"To use where?"
"Well, I don't know, but at least we'll have one key in our possession. Maybe the locksmith will have some other ideas."
Ray said, "This feels lame to me. We're really grasping at straws."
"Ray, come on. You work with what you've got," I said. "Believe me, I've started with less and still pulled it off."
"All right," he said skeptically. He made a note of the locksmith's address. He reached for his jacket hanging over the chair.
I rose when he did and buttoned my blazer for warmth. "What about your mother? I don't think she should be left here alone."
She was startled by the mere suggestion. "Oh, no. I won't stay here by myself," she said emphatically. "Not with that fella on the loose. What if he come back?"
"Fine. We'll take you with us. You can wait in the car while we go about our business."
"And just set there?"
"Why not?"
"Well, I might set, but not unarmed."
"Ma, I'm not going to let you sit in the car with a loaded shotgun. Cops would come by and think we're robbing the place."
"I have a baseball bat. That was Freida's idea. She bought a Louisville Slugger and hid it under my bed."
"Jesus, this Freida's a regular artilleryman."
"Artilleryperson," his mother corrected smartly.
"Get your coat," he said.
19
The Louisville Locksmiths shop was located on west Main Street in a three-story building of dark red brick, probably built in the 1930s. Ray found parking on a side street, and a brief argument ensued during which Helen refused to wait in the car as agreed. He finally gave in and let her accompany us, even though she insisted on bringing along her baseball bat. The storefront was narrow, flanked by dark stone columns. All the wood trim was painted mud brown, and the one street-facing window was papered over with hand-lettered signs that detailed the services offered: deadbolts installed, keys fitted, locks installed and repaired, floor and wall safes installed, combinations changed.
The interior was deep and narrow and consisted almost entirely of a long wooden counter, behind which I could see a variety of key grinding machines. Row after row of keys were hung, wall to wall, floor to ceiling, arranged according to a system known only by the owner. A sliding ladder on overhead rollers apparently supplied access to keys in the shadowy upper reaches. All available space on the scuffed wooden floor was taken up by Horizon safes being offered for sale. We were the only customers in the place, and I didn't see a bookkeeper, an assistant, or an apprentice.
The owner, Whitey Reidel, was about five feet tall and round through the middle. He wore a white dress shirt, black suspenders, and black pants. I didn't peek, but the pants looked like they'd leave a lot of ankle showing at the cuff. He had a soft, shapeless nose and big dark bags under his eyes. His hairline had receded like the tide going out, the remaining wisps of white hair sticking up in front in a curl, like a Kewpie doll's. In his habitual stance, he tended to lean forward slightly, hands on the counter, where he braced himself as if a hard wind blew. He let his eye trail across the three of us. His gaze finally settled on Helen's baseball bat.
"She coaches Little League," Ray said in response to his look.
"What can I do for you?" Reidel asked.
I stepped forward and introduced myself, explaining briefly what we needed and why we needed it. He began to shake his head, pulling his mouth down the minute I mentioned a Master padlock key with the M550 code stamped on one side.
"Can't do," he said.
"I haven't finished."
"Don't have to. Explanations won't make any difference. There's no such thing as a Master padlock key series starting with an M."
I stared at him. Ray was standing behind me, and his mother was standing next to him. I turned to Ray. "You tell him."
"You're the one saw the key. I didn't see it. I mean, I saw it, but I didn't pay attention to any numbers."
"I remember distinctly," I said to Reidel. "You have a piece of paper? I'll show you."
Clearly indulging me, he reached for a scratch pad and a pencil. I wrote the number down and pointed at it, as if that made my claim more legitimate. He didn't contradict me. He simply reached under the counter and pulled out the Master padlock index. "You find it, I'll grind it," he said. He rested his hands on the counter, leaning his weight on his arms.
I leafed through the index, feeling stubborn and perplexed. There were numerous series, some indicated by letters, some by numbers, none designated by the M I'd seen. "I swear it was a Master padlock key."