Chang saw Bloom enter the doors and walk across to the Personal Banking counter. He then did a double take when he saw who had followed Bloom into the hall.
‘Boss?’ he talked into his cuff without moving his head.
‘Yeah Chang, shoot?’
‘He got company.’
Shadow sat upright in his seat and spat his cigar out of the side window.
‘Who? He’s supposed to be alone.’
‘Stoney and Macs,’ Chang’s English and recall of names and details still needed a lot more work.
‘Shit. What the...watch them Chang, tell me what happens.’
‘Yes Boss. Sure Boss.’
Bloom seemed to know his way around the bank; he jumped a queue at the Personal Banking counter and leaned in to tell the official that he was Mrs. Randall’s lawyer. The smiling young woman who was smartly dressed with her blond hair tied into a ponytail was given no time to say anything, she opened her mouth and closed it again when Bloom added that he was authorized by his client to access Guy Randall’s Safety Deposit Box.
‘I’m afraid we’ll need to see some kind of...’
Bloom was not accustomed to being cross examined by a lowly bank official and he tried to bounce the young woman into allowing him through.
‘I’ve been the family lawyer for five years. I set up this facility and...’
Stone and Mac watched in amusement as the courtroom bully grew frustrated at not being able to get his way. The people in the queue were getting restless wondering why this sharp suited city slicker was holding them up. He was sure that Bloom was only seconds away from saying ‘Do you know who I am?’ so he decided to assist.
‘That may very well be the case Mr. Bloom but until we have either a written directive or we speak to an account holder personally, we cannot allow you access.’
Whilst the melee ensued Stone called Mrs. Randall on his cell phone and whispered quietly to her that Bloom was getting hot under the collar with an official and that they needed personal authorization. Mrs. Randall asked Stone to pass the phone to the young woman saying she’d sort the problem out. He thrust the cell phone under the security window and told her his name and that Mrs. Randall would like to talk to her. The young woman took the phone.
‘Hello Mrs. Ra..., yes he is he’s...I’m very well thank you,’ as she was talking she turned to look at her computer and brought up some details, ‘I need to ask you some security questions Mrs. Randall, I hope that’s..., Yes?’ Sarah asked two personal pieces of information that sounded like a password and a date of some kind, she nodded twice and smiled into the phone, ‘thank you Mrs. Randall...no problem I’ll pass you back.’
The call ended and Sarah signaled to a security officer to open the door to allow Stone, Mac and Bloom into the rear of the chambers. They heard a click and a door sprang open but only let them into a controlled lobby. The first door closed automatically behind them and the officer spoke through an overlapping double glazed hatch, which was no doubt bullet proof. Bloom was asked to open up the attaché case for inspection and they were all asked to empty their pockets of all items, wallets, cell phones and especially any metal objects into trays similar to those at airport security. They were given back the items after they emerged from the x-ray machine. They were told to walk through an arched metal detector. There were no beeps so they walked forward. When he was satisfied the officer ushered them to follow him and tapped a four figure code into the security keypad by a door labeled DEPOSIT BOXES. The four-inch steel lined door opened slowly and made no noise.
Bloom was still angry; he had almost foamed at the mouth with embarrassment. Stone and Mac couldn't get excited over such a procedural measure; they had far more important things to worry about.
The security guard reached inside and switched on the lights which flickered on and off and back on again to reveal a long room with a high ceiling and a metal topped table down the middle of the space. The guard escorted them inside and asked them to sign a form recording their names, signatures and the time of access.
The room was at least twelve foot wide and must have been thirty feet long. The walls were faced with what looked like solid steel but then they saw that there were dozens of individual deposit boxes on either side of the room. The letter box shaped storage drawers were of two different sizes and numbered from A001 on one side and B001 on the other. The officer withdrew from the room and told them to use the telephone on the wall by the door to let him know when they were ready to leave.
Bloom went immediately to box B1318, it was on row eighteen and it was the thirteenth box down from the top. Stone had a key that was given to him by Guy Randall as he lay dying in his arms by his pool. Bloom was given another identical key for box B1318 by the guard. The box was one of the larger types and was about twelve inches wide and six inches deep. Stone and Bloom inserted their keys and Stone unlocked the box. He pulled the box out horizontally and placed his hand underneath to steady it as he lowered it onto the table, it must have been twenty four inches long and weighed several pounds.
The shiny steel box sat on the table gleaming under the bright lights above. ‘This is it,’ said Stone. He lifted up the lid on top of the box and staring back at them, neatly packed into three rows, was one million U.S. Dollars in crisp new $100 bills.
‘I’ll take it,’ said Bloom, and without waiting for an answer he began to load the bills into his attaché case, pack by pack, his hands working furiously until the box was empty.
‘Are you sure that’s what Mrs. Randall wants?’ asked Mac.
‘She did ask me to collect the money personally,’ added Stone.
‘Look, I’m her lawyer, I take full responsibility, she entrusts me with all of her business, financially and otherwise, you two are strangers quite frankly. I know what she wants.’
When he’d finished placing the bills neatly into rows that filled up the attaché case Bloom closed the lid and spun the combination wheels on both sides to lock it. Without a further word he buttoned up his overcoat readying himself to leave. He didn’t even stop to retrieve any of the keys. Stone took them for safekeeping.
‘I’ll call Mrs. Randall as soon as we get out of here and tell her you have the money, you’d better know what you're doing,’ said Stone.
Bloom picked up the internal phone and told the security officer that they were done.
Almost immediately the steel door clicked and opened. Bloom strode smartly up to the guard and signed against the time out column. He had no intention to wait for Stone and Mac. They duly signed out and as they entered the banking hall they caught sight of Bloom as he disappeared through the main doors.
‘Boss, he leave, he got case with him.’ said Chang. Chang started to make a move, then saw Stone and Mac and turned away slightly so they wouldn't make him out.
‘Bloom left?’ said Shadow.
‘Yes Boss. Stoney is still here he talking on his cell.’
‘Chang, slip past them, don't lose Bloom, I’ll be right there okay. Follow Bloom and keep talking to me.’
Stone made a call to Mrs. Randall who was livid at the news that Bloom had run off with the money. ‘I told you there was something creepy about him, if he doesn’t show up soon I’ll call the police,’ she said. She thanked them for going along and asked Stone to keep in touch. Stone had his back to the doors and didn’t see a certain Chinese guy walk out.
‘What now?’ said Mac.
‘Dunno. I’m thinking.’
‘We could muscle him and get the money back to Mrs. R.’
‘Nah. A rat like that would have the feds on us in minutes. We’d be in even more trouble. There’s nothing we can do right now, let’s get back to the deli and start thinking about Shadow. He’s next on the list.’
In the short time that they had been in the bank, which couldn't have been more than twenty minutes, dusk had turned to darkness and the air was getting colder by the second now that the sun had gone down.
Bloom was long gone b
y the time Stone and Mac reached the street, they looked up and down, office workers were pouring out onto the sidewalk at the end of their day, weaving and jostling to get ahead of each other on the way to the subway.
They headed back to the deli.
Chapter 37
Chang managed to keep Bloom in view, he got pretty close, which was safe because Bloom had no idea who Chang was or what he looked like. He kept a running commentary through the mic for Shadow who was cruising less than a block behind and waiting for the moment to pick Chang up.
Bloom looked around nervously every now and then, half expecting Stone to have given chase, but he was sure he’d lost them some way behind. He gripped the handle of the attaché case as if his life depended on it. He felt sure people could see into the case and at the money inside. They couldn't, it just felt that way.
For a split second Chang thought he had lost Bloom and hadn’t noticed that he had turned left down a ramp into an underground car park. He raced ahead scurrying between the pedestrians, almost knocking them over, and then caught sight of the parking sign jutting out from the brick wall a few feet above is head.
He hadn’t put two and two together yet.
He scoured the sidewalk ahead and across to the other side also, he was out of breath and began to feel a little panicky. Then the realization struck him like a lightning bolt and he drew in his breath. He turned quickly to look down the ramp to the car park and saw the back of Bloom’s overcoat and he stood to pay for his parking ticket.
‘BOSS,’ he lifted his arm up and shouted to Shadow down his sleeve.
‘Yeah Chang?’
‘He go to his car, in car park, you see the sign? Just pass coffee shop?’
Shadow floored the Lincoln and dodged between a few cars and saw the green STARBUCKS COFFEE sign above the store first followed by the parking sign. He pulled over sharply cutting up a yellow taxi, ignored the lesson in Punjabi swear words, and doubled parked, Chang ran round the hood and slid into the front seat.
‘Nice work Chang.’
The out ramp was ten yards away, Shadow realized that he had no idea what car Bloom was driving, he figured he had a minute or two, no more. He called Rachel. She picked up after two rings, there was no time for chat, he simply asked what car Bloom had and she told Shadow he had a silver Mercedes SLS coupe.
The first car to come up the ramp was a Chevy Camaro, the streetlights reflected off the glass and Shadow could not make out the driver. He was real glad he had called Rachel.
The next car was Bloom’s car. He saw the grille first with the trademark Mercedes emblem and as the car swung into the street he saw the plate. LAWMAN.
It was Bloom.
Bloom allowed himself to relax a little, there was no sign of Stone or Mac and he could see the attaché case lying safely on the backseat.
Shadow couldn't afford to let too many cars get between his Lincoln and the Mercedes, Bloom would have no idea he was being tailed so he pushed hard and stayed right behind, narrowly running a few red lights as they headed up 11th St.
‘Should have asked Rachel where he lives, guess he’s going home with the money,’ said Shadow.
Shadow had an idea. At the next set of lights he would gamble on Bloom having left his passenger side door unlocked and would sneak out fast and jump in beside him before the lights changed.
‘Chang, follow my lead, I’m gonna get in his vehicle and lead him to a quiet side street, follow us close and block his car in when we stop. You got it?’
‘Yes Boss.’
Two minutes later they were in luck, the lights up ahead turned red and Bloom’s car was five back from the front. Shadow got out, ran around the side and before Bloom knew what had hit him; he had a passenger who had a gun trained on his temple.
The lights changed and Bloom froze.
‘DRIVE.’ The sight of the gun pointing at his temple seemed to paralyze his whole body. ‘DRIVE.’ Shadow shouted even louder and clicked the gun. Bloom knew he was serious; the guy filled the front seat and looked twice the size of him so he gave no backchat. Chang slid into the driver’s seat in the Lincoln and followed them closely behind.
‘Now. Bloom. Do exactly as I tell you and we’ll have no problems.’ Shadow cocked his head sideways and saw the case on the backseat. ‘Is that what I think it is?’
‘How do you know my name...who are you? What do you want?’
‘Take the next left down 47th and the last road on the right , 5th St., bit’s a dead end.’
Bloom did as he was told and turned off the main road.
‘Is that my money?’ Shadow repeated, adding a little essential detail.
Bloom’s hands were sweating, he almost lost grip of the wheel. His mind was racing, the barrel of the gun waving around to his right didn’t fog out his sharp Lawyer’s brain completely and the penny dropped. ‘Oh my god, you're Shadow, you're the one that...’
‘That what? Wise guy.’
‘You shot Guy Randall.’
‘And I was kind of hoping you might represent me one day, I’ve heard bad things about you, just the kind of Lawyer I need.’
‘There’s...there’s nothing in the case, I didn’t get it, they wouldn't let me...’
‘Nice try Bloom. Now stop jerking around. Take the next left and don’t try anything.’
They continued along the dark street and Bloom saw that the road finished about a hundred yards ahead. He saw the last turning on the right. ‘Here?’
‘Yeah. Make a right.’
As soon as the car had straightened out a set of headlights flashed around the corner also.
‘See the car in the rear view?’ Bloom was so nervous he hadn’t checked, he took a quick look and noticed the road was empty except for one set of headlights about fifty yards behind. They were in some dark and lonely back streets near Hunter’s Point, there were ob sites on one side of the road and graffiti ridden walls on the other. ‘There’s a guy in that car, he’s armed and he’s dangerous, hell, he’s dangerous period. Pull over there and give me the keys.’
The street was dimly lit. Bloom turned off the engine and handed the keys to Shadow.
‘I told you the case is...’
‘Get out of the car,’ ordered Shadow.
‘W...What are you going to do?’
Shadow said nothing.
Chang was already out of the Lincoln and was at the driver’s side waiting for Bloom to get out with his Glock aimed at the door. He had a black hold all in his other hand.
Shadow stepped around and pushed Bloom up against a wall. Bloom instinctively held his hands up high. They were shaking so hard it looked like he was waving.
‘Chang, get the case from the backseat.’
He opened the door and brought the case down to the ground to empty the money into the hold all.
‘Boss. We need combination.’
Shadow raised his gun even higher from Bloom’s chest level to his forehead. ‘Just how quick do you want to go Bloom?’
Bloom’s defiant streak got the better of him and he tried to stall them. He said he was collecting the money for Rachel and only she had the combination.’
Shadow wasn’t amused. The name Rachel just served to make him more impatient. He fired a shot six inches to the left of Blooms head.
‘Okay. Okay...’ Bloom’s defiance trickled away, like the trickle down the inside of his leg. ‘1776...it’s 1776.’
Original, thought Shadow.
Chang flicked the numbered dials around till he had the numbers in place and the catches flipped up. He swiftly swapped the bills into the hold all. Bloom’s plans were in ruins, the money was gone, he had nothing to bargain with. He knew their names and faces; he suddenly realized they would kill him to cover their tracks. His last gasp effort was to say he’d represent them for free. He reached inside his coat for his card.
That was a mistake.
Shadow thought he was going for a gun.
He shot Bloom at point blank range but Bloo
m twisted away to avoid it. He took the bullet in the left side of his chest and slumped to the floor. Shadow thought about putting one in his head but reckoned he was gone anyway.
‘It’s taken two months and two dead bodies but we finally got the money back. Let’s get out of here,’ Shadow said to Chang. He didn’t need telling twice.
Chang threw the hold all into the back of the Lincoln and they sped off into the night.
Chapter 38
Stone’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket, he clawed it out and was shocked to see who was calling. Mac was at the wheel, they were on their way back to McCarren Park, Stone told him to slow down.
‘Bloom?’
Bloom was trying to speak into the phone, somehow he’d managed to find Stone’s number, he knew he would help him he was that kind of guy. Blood was oozing from his side and he was slipping in and out of consciousness. He didn’t feel a thing as he hit the floor, he was out cold, but now he was seeing lights and felt a searing pain in his chest. He couldn't move his legs. Bloom gurgled as he spoke and knew he didn’t have long.
‘Bloom is that you?’ Stone repeated. He could hear something and had to strain to pick out his words.
‘I’ve been...shot...’ Bloom faded away for a few seconds.
Mac parked up and cut the engine.
‘Where are you Bloom? He’s in trouble..’ Stone said to Mac. ‘...says he’s been shot. He can’t be far away it’s only ten minutes since...’
Bloom came round again and tried to give directions to the street where he was laying dying. ‘An old building, graffiti.’ He had to pause after every few words. ‘Off 47th, I can see...’
DEAD MAN'S JUSTICE - A Place of Evil (Stone & McLeish Thriller Series of Stories Book 2) Page 14
