The Lock Artist

Mike calls the number on the red pager and is given an address in Cleveland. He must drive two thousand miles in two and a half days. When he stops for the night in Nebraska, he gets a call on the blue pager. It is Banks warning him, “We’re almost past the point where I’m going to be able to help you” (217). Although Mike wants to escape, he fears that the man in Detroit and his crew can trace the call, so he hangs up. In Cleveland, he meets Sleepy Eyes, Fishing Hat, and Tall Mustache at the given address. He sits in the back of the car with Sleepy Eyes, who persistently complains about the other two men belittling him. They drive to a house in Chagrin Falls.

When a man answers their knock at the door, Sleepy Eyes punches him in the stomach. Mike waits for the usual feeling of calm on the job to come over him, but he cannot relax. They find a safe in the man’s basement. Sleepy Eyes threatens the man if he does not give up the combination. Sleepy Eyes pushes the man down the stairs, injuring him severely, and appears to revel in the sadistic thrill.