Elmore Leonard - Out of Sight

If she didn't recognize him he could walk up to her and say something, anything. He thought of things to say to bank tellers, make it up on the spot before he asked for the money. I sure like your hair, Irene?

Is that the latest style? Or, mmmmm, your perfume sure smells nice.

What's it called?

He could tell Karen he liked her shoes. I just wanted to tell you I like those shoes you have on.

And she'd look down at them-the way bank tellers touched their hair when he told them it was nice. She'd look down and he'd walk away.

And then she'd look up again wondering who the moron in the beach outfit was.

When he got to llth Buddy was waiting.

"Well?"

"We got to get out of town."

Buddy said, "Now you're talking."

"We drive or what?"

"We drive. I wouldn't mind taking off right now."

"What about our stuff? I just bought new shoes."

"We're gonna need winter clothes," Buddy said, "before we drive into a fucking snowstorm. Coats, gloves… We could go to a mall."

"And then stop off, get my shoes and stuff."

Buddy turned out of the alley heading for Collins.

"We'll drive up to Lauderdale, Galleria mall, that's the place, get us a couple of heavy coats."

"Overcoats?"

"If you want, or a parka."

"I don't think I ever owned an overcoat."

"You've never been to Detroit. January, man, you freeze your nuts off."

Foley said, "You sure you want to go?"

Adele had the chain on the door and spoke to Karen through the narrow opening.

"I've already told the FBI anything I know about it I saw on TV or read in the paper. I haven't heard from Jack or have any idea where he is.

Why would I?

We've been divorced eight years."

"He talked about you," Karen said, "in the car."

Adele hesitated.

"You were with them?"

"You might say I got in the way," Karen said, "so they put me in the trunk of my car. Then Jack got in with me. I thought the FBI might've told you."

"You were both in the trunk?"

"From Glades to the turnpike. But then as soon as I was in Glenn's car he took off, left them standing there." Karen watched Adele's face in the opening, freshly made up, heavy on the eye shadow and lip gloss.

"They didn't tell you that, either?"

"They didn't tell me anything, they asked questions."

"But you know what I'm talking about? Glenn driving the second car?"

Adele stared. She said, "I know a Glenn." The door closed and opened again, all the way.

"I'm getting ready to go out. You can come in if you want, sit down for a minute. Would you like a Diet Coke?"

Karen said no thanks, looking around at the art deco resort hotel decor. She turned a chair from the glass top table and sat down as Adele came out of the kitchenette with a Diet Coke and a pack of cigarettes: Adele wearing a polyester makeup coat hanging partly open, panties but no bra, and clear-plastic mules. Karen saw her as a size 10, her body soft and white, a bit plump but good legs, dark curly hair … She said to Karen, "Those are cute shoes. The land of jobs I get, I have to wear these killer spikes, they ruin your feet." She walked away and came back with an ashtray.

"When you were in the trunk with Jack…"

Karen waited while she lighted a cigarette.

"He didn't hurt you or anything, did he?"

"You mean, did he try to jump me? No, but he was kind of talkative."

Adele sat down at the other end of the table.

"You mentioned, he said something about me?"

Karen was ready.

"He said the reason he came to Florida was to see you. So I guess you spent some time together."

"Well, yeah, before he was arrested."

"But you didn't visit him in prison."

"He didn't want me to."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. He was different after he was sentenced, looking at thirty years."

"But you spoke to him on the phone."

"He'd call every once in a while."

"He called the day he escaped," Karen said.

Adele stared at her.

"He did? I don't remember. What else did he say about me?"

Karen had to think of something.

"He said he wished the two of you could start over, live a normal life."

"Bless his heart. I'll say one thing for Jack, he was never ugly or mean, or drank too much. His idea of a normal life, though, was robbing banks. It's all he's ever done."

"Did you know that when you married him?"

"He said he was a card player, how he made his money. I could live with that. Or he'd come home with a bundle and say he was out to the track, Santa Anita, and I suppose sometimes he was, he liked to gamble.

I never knew he robbed banks till he got caught with that car that wouldn't start-if you can imagine something like that happening, comes out of the bank and the car won't start. I did go see him at Lompoc-I guess you know he did time there-to tell him I was filing for divorce.

He said"-Adele shrugged-"okay. Jack's so easygoing. He was fun, but never what you'd call a real husband."

"He met Buddy at Lompoc," Karen said.

"Yeah, and Glenn, the creep." She squinted at Karen through cigarette smoke.

"Why isn't there anything about him in the paper?"

"They don't know where he is," Karen said, "and I guess they don't want to have to admit it." She said, "It looks like Glenn took off by himself."

"The weasel. You know what I wish? You could put him away and forget about Jack. He doesn't deserve thirty years."

"I'd give anything to find Glenn," Karen said.

"I had him in custody once; he sure loves to talk."

"Yeah, about himself, what a cool guy he is. He said he's lined up a job and was gonna use Jack and Buddy. Fat fucking chance."

"What kind of job?"

"He didn't say." Adele paused to smoke.

"The only reason I met him, he was a friend of Jack's at one time, and that's all I'm saying."

"And I guess you met Buddy."

"You can guess all you want, I can't help you. I have to finish dressing anyway, I'm seeing a man about a job. He claims he's a magician, only he's Latin and I have my doubts about him. You know I worked for a magician?"

"Emil the Amazing?"

"Yeah, the prick. This guy that called, he goes, "How do you do that sawing of the woman in half trick?" I go, "Are you kidding?" I should've said it's not a trick it's an illusion. He said he was testing me to see if I was experienced."

"What I can't figure out," Karen said, "is how the two halves of the box can be separated while you're in it, and you see your head in one and your feet in the other, moving."

"It's magic," Adele said.

"Or the one, the girl gets in the cage," Karen said, "it's covered, the cover comes off-" "You spin the cage around first," Adele said.

"You spin the cage around, the cover comes off and the girl's gone and there's a tiger inside."

"Emil does it with a lion."

"Get out of here."

"A male we'd rent for the evening. An old one, but still had a lot of teeth."

"How do you do it?"

Adele shook her head.

"I can't tell you, it would be unethical."

"I'm just curious," Karen said, "I won't tell anybody."

Adele said, "Have you ever heard or read about how illusions are done?

No, because it's a secret. It's the way they're done, that's what it's all about. How isn't that interesting."

"Did you ever tell Jack?"

Adele took time to draw on her cigarette.

"Once in a while he'd ask. I might've told him about some of the easy ones."

"How do you do the switch with the lion?"

"If I tell you, you'll be disappointed. It's always simpler than it looks."

"Come on, just that one. I won't ask you about anything else."

"No more about Jack or those guys?"

"I'll leave you alone," Karen said.

"You promise you won't tell anyone?"