The fittings were gold. It was English made and if you could buy it here at all, it would cost more like eight hundred than two. I planked it down in front of him. I looked at the bottle on the cocktail table. He hadn't touched it. He was as sober as I was. He was smoking, but not liking that very well. "I called Randy," he said. "He was sore because I hadn't called him before." "It takes a stranger to help you," I said. "A present from Sylvia?" I pointed at the suitcase. He looked out of the window. "No. That was given to me in England, long before I met her. Very long ago indeed. I'd like to leave it with you,

if you could lend me an old one." I got five double with her, he would sanction everything at oncehe answered. sawbucks out of my wallet and dropped them in front of him. "I don't need security." "That wasn't the idea at all. You're no pawnbroker. I just don't want it with me in Vegas. And I don't need this much money." "Okay. You keep the money and I'll keep the suitcase. But this house is easy to burgle." "It wouldn't  matter," he said indifferently. "It wouldn't matter at all." He changed his clothes and we ate dinner at Musso's about five-thirty. No drinks. He caught the bus on Cahuenga and I drove home thinking about this and that. His empty suitcase was on my bed where he had unpacked it and put his stuff in a lightweight job of mine. His had a gold key which was in one of the locks. I locked the suitcase up empty and tied the key to the handle and put it on the high shelf on my clothes doset. It didn't feel quite empty, but what was in it was no business of mine. It was a quiet night and the house seemed emptier than usual. I set out the chessmen and played a French defense against Steinitz. He beat me in forty-four moves, but I had him sweating a couple of times. The phone rang at nine-thirty and the voice that spoke was one I had heard before.