steps, it looked like a color advertisement of the interior of Any Market, U.S.A. There was a narrow landing at the head of the stairs, and I motioned to Jinx and we bent over and slipped on the masks. Then I opened the screened door of the office and went inside, taking the automatic from my pocket. Hartford was sitting at the desk nearest the door stacking cheques and silver and currency, and sitting at the next desk, her back to me, was a woman.
Hartford looked up when he heard the screened door open. He started to say something and then he saw the automatic in my hand and Jinx standing behind me, and his mouth snapped shut.
‘Clasp your hands behind your neck,’ I said.
He pushed himself back in the chair, clasping his hands behind his neck. Now the woman turned around, moving her body, and I saw that there was a small telephone switchboard on her desk.
‘Get away from there and lay on the floor,’ I said.
She got up slowly and stood by her desk hesitantly. She did not seem in the least frightened.
‘Lay yourself down,’ I said, hearing behind me the sound of adhesive tape being unrolled. She heard it too; there was a flicker of indecision in her face and I gestured with my automatic and she sat down on the floor. I took two pads from my pocket and handed them to Jinx as he moved towards her.
He said to the woman, ‘All the way down,’ pushing her over to the floor. Then he doubled on the Kotex pads, stuffing it into her mouth and taping it tightly.
Hartford turned his head, watching this operation. ‘You’re cute,’ he said to me.
‘Get down there with her,’ I said.
He got up and lay down beside her on the floor and Jinx went to work on him. After he had been gagged and taped, Jinx pulled his ankles up behind him and taped them to his wrists.
‘Now, you’re cute,’ I said. I put the automatic in my pocket and picked up all the currency and cheques in sight, stuffing them inside my shirt, not bothering with the silver. Then Jinx and I strolled out, taking off our masks, going down the steps. In the market, business was proceeding as usual…
We reached the ground floor and went outside. I retrieved the bundle from the milk truck that was my coat and hat, and when I got into the Zephyr Jinx let in the clutch and the car moved out into the street.
‘You sure as hell knew what you were talking about,’ Jinx said softly. ‘We must’ve got twenty grand.…’
‘Not that much,’ I said. ‘But for the first day’s work it wasn’t bad.’
‘It was six thousand, one hundred and forty-two dollars, and Mason’s eyes bugged out a foot. ‘By God!’ he exclaimed. ‘You stick up that produce market?’
‘What do you care?’ I asked.
‘What do I care?’ he said. He turned to Jinx, his face dark. ‘You ought to know better’n that, you crazy bastard!’
‘Don’t get yourself in such an uproar,’ Jinx said quietly. ‘It wasn’t the produce market.’
Mason glared at him, not quite understanding, and then he suddenly reached over and picked up some of the cheques I had stacked beside the currency. He glanced at them, two or three of them, and his lips trembled angrily.
‘Hartford’s! Hartford’s!’ he said. ‘That’s just as bad! That’s even worse! Right down the street! Whyn’t you tell me where you were going?’
‘I’m awfully sorry, old man,’ I said. ‘Truly. Your agitation distresses me very much. I would have been delighted to tell you what we had in mind except for one little thing – it never occurred to me that it was any of your goddamn business!’
The thin scream of a siren outside, down the street, reached our ears and Mason jumped as if a hot copper wire had been pushed into his urethra, all the way in.
‘You crazy bastard!’ he said to Jinx. ‘Sticking up a place in this neighborhood!’
The siren, which had been growing thinner and more intense, now filled the office with its fragile ominousness as a squad car raced by in front. I saw Nelse
Hartford looked up when he heard the screened door open. He started to say something and then he saw the automatic in my hand and Jinx standing behind me, and his mouth snapped shut.
‘Clasp your hands behind your neck,’ I said.
He pushed himself back in the chair, clasping his hands behind his neck. Now the woman turned around, moving her body, and I saw that there was a small telephone switchboard on her desk.
‘Get away from there and lay on the floor,’ I said.
She got up slowly and stood by her desk hesitantly. She did not seem in the least frightened.
‘Lay yourself down,’ I said, hearing behind me the sound of adhesive tape being unrolled. She heard it too; there was a flicker of indecision in her face and I gestured with my automatic and she sat down on the floor. I took two pads from my pocket and handed them to Jinx as he moved towards her.
He said to the woman, ‘All the way down,’ pushing her over to the floor. Then he doubled on the Kotex pads, stuffing it into her mouth and taping it tightly.
Hartford turned his head, watching this operation. ‘You’re cute,’ he said to me.
‘Get down there with her,’ I said.
He got up and lay down beside her on the floor and Jinx went to work on him. After he had been gagged and taped, Jinx pulled his ankles up behind him and taped them to his wrists.
‘Now, you’re cute,’ I said. I put the automatic in my pocket and picked up all the currency and cheques in sight, stuffing them inside my shirt, not bothering with the silver. Then Jinx and I strolled out, taking off our masks, going down the steps. In the market, business was proceeding as usual…
We reached the ground floor and went outside. I retrieved the bundle from the milk truck that was my coat and hat, and when I got into the Zephyr Jinx let in the clutch and the car moved out into the street.
‘You sure as hell knew what you were talking about,’ Jinx said softly. ‘We must’ve got twenty grand.…’
‘Not that much,’ I said. ‘But for the first day’s work it wasn’t bad.’
‘It was six thousand, one hundred and forty-two dollars, and Mason’s eyes bugged out a foot. ‘By God!’ he exclaimed. ‘You stick up that produce market?’
‘What do you care?’ I asked.
‘What do I care?’ he said. He turned to Jinx, his face dark. ‘You ought to know better’n that, you crazy bastard!’
‘Don’t get yourself in such an uproar,’ Jinx said quietly. ‘It wasn’t the produce market.’
Mason glared at him, not quite understanding, and then he suddenly reached over and picked up some of the cheques I had stacked beside the currency. He glanced at them, two or three of them, and his lips trembled angrily.
‘Hartford’s! Hartford’s!’ he said. ‘That’s just as bad! That’s even worse! Right down the street! Whyn’t you tell me where you were going?’
‘I’m awfully sorry, old man,’ I said. ‘Truly. Your agitation distresses me very much. I would have been delighted to tell you what we had in mind except for one little thing – it never occurred to me that it was any of your goddamn business!’
The thin scream of a siren outside, down the street, reached our ears and Mason jumped as if a hot copper wire had been pushed into his urethra, all the way in.
‘You crazy bastard!’ he said to Jinx. ‘Sticking up a place in this neighborhood!’
The siren, which had been growing thinner and more intense, now filled the office with its fragile ominousness as a squad car raced by in front. I saw Nelse
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