Tom Simpson - Sink

“I’m okay Frankie. What was so important that you couldn’t call you’re ol’ pal Stretch back?”

“Oh, you know that dumb ass albino, Carrie, who got released the same time as I did. He was messin with some teenage pimple faced fat broad last night. Giving her beers and smokin a little dope over at the park. Just when he thought he was gonna slam bam her, she pulls the miss prissy act and he slapped her up the side of the face. Well this little female Pillsbury Dough Boy goes runnin and yells at the first cop she sees that, she has been sexually molested. Well, the cops came runnin up and Carrie like the dumb ass he is, is still standing where she left him behind some bushes. His pants are hanging around his ankles. He’s got a beer in one hand and his thing in the other and a big smile on his face still thinking the fat broad is coming back. Well, they let him pull his pants back up and then they cuffed him and hauled him away. He called me up first thing this morning, ballin his eyes out and I guess I felt kind of sorry for him cause we’ve been hangin around for quite a long time and all he was doing was trying to get laid. So I guess I have a soft spot after all. I was out this morning rounding up some bail money to get the poor guy out of jail. Anyway, what’s so important that you got your underwear all knotted. Did you find us a good job or what?”

“Yeah Frankie. The best yet. How does about two mill sound to you?”

“What do we have to do? Break into Fort Knox.”

“No Frankie. This is a piece of cake. You know my little brother Steve. I told you about him the last time we were in the pen together. How he works for that big wheel computer company and all. Well, he has designed a security system for this new resort in Florida that is opening in June. I’ve got the floor plans and the complete set of all the security systems.”

“No shit! I heard all about that resort on the news. They’re planning a big grand opening and all the rich people are going to attend. They were naming off names on the TV that would be fitting for a coronation of a queen. I know there will be big bucks there. Everybody wears their real ice to a place like that so they can try to impress each other.”

“See what I mean Frankie. At least two million will be there just for the plucking. I’m taking the next bus to Ohio so I can discuss all the details with you and show you these plans. I’ll be there sometime tomorrow.”

“All right Stretch. Congratulations for the great work and I’ll see you when you get here.”

Stretch Sidel climbed off the Greyhound bus with a battered suitcase in hand and headed for the row of pay phones along the inside wall of the bus terminal. He reached in the pocket of his prison issued suit trousers and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper that he had written Frankie’s aunt’s number on. He pulled his last quarter out of the other pocket and fed it into the coin slot. He reached a shaky hand out, he had just finished the fourth pint of rot-gut cheap whiskey, that he bought before leaving Topeka, on the bus before it pulled into the terminal, and dialed Frankie’s aunt’s number. The phone was picked up on the second ring and the aunt answered in her sweet elderly voice.

“Hello. Janice Halpern here.”

“Yeah Janice. This is Sam Sidel from Topeka. Is Frankie there?”

“Oh hi Stretch. It is Stretch isn’t it? That’s what Frankie calls you.”

“Yeah it’s Stretch. Is he around?”

“Yes he is Stretch. He just finished a nice hot lunch of leftover pot roast that I made him and he is still sitting at the table smoking a cigarette. Let me get him on the phone for you.”

“Stretch you made it. Where’re you at?”

“I’m downtown at the bus terminal. Why don’t you shag your ass over here and pick me up and we can go somewhere and talk. I’ve got a lot to tell you.”

“Okay Stretch. I’ll borrow auntie’s car and come pick you up and we can go over to Freeman’s pool hall. They have a few quiet tables in the back and we can sit back there with a few pitchers of beer and discuss what we are going to do. I’ll pick up Carrie on the way at his rooming house so we don’t have to explain everything twice. I’ll be right there.”

“I’m not going anywhere Frankie. I’ll be out front when you pull up and by the way bring some money. This trip cost me the rest of my money. I don’t even have enough to buy a beer.”

“No problem Stretch. That little bitch dropped the charges this morning on Carrie and they refunded the bail money. I won’t worry about paying it back for a while so I’ve got some up front money for us to work with. See you shortly.”

Frankie pulled up to the curb in front of the bus station in an old Fairlane station wagon and beeped sharply on the horn. Stretch who had been staring out the front window pushed open the glass door of the terminal and walked slowly over to the car, opened the rear door and threw his suitcase behind the rear seat and climbed in on the clear vinyl seat cover.

“Well I made it Frankie. What a drag riding that stupid bus. I never want to do that again. How ya doin Carrie? Long time no see.”

“Hey, I’m doing okay except that incident in the park. I guess Frankie told you about that.”

“Yeah, what a bummer. But shit happens you know. Hey Frankie. How far is this place? I’m dying of thirst.”

“Right down the road a stretch. Five minutes tops.”

They pulled into the back parking lot of a faded brick building and went in the back door. A haze of smoke hung close to the ceiling over the short bar that had every stool filled. Frankie nodded to the bartender and told Carrie to pick up two pitchers and three mugs, flipped a twenty at him and led Stretch into a side room. The air was much clearer in the vacant room and they sat at one of the four tables in the small enclosure. Carrie came in the door awkwardly carrying the two pitchers and he had three mugs balanced on his arms next to his chest. He asked Frankie to grab the mugs first and then he set the pitchers down, beer sloshing over the tops of both of them.

“Can’t you do anything right you moron?” Frankie admonished him with a look a punished puppy might give after making a puddle on the middle of the kitchen floor, Carrie sat obediently down and tried to catch up on the conversation.

“So you see.” Stretch was explaining. “We can disable the alarm system from inside the mountain so that none of the push buttons will work and we can take out the posted guards one by one with a quick injection that will just knock them out for a few hours. That is the outside guards I’m talking about. That way we don’t draw attention to ourselves before we get inside.”

“Well, I have a few really important questions. Like where are we going to get the stuff to inject the guards with and how will we get close enough to do that?”

“Okay. You remember my cousin Terry don’t you? We used her for a lookout on the Timberland job three years ago.”

“Yeah, real cute broad. Pixie looking blonde.”

“Well, I’ve already talked to her and she’s hard up for dough again. I explained to her that I wanted her to go up to the guards one at a time and ask directions on how to get to somewhere in the resort. I told her I wanted her to wear something that showed lots of cleavage and really tight stretch pants. When she gets the guards total attention, staring at her like you know they will, one of us will sneak up behind them and give them a quick jolt. This stuff I’m picking up from my pal, long neck Luther, will work in about five seconds. Not even long enough for them to let out a little yelp by the time they figure it wasn’t a bee that stung them. It’ll be smooth as glass. When we have the guards handled and the alarms off we can waltz right in the back door and do our business. There won’t be any guards at the inside of the back entrances because they think they are covered by the outside. There are no security cameras at the outside back entrances either. Just on the inside and by the time we are inside we’ll be all dressed up and just look like regular guests anyway. I know where the switch is to disable the camera over the front desk and they won’t be concerned if only one camera is out. Neat plan huh.”