and toss out the pogue. I’m locked in proper, all the way to Folkestone.”