"Time for the meeting?" Moorcock asked.
"Yes."
"It should be interesting," the minister said, "but don't take too long. We have to discuss how to dispose of those two meddlers."
"We'll be back soon," Wagner said, with more confidence than he was feeling.
"Be careful," Moorcock warned. "We're on top of the biggest score we've ever had, and we can't take a chance of ruining it now. If there is even a hint that Mr. Lincoln is setting us up for something, get rid of him."
"That," Wagner said, patting his .38, "would be a pleasure."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"That's it," Walter Sterling said.
"Do you know anything about it?" Remo asked.
"As a matter of fact, I do," Walter Sterling said. "It's been empty since I was a kid. We used to play there— me and all my friends."
"Good. What's the best way of getting in there without being seen?" Remo asked.
"Over the top. We used to play on the roof."
"Then we'll go that way."
Remo knew that he and Chiun could have gone right through the front door without being seen, but they couldn't do that with Walter around. This way, all of them could enter the warehouse unnoticed.
"What's the best way to get up there?"
"The next building. Come on."
Walter took them up the steps to the roof of the building next door and then seemed disappointed.
"What's wrong?" Remo asked.
"Well, there used to be this big wooden beam that went from this roof to the roof of the warehouse." He looked around. 'It's not here."
There were at least ten feet separating the two rooftops. Walter said, "We'll never get over there now."
"Of course we will," Chiun said. "There is a plank on the other roof that you can use to get across."
"Yes, but it's on the other roof," Walter said. As he spoke, he turned to face Chiun and did not see Remo easily leap to the roof of the warehouse. Nor did he see Remo pick up the plank and leap back with it. When he turned, the plank was there, in place, bridging the gap between rooftops.
"How did you do that?" he asked, staring at Remo in awe.
"That doesn't matter. Come on, let's get across."
"Uh—"
"What's the matter?"
"This plank is about half the width of that old beam."
"That doesn't matter," Remo said. "Chiun will take you across."
With that, Remo walked across the plank as if it were the width of a city block.
"I can't—" Walter started to say, but Chiun cut him off.
"You can," the old man said. "Come, I'll go with you."
Chiun got up on the plank and put his hand out to the boy. Walter took the hand and stepped up onto the plank.
"Don't look down, right?" he asked.
"Look at the plank," Chiun said. "How wide is it?"
"About six inches."
"Keep your eyes on it. Watch it grow. How wide is it now?" Chiun asked.
Walter Sterling stared in wonderment as the plank appeared to widen. "It's at least eight— no, nine inches wide now."
"You tell me when it's wide enough for you to walk on," Chiun said, "and we'll go."
Walter kept watching the plank, and it seemed to keep widening— to twelve inches, fifteen inches, a foot and a half…
"All right," he said, "let's go. We can't keep Remo waiting forever."
With Chiun walking ahead of him, Walter negotiated the length of the plank flawlessly, until he was standing on the roof of the warehouse.
"Sorry it took us so long," he said to Remo.
"What are you talking about?" Remo asked. "You came over right after I did. Come on, let's get moving."
"This way," Walter said, and led them to a large, heavy metal door. "It's locked."
"Stand back," Remo said.
"That door is inches thick," Walter said to Chiun. "We'll never get it open."
"Let's go," Remo said.
Walter turned to look at him and found that the door was already open. "How did you do that?"
Before Remo could answer, Chiun said, "You will have to learn to stop asking that question."