chapter 58
WALTER WATCHED SEBASTIAN carefully trying to tease the lock open with his pocketknife.
The radio in his pocket cracked again. “You guys okay? We need to hurry up.”
“Yes, Bernard. Just relax.”
Sebastian grunted at Bernard’s impatience. “What’s the matter with him?”
“I think as a kid he used to chase the mosquito truck down the street, and that probably melted some of his brain cells.”
“I remember those days,” Sebastian commented with a chuckle as he worked. “We drank water from a garden hose, not a plastic bottle, and we didn’t have a care in the world.”
“And we ate what we wanted.”
Walter laughed. “You know, when I was newly married, sometimes I’d tell a white lie about where I was or what I was doing. Nothing serious. My late wife, rest her soul, didn’t like me playin’ poker. Then when I got older, hell, I had to lie about what I ate for lunch just to keep her off my back. She thought I ate a great many grilled-chicken-breast sandwiches and salads.”
Sebastian was enjoying the distraction as he worked. “I know exactly what you’re talking about. Now we’re old, worn out, and facing Obamacare…but at least we can eat whatever the hell we want.”
“You get that door open and the future’s gonna look a lot brighter.”
“I think I got it…hang on and get ready to run,” he said as the lock slid back. He slowly pulled the door open.
They both stared at each other for a few seconds as they listened for an alarm, and then wide smiles broke over their faces.
“Walter? Just to be sure, go check the keypad; it’ll probably be flashing if it’s sending a silent alarm.” Sebastian slowly raised himself from the floor.
Standing right in front of the keypad, Walter pulled on his bifocals to read all the buttons. “I think we’re good to go.”
“Thank you, Lord. Now, let’s get busy. We’ve been in here over eight minutes already,” Sebastian said as he walked into the office.
“Gold’s over seventeen hundred bucks an ounce. We should grab all the gold he’s got and sell it somewhere else,” Sebastian said as he stared at the big gun safe.
“First, let’s get the safe open. I’ll let you have the honors,” Walter said with a twinkle in his eye. He glanced around the dark room and saw framed Manning jerseys. Those numbers woulda been my choice for a code, he thought.
“Thirty-six, twenty-four, thirty-six, pound,” Sebastian said as he punched the keypad, listening to each high-pitched beep.
When the lock released, Sebastian turned the five-spoke handle to the right and pulled open the safe door. They focused their flashlights on the inside.
“There are the boot boxes! Just like Bailey said!”
Walter reached inside and started taking out the boxes. They weren’t too heavy. He opened the top of one and saw cash stacked haphazardly.
“How much you think’s in there?” Sebastian asked with schoolboy excitement.
“I don’t know…maybe a hundred thousand?”
“It’s gotta be more than that; she said it was sometimes as much as three hundred grand!” Sebastian said.
“It’s hard to say. It’s a pile of money, though. Help me fit ’em in this bag. We gotta get outta here! We’ll count it later. See anything else in there?” Walter asked as he placed the boxes in his duffel bag.
Sebastian peered inside like he was looking in the stomach of a whale.
“Hell yeah!”
“What is it?”
“I can’t believe this.”
“What the hell is it?” Walter asked as he slung the duffel on his shoulder.
“It’s my old huntin’ rifle that got stolen years ago!”
“Are you serious?” Walter had what he wanted, but if Sebastian could get his old rifle back, that was fine by him.
“Yep, it’s my old Steyr. I know it. I loved this old rifle. I’m taking it!”
“That’s fine with me, but let’s get the hell outta here.”
Sebastian looked at his watch and realized they’d been inside twice as long as they had anticipated.
Walter stepped toward the door and grabbed his radio. “We’re ready to come out.”
“Clear as the coast,” Bernard reported back. Walter shook his head.
“Hey, you feelin’ guilty about this?” Walter asked Sebastian.
“The Kroger deal, yeah…but this guy’s a two-bit dirtbag, and no,” he said with a serious look. “You?”
Walter had already given this plenty of thought. He had grown up in a household of strong values and tried to live as an adult by the same standard. Until Kroger came along, he had never stepped out of line. What he had promised his wife somehow justified the path he was now on. Walter looked at the rifle in Sebastian’s hands and said, “This redneck had your rifle. It’s just payback.”
“Man, am I glad to get her back,” Sebastian remarked, holding the gun with the same care as he would a newborn baby.
“Okay, we need to wipe everything you’ve touched since you took your gloves off,” Walter said, trying to cover their tracks. “I’m gonna place this can of dip where it can’t be missed.”
Walter placed the silver-topped can on the desk next to the safe, as if it had been forgotten in a moment’s haste. He walked out of the office and from the shadows looked out the front window. Rain gently fell. A few cars passed. His heart began to race as he thought about how close they were to pulling off this heist. He knew that once they got into the van and hit Highway 45 heading north, they were home free. He couldn’t wait to count the money. He started to unwrap a cigar, when he heard Velcro being ripped apart and wondered what Sebastian was doing.
“Walter,” Sebastian said in a strange tone.
“Yeah?”
“You need to get back in here and look at this.”