The Million Dollar Typewriter

by Murray Segal

  “I’m just stopping by to see an old friend. Now that you mention it however, there is one small favor that you can do for me. After all you have owed me one for many years, haven’t you?”

  “I knew it. Yes. I suppose I do owe you a small favor for not giving you the green light so long ago. After this just remember it when I bring you some old typewriters to buy because then we will be even.”

  “You mean you have some typewriters to sell me? Those low-tech devices from a high-tech guy?”

  “I have no idea just now. Just remember, we will be even.”

  “Sure. What I want now is very simple. I had a visitor to my shop today who was strangely familiar with a somewhat valuable typewriter that I own. He wanted to buy it and all but commanded me to get it in the shop by tomorrow morning. This a machine that was in Enrico Fermi’s laboratory during World War II.”

  “Excuse me for interrupting, but what’s so strange about him wanting to buy a typewriter. Isn’t that what you sell in that typewriter shop of yours?”

  “Josh, I have had this machine in my collection for some time . I have no idea how he knew the machine existed, since I have not made any effort to sell or publicize it. Given that, how the hell did he know that I had it?”

  “That is very strange indeed.”

  “What’s even stranger is that I got very bad vibes from the guy. He told me he arrived by private jet just this morning so I figured you probably had some contact with him.”

  “Wait a minute. Is this guy about 6 feet tall and does he speak with a strong German accent?”

  “That’s him. I knew he must have landed here.”

  “Not him. Them. There are three of them and they checked in early this morning. They came in on that Learjet, sitting over there by the large hanger. First thing they did was to ask how to get to your shop. Let’s go chat with them.”

  “No way, Josh. The negative vibes I get from their leader are just too strong. And I don’t want you to go anywhere near them unless it involves part of your job as manager of the airport. What else do you already know about them?”

  “I have their registration number and they have already filed a flight plan to leave here tomorrow morning. So they would appear to be confident their business here would be done by then. I assume said business with you is the only reason they are here.”

  “The cost of flying a private jet with three passengers here, even from New York would hardly be equivalent to the value of a normal typewriter. Particularly since it has not been advertised for sale.”

  “New York, my foot. The flight plan says their origin was Buenos Aires, Argentina.”

  “Now I really wouldn’t go anywhere near them. We all know that Argentina was a favorite destination for Nazis escaping the crumbling ruins of Germany at the end of WWII.”

  “Maybe you are putting two and two together and getting five, Murray.”

  “Maybe so, but I am unwilling to bet the farm on it.”

  “What arrangement do you have to transfer the typewriter to them?”

  “Well, none really, but the leader is supposed to show up the first thing tomorrow morning, expecting to buy the machine for what he thinks is a fair price. Whatever that might be.”

  “Why not just sell the damn typewriter to him for $50,000 and pocket the cash?”

  “That sounds simple. I agree. But if the typewriter is worth that much money to him plus the expense of flying all that way to get it, then it must be worth a lot more. Who knows why? Don’t think that I am paranoid. If that crew is as evil as I think they might be they probably will not leave any ‘loose ends’ around. I would just as soon not be a ‘loose end.’”

  “Murray, you will pardon me but that does seem a bit paranoid. Why don’t you just report the creep to the police?”

  “Josh, flying here from Argentina to buy a typewriter is not a crime and you know the cops would laugh me out of the station. And rightly so.”

  “You’re right. What are you going to do, then?”

  “Josh. What am I going to do? I hadn’t thought about it until just now. On the basis of what you have told me about their origin in Buenos Aries and their plan to leave tomorrow, I think I will quietly slip out of town for an overdue vacation.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “I think it is safer for both of us if you don’t know. In fact, I really don’t know yet.

  “I am going to get us some throwaway cell phones in case we need to talk. I’ll be back in a while. In the meantime, stay away from that plane and watch your back.”

  I drive to Lowes and buy three throw away cells and return to the base. When I get there, I approach Josh’s tower with care. Once I can see that the bad guys are not nearby, I go up to the tower and give Josh one of the cells.

  “Murray, I’m beginning to wonder if I shouldn’t take a vacation myself.”

  “Josh. Do what you need to do to take care of yourself but since you don’t know where I am going, I don’t think you are in any danger. On second thought, perhaps you can help them start after me. A false lead. You could tell them I talked about a vacation in Miami which is plausible because both Janice and I have ties there.”

  “I don’t know about that. If these guys are as dangerous as you think they are, I’d sooner have nothing at all to do with them.”

  “Okay, but I just decided that we would head for Miami, so you can tell them or not as you see fit. If you learn anything at all about them that you feel would be helpful to me, I’d appreciate a call. Just don’t take any chances. I hope to see you soon.

  “I may be making a mountain out of the proverbial mole hill but my instincts tell me to get out of town as quickly as I can. Like tonight. Since I have an appointment with them tomorrow morning to sell them the typewriter I don’t think they will be watching me. Good luck, Josh. I will be in touch as soon I can make any sense out of all this. None of this would have happened were it not for my stupid typewriter. However long it takes I will make up for any losses that you take.”

  “Hey. Like you said at the beginning I owe you one so don’t worry about it. Take good care of yourself and Janice. I’ll see you later.”

  “Later.”

  CHAPTER V – WE LEAVE TOWN

  I drive back home and tell Janice about the morning’s events.

  “I don’t like the feel of this situation and I think we need to get out of here tonight,” she says.

  “I go along with that but how do we do that?”

  “Why don’t we put you in charge of this entire expedition since you’re thinking like an experienced tactician, whereas I am not thinking at all? We can’t travel under our own names obviously. That means we need to have phony driver’s licenses and maybe other ID papers. Do you know anyone who can produce such documents?”

  “Well no, I don’t but I know someone who just might.”

  “And who might that be?”

  “You don’t know him. I knew him a long ago and I don’t believe you ever met him.”

  “Somebody out of your shady past, huh?”

  “Not really. Just an acquaintance who ran a company that dealt close to the line and over the line now and then. If he is still around he just might know where to go. I’ll get his number and call him.”

  “Hi Barry. This is Murray Segal. Long time no see. I’m good and you? Listen, I have a problem you might be able to help me with. Do you still live in North Hampton and could I stop by in a about 30 minutes.? Well, I’d rather not talk on the phone. Ok to stop by?”

  I drive to his house immediately.

  “C’mon in. What’s so important that made you rush over here like this?”

  “Barry. I need some phony ID papers and I thought you might know somebody who could produce them in a hurry.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “I’d rather not say. Can you help?”

  “Sure. The guy’s name is Joe Fletcher. He runs a small print shop on Lincoln Street in Exeter as cover-up for his real source of
income, which is forgery. He has a hidden stairway in the rear of the print shop which leads upstairs to the lab where he does the usual fake ID papers such as driver licenses, wills, passports and anything else he can sell. Just call him and make sure you let him know that you are aware of his forgery shop. Don’t know whether you need any more papers but he can fake just about anything.”

  Barry gives me the telephone number and I return home and call Fletcher when I get there.

  “Is this Joe Fletcher?”

  “It is but this is a business phone and the shop is closed for the day.” A grumpy answer. He slams the phone down without giving me a chance to say anything. I call back immediately and when he answers, I say, “Don’t hang up, I need a rush job done and I am willing to pay a reasonable premium to get it done immediately.”

  “You mean tonight?”

  “I do. It is essential that I get two driver’s licenses and passports tonight.”

  “Let’s talk about that at my print shop. Come on over and knock on the door. The lights will be off but I will be waiting and will let you right in.”

  “OK. See you in 5 minutes. I am right around the corner.”

  When I do enter his shop, I am looking at a frail older man who appears to be in his sixties, sporting a beard and moustache. I shake his hand and he leads me into the print shop and sits me down at a desk in the reception area close to the front door.

  “I prefer to talk with you in a less public place where we can’t be seen through your window. Let’s go upstairs to your lab and work things out in complete privacy.”

  He winces a bit at the mention of his upstairs forgery lab. I purposely mention the lab to let him know that I am aware of it. Besides I do want to get away from the window. He shuts off the light and leads me up the stairs into the windowless lab. It has a photo setup, a small printing press and other devices that I cannot identify.

  “Quite a set-up you have here and barely a half mile from the police station.” I put a knowing look on my face to imply that I am not above squealing on him if he tries to screw me.

  “I need two driver’s licenses, one for me and one for my wife. And two passports as well. She is standing by at home and could be here in just 5 minutes after I call her. How much will this cost us?”

  “My normal charge for a license and passport is $2500 but given the rush, it will cost you $10,000 for the pair.”

  “I can’t afford that much.”

  “Take it or leave it.”

  I call his bluff, stand up and walk back toward door at the top of the stairs.

  “Wait. Since you are already here and I can get the job done this evening, I will accept $7,500 for the documents.”

  “Make it $6,000 and we have a deal.”

  “Deal. Of course, it must be paid in cash and there will be no receipt.”

  “I understand Let’s go to work on me and I will call my wife to come on over with the cash when you are ready for her.”

  Wow. He decides to trust me for five minutes and he sets me right down in front of the camera and begins to work. Fortunately, I anticipated the need for cash and closed our checking and savings accounts earlier in the day.

  “Jan. Come on over to the shop and bring $6,000 with you. Hide the rest of the cash at home.”

  “OK. See you in a few minutes.”

  Punctuality is not generally one of Jan’s attributes but this time she shows up just six minutes later. This tells me she is feeling the seriousness of our situation. Fletcher takes the photos he needs and lets us know it will take him about two hours to complete the work. I give him $3,000 and promise the balance when I pick the licenses up in two hours. I made up our new names, Harry and Silvia Stein because I think my roman nose would give me away if I used Jones or Smith.

  It’s a good idea to hedge your bets when dealing with a crook. Not that I have dealt with many crooks but I do watch TV, go to the movies and read many mystery stories on my Kindle.

  We leave Fletcher to his work and go on back to the house.

  “Jan, we need to figure out how we are going to get out of town quietly without letting anyone see us.”

  “Are you sure that’s the smart thing to do? Perhaps we can create a diversion of some sort that sends these guys looking for us in an area that is as far from where we go as possible.”

  “Like what kind of a diversion? Did you have something specific in mind?”

  “The first idea that pops into my mind is to get a couple to take some airplane tickets to Miami that we buy with our real names on them. We give them the tickets for free with the proviso that they use them and save their own tickets to use another time. I don’t like this too much because we would have to trust the couple to use our tickets first. In this situation, it is best if we don’t trust anyone but ourselves. Another idea would be to drive our car to Portland where we will leave it at the airport. We buy two tickets under our own names and get on a plane to Miami. When we get there, we get on a return flight but use our phony ID’s for the tickets. When we get back to Portland, we leave our car parked at the airport. We rent or buy another car. Then we head north. We will have plenty of time to decide exactly where we will light.”

  “I like that plan but there is one key part to work out. Renting a car would probably be impossible because of all the information the rental car companies require. Buying a car is feasible but it drains our cash substantially and we would have the problem of registration and insurance. I suppose we might find a shady auto dealer who would do the registration and insurance for us for the right price. I don’t see any other alternative. We are already on the wrong side of the law so why not go all in? I think we should try that scheme. I will go back to Fletcher’s now and pick up our drivers’ licenses.”

  I doubt that we are being watched. To be sure, I take a devious and roundabout route to Fletcher’s shop. I see no sign that I am being followed but as a final precaution I park a block away and walk the rest of the way to his shop. More stuff I have learned from reading mystery novels. This would be almost comical but it is so real to me that I shake a bit as I walk the final few steps. He opens the door after a couple of light taps and I slip quickly inside.

  “I have taken every precaution to make sure that no one has seen me come here. Just in case, get me the negatives and plates that you used. I will destroy them on my way out of town. For your safety as well as mine I don’t want anyone to connect the two of us.”

  “I appreciate that. Before I get them, did you bring the balance that you owe me?”

  This guy has been around the block once or twice and knows all the angles. I suppose it pays a thief to trust no one. I hand over the 30 one hundred dollar bills. He selects three at random and then tests them to make sure they aren’t counterfeit. After handing me the new licenses and passports he goes back to the outer door, opens it, looks out carefully and motions me to leave. No thank you. No good luck. Nothing, not even a smile. I, too, skip the thank you and get out of there as quickly as I can. I don’t encounter anyone on the walk back to the car or the drive home.

  “Have a look at your new driver’s license and passport Janice, um I mean Silvia.”

  “OK. Let’s get our carry-on bags and get out of here while the getting is good.”

  We carry our bags and the MDTW (in a box) out to the Saab and drive away carefully.

  “I didn’t see anyone suspicious, Silvia. Did You?”

  “No, I didn’t see anyone at all.”

  We follow our plan and take I-95 north to Portland. It is late when we arrive so we register at a motel near the airport under our real names. It is our plan to take a flight to Miami with our real ID’s and then a return flight to Portland under our phony ID’s. Our thinking is that the bad guys will be able to locate the Saab, which we will leave for them at the Portland airport, and then track us through the airline to Miami. Knowing that both of us had historical ties to that area they will look for us there. I went to the University of Miami and Jan spent
much of her childhood there where her family lived. After we land in Miami we will return to Portland under our false ID’s and leave the Saab parked at the airport. We are hoping that this diversion works without a flaw. Ideally the bad guys will be searching for us in Florida while we are heading northward from Portland looking for a good place to light. Now comes the risky part of our plan. We need wheels. The only way we figure that we can obtain them is to find a slightly shady auto dealer who would do the registration and insurance for us. For a fee, of course. We board a flight to Miami with our real names and then a late return flight to Portland as Harry and Silvia Stein. It is late by the time we get back so we take a room at a motel near the airport and flop into bed, exhausted. Sleep is instantaneous.

  After breakfast, we drive around Portland in the Saab and after a lot of searching we find a likely used car lot. By likely looking I mean the cars on the lot are all well used and the place looks sort of run down. A sign at the entrance to the lot announces that we are about to enter Sam’s Used Car Lot. We don’t stop because I don’t want the proprietor to see the Saab. We park a block away and walk back to the lot.

  “Silvia, this is where you must be your usual charming self. Also, have a bundle of those 100-dollar bills ready.”

  Of all the heaps on the lot, a late model Mazda 6 looks like the best bet. As we walk onto the lot, a jolly looking fellow that I take to be the owner pops out of a little building in the middle of the lot and approaches us with his hand extended.

  “Hi, my name is Sam and I am the owner of this emporium. What can I do for you today?”

  He is a jolly, slightly rotund fellow. Almost a caricature of your friendly automobile dealer.

  “Hello yourself, my name is Harry Stein and this is my wife Silvia. We are looking for a car that we can buy and get on the road quickly. That Mazda 6 looks interesting. Could we have a look?”

  “Certainly. A good choice. Maybe, the best bargain here. Only about 20,000 miles on it and it can be yours for only $12,000.”

  The car has some body rust here and there but I’m thinking that is a good sign because old Sam has not tried to hide it with some filler.