Bandits (1987) (29 page)

Wally has your best interest at heart and I
'
m glad to know that,
Jack said. You '
re a good guy, Franklin. We don '
t want to see you get in trouble. But I think it '
s best if you don '
t wait around.

Franklin cleared his throat. He said, Leave here?

Jack bit on his lower lip. Damn, I wish I could tell you exactly how I work. I
'
ymagine it '
s confusing to you, all the ins and outs of this kind of game. Hey, I even get a little confused myself sometimes.
He sneaked a glance at Helene, his audience, watching him with her mouth slightly open, not moving a muscle. Jack bit on his lip again. Franklin, if I tell you something I shouldn '
t, will you promise not to repeat it to anybody, not even to Wally? . . . You '
d have to promise me on your honor.

Franklin was nodding his head.

Say it.

Yes, I promise.

On your honor.

Yes, on my honor.

Okay. First, do you know where the money is?

Maybe in that hotel room.

You think so?

Maybe.

Where else could it be? I was thinking maybe the car, but that wouldn
'
t be as safe as having it in the room, would it?

Franklin didn
'
t answer. He seemed to shrug and Jack wasn
'
t sure if he liked the way the guy was staring at him.

It doesn
'
t matter. Here
'
s the deal, Franklin. It looks like the colonel and his buddy are gonna take off for Miami with the cash. We think tomorrow.
Jack gave him a sly grin. You kind of suspected that too, huh? Talked it over with Wally? The possibility? But I '
ll bet he didn '
t tell you what '
s gonna happen to those two assholes, did he? You understand I can '
t give you the details, Franklin, they '
re confidential. But I '
ll tell you this much. If you don '
t want to spend the rest of your life in prison, convicted of a serious crime, then you '
ll make me another promise, right now. Will you do that, for your own good?

Franklin seemed about to nod, ready to, but waited.

I visited a state prison one time and I
'
ll tell you, they are no fun,
Jack said. All I '
m asking is that you promise me you '
ll get on that banana boat tomorrow morning and go straight home to your family.

Now he was nodding.

Doesn
'
t that sound good? Get out of this mess and go back home? Man, it sure sounds good to me. I wish you a safe journey, Franklin. . . .

He was still nodding.

And God bless you.

Jack kept his reverent gaze squarely on the Miskito Indian. He didn
'
t dare look at Helene.

Chapter
24

ROY OPENED THE DOOR bare to the waist, showing Lucy the mat of black hair that covered his chest. He moved his hand over it in a slow circle as he said, Well, I guess we '
re serious, huh?
He looked past her toward the Nicaraguan '
s suite. You hear anything when you got off the elevator? Women screaming for help?

Music,
Lucy said, that
'
s all.

They
'
re still partying. Couple ladies of the evening joined them a while ago.

Following Roy into 509 she said, I thought you left the door open so you could watch.

What
'
s there to see? They
'
re not going anywhere. Boy, it makes you wonder couple of clowns like that sitting on two million bucks. But they '
re typical; you know it? Guys that get into crime, most can barely write a note to hand the bank teller. Even the ones that appear fairly intelligent will turn stupid out of desperation. Like those two I wouldn '
t be surprised they '
re telling the whores their business; showing off. That '
s the type they are. Even to letting '
em see the cash. I still think there '
s a good chance it '
s in the room. Hell, if I was the least bit sure, me and you could bust in right now and get it done.
Roy walked into the bathroom.

Lucy looked at the double bed, still made but rumpled, the pillows pulled out, parts of a newspaper and a black knit shirt lying on the spread. She was aware of being alone with Roy; she could feel it and was self-conscious standing here in sandals, slacks, and her linen jacket, a straw bag hanging from her shoulder.

Roy faced the washbasin with a can of talcum powder, the bathroom door open. Lucy watched him rub his hands together, then raise them to caress his jaw and throat as he stared at himself in the mirror.

I thought Cullen was here.

He stepped out for the evening.

Can I ask where he went?

You can,
Roy said, but you might not think it
'
s nice, what he '
s doing, and I wouldn '
t want to tell on him. I hate snitches, even though they have their place.

You fixed him up?

Hey, you don
'
t miss much.
Roy looked out from the bathroom. Wasn '
t Jack coming with you?

He
'
ll be here. He went home to change.

Everybody getting ready for action,
Roy said, rubbing talcum over his body, beneath his arms, as he came out of the bathroom. Didn '
t forget your gun, did you?

Lucy watched him, his chest gray with powder coming toward her. It
'
s in my bag.

Lemme have a look at what you got.

She brought out the .38 encased in a tan leather holster, straps wrapped around it and tied. Be careful, it
'
s loaded.

You mean,
Roy said, it isn
'
t just for show?
Taking the holster from her, hefting it, he said, Oh, my Lord, it '
s a shoulder rig. Just like the TV cops. Where '
n the world '
d you get this?

It
'
s my dad
'
s,
Lucy said. I have to carry the gun on me, don '
t I?
She felt awkward, again self-conscious, with Roy grinning, unwinding the straps.

Yeah, this
'
s what all the TV cops use, so you know they
'
re cops and not insurance salesmen. Did you try it on? It '
s about the most uncomfortable thing you can wear, '
yspecially when it '
s hot out.
Roy pulled the nickel-plated Smith & Wesson from the holster, released the cylinder, and snapped it back in place. You ever fire it?

I know how it works.

That
'
s not what I asked you.

My dad taught me how to shoot.

When was this? It must
'
ve been before you went in the nuns.

I was in high school.

Roy said, When you were a little girl and not since, huh? Oh, man, this is some deal, I
'
m telling you. I '
m anxious to see what Jack '
s gonna wear. You come in your new spring outfit and your shoulder holster, Jack, he '
s liable to show up in no telling what. Combat boots and bulletproof underwear, his face painted black. You all been watching TV? Meantime Cully '
s off getting his ashes hauled and doesn '
t care one way or the other we score or not.
Roy dropped the gun and holster on the bed, picked up the black knit shirt, and pulled it over his head and down to his waist, tight, pushing his chest out, unbuttoning and unzipping his pants then as Lucy watched. He said, Excuse me, but don '
t look and I won '
t show you nothing.

She said, Roy, sometimes you overdo being yourself.

Roy said, Two days, I can see you
'
ve enjoyed about all of me you can stand. Only I '
m all you got, if you take a minute and look at it. How I ever got talked into this I must '
ve been in a weakened condition. Jack comes up to me, he goes, '
yYou never saw one like this before in your life, '
and I '
ll give him that; nobody has. But you know in your heart you wouldn '
t stand to cop a dime off those guys if I was to drop out. Like you know you aren '
t gonna fire that gun in anger or to kill, '
cause aiming at a bull '
s-eye and a human being are two entirely different things. That '
s something else you '
re gonna have to leave to my judgment. I can '
t see Jack doing it, or Cullen. I doubt either one of them has the stomach. Jack '
s quick with his hands; oh, he '
ll pop you before you know it, but he '
s never used a gun, I '
m sure, on another person.

Have you?

Have I ever shot anybody? Twice I had to and they
'
re both dead. But have you any idea what '
s gonna happen tomorrow?

No more than you,
Lucy said. All I know is we
'
re going to do it.

If you have to throw yourself in front of their car,
Roy said. All right, draw me a picture. They come out of their room tomorrow, go over to the garage, and get in the car, we assume, huh, and drive off. Then what?

They have two cars,
Lucy said. I think they
'
ll just leave the Chrysler.

Let
'
s say they do.

They get in the car and drive off and we follow.

What about the cash
if it isn
'
t in the room?

You said they went to five banks yesterday and came right back to the hotel. If they withdrew the money it
'
s either in their room or still in the car.

Roy said, If they withdrew it. You been thinking, haven
'
t you? But I watched them. They came out of each bank with a full sack. You could tell.

Or they came out with something in the sacks,
Lucy said, but not necessarily money. What if it was like a dry run today, to see if it '
s safe? Nothing happens, they withdraw the money tomorrow and they '
re on their way.

That sounds pretty good. You haven
'
t been just saying your beads, have you? All right, then what? Now we '
re coming to the good part. We follow them . . .

And wait for our chance.

How do we know it when we see it?

They
'
ll have to stop sometime.

Okay, they pull into a rest area to go toy-toy. Or a filling station. We pull up alongside
'
em. They see us. The next thing you know that nigger Indin '
s coming out of the car with his gun. We know he '
s their shooter, don '
t we? It '
s what he does. Now, are you gonna let the nigger Indin shoot you, or you gonna pop him first, or would you wait for me to do it, knowing if you wait too long you '
re dead? Or, you '
re in your typical shoot-don '
t-shoot situation requiring split-second judgment. Is that a gun in his hand? Bam! No, it was a flashlight, but a man is dead. These are some of the questions you have to ask yourself.
Roy walked over to the dresser, scooped loose change into his hand and picked up his wallet. Are we gonna drive all the way to Miami in pursuit of our dream? We are, then I have to get a bathing suit and some resort wear. How '
bout you?

You do like the idea,
Lucy said.

Roy took a poplin jacket from the back of the desk chair. What idea? That
'
s the only thing keeps me in this deal we don '
t have enough of a plan to know if it won '
t work or even to figure the odds. We '
re feeling our way along, is all. We '
re still playing oh, man, isn '
t this exciting? This is serious stuff. We even got real guns, with real bullets in '
em.
Roy slipped his jacket on. I '
m going around the corner and have a drink, pick up a few items we might need, check on Cullen. . . . Oh, and lemme have your car keys. I '
ll sit in it and watch theirs, just in case since I '
m doing everything anyway. Meantime you and Delaney decide if you can look right at a man and shoot him.

I
'
ve already thought about it,
Lucy said.

Well, then think about him shooting you. If this deal
'
s worth it. It isn
'
t to me, Roy said. I '
ll tell you right now, the time comes I see it '
s a no-win deal, I '
m out. I am sure not gonna die for a bunch of lepers I don '
t even know.

They were in Darla
'
s studio apartment over an antique shop on Conti. She said, You know how much that '
d cost you? All night and all day? I never had an all day.

Cullen said, I don
'
t care, you name it. You
'
re the cutest thing I ever saw.

Well, thank you. Usually during the day I relax. Do my hair and my nails . . .

You
'
re a little lady of leisure.

You kidding? I work my ass off in that place. I have to be there tomorrow at six.

I
'
ll stay till then. We can send out for Chinese, anything you want.

Roy said
didn
'
t he mention you just got out of prison or someplace?

Yeah, but I
'
d as soon not talk about it, ruin this beautiful evening.

I meant, but how could you have any money?

I worked. I worked in the fields for a nickel an hour. I worked in the auto repair shop, got a raise to seven cents. I worked in the print shop for the same wage. I bought a few necessities, I bought home brew now and again and saved what I could. Twenty-seven years, you little honey, it can add up.

Darla said, Well, you did pretty good, didn
'
t you?

Put on the black stockings again.

I thought you liked me nekked.

Just the stockings and the garters, that
'
s all.

You think that
'
ll do it?

I woke up with a hard-on this morning at six thirty-four. It
'
s in there somewhere.

I hope so, gosh.

Yeah, it
'
s gonna do it. Hey, anybody comes, don
'
t answer the door.

Nobody
'
s gonna come.

They might, you never can tell. Don
'
t answer the phone, either.

Well, I do get calls, you know. I
'
m not a hermit.

You sure aren
'
t. Oh, man, look at that. Come over here and tell me how you got so cute. Huh, how did you?

I just am, I guess.

The way Lucy had pictured it until this evening, she would see flashes of action taking place on a country road.