“Sounds like you are trying to tell me our money may be in the wind.”
“It is possible. Hence my call.”
“I appreciate you calling me. You were correct to do so: you should always pass on bad news quickly.”
“That’s what I expect of my people and I wanted to offer you the same curtesy.”
“How certain are you that this second crew will succeed where your first crew failed?”
“Pretty sure. Paul and Luigi were fine upstanding guys but you could never accuse Luigi of having too many brains. God rest his soul.”
“Luigi? Shame, I knew his family well.”
“May he rest in peace.”
“No-one will mourn his passing - not even his wife.”
“That’s for sure.”
“Seriously. Sounds to me you’ve underestimated your step nephew and overestimated your own people. Don't make that mistake again, Frankie. These errors can compound each other and become dangerous.”
“I understand. But you need to know I won't be in a position to offer tribute tomorrow as I originally indicated.”
“I figured that out myself, but again it is good to hear you voice these concerns instead of pretending they aren’t out there.”
“Thank you. I do these things because I respect you.”
And because you’d whack me if I didn't.
“Once you have a reliable figure, tell me. And once you have the money, call me too.”
“Of course.”
“I ask a second time, is there anything I can do to help?”
“Not right now. They’ve left a trail of destruction in their wake but they’re still on the road.”
“The radio said there were deaths at the bank even before they torched that barn. Was it a rendezvous point?”
“Yes, it was. The good news is that Frank shared the plan with me in great detail as I was funding the venture. Once he’s circled away from the Baltimore area, he will head for California. It’s what’s driven him to keep going all these months.”
“I'll have a word with our west coast contacts and get them to prepare a welcoming committee.”
“You don't need to do that just yet. They might not have left the state.”
“You and I know they’ll wave Maryland goodbye. The question in my mind is whether they’ll actually strike out for California or pick anywhere apart from there.”
“I might have underestimated him as you say, but I saw his eyes light up every time he mentioned that state. If they leave Maryland then they’ll head for California.”
“So be it. California will be the destination.”
“Trouble is it’s a long way from here to there.”
“Frankie, you send your people off on the trail at your end and leave me to worry about any of the other details.”
“Okay, Charlie. Thanks again.”
“It’s what I'm here for.”
Click.
FRANKIE CALLED ANTHONY into his office.
“Pack your toothbrush, you’re gonna be on the road for the next few days. Come back with the money.”
“Frank and the girl?”
“Get me my money. If they hand it over to you then that’s fine.”
“And if they don't?”
“Get me my money anyway. Two more dead bodies won't make much difference given the trail of blood they’ve already caused.”
“Okay boss.”
“And if you find them alive and you want to keep them in that state then do so. I'm happy to have a conversation with them. But if you have to shoot them between the eyes, do it. There is no need for any of us to be precious around them.”
“Sure thing.”
“But remember, do not come back without the take and make sure your crew doesn’t dip their fingers in the cash. Every last dime is mine and mine alone.”
Anthony nodded and closed the door behind himself. This gave Frankie an opportunity to return to his porn journal and soak in the exquisite beauty of the naked girls on the pages.
8
MARY LOU AND Frank walked out the diner and back toward the car.
“You drive for a while, okay?”
“Sure thing, Frank.”
She adjusted the seat and the rearview mirror, fought the shift stick into first and pulled out of the space.
“What route are we taking? I have no idea how to get to Vegas from here.”
Frank laughed.
“Neither do I. Hang on a minute.”
He shut his eyes for five seconds and then opened them. Frank described how they’d go cross country to Frederick off to the west and join the I-70 for a straight run to Pittsburgh. Beyond that was another day. Mary Lou nodded.
“Let’s hit the road.”
She punched the gas pedal and they squealed out the lot.
“Easy... Take it easy, babe.”
Mary Lou eased off the gas and took the vehicle down to a sensible pace.
“Five miles an hour under all the way, right?”
“Got it, Frank.”
Her voice contained no annoyance. Calm personified. Frank settled into his seat, folded his arms and focused on the road ahead. No mistakes, Mary Lou. No need to get pulled over by some lazy cop with a quota to fill. Before they’d stepped back into the Falcon, he’d walked round to check all the lights, a task he’d perform every stop they made from here to California. If they got that far.
“This sounds totally crazy, but I missed you today, babe.”
“When?”
“From the moment we said goodbye and split up this morning. I didn't want you to go.”
Mary Lou reached over and squeezed his knee then took it away for a gear change.
Ever since he got out of the penitentiary this time last year, their relationship had gone from distant to extremely close. Frank discovered how to be a loving human being. It had been quite a journey, but he was getting there.
“We’ve had a bumpy ride, but after our Miami trip things were good between us...”
Beat.
“But?”
“But after this morning I don't know. I told myself that what happened with you and Carter stayed with you and Carter and I haven't asked questions any more.”
There was a silence in the cabin as they both recalled the argument they’d had on this same topic - only in a different car.
“What about Carter and the money you didn't tell me?”
“It was complicated.”
“Just tell me. I want to know.”
Mary Lou sighed a deep heavy outpouring of breath.
“Carter has a gambling problem: he loses way more times than he wins. And Uncle Frank holds a forty thousand dollar marker on him, so he gave Carter a simple choice: take the money or spend the rest of his life paying off the debt. Refuse either option and finito.”
“So...”
Frank was taking his time putting the pieces of the jigsaw together for himself. Mary Lou helped him out.
“Frankie ordered Carter to remove the cash from the bank on the morning of our hit. Either Carter followed his instructions and got Frankie the take or we did. Either way, Frankie wins.”
“Uncle Frank?”
“Yes your uncle, Frank.”
The words sank into Frank’s skull. The man had always been so good to his ma and the family. To turn on him like this while pretending to only have his best interests to heart.
“And the barn was a double cross?”
“I reckon. If Carter had succeeded, I'm sure he’d be buried in a field by now. He didn't even own a gun.”
“And you held this back from me because...?”
“I couldn't see how you’d believe me. I doubt if you do now.”
“The double cross I believe. Paul and Luigi fired first. They were operating under orders. Paul wouldn't have been stupid enough to steal from Uncle Frankie and Luigi was plain too stupid.”
“I just didn't know how to tell you, hon’.”
Beat.
“And the explosives?”
“A terrible mistake. I forgot. The stress of tying the damn things to those telegraph poles did me in. It took longer than I thought and I was so obsessed with getting them all done that flipping the switch flew out my head.”
“And you expect me to accept that?”
“It’s the truth. You believe what you need to.”
“A cop car followed us out of town because that C4 didn't blow.”
“What happened?”
“Was way behind for miles, then it kicked up an extra gear and passed us.”
“Huh?”
“Yes. They must have been expecting something more like your Barracuda for a getaway vehicle and not a white van.”
“Pete was a smart cookie at times.”
“And a pain in the ass the rest of his waking hours.”
Frank stretched out and rested his left hand on Mary Lou's right thigh below her black miniskirt, occasionally stroking her skin as they talked.
“ARE WE BEING honest, Frank?”
“I've been. Yes.”
“I'm scared right now, here in this car. With you.”
Mary Lou felt Frank’s fingers stiffen on her thigh, which made her all the more nervous.
“Because you see me as someone who’s failed you, I can’t be certain you have any faith in me at all. On top of that, the last job when you lost faith in someone they took a trip out a window. And you've already whacked Andrew today.”
“He’d clipped Pete before we’d got away.”
“Frank, I'm not saying you were wrong to take him out, but you have to admit you’re a dangerous man to be around.”
His fingers relaxed, but the stroking stopped. Mary Lou kept both hands on the wheel.
“And that makes me nervous. Especially when I look at what happened at the barn.”
“What went down there?”
“After it was all over and you hopped in the car, I had no idea if you were going to drive off and leave me.”
“Of course I wasn't, babe.”
“But that’s not how it felt. You were angry with me and you've said yourself you can't figure out if there was anything between Carter and me. So how am I supposed to know?”
The stroking started up again.
“It crossed my mind. It’s true.”
“If I was going to double cross you, wouldn't I have struck a deal with Uncle Frankie or got Carter out the bank and run off with him or ... beats me. There are a thousand ways you can punch someone in the face but only one way to kiss them: with love.”
“And do you love me?”
“I did this morning. Now I'm building up a wall so I don't get hurt by you. But I did this morning.”
This lie tripped off her tongue with remarkable ease. A week ago Frank was the one - or at least he was after Florida. Then the idea took hold in her that Carter was a better catch. That he had a better chance of getting the money and she should go with him instead.
Carter found the cajones to remove the cash from the vault but didn't leave the bank for whatever reason. That was the moment she stopped trusting him and stopped loving him. If a man can't do a simple thing, like keep his word, then he was not a man at all. Besides, Carter was always going to lift the money for Uncle Frankie but it was only the day before she discovered the game Frankie was playing with all of them. And she was right. Frank would never have believed her. The proof only existed at that point in Carter’s words.
“Remember Frank. Carter was just someone to get us into that vault and out without obstruction. What I did, I did. But for us.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
“Not sure, to be honest. I want to believe you but there’s so much up in the air right now. And what you’re saying about Uncle Frankie.”
“None of this easy.”
“Nope.”
Mary Lou kept them at a steady pace and passed through Cockeysville, a small nowhere town with a crossroads, shops and people who notice a stranger’s car flying past even if it’s not stopping. Both hands gripped the wheel and only relaxed when they were back on empty roads with fields or dirt either side of the road.
“You never answered my question.”
“No? What question?”
“Were you definitely going to wait for me at the barn?”
The hand stroked her again.
“When I left you with the matches... I was angry and I wasn't sure if you were with me or the take.”
Mary Lou sighed. He was right and he was wrong. By the time she left the parking lot at the bank she was following the money but by the time she arrived at the barn she was following Frank. That’s hard to explain though - even to yourself sometimes.
“And when I appeared at the car?”
“You were there and I waited for you.”
“Sure. But why?”
“Like I said before. I cared about you; I care about you but did I trust you at that precise moment today? Don't know. I really don't know. I mean, I wanted to.”
“I shot Paul so you would live. If I was so intent on getting hold of the money, and nothing more, then I'd have let him take you out and then clipped him. You were a sitting duck, Frank. Without me, you would be a corpse.”
Mary Lou's words scratched deep inside Frank. This was the first time he’d had to consider today’s events. She was kinda right but did that mean he could forgive her for what she did with Carter?
He ought to because he inserted her in the situation with Carter in the first place. However now he’d seen the guy, so up close and personal, didn't remove the image of the two of them naked together from his mind’s eye. It hurt each time it flashed across his brain. Yet part of that self-same thought - the part with Mary Lou's body in it - turned him on. The lust he felt for her was real and consistent. It was the idea of fucking her again that kept him going in prison. At night. Those lonely nights. After his first stint inside he understood why some men became fags in jail.
His hand moved up her thigh and under the skirt almost reaching her panties. She grabbed it and dragged it back nearer her knee.
“You won't be getting anywhere near that until we can trust each other.”
9
SILENCE FELL OVER them as they experienced the isolation of their own thoughts. Without admitting it to themselves or the other person, they both had been in the wrong and both had right on their side.
Mary Lou carried on driving, catching the occasional sign for Westminster forcing them to make a wide arc, leaving Lansdowne and the city of Baltimore behind and heading towards Frederick and the expressway beyond.
As they left Westminster, Frank tapped her thigh.
“Pull over, now!”
Mary Lou slammed on the brake and drove off the road.
“What is it?”
“Saw me something of use.”
Frank popped the trunk and grabbed what looked like a stick and ran back two hundred feet. Through her side mirror, Mary Lou watched as he took a screwdriver to the plates of a rusted carcass of a car standing with flat tires in a ditch. He replaced the Falcon’s plates with his newfound spoils and dropped the old ones into the trunk.
“Pennsylvania plates. Spotted them as we flew past and soon we’ll need them. Besides, if anyone has somehow figured out who we are along the way, this’ll throw the cops off the scent.”
“Paranoid but beautiful.”
“That’s me.”
Mary Lou carried on down the highway, five miles an hour below the speed limit.
“Should we have waited until we crossed the state line for the new plates?”
“No, we’re close enough to not raise suspicion from passersby. This way we look like we’re returning home.”
“There’s a thin line between looking like we’re going home and looking like we’re running away.”
“Sure but I can’t see how the cops’d even know they were chasing a man and a woman, let alone knowing what we look like or what kind of car we’re
driving.”
Beat.
“Wasn't expecting this to be the get away, Frank. I imagined the cars crammed with the crew laughing and celebrating.”
“You and me both. We don't even know how big the take is. I mean, I know we have two bags stuffed with notes but that doesn’t mean I have any idea how much we’re talking about. How about you? You were in those vaults often enough.”
“They brought in half a million yesterday to distribute to other branches so it’s a lot. I know I shouldn't say this so soon but...”
“... our share of the take has gone up in the last few hours. I know. Only thing is that without Frankie’s connections and family discount, it will cost us more to clean the cash.”
“We need to take care of that trunk. Should we bring the money in with us, Frank?”
“It’s safer where it is. The most likely problem we’ll encounter is a traffic cop and those bags must be out of sight.”
“Sure. Makes me nervous though.”
“Yeah. It’s quite a sum. Shame we can’t spend a single dime of it yet.”
“Really?”
“Not. One. Dime.”
Frank squeezed her knee in time to his words to reinforce their importance as the Falcon continued on its journey from Westminster to Frederick. Dusk approached and as the light faded, more houses appeared next to the highway and eventually the outskirts of a town formed around them. She flipped the headlights on and three minutes later a neon sign appeared up ahead.
“Pull into the motel, babe.”
Mary Lou stopped the car near the reception and Frank walked inside. As Mary Lou hung around the bank and Frank had worn a balaclava, he reckoned his face was less likely to be recognized than hers, even though Frank spent so much of his time walking the streets of Lansdowne these last nine months.
Five minutes later he emerged with a key and Mary Lou moved the car to park it outside their room. They dropped their two bags of cash on the bed and drew the curtains so they could open the bags and count the money in private.
They split up the notes into their respective denominations and then they each counted every pile. This was a simple way to spot errors and ensure they would agree on the final amount. Five hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Even losing most of it to whoever laundered the money, they could still live out their days like royalty - if they were careful.
The Lagotti Family Series Page 28
