Cop Out by Ellery Queen Page A

size up the situation better if and when I find out where they’re hiding. If I see it’s too dangerous for Bibby I won’t move a muscle. How does that sound to you?”
    â€œIf you’re sure. How can you be sure?”
    â€œThen, if I can get Bibby safely away, we can turn the payroll over to John and tell him the whole story.”
    â€œAnd have those three come after us in revenge?” Ellen said with a shudder. “Forget about John, Loney.”
    â€œThis money belongs to Aztec. We can’t just let them walk off with it. I mean of course first we get Bibby back—”
    â€œThat’s what I was afraid of. You’re being a cop again.”
    â€œI’m not. ”
    â€œLet them have the money. As long as we get Bibby back. Maybe the best thing after all is to sit here and wait. They’ll come back with Bibby and we’ll hand over the bag and that will be that.”
    â€œAnd maybe that won’t be that,” Malone said. “I won’t kid you, Ellen. We’ve got to face up to the facts. If we do what you say—wait for them to bring Bibby back and pick up the money—all three of us stand a good chance of getting shot. That Furia would get a kick out of it. Why should he leave us alive? Even if we didn’t see their faces, we’ve heard their voices and we know their names. Hoods like that must have a record somewhere—I think Furia’s served time, he used the word ‘screw,’ which is a prison term for ‘guard’—they can probably be identified through the FBI central file in a matter of hours. They can’t be that dumb—I’m pretty sure the woman isn’t. And they’re already in the bag for one murder. No, we can’t trust them, Ellen. We’ve got to take some kind of action. Try something. ”
    Ellen’s face had gone the color of skim milk again. “All right then, Loney, you find their hideout the way you said. If you can rescue Bibby we can go off somewhere, hide or something, till those monsters are caught.”
    Malone got up and went over to the kitchen sink to look out the window. But he was not seeing the dirt driveway. When he turned around his eyes had come back. “It might not be so tough at that, Ellen. Actually when you think about it we have quite a few leads to where they’re holed up. Furia told Hinch to walk there, so how far can it be? And it’s likely somewhere across The Pike on the way out of town or they’d have been able to get there without worrying about being stopped at a checkpoint. On top of everything, the little punk mentioned woods and a shack.”
    â€œBalsam Lake,” Ellen breathed.
    â€œThat’s how it figures to me. If it’s a Lake cabin—”
    â€œThey must have broken into one of them.”
    He shook his head, fighting his way through the mush. “That would be leaving a lot to luck. This wasn’t set up that way, Ellen. It’s been planned well in advance. I didn’t mention it, but John says Tom Howland must have been in on the robbery and they doublecrossed him at the last minute. That would mean previous contacts between the robbers and Howland. That means they’ve been in town before. Also, the woman sounded familiar to me. I know I’ve heard her voice, a long time ago, I think. I’m betting she comes from New Bradford. Which could be why they picked it for their robbery in the first place, because she knows the town. Anyway, it all adds up to preparation. If they prepared everything else, they’d prepare a hideout, too. Maybe months ago.”
    â€œA rental?”
    â€œWhy not? They could have rented one of the cabins, even used it during the summer. So if the police come nosing around the cabin now, what have they got to be afraid of? Of course, they’d rather nobody knew, but if they can produce a lease—”
    â€œBut in November, Loney? Nobody’s at