Dead Money Run

by J. Frank James

  “I’m hoping it isn’t Crusher. If it is, we may be in the wrong place.”

  The house was the same style as Baker’s, but in a lot better shape. Someone had added on a front porch and a two car garage attached to a sunroom and breezeway on the side. In the sunroom there was a hammock that looked well used.

  The sunroom was all glass and in one corner of the room there was a small bar with an ice bucket.

  Walking up to the front door, I smelled bread baking giving the place a country smell you couldn’t wait to taste. Stepping up on the porch, Hilary pushed a small button next to the front doorknob. We heard the chimes sound off inside and a voice behind the door.

  “Coming, coming. Don’t go away.”

  Suddenly the door opened and there was a woman standing there with her hair up in sort of a French twist in a red plaid dress with a white apron on that had little bunnies all over it. Her face looked like carved alabaster, and she had blue eyes that were almost turquoise. Other than some nuns I had known, she was the most angelic looking person I had ever seen.

  “May I help you?” She said.

  I was a bit lost for words.

  “My name is Lou, Lou Malloy and this is a friend of mine. Her name is Hilary Kelly.” Pointing a finger my way, Hilary said, “He’s a friend of Crusher’s.”

  The bunny keeper turned toward me and said, “Do you work with Harold?”

  Then I heard a voice from the back, “Who is it, Bunny? If it’s those bible people again, tell them we already have one.”

  After I introduced myself and Hilary, Bunny turned and said, “Harold, someone here looking for Crusher.” Then with a sweep of her hand, Bunny ushered us into her home.

  “Do you wrestle with Harold?” she asked as Hilary and I walked into the house.

  “No, ma’am. I served with Harold.” I didn’t add anything more to that.

  Bunny seemed surprised at the suggestion of Harold serving anyone.

  “I don’t recall Harold ever mentioning to me that he was in the Army.”

  “Prison, Ma’am. We were in prison together for a time.”

  “Well, that’s sort of like the Army, isn’t it?”

  I liked her attitude. She must have known all about Crusher’s experiences.

  I heard a deep voice say, “Lou, Lou Malloy. What the hell?”

  At the mention of my name, I looked up and saw Crusher coming toward us. He was even bigger than when I last saw him. He looked like he weighed at least three hundred pounds and stood six feet eight inches in his socks with a fat to body weight of less than three percent. Stepping into his front hallway, Crusher wrapped me in a body hug and lifted me off the ground.

  “Lou, it’s good to see you. I never thought I would see you again. Man we had some good times.

  “Bunny, this is the guy I was telling you about. Hit the system for fifteen million onions. Not many people can do that and still live to talk about it.”

  “I try not to bring that up, Crush,” I said.

  Turning towards Hilary, he noticed her for the first time. “And you’re not alone. Brought the little woman I see.” After putting me back on the ground, Crusher stuck out a paw and said, “I thought I married a pretty woman, but you are a real Kewpie doll.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Hilary Kelly,” said Hilary. “Please to meet you, Crusher. Lou has told me a lot about you too.”

  “I bet. Come on in. Bunny set the table for two more.”

  Crusher turned and motioned us to follow him. When we got to the back of the house there was a Rottweiler sitting by the door to the sunroom, wagging his stubby tail. He looked like a miniature Crusher, only on four legs.

  “Folks, meet Brutus. When I’m not around he’s the master of the house.”

  Crusher stopped to pet the dog’s head. I wasn’t sure what I should do, so I did the same thing. Brutus wagged his tail as I patted him on the head and gave my hand a lick before I pulled it back. I guess that meant I was in.

  I followed Crusher into the Sunroom. I still didn’t know what his last name was. I felt stupid calling him Crusher.

  There was a large oriental rug on the floor of the sunroom and the furniture was early American.

  As he walked into the room, Crusher pointed to a chair and told me to have a seat. Hilary excused herself saying she would go and see if she could help Bunny.

  “So, Lou, you’re here for a reason. What’s the reason?”

  “You always had a way with words Crusher. I guess you know about the money,” I said.

  “Lou, everyone knows about the money. There isn’t a bone breaker from Miami to New York who doesn’t know about the money. You’re famous. But, I can tell, that’s not why you’re here.”

  “No,” I said. “I’m looking for my sister’s killer.”

  “Yeah, I heard about that too. Happened about a year ago didn’t it?”

  “Six months ago,” I said. “I think I have got an idea who might have done the killing, I just don’t know why yet.”

  “Maybe there isn’t a why. Your sister was hooking wasn’t she?”

  “Something like that, Crusher, but I think she was killed for another reason. It may have been to send me a message to give up the money.”

  “Maybe it was not just about the money. I heard that a company paid off on a policy that insured that casino against the loss. I also heard that the insurance company was mobbed up. Maybe that money wasn’t supposed to leave the Casino? Know what I mean, Lou?”

  Crusher was looking at me like I had something to add, but I didn’t say a word. I wondered if he knew how close he was to guessing the answer. I suspected that might have been the reason for my sister’s killing, but she had been tortured and that meant whoever killed her thought she knew something unrelated. Still, the money had to be part of the reason.

  I decided to tell Crusher about my idea of putting Hilary into the Starlight Club and him providing protection for her.

  “What are you going to be doing, Lou? How many people you killed so far?” he said.

  I told him that I wasn’t keeping score and that I didn’t kill anyone that didn’t need it.

  “I’m going to be looking for Sonny Cap.”

  “Sonny Cap. Lou, he’s a player. You think you can take Sonny?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”

  “You know Sonny is just a front for his old man-Nick Cappoleto. Bad news, the both of them.”

  “I can’t help what the cards look like. I just have to play them,” I said.

  “Just like old times, Lou. You hit’m and I clean up. Is that the idea?”

  “Yeah, that’s sort of what I had in mind,” I said.

  “Any money in this for me?” he said.

  “I’ll pay two thousand a week and a bonus of fifty when I get the killer.”

  “What if they kill you?”

  “Then Hilary will know what to do. You will get your money and the bonus. At that point I won’t matter.”

  “So what’s your plan and how can I help?” he said.

  I told him what I had in mind and that he should meet me in the morning at the Northside Gym. From there I planned to wing it.

  Reaching into my front coat pocket, I took out an envelope with ten thousand dollars in it and gave it to Crusher.

  “What’s this for?” Crusher asked.

  “Start-up,” I said.

  It was almost nine in the evening by the time we left Crusher’s house.

  “They’re really nice people,” said Hilary.

  “Yeah, I had forgotten what a standup guy Crusher is. Seeing him again brought back a lot of memories, some good and some bad. Crusher bailed me out of a lot of trouble while I was in prison. I don’t think I would be alive today if it wasn’t for him.”

  “Where to now?”

  “Atlanta and Sonny Cap.”

  Chapter 43

  We booked a suite at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Atlanta to rest our nerves and catch
up on some sleep. I knew some of the events of the last week had taken their toll on Hilary. For the first time in fifteen years I cared about someone other than myself. While I welcomed the feeling, it brought a vulnerability I wasn’t sure about.

  I didn’t consider myself a killer. Shooting someone in my view was just another form of protection. If you didn’t eliminate the bad guys, they would soon be in a position to eliminate you.

  When we checked into the hotel, I told Hilary to register in the name she got from Eddie’s. I gave her a roll of cash and told her not to use a credit card for anything. At this point, I did not think anyone looking for us was aware of Hilary’s connection to the insurance company. While that would not last forever, I wanted to ride it as long as we could.

  In the morning, before leaving the hotel to meet Crusher, I put all of our cash into the room safe. In addition to her pistol, I left the little twenty-two I picked up in South Carolina and gave it to Hilary in case she needed to do any target practice. I left my Glock too. Hilary seemed happy that I would not have the means to shoot anyone this morning. I showed her how to work the combination on the safe and left. Hilary didn’t know about the Colt Python or the PPK I left in the car and I saw no point in telling her.

  The Hyatt Regency Hotel, like a lot of Atlanta downtown hotels, had large parking areas underneath the hotels. People who stayed in hotels like the Hyatt Regency tended to park as close to the elevators as possible to shorten the walking distance to the Hotel’s entrance. I parked on the bottom where there were little or no cars. I did it because if there was someone of interest, they would be down there with me.

  When I pulled into the parking lot at Roseman’s gym at eight o’clock in the morning, Crusher was sitting there in a red pickup truck. I pulled in next to him and rolled down my car window. Crusher was eating a breakfast burrito and drinking a cup of coffee.

  “Anyone inside?” I said.

  “Just Roseman.”

  “How do you know? We are the only cars here.”

  “He takes MARTA, if you can believe it. A hood who rides public transportation. What will they come up with next?”

  “Can you get inside?” I said.

  “Can a cat lick his ass? Of course I can. Front door is open.”

  Getting out of his car, Crusher balled the burrito wrapper up and tossed it in a waste barrel resting next to the gym’s front door. Opening the front door to the gym, Crusher held it for me and I walked inside. There were no lights on except for a little light coming from under Roseman’s office door in back of the building. After stepping inside, I locked the front door. I didn’t want any visitors.

  “Where is everybody,” said Crusher. “Usually this time of day the place is buzzing.”

  I didn’t say anything. Walking straight to Roseman’s office door, I put my ear to the door. I heard Roseman talking on the telephone.

  “Yeah. That’s right. I don’t have any information on him yet. Yeah, I had Carl try and tail him, but Carl couldn’t find his ass with his hands glued to it. When he talked to Baker, Baker said he told Malloy that he couldn’t help them. How do I know how the lawyer got hit? Well, I’m telling you, Malloy doesn’t leave any witnesses. Yeah, I know you’re tough too. It just may be that Malloy is tougher.”

  When I heard the phone being hung up, I turned the doorknob and stepped through the door. Roseman just looked up like he was expecting me.

  “What can I do for you, Malloy?”

  “Tell me how I can find Sonny Cap for starters.”

  Roseman barked out a laugh. “You know Malloy, you’re really something. You think Sonny Cap is sitting around waiting for you? Don’t worry, he’ll be in touch.”

  “What do you know about a lawyer named Al Baker up in a place called Ellijay?”

  “What’s to know? I heard he got charbroiled in the house he lived in when it burned down. Why you asking?”

  I wasn’t surprised that someone was working cleanup for me. Burning Baker’s place was a good way to keep people from snooping around for evidence. If I had thought of it I might have done the same thing.

  “When I last saw him he was alive and well,” I said.

  Waving his hand as if he was swatting at a fly, Roseman said, “Well, he probably isn’t doing too well now.

  “Where’s Crusher? You meet up with that asshole yet?”

  “As a matter of fact I did. He’s right here. You can ask him yourself.”

  Roseman’s eyes doubled in size when Crusher walked in.

  “I always thought you had a big mouth, Roseman. Time someone shut it for you.”

  “Crusher, my man. I didn’t mean any disrespect. Just using a figure of speech.”

  Reaching toward Roseman’s chair, Crusher wrapped his left hand around Roseman’s neck and said, “I’m going to have my friend Lou count to ten and if you don’t tell us where we can find Sonny and his band of merry men, I’m going to crush your windpipe and then start on your balls.”

  Roseman was no fool. He gave up Sonny’s place with his next breath.

  “He doesn’t live in Buckhead anymore. He lost it to an ex-wife and three kids. Now he lives on top of a building on Lucky Street, if you can believe that. I don’t know the address, but there’s a hamburger joint on the bottom. Can’t miss it. Lucky Street is about a half block long.”

  “Lou, what do you think?” said Crusher.

  I told Crusher to put him to sleep, but not kill him. I wanted to look around Roseman’s office. In about two seconds Roseman was out like a light slumped in his chair asleep. In searching his office, I found a lot of files on wrestlers. Even found one on Crusher. I opened it. Crusher’s full name was Harold Barnes. I handed him the file and told him to stick with the name, Crusher.

  After about ten minutes I found something that had the name ‘Cumberland Island’ on the outside of the jacket. It contained newspaper clippings about the robbery. I started to read the file. My name, along with the names of Henry Lowe and Benny Star were in there as well. As I read the file, my mind took me back to the night of the robbery.

  Chapter 44

  Henry Lowe had been on the inside as a maintenance man, giving him access to every room in the Casino. Benny Star was a counter in the cash room. He had the longest fingers I ever saw on a person. He could palm a card faster than anyone in the business. Benny always said that to be a good counter, you had to be a good cheater. Benny was the one that knew about the money being transferred to someplace offshore. I had been the outside man. My job was to drive the boat that would get us and the money off the island. Looking at the names, it brought me back to that night.

  Benny’s job was to toss the thirty duffle bags of money into Beach Creek that ran along the back of the casino. I was to fish them out of the Creek as they floated out on the outgoing tide. That night the bags made it to the boat and I was able to get the bags in the boat, but Benny got caught by one of the security people. They had him on camera tossing the money out the window into the creek. Benny always said he wasn’t going to prison. Before they could do anything he ate his gun.

  Lowe was found dead in the electrical control room. The cops claimed he died of an electrical shock. I suspected later that someone had hit him with an electrical shock weapon or ESW and his heart stopped.

  Either way, I was on my own. Running at about forty knots I had to watch the time and guess on the distance. The boat sounded like a big hemi engine with no muffler. Benny told me to watch for the third lighthouse as I headed north. When I saw the lighthouse marking my turn, I angled the boat in at about sixty degrees and split the big opening like Benny had said to do.

  When I saw the light on the old boat dock on Turtle Point a half mile from the cut inside the bay, I wasn’t sure how far north I had gone. I tried to gauge my speed with the time as I headed north. When I turned to head toward Turtle Point, I saw a pair of helicopters heading my way. I turned the boat and tucked it under an old loading dock from back in the days when the area was one of the lar
gest exporters of hardwood in the world. The two birds that were looking for me had split up when they got to the bay. One went up the Intracoastal Waterway toward Savannah and the other went south, toward Brunswick.

  It had taken me an hour and forty-five minutes to get to the bay cutoff. It would be another hour or two before they could get boats in the water. I never saw the helicopters again. They probably figured I turned in somewhere around Saint Mary’s or went south to Fernandina Beach. The East Coast was a big place. With so many places to hide, more smuggled goods came ashore between New Jersey and Miami than any place on earth. That’s probably why Blackbeard liked the place so much.

  For the next three hours I dragged and pulled until I got all the bags offloaded and near the gator hole. Looking around I found the three old fifty gallon drums that Henry had left earlier in the week. After another hour, I had all the money in the drums and shoved in the hole. Walking back to the boat I untied it from the dock, started the engine and headed back toward Brunswick in the Intracoastal. I wasn’t in a hurry. I knew I didn’t stand much of a chance getting away. I just didn’t want to get killed. At the time I thought I had been pretty lucky. As it turned out, luck had nothing to do with it.

  Chapter 45

  “Hey, Lou. You in there?”

  Turning, I shook my head clear and came back to earth.

  “I’m fine. Just some things in this file brought back some memories.”

  “You sorry you did it?”

  “No, Crush. Just like all the other crooks. Sorry I got caught.”

  I was surprised to see my sister’s name in the file. Someone had done a complete history on both her and me. There was even information on my brother, Sam. The file contained information on where we were born and the places where we lived over the years. There was a full section on me and my arrest and conviction. There was even a section on my mother and father in there. An investigator named Lance Smyth signed off on the report. He worked for the Casino in Jacksonville Beach. Then it hit me. This was from my sister’s personnel records. As I looked over the file, something caught my eye. My sister had a top secret clearance. I didn’t know the total implications, but I knew one thing for sure. The government didn’t pass those out to hookers.