Manhattan

Michiko waited another minute to make certain Danny had had time to get on the elevator, then peeked out the door.

The hall was empty. She hurried to the room with the vault.

Taiyo Bank's securities vault was large and old-fashioned, opened using combinations rather than electronic codes.

For convenience, the heavy door was pulled open every morning and closed every night, but for security, in the anteroom to the vault, a member of Michiko's department was posted, keeping a log of who went in and out and what they took and returned.

Once a month, an inventory was taken of the vault's contents. In the eight months Michiko had been in charge of the department, the tally had been correct.

Michiko knew the monthly inventory had been completed just two days before, so that once the envelope her uncle had given her was safely in the vault, it would be four weeks before the contents would be inspected again. Now, her problem was getting the envelope into the vault. She'd worry about getting it out again later.