old times' sake, and that allnight joint is still open.
Ham, cabbage and beans, right, Indy? Just like we used to do.'
'Just save those cornet numbers for me, Jack. Look, friend, I'm going to ask you for help. But it's not for me. Would it sound too corny for you if I said it was for your country?'
Shannon's eyes widened. 'You a Gman, Indy?'
Indy laughed. 'Nothing like that. I'd like to tell you more, but I can't. Maybe later but not now. You'll have to take my word for it.'
'Okay; shoot.'
'Your partners ran a newspaper delivery business. They still got their fleet of trucks?'
'Sure thing.'
'Can you get them working if you call them in the middle of the night?'
'That's when they do most of their work, Indy.'
'I need a bunch of them, Jack. Not tonight, so there's plenty of time.'
'Where you want them?'
'Milledgeville.'
'What's Milledgeville? Sounds like a home for midgets.'
Indy smiled. 'Not quite. It's a town about ninety miles west of here. Bunch of small towns in that area. Polo, Oregon, Chadwick, and Milledgeville. There's a rail line that runs right down a valley where they're located.'
'Maybe you'll tell me why later. How many of my people do you need?'
'Enough to bring a train to a stop and hold it up tomorrow night.'
Shannon's jaw dropped. For several moments he could hardly speak. Then he burst out laughing. 'I thought this was on the level! What'd you do, Indy? Join up with Jesse James and his gang?'
Indy shared his laughter. 'No. But it is on the level. It's a special job, Jack.
Like I said, it's for your country.'
'If I was hearing this from anybody else I'd . . .' Shannon shook his head.
'Okay, Indy. I trust you.
What's in that train?'
'Gold. Artifacts. Some stuff like that.'
'What are you after?'
'We don't care about the gold.'
'Well, that's different. What happens with the gold after it's lifted? I got a hunch you'll be picking that up, too.'
'You're right. But I want the gold returned.'
Shannon's eyes narrowed. 'So there's some sort of, uh, well, something you're after. I got to ask you this, Indy. Will you be keeping it?'
'Only for a little while.'
'This is crazy. I suppose next you'll tell me nobody gets hurt in this caper.'
'That's right.'
Shannon sighed. 'I got the right people for this. Okay. I guess you're after one car in particular. Will you have it marked for us?'
'I'll leave all the details with you.'
'What about guards?'
'A detail. I don't mind noise and shooting, but nobody needs to get hurt. And I want you to use some special equipment.'
'Okay. In for a dime, in for a dollar.'
An hour later they were through. 'Where do you need to go now?' Shannon asked.
'Farmhouse. Isolated. Twenty miles south of Dubuque, maybe a hundred miles from here.'
'I know it.'
'We'll need to stop at the bus station downtown. My stuff is in a locker there.'
'Okay.'
'I really appreciate this, Jack.'
'I'll appreciate it myself when you tell me what's really going on, Indy.'
Shannon held up a hand. 'Okay, okay. I'll wait.'
Indy clapped him on the shoulder. 'I'll lay it all out for you one day. In the meantime—' He reached into his pocket and withdrew a leather bag. 'Make absolutely sure this is with the take tomorrow night. Put it in the lift sack.'
Shannon took the bag. 'Do I look?'
