it.”
“You’re some thinker. Keep talking.”
“Well, suppose you changed to the night shift. Then you get all dressed up and go rent a box in the bank. And then you go there pretty often to get into your box. And you take a sort of little suitcase with you. And you spend a lot of time there every time you go. So they’d get used to you.”
“So they’d remember me real good.”
“And I can find out just when Chip is going to takePapa to the bank, say, in July. I know he drives up and gets him. With Pete’s binoculars I can see Papa’s cottage plain. When I see them leave, with Papa dressed up for the bank, I call your rooming house. Then you go to the bank. So you’ll be in one of those cubicles when Papa comes along, if you were like in the first cubicle, you could step out behind him and hit him on the head.”
“Fine. Hit him on the head. This is a real B-picture, baby.”
“You could put him in one of those little booths like and shut him in and put the money in the suitcase. You could put your own box back in the vault and just … walk out to your car. I could be in my car somewhere where we planned to meet. It would be a long time before they would get worried about Papa.”
“Maybe a half-hour. Sure.”
“And a long time before they made any connection between you and Papa. Maybe never. He wouldn’t see you.”
“How about Chip? He’d see me.”
“If you sort of changed yourself maybe he wouldn’t know you … all dressed up. We could either … run away then, or hide the money and run away later, darling.”
He stared at her, “You kill me. You really do. Who the hell would think anything like that was going on in that little head?”
“I guess I’ve just been thinking about it.”
“Get it out of your mind. I’m not bashing any old guy on his bald head, honey.”
He turned the light out and pulled her into his arms. She pushed him away violently.
“Now what?”
“If we can’t run away together, then we better stop this. Now.”
“When you first give me the word at the station, you wouldn’t have been looking for a fall guy, would you, Sylvia? Somebody with muscles. And somebody … I’ll tell you something you don’t know … somebody who’s had a little cop trouble in the past.”
“Of course not, darling. No. Don’t touch me.”
“Chrissake,” he said sullenly. He lay on his back looking up at the invisible ceiling.
“It wouldn’t be like robbing a bank …”
“Shut up.”
“If somebody was … too close, you could wait until August. Or September. It’s worth waiting for.”
After a long time he said, “How much you think is there?”
“I don’t know, darling. Pete thinks he’s put in about eighteen thousand dollars a year for eight years, and probably ten thousand a year for five or six years before that. In fifties and hundreds.”
“Quarter of a million,” he said softly. Jackpot.
“There wouldn’t be any fight. He’s so old.”
“Honey, I don’t like this kind of talk. It makes me feel sweaty. It makes my head feel funny. I don’t like this stuff.”
“We’d be together for always,” she said.
“I’d like that, honey,” he said. My friend, we will be together until it’s safe to ditch you.
After a long time he said, “I never wear a hat.”
“What?”
“I’d look different in a hat. And with cotton stuffed in my cheeks. That changes a guy a lot. Changes his voice too.”
“You can make up any name you want when you rent a box. The bank doesn’t care.”
“What bank is it?”
“The Walterburg Bank and Trust.”
“I’ve never been in it.”
When he reached for her she pushed his arm away.
“Listen,” he said angrily, “do I have to tell you right now I’ll do it? It’s a big deal. I’ve got to think it out. I can’t just up and say yes, honey, I’ll steal a quarter million bucks for you.”
“You don’t have to say that. You just have to say you’ll think about it.
“You’re some thinker. Keep talking.”
“Well, suppose you changed to the night shift. Then you get all dressed up and go rent a box in the bank. And then you go there pretty often to get into your box. And you take a sort of little suitcase with you. And you spend a lot of time there every time you go. So they’d get used to you.”
“So they’d remember me real good.”
“And I can find out just when Chip is going to takePapa to the bank, say, in July. I know he drives up and gets him. With Pete’s binoculars I can see Papa’s cottage plain. When I see them leave, with Papa dressed up for the bank, I call your rooming house. Then you go to the bank. So you’ll be in one of those cubicles when Papa comes along, if you were like in the first cubicle, you could step out behind him and hit him on the head.”
“Fine. Hit him on the head. This is a real B-picture, baby.”
“You could put him in one of those little booths like and shut him in and put the money in the suitcase. You could put your own box back in the vault and just … walk out to your car. I could be in my car somewhere where we planned to meet. It would be a long time before they would get worried about Papa.”
“Maybe a half-hour. Sure.”
“And a long time before they made any connection between you and Papa. Maybe never. He wouldn’t see you.”
“How about Chip? He’d see me.”
“If you sort of changed yourself maybe he wouldn’t know you … all dressed up. We could either … run away then, or hide the money and run away later, darling.”
He stared at her, “You kill me. You really do. Who the hell would think anything like that was going on in that little head?”
“I guess I’ve just been thinking about it.”
“Get it out of your mind. I’m not bashing any old guy on his bald head, honey.”
He turned the light out and pulled her into his arms. She pushed him away violently.
“Now what?”
“If we can’t run away together, then we better stop this. Now.”
“When you first give me the word at the station, you wouldn’t have been looking for a fall guy, would you, Sylvia? Somebody with muscles. And somebody … I’ll tell you something you don’t know … somebody who’s had a little cop trouble in the past.”
“Of course not, darling. No. Don’t touch me.”
“Chrissake,” he said sullenly. He lay on his back looking up at the invisible ceiling.
“It wouldn’t be like robbing a bank …”
“Shut up.”
“If somebody was … too close, you could wait until August. Or September. It’s worth waiting for.”
After a long time he said, “How much you think is there?”
“I don’t know, darling. Pete thinks he’s put in about eighteen thousand dollars a year for eight years, and probably ten thousand a year for five or six years before that. In fifties and hundreds.”
“Quarter of a million,” he said softly. Jackpot.
“There wouldn’t be any fight. He’s so old.”
“Honey, I don’t like this kind of talk. It makes me feel sweaty. It makes my head feel funny. I don’t like this stuff.”
“We’d be together for always,” she said.
“I’d like that, honey,” he said. My friend, we will be together until it’s safe to ditch you.
After a long time he said, “I never wear a hat.”
“What?”
“I’d look different in a hat. And with cotton stuffed in my cheeks. That changes a guy a lot. Changes his voice too.”
“You can make up any name you want when you rent a box. The bank doesn’t care.”
“What bank is it?”
“The Walterburg Bank and Trust.”
“I’ve never been in it.”
When he reached for her she pushed his arm away.
“Listen,” he said angrily, “do I have to tell you right now I’ll do it? It’s a big deal. I’ve got to think it out. I can’t just up and say yes, honey, I’ll steal a quarter million bucks for you.”
“You don’t have to say that. You just have to say you’ll think about it.
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