McNally's caper

He was in the back seat with me. He rooted around in the mess, found the bottle of brandy. He poured heavy shots in plastic tumblers, handed them across the front seat to Gore and Fleming. Then he served me. Finally he took his own. We all gulped greedily. No one proposed a toast.

‘Slow down, Hyme,’ Jack said. ‘Not more than sixty. We can’t afford to be stopped.’

We had been doing seventy, seventy-five, in that range. Gore slowed, edged the Buick over into the middle lane. It was after 1:00 a.m., but traffic was heavy.

‘My God,’ I said, laughing nervously, ‘is everyone going to Miami?’

No one answered. We drove on through the night in silence. I was afraid of sleeping.

‘It’s just a guess,’ Donohue said musingly, ‘but I’ll bet it was that scummy bartender at the Game Cock who made us. Anyone see him go to the back, to the phone, while we were in the booth?’

No one had.

‘Maybe he did and we j ust didn’t notice.’

‘Jack,’ Dick Fleming said, ‘how could he make us? He didn’t see the car!’

Donohue came alive, began to snap his fingers.

‘Right!’ he said. ‘He didn’t see the car, but he saw us. This is how I figure the Corporation worked it: They put out the word up and down the highway — in restaurants, bars, taverns, motels, roadhouses, and so forth. Their local men took care of this. So a mob guy comes into the Game Cock, braces the bartender, and hands him a tenner. “This is for your trouble,” he says. “Now what we’re looking for is four people travelling together, three men and a woman.” Then he gives the bartender our descriptions, which the Corporation cut out of Angela and the Holy Ghost. “You spot these people,” the local guy says, “you call this number. If you’re right, there’s a C-note in it for you.” I’ll bet my bottom buck that’s how it happened.’

I sighed. ‘In other words, you’re gambling the bartender didn’t see the car, and that’s why there were no Corporation guys guarding the Buick when we made our break. Because they don’t know what we’re driving.’

‘Surely they saw us driving away,’ Fleming said.

‘Maybe, maybe not,’ Donohue said. ‘That was one fucked-up scene, with the fire-engines, cop cars, people running around, cars starting up and taking off in all directions. I’m betting they didn’t make us in the darkness. This car is safe.’

I sighed again. ‘Why do you gamble, Jack?’

He whirled on me.

‘Why don’t you write?’ he demanded. ‘I read your book. You called it an obsession, a kind of masturbation.’

‘You never forget anything, do you? All right, you win.’

‘Damned right. And we have been winning, haven’t we? I tell you I’m on a high streak. When you’re hot, you give it all you’ve got. I’ve been twisting my brain, trying to figure how to get new wheels. But we don’t need them; Honest Percy didn’t rat on us, no one saw us dump the Ford and no one’s been tailing us. I tell you, this car is safe.’

We didn’t disagree with him. Perhaps because no one had any better ideas. It was a relief to put our destinies in his hands, let him make the decisions: where to go, when to go, when to stop, how to act.

‘Hyme,’ Jack Donohue said, ‘we’ll make a detour. Take the next turnoff. Weil go over to Raleigh, hole up and get some sleep. Tomorrow we can come east again and get back on the highway at Smithfield.’

‘Yes, Jack,’ Hymie Gore said obediently.

We took the turnoff at Wilson and drove west on Federal Highway 264. Got to the outskirts of Raleigh about 2:30. Found a place to sleep. My premonition had been accurate: This flight was going to be an endless succession of sleazy motels. This one thoughtfully provided a can of bug spray in every room. I bunked with Donohue. If he made any carnal noises, I was prepared to use the spray on him. But he was asleep before I was.

We all slept till noon, then went out for a steak-and-eggs breakfast. One of the things I enjoy when you get south of the Mason-Dixon Line is that, in the better restaurants, waiters come over to your table, say, ‘Good morning,’ and pour you a cup of hot black coffee. I mean, they don’t even ask; they know. And they’re right.

So, with stomachs full, the sun shining in a bland sky, things didn’t look so bad. Jack said we should do a little peddling in Raleigh so the day wouldn’t be a total loss. We went back to the motel and pawed through the contents of the gem cases. There wasn’t much small stuff left. Most of what we had were big pieces: chokers, necklaces, bracelets, tiaras — all heavily encrusted items that could never be pawned or sold in a local mom-and-pop jewelry shop.

Jack picked through the stuff and selected the remaining small pieces: a few simple rings, some watches, brooches, cufflinks.

‘I’ll see what I can do with these,’ he said. ‘I’ll take the car. The three of you sit tight. Don’t go out. Watch TV. Have a few drinks. I should be back by five at the latest. If I’m not, you’ll know I’ve been nicked. Then just take off and do the best you can.’

‘Jack …’I said hesitantly.

‘Yeah?’

‘Something I haven’t told you. I’m not sure about it, so I decided not to say anything. But maybe 1 should.’

‘What, for God’s sake?’

‘Remember when we came out of the Game Cock the first time? The lights of the car on the right went on. Two guys standing there. A few seconds later the car on the left flashed its headlights. I shielded my eyes. I saw three guys standing near it. I might have been imagining it, but I thought I recognized one of the men. Short, heavyset, wearing a bowler. He had on an overcoat, which means he came from up north. I couldn’t see his features, but I thought maybe it was him.’

He caught on immediately.

‘Noel Jarvis?’ he asked. ‘The manager?’

‘Rossi,’ I said. ‘Antonio Rossi.’

‘Yeah, Rossi. You sure?’

‘No, I’m not sure. It was just a quick glimpse. It was dark out there. I was staring into the lights. But that’s the feeling I got.’

He thought about that a moment,biting his upper lip.

‘Yeah,’ he said finally, ‘it’s possible. But it surprises me. I mean, they’re giving him a chance — probably a last chance — to run us down and waste us. He’s lucky.’

‘Lucky?’

‘Because they didn’t burn him right away. He goofed. They know it. They know he dated you. They figure he was careless, he talked.’

‘How could they know he dated me?’

‘Oh, Jannie’ — he sighed — ‘use your noodle. By this time your photograph has been circulated. So you went to that West Side restaurant with him, didn’t you? It’s in your book. So hard guys over there saw you with him. That’s why I say he’s lucky. They could have figured he was in on it and squashed him without asking questions. But the Corporation’s giving him a chance to find us.’

‘And the stones,’ I said.

‘Fuck the stones!’ Donohue said savagely. ‘You really think the Corporation wants that hot ice? Sure they do, but not as much as they want to fry our asses. We can’t be allowed to get away with that heist. Bad public relations. That’s why Rossi is on our tail. He’ll never give up, because it’s his cock if he fails. Lock the door after I’m gone.’

We did as he said. Had a few drinks, watched a stupid game show on TV. Then Dick and Hymie dozed off and I got busy on Project X, writing on those yellow legal pads with a ballpoint pen, writing as fast as I could. I took up where I had left off a hundred years ago and tried to catch up. But I had only finished the account of the actual robbery when it was 4:00 and time to put the manuscript aside. I took a shower and dressed, then roused the men. They got up, grumbling, stuffed their gear in suitcases. We settled down to wait for Jack.

He had said that if he didn’t return by 5:00, we should take off and do the best we could. I considered what the ‘best’ would be. I had no idea. I literally had no idea. It was the first time in my life that my fate depended on someone else. I said that was comfortable, and it was. But when I tried to imagine what would happen if the