Chapter 9
Rochenbach had begun listening through the stethoscope as Casings turned to leave the office. Working as fast as possible, he managed to hear the fall of the first two numbers on the four-number safe by the time Casings and the Giant finished searching the shack and walked back into the office almost on tiptoes.
“Rock, we can’t find a clock,” Casings whispered, without daring to go any closer to the safe until Rochenbach turned and took the earpieces down from his ears with a frown.
“What?” Rock asked, turning from the safe, looking upset.
“I said, we didn’t find a clock,” Casings repeated, the Stillwater Giant standing behind him staring over his shoulder at the big safe.
Casings and the Giant started to walk closer, but Rochenbach raised a hand, stopping them. He had just found the third number. All that remained was to drift the large dial slowly to his right and listen, and feel the last tumbler fall into place.
“There it is again,” Rock said, looking all around, then turning back to the safe. “I just about had the numbers in place, and then the clock ticking started again.” Without turning to face Casings and the Stillwater Giant, he asked, “Is one of you wearing a watch?”
“I am,” Casings said. His hand went into his coat pocket and pulled out a gold pocket watch on the end of a horsehair watch fob.
“That explains it,” said Rochenbach. “Get rid of the watch. Get it out of here! Hurry up, I need it to be quiet in here.”
“Jesus…!” said Casings, turning, starting out of the room and toward the front door of the shack.
“Wait, hold it,” said Rochenbach. “I’ve got it! Come on in.” He looked over his shoulder, gestured them forward and stepped to the side as he pulled the heavy steel door open.
“Holy cats!” said the Giant.
Casings’ jaw dropped open in delight and surprise as he stared at the stacks of money on a shelf inside the big safe.
“Yeah, holy cats,” he said, echoing the Giant. He chuffed a laugh as he and the Giant looked at each other.
“Well, my part of the job is done,” Rock said, plucking the earpieces out and taking the stethoscope down from his neck.
The Giant and Casings stepped across the office floor side by side. Casings took the saddlebags down from his shoulder and opened the flaps as he stared at the money inside the safe.
“I say there’s ten thousand, maybe more here,” he said to no one in particular as he started taking handfuls of money and shoving it down into the saddlebags.
What was so much cash doing on hand in an operation like this? Rochenbach asked himself. It made no sense.
“You done real good, Rock,” said the Giant with a grin. He clasped a big hand down on Rochenbach’s shoulder. “Grolin is going to want to keep you around from now on, is my guess.”
“That’s great to hear, Giant,” said Rochenbach, taking the stethoscope apart and putting the pieces away inside his coat. “But the fact is, I’m just doing this because I need a stake. I work better when I’m working for myself.” He smiled. “After the big job, I’ll be heading out on my own.”
Casings looked around from stuffing money into the saddlebags. He looked Rochenbach up and down. Then he looked at the Stillwater Giant.
“Giant, go get Batts and Bonham. Tell them to get in here and take this money. We’re ready to cut out of here.”
“Whoa,” said Rochenbach. “Why are Bonham and Batts taking the money?” Rochenbach knew that at some point it was his duty to see to it the money found its way back to its owners. He didn’t want the saddlebags to get out of his sight.
The Giant hesitated. Casings gave him a nod toward the rear door.
“Go on, Giant,” said Casings.
As the Giant turned and left, Casings turned to Rochenbach.
“It’s the way the boss set it up,” he said. “He said for us to split up afterwards. He wants you as far from this stolen money as you can get, in case the law happens onto us on our way home.”
Good thinking…, Rock told himself. He seemed to consider it, then said, “Are you and the Giant riding back with me?”
“Yes,” said Casings. “Bonham and Batts carry the money. We give them a head start. The three of us ride a safe ways back from them. Spiller, Penta and Shaner ride home together on a different trail.” He looked Rochenbach up and down. “Does that sound about right to you?”
“Sure,” Rochenbach said. He hiked his coat collar up and leveled his hat brim. “Let’s get outside. I don’t like talking about anything with the guard so close, even if he is unconscious.”
They walked past the knocked-out guard. Looking down at him on their way to the open rear door, Casings chuckled again.
“Don’t worry abut him,” said Casings. “The poor bastard’s got lots of explaining to do come morning.” He stopped again outside the rear door and looked back at the guard. He said to Rochenbach in a lowered voice, “Did you mean what you said to the Giant in there?”
“What’s that?” Rock asked.
“You said you were doing this big job to get a stake and go out on your own,” Casings said.
“I’ve thought about it,” Rock said. “Only thing keeps me from doing it is I don’t have the connections that a man like Andrew Grolin has. It’s one thing to know how to open a safe. It’s another thing to know which one to open, and when. That’s the kind of information a man like Grolin has. It doesn’t come easy.”
“What if I got you that kind of information?” Casings asked. “Would you go on your own, maybe take a partner or two with you?”
Rochenbach stared at him as they heard the Giant and Bonham and Batts hurrying back toward the shack.
“I would,” Rock said. “Can you get us that kind of information?”
“I can,” Casings said.
Rochenbach only nodded.
“Are these some of those partners you’re talking about?” he asked, nodding at the men approaching.
“They just might be,” Casings said, “once they see how well this went.”
“It’s worth talking about,” Rock said. Then he shut up as the three men arrived.
“Man!” said Bonham, seeing Casings swing the stuffed saddlebags from his shoulder. “That wasn’t just fast, that was lightning fast!”
“This man knows his business,” Casings said, poking a thumb toward Rochenbach. “I saw it with my own eyes.”
Batts stepped in, took the saddlebags and slung them over his shoulder. He looked at Rochenbach closely.
“Do you always work this smooth and quick?” he said.
“I try to,” Rock said.
“Talk about it later, Batts,” Casings said to them both. “You and Bonham get out of here.”
“You heard him, Bonham,” said Batts. “Let’s ride.”
As the two outlaws turned and walked away toward the horses, the Giant stepped over and looked inside the shack where the watchman had begun to come to.
“What about this one, Rock?” the Giant asked. “Want me to snap his neck before we go?”
“No, Giant,” said Rochenbach, “I want you to carry him out of here and prop him against the wall before they blow the safe.”
The Giant gave him a confused look.
“We came up here to make ourselves some money, Giant,” said Rock, “not to get the law dogging us for murder.”
The Giant shrugged and said, “I just thought I ought to ask. That’s what Grolin would want me to do.”
Casings and Rochenbach looked at each other. Then Casings turned to the Stillwater Giant.
“We might be doing things a little different from now on, Giant,” he said.