“I don’t know. I think. I found them here when I got home. They won’t even let me see her.”
The woman. Then there were three of them. Apparently Ed Taylor had not seen the woman. Making it tougher for John and the state boys. They’re looking for just two males.
“Your kid’s okay for now, Malone,” Fure said. He was running his hand over the Colt as if it were alive. “You want her to stay that way you jump up and roll over. Hinch. The bag.”
Hinch reached behind the sofa and came up with a black bag. He handed it to the fashion plate. It seemed to Malone that he did it very slowly.
“It’s yours.” The bag landed in Malone’s lap. Fure scraped Ellen’s treasured antique crewel chair over to him, the one with the shaky legs, and dropped into it. He kept fondling the Colt. They had to turn their heads to face him.
“What do I do with this, Fure?” Malone asked.
“Mr. Furia to cops.”
“Mr. Furia.”
“Take a look inside.”
Malone unzipped the bag. Bundles of greenbacks stared up at him.
The purr behind him said, “I still think-”
“Just don’t, Hinch,” Furia said. “Know where this loot comes from, cop?”
“I can guess.” Malone said in a soft voice, “You don’t know about this, Ellen. Tom Howland was killed tonight at the Aztec plant and the payroll stolen. That’s what all the excitement was about. This is the Aztec payroll. Right, Furia?”
“Mister Furia.”
“Mr. Furia.”
“Right.”
He thought Ellen was going to topple over.
“Can I go to my wife, please? She looks sick.”
“No.”
Ellen’s eyes were begging him. They made a quick upward roll toward where little Barbara was. “I’m all right, Loney.”
Malone said, “What did you mean, this is mine?”
“You’ll never have so much bread in your hands your whole life. Enjoy it.”
“What did you mean?”
“Like for the time being.”
“I don’t get it.”
“No? You’re putting me on.”
“I don’t get any of this.”
“You want I should spell it out? What you do, cop, is you hold this for us. Like you’re a bank.”
Malone tried to look stupid.
“You still don’t get it,” Furia said. “We drew a real dumb one, Hinch, a dummy town cop.”
Hinch heehawed.
“Okay, dummy, listen good,” Furia said. “With the bread on us we can’t get through the roadblocks. Without it we can. They’ll have no reason to handle us different from anybody else. Specially seeing there’s going to be four of us in the car.”
“Four of you,” Malone said. His mouth was sticky. “I thought there were three.”
“Four,” Furia said. “Me, Hinch, Goldie, and your kid. Only she’ll be Goldie’s. Her mama, like.”
“No,” Ellen said. ‘Wo.”
“Yeah,” Furia said. “Your kid’s our receipt for the loot. All clear?”
“It’s taking chances,” Malone said carefully. “Suppose one of the officers recognizes her when you’re stopped? This is a small town. Everybody knows everybody. That blows it.”
“You better pray it don’t. Can you pray?”
“Yes,” Malone said. He wondered if it was true. He had not been inside a church since his confirmation. Ellen took Barbara every Sunday to the second mass, she’s not going to grow up a heathen like you, Loney Baloney, you’re a cross he has to bear Father Weil says.
“They tell me it helps,” Furia said. One of the eyes in the bear mask winked. “All clear now?”
“All clear,” Malone said.
“It better be. You try any cop stuff, dummy, or your missus there sets up a squawk, and the kid gets it through the head. Be a nice dummy and keep your old lady’s yap shut and you get the kid back with her noggin in one piece. It’s that simple.”
Ellen’s eyes were scurrying about and Malone said, “Ellen.”
“I won’t. They can’t!”
“They can and you will. We have no choice, honey.”
“You listen to your papa, honey,” Furia said. “He’s a smart dummy.”
“How do we know they’ll keep their word?” Ellen screamed. “You know what you’ve always said about kidnapers, Loney!”
“This isn’t a kidnaping except technically. All they want is to hold Bibby as security till they can get the payroll back.”
“We’ll never see her again.”
“They’ll keep their word,” Malone said. “Or they’ll never see this money again. I’ll make sure of that.” He said to Furia, “All right, we have a deal. But now you listen to me and you listen good.”
“Yeah?” Furia said.
“You hurt my daughter and I’ll hunt you down and cut you to pieces. If it takes the rest of my life. You, and this goon, and that woman upstairs.”
A growl behind him. “Fure, let me. Let me.”
“You close your goddam mouth, Hinch!” Furia shouted. He jumped up and sprang forward, eyes in the wrinkled mask boiling. “I ought to knock you off right now, cop, you know that?”
“You need me,” Malone said. He tried not to swallow.
“I ain’t going to need you forever. Nobody talks to me like that. But nobody!”
“Remember what I said.”
Their eyes locked. I could jump him now. And get a bullet in my back from the goon. And leave Ellen and Bibby to their mercy. Malone looked away.
“Goldie!” Furia yelled.
A woman’s voice from upstairs said, “Yes, Fure.”
“Wake the kid up and get her dressed!”
“Let me,” Ellen whimpered. “Please? She’ll be so scared.”
“Let her,” Malone said. “She’s not going to try anything.”
“She damn well better not.” Furia waved the Colt. Ellen jumped to her feet and ran up the stairs.
Furia sat himself down on the rocker. The Colt was aimed at Malone’s navel. He’d love to pull that trigger. He’d pull, not squeeze. He’s kill-crazy. Malone looked down at his own hands. They were gripping the edge of the sofa so hard the knuckles resembled dead bone. He put his hands on the black bag.
They appeared at the top of the stairs, Ellen clutching Barbara’s hand, the woman strolling behind them. The woman was wearing a mask, too. Through the mouth slit she was smoking a goldtipped cigaret. That was all Malone saw of her.
He said with a smile, “Baby. Come down here.”
She was still sleepy. Ellen had dressed her in her best outfit, the red corduroy dress, the patent leather shoes, the blue wool coat and hat.
“Have you told her anything, Ellen?”
“What could I tell her?” Ellen said. “What?”
“Are we going someplace, daddy?” Bibby asked.
He set the black bag on the sofa and took her on his lap. “Bibby, are you all waked up?”
“Yes, daddy.”
