At the end of the block Greg directed Hickey to turn the corner and stop, until they could decide what was best to do. The broad, unbeautiful expanse of Amsterdam Avenue was as empty as the side street. It was like the avenue of some dead city, where the lights had been left burning. "What did you make of him?" said Blossom. "Not a regular cop." "Worse," said Greg, "a private patrolman. I had forgotten that the residents of a private block like this often club together and hire a man from an agency to keep watch. He'll be there all night, damn him!" "What are you going to do?" asked Ginger anxiously, "give it up?" "Not on your life!" said Greg grimly. "Let me think a minute." All four of them waited with blank minds for Greg to give them a cue. "We must create a diversion," he said finally. "A what?" asked Bull Tandy. "Attract his attention elsewhere; draw him off." "I get you," said Ginger. "Get up a fake burglary or something down at this end of the block." "Exactly. That'll be your job: yours and Blossom's." Ginger's face fell. "Have a heart, Greg! S'posin' we git five years apiece for it." "You don't have to be the burglars. You can be the honest citizens who discover the crime." Ginger looked relieved. "Lay it out to us, partner." "Listen carefully. First give Hickey three minutes to get back through Eighty-fourth to Columbus again. Then you show yourselves in Eighty-third Street. Choose the last house on the north side. I don't know who lives there; that doesn't make any difference. Well, run out into the middle of the street and look up at the windows. Run up the front steps and down again. Run in and out the area way. The idea is to give plenty of action, see? "Well, the cop is standing up at the top of the hill where he can look down both sides his beat. He'll soon get on to you two milling around down there, and he'll run down to see what's the matter. You tell him you were walking up Amsterdam when you saw a peculiar light in the basement of that house, and looking through the windows you saw a fellow snooping around with a flashlight; handkerchief over his face, hat pulled down--you know the stuff. And afterwards he went up-stairs. Fix up the story any way you like. You can tell a good story, Ginger. "The cop will probably send you around to watch the rear while he rouses the household and makes a room-to-room search. It's hard on the people, but it will bring a little excitement into their dull lives, anyway. As soon as you get the cop all worked up you make a quiet sneak, see? I only need a couple of minutes to pull off my trick. Long before the excitement down here dies down, we'll be safe away." "We're on," said Ginger and Blossom.