Payback

32

“Isn’t working,” said Karr, pushing on the handle again. “Next set of numbers.”

Rockman started reading the numbers. The cracker worked by listening as the wheels of the safe’s tumbler fell into place. It also guessed on the approximate positions of the numbers in the combination sequence by measuring the sound, but it was only a guess, and with eight wheels there were still many different possibilities.

Karr messed up halfway through and had to start again. The combination failed to open the safe.

“I’m thinking a whole big box of nitro,” said Karr. “Just blow it right out.”

“That won’t work, either,” said Dean. “Been tried.”

“Sequence number three,” said Rockman, starting to feed him the numbers.

Karr dialed in the combination, but the safe still didn’t budge.

“I felt something that time, on the sixth turn. Let me try again, reversing steps five and six.”

“Tommy, we really want to do this according to statistical probabilities,” said Rockman. “We’re starting to cut things tight.”

“Stay with me.”

Karr tried the combination with his variation, but it didn’t work. Dean tapped his watch next to him. “We’re down to four minutes,” said Dean.

“Next sequence,” Karr told Rockman.

Rockman began reading the numbers. This time, Karr swore he felt something tingling at his fingertips — and finally the safe unlocked.

“Let’s go, Sundance,” he told Dean, stepping back to open the vault.