Hurrying downstairs to the kitchen and her now cold cup of tea, she broke the news to Amy.
"Well, maybe nothing will happen before eight or nine," Amy said hopefully, but not looking too convinced.
"I'm afraid that if anything is going to happen, that's just about the time for it," Peggy said. "The neighborhood doesn't really empty out until after six, and it starts to get busy again a little before midnight. If I wanted to do any work in that alley, I think I'd plan to arrive by eight and leave by ten, if it could be done."
"Nothing happened last night," Amy said, "so maybe nothing will happen tonight either."
"I'm going to have to disagree again. Just because nothing happened last night, I think that we stand a better chance of seeing something tonight. Judging from the used condition of that doorsill, whoever's using the place doesn't let too much time go by between visits."
"But what can we do about it?" Amy said. "With Randy and Mal out on Long Island, and Pip and Tom unreachable, that leaves only us."
"I know," Peggy said firmly. "And that's who's going to go tonight!"
"Oh, Peggy! Do you think we ought to?" Amy asked. "I mean, it might be dangerous, and we are a couple of girls, and...."
"This is no time to play the feminine Southern belle," Peggy said. "We have to go. And besides, there's no danger. It's not as if we'll be seen, or as if we meant to rush out and stop the crooks if we see them! We'll just hide under the stairs and watch. Anyway, even if you don't want to go, you can't stop me."
"That settles it," Amy said with conviction. "You're not going to go to that place alone. When do we start?"
"Right now!" Peggy said eagerly. "It's almost six o'clock, and we haven't got too much time to get there before it's dark. Come on! We have to get dressed for the occasion!"
Peggy giggled uneasily as she and Amy inspected themselves in the hall mirror before leaving the Gramercy Arms. "We look like a couple of character actors dressed up for a skit on the Beat Generation."
"Or like a couple of weird vampires from a horror movie," Amy replied with a nervous laugh.
Greta surveyed them critically. "At least you don't have to worry about anything," she said acidly. "Those getups would frighten off any man in the world. If the crooks do catch sight of you, all it'll take is one look before they scream and run!"
