He took out a pack of cigarettes, got up and offered her a cigarette. She took it and he lit it. He sat on the edge of the desk close to her.
“What was the idea handing me your address and then yelling for the cops, baby?” he asked. “You nearly had me in trouble.”
She let smoke drift down her nostrils. She didn’t say anything.
“Don’t act sullen, baby. You and me could get along fine together,” he said.
“Could we?” Her blue eyes were cold. “Where’s Frankie?”
“What makes you think I know where Frankie is?”
“You and Flynn met Frankie the night he disappeared. You met him at the filling station outside La Cygne. The boy there is a friend of mine. He called me. He said you and Flynn had guns. The next day, the boy was found shot through the head. Where’s Frankie?”
Eddie was a little startled by this information. He saw now Ma had been smart to have thought of getting rid of the boy.
“I don’t know, baby,” he said. “I guess he’s holed up some place. You should know more about him than I do.” Anna continued to stare coldly at him. “What did you want to pull a gun on Frankie for?” she asked.
“Bailey was jumpy,” Eddie said. “I didn’t pull a gun, it was Flynn. There was nothing to it. He had the Blandish girl with him. I was a dope not to recognize her. If I had recognized her, I’d’ve taken her from Frankie, but I didn’t. I’ve been kicking myself ever since. He told me she was a new girlfriend and I fell for it. I let him drive away.”
Two spots of red showed on Anna’s cheeks and her eyes flashed angrily.
“I don’t believe Frankie would walk out on me,” she said. “I think something’s happened to him and you know what it is.”
“You’re wrong, baby,” Eddie said. “I’m just as much in the dark as you are, but I’ve got a few ideas.”
“What ideas?”
“Forget it,” he said, shaking his head. “Why rake over dirt? I know what the boys are saying, but they could be wrong.”
“What are the boys saying?” Anna demanded, her eyes glittering.
“They say Riley’s walked out on you. He’s fallen for this Blandish girl.”
Anna jumped to her feet.
“That’s a lie! Frankie loves me! I know it’s a lie.”
“Sure, sure,” Eddie said. “It could be, but where is he? Why hasn’t he contacted you? When he lays his hands on the ransom, is he going to give you any of it? Doesn’t look like it, does it?”
She began to move around the office. He could see he had undermined her confidence in Riley.
“That Blandish girl’s a beauty,” he went on. “You know it could be that Riley has ideas about her. You’d only be in the way if you were with him. I’m not so sure the boys are wrong about you and Riley. I guess he’s taken you for a ride.”
She confronted him.
“Shut up!” she shrilled. “Frankie wouldn’t do a thing like that to me!”
“They all say that,” Eddie said and moved over to look out of the window. He could see he had said enough. After a moment or so, she came over and stood by him.
“What am I going to do?” she said. “I haven’t a dime.”
“I’ll lend you some money,” Eddie said. “I like you, baby. How much do you want?”
“I wouldn’t take money from you!”
“Okay, suit yourself. Any time you’re short or in trouble, let me know. Pete’ll tell you how to contact me. I’ve got to get moving. Forget Frankie. You’re wasting your time thinking you’ll hear from him. When he gets the ransom he’ll have all the girls after him. So long, baby.”
He went out of the office leaving Anna staring out of the window, tears scalding her eyes.
Chapter thirteen
Flynn looked at his watch.
“Another five minutes,” he said to Woppy who was nursing a Thompson machine gun. “Sweet Christ! I’ll be goddamn glad when this caper’s over.”
“Yeah,” Woppy said. “Still Ma says it’s a cinch and she always knows what she’s talking about”
“Then what the hell are you sweating for?” Flynn demanded.
The two men were sitting in the Buick which was drawn up by the side of the road in the shadows of a clump of shrubs. They had a clear view of the road ahead.
“You aren’t so calm either,” Woppy said, taking out a dirty handkerchief and mopping his face. “What’s the time now?”
“Oh, shut up!” Flynn snarled. He was wishing Eddie had come with him. Woppy got on his nerves. With Eddie, he always felt if they got in a jam, they would get out of it, but Woppy was too excitable. He jumped off the deep end the moment anything started.
“I can hear a car,” Woppy said.
In the distance, headlights appeared above the crest of the road.
“Here he comes!” Flynn said. He scrambled out of the car, pulling a powerful flashlight from his pocket.
The approaching car was traveling fast. When it was about three hundred yards from Flynn, he started flashing the light.
Woppy watched, his hands clutching the machine gun, his heart hammering. Suppose the car was full of Feds, he thought. Those boys never took chances. They would storm past, spraying lead.
The approaching car slowed down. Flynn could see there was only the driver in the car. Blandish was obeying orders all right, he thought. The car swished past him. From the window a bulky object fell and thumped onto the road. The car went on, disappearing into the darkness.
Flynn blew out his cheeks. He ran to the white suitcase and picked it up.
Woppy put down the machine gun and started the car. Flynn scrambled in. He put the suitcase on the floor between his feet.
“Get going!” he said.
Woppy stepped on the gas pedal and the car surged forward. Flynn twisted around and stared through the rear window. They drove fast for three or four miles. No cars followed them.
“It’s okay,” Flynn said. “Let’s get home.”
When they walked into the sitting room, Ma, Slim, Eddie and Doc were all waiting. Flynn dumped the suitcase on the table.
“No trouble, Ma. It went like you said.”
Ma got slowly to her feet and walked over to the table. She snapped back the twin locks of the suitcase. The others crowded around her. Even Slim seemed mildly excited.
She lifted the lid. They all stood staring at the neat packs of bills. They had never seen so much money in their lives.
“Man! Doesn’t that look good!” Eddie said. “Man oh man!”
Slim hung over the money breathing heavily, his mouth hanging open.
“Well, there it is!” Ma said, trying to speak calmly. “A million dollars! At last!”
“Let’s split it up, Ma,” Eddie said. “I’m itching to spend some of my share. Come on! What’s the split going to be?”
“Yeah,” Woppy said, so excited he couldn’t keep still. “What am I going to get, Ma?”
Ma closed the lid of the suitcase. She looked at each man in turn, then she moved heavily to her armchair and sank into it.
The gang watched her, puzzled.
“What’s biting you?” Eddie asked impatiently. “Let’s have the money.”
“Every one of those bills in that case has a number,” Ma said. “You can bet your life the Feds have a list of the numbers. This money is so goddamn hot, it’s on fire.”
“What are you saying?” Eddie demanded, startled. “Can’t we use the stuff?”
“Sure you can if you want a free ride to the gas chamber,” Ma said. “I’m telling you it’s suicide to spend it.”
“Then what the hell did we get it for?” Flynn snarled.
Ma crackled.
“Okay, boys, relax. I’ve taken care of that angle. I’m trading this hot money to Schulberg. He’s willing to sit on it for years, but in return we only get half a million. Still half a million of money you can use is better than a million you can’t use.”