1965 - The Way the Cookie Crumbles (11 page)

Edris leaned forward, his little eyes sparkling.

‘How does it work?’

‘I’ll tell you this much: you don’t stand a prayer bursting into the bank at night. There are six armed guards and each of them has been screened. They are picked men and it would be like handling dynamite to try and get at them. They are on constant patrol with dogs all during the night. The safes are below the bank in a vault lined with three inch steel and backed with four foot concrete walls. At closing time, the vaults are flooded. The water is drained out by a timing clock device at 06.00 hours and dried out by heater fans. So you can skip any idea of breaking into the vaults during the night.’

Algir savagely ground his cigarette into the ashtray.

‘I told you all along it was crazy even to think of getting at those safes!’ he snarled at Edris. ‘We’re just damn well wasting our time.’

‘Wrap up!’ Edris said, not looking at him. ‘How about during the day, baby?’

‘Still too tough. There are twelve guards patrolling. The grill to the vaults is kept locked and guarded by two guards with automatic rifles. They look big and tough enough to scare an army. The place is crawling with alarms. Papa said if twenty men went into the bank with smoke bombs and guns, they wouldn’t stand a hope. There’s a guard in a bulletproof glass tower who checks everyone in. You can’t get near him. If anything should start, he presses a button that closes and locks all the exits. The vaults are flooded and the cop house is alerted. So a bust in during office hours is strictly for the birds.’

Edris chuckled and rubbed his stumpy hands together.

‘They’ve certainly thought of everything, haven’t they, baby? Now, tell me something. Who does go into the vaults?’

‘The clients.’

‘No one else?’

Ira smiled.

‘Now you’re getting warm. Yes, there’s someone else. There’s a receptionist who takes the clients to their safes.’

Edris nodded.

‘I’ve heard about her. You met her yet?’

‘I’ve met her. Her name’s Doris Kirby. She’s thirty-three and she’s been doing the job now for eight years. You could no more get to her than you could get to a bishop.’

‘Know where she lives, baby?’

‘No, but I can find out.’

Edris nodded.

‘You find out, baby, as soon as you can. Phone me the address. It’s as urgent as that.’

‘Okay.’

‘Just what does she do, baby? Do you know that?’

‘Imagine you’re a client,’ Ira settled further into the cushions of the settee, ‘and you want to rent a safe. You go to the bank and you fill in a form. Name, address and telephone number; how long and how often you want to use the safe. You are given a key. If you lose it, the lock has to be forced: there are no duplicates. Each safe has two locks. You have one key and the bank has a pass key to the other lock. The safes can’t be opened unless both keys are used. The Kirby girl takes care of the pass key which she gives to the guard when she leaves. When you want to use the safe, you go to the guard at the grill. You show him your key which is numbered. He checks the number which tells him your name and address. He also has a photograph of you. Each key has its own password. You give him that and if he is then satisfied, he lets you go beyond the grill. At the foot of the stairs, the Kirby girl is sitting at a desk. You give her your number and she takes you to your safe. She unlocks the first lock with the pass key and then leaves you if you are likely to be long. You unlock the second lock with your key, put in or take out your money, and then ring a bell. Kirby comes back, locks her lock and takes you to the grill. That’s how it works and that’s what she does.’

Edris grinned evilly.

‘Fine, baby, fine, fine! I thought it would take you at least a month to come up with all that dope. You’re smart and I love you!’

‘You think all that crap’s fine?’ Algir exploded. ‘Okay, you tell me how we get at the money in those safes! I don’t give a damn about their system. How do we get at the money?’

‘Phil, buddy-boy, this is where you start doing some work. You’ve been bellyaching about this long wait, now the wait’s over. Your first job is to get little Miss Kirby out of the way. Nothing drastic. She’s to go on sick leave for at least a week. Can you fix that?’

Algir looked startled.

‘Well, go on why do we want her out of the way?’

‘Because, baby here is going to take her place. Aren’t you, baby doll?’

‘That’s the idea,’ Ira said, ‘but Crawsure’s got the last word on that.’

‘No, he hasn’t,’ Edris said, grinning. ‘Your Papa has baby, and he’s the big shot in the bank. You’ll tell Papa you want the chance to get to know some of his important clients. He’ll fall for that line especially if you point out Kirby won’t be away for long and the short experience will do you good. Explain that to Papa, and I bet you won’t have any trouble.’

Algir was now showing interest.

‘She takes an impression of the pass key? That’s it, isn’t it?’ he said, sitting forward.

‘She takes an impression not only of the pass key but of the client’s keys as well, especially those five Texans’ keys.’

‘How does she do that? Just now she said the clients kept their keys. How does she get hold of them?’

‘She sexes the keys out of them,’ Edris said. Simpering, he held out his stumpy hand, ‘If you will give me your key, Mr. Clunkerhead, I will be happy to open the safe for you.’

‘These Texans are hardboiled. Maybe they’ll tell her to go to hell.’

‘Would you tell a girl as pretty as this one to go to hell Phil?’

Algir regarded Ira critically. She put out her tongue at him.

‘Yeah, maybe you have something. What will she use?’

‘A little putty held in her left hand. You’re the boy who will cut the keys. You’d better talk it over with her, show her what you want.’

‘Those keys could be tricky to cut,’ Algir said. ‘Depends on how complicated the locks are.’

‘Why should they be all that complicated with a security system as good as they have? I’ll bet they are just locks and just keys. Anyway, you’ll know tomorrow. You’ll have one of the keys for yourself.’

Algir put his head on one side.

‘How come?’

‘Tomorrow, you are going to the bank and you’re renting a safe. You’ll take with you a fat, sealed envelope full of cut newspapers. This, you will explain, is your gambling money. You want to draw money out and pay money in every day. You’ll meet Doris Kirby. You’ll take a good look at her so you’ll know her again. You’ll leave the envelope in your safe and you’ll take away the key. You’ll then be able to decide how complicated it will be to cut keys of the same pattern. In the evening, you’ll arrange for Miss Kirby to fall ill, have an accident, get a bellyache or whatever it is you decide on to get her out of the way. But remember one thing: she holds an important position in the bank. If anything odd happens to her, the security people may smell a rat, and the cops must be kept out. So watch it, Phil.’

Algir scowled down at the floor.

‘How about a little nudge with my car?’ he asked finally.

‘Hit and run,’ Edris said gently. ‘That’s police business.’

‘Does she live alone?’

‘Yes,’ Ira said. ‘She has a top-floor apartment. She did tell me that.’

‘If it’s a walk-up, a string across the top of the stairs would do it,’ Algir said. ‘That okay? She just breaks a leg?’

‘Fine, so long as she doesn’t break her neck,’ Edris said. ‘We don’t want the cops in on this.’

‘Get me the address,’ Algir said to Ira. ‘I’ll look the place over as soon as you get the address to me.’

Ira nodded, then glancing at her watch, she got to her feet.

‘Is there anything else, Ticky? I’m supposed to be at the club. Papa might telephone. If he finds out I’m not there, he’ll start wondering.’

‘That’s all for now, baby. You’re doing fine. I mean it. Just keep going like this and you’ll soon have real money to burn and I mean real money.’

‘You don’t imagine I’m doing this for kicks, do you?’ She moved to the door. ‘So long, Ticky.’ To Algir, she said, ‘Let’s see your speed, birdbrain. It’s time you did something to earn your living,’ and she went out.

‘I’d like to get that little bitch all to myself,’ Algir said, his face congested. ‘I’d like to hear her squeal before I took her apart.’

Edris giggled.

‘You will, Philly-boy. Have patience. She’s far too young to have so much money.’

‘I still don’t get this,’ Algir said, lighting a cigarette. ‘Why do I need to rent a safe?’

‘Oh, for Pete’s sake! Use your brains, buddy-boy. It’ll be Ira’s job to take the money from the other safes and put it in your safe. You’ll call every day and collect the money which the bank will imagine belongs to you. How else do you think we can get the money out of the vaults? Can’t you see how simple it is once we have the duplicate keys and Ira working for us? She will have the run of the vaults for as long as Kirby is away. She will keep feeding your safe with money from the safes she is able to open. They will be dead safes, so it will be months before they find out there’s anything missing, and by then, we’ll be miles away.’

Algir sat motionless, gaping at him.

‘Judas!’ he said finally in an awe-stricken voice.

‘Sweet, isn’t it?’ Edris hugged himself. ‘And there are millions of dollars to be lifted. It’s the sweetest, loveliest take ever thought of.’ Throwing back his head, he yelled, ‘Yipeee!’ with all the force of his lungs.

CHAPTER FIVE

T
he following morning at 09.15 hours Mel was in his office, the morning’s mail and various reports on his desk before him. As he was reaching for a Stock Market report a gentle tap sounded on the door that led directly to his private elevator: a door he seldom used as he preferred to walk through the main entrance to the bank, taking the opportunity for a word here and there with the staff. No one ever knocked on this door and he stared at it, wondering if he had heard aright. The knock was repeated.

Frowning, he decided this was so extraordinary, Miss Ashley, his secretary, would have to deal with it. As he reached for the bell push, he heard a soft whisper through the door panels, ‘Daddy it’s me.’

Mel suddenly grinned. He got to his feet, looking a little anxiously at the door leading to the anteroom. If Miss Ashley suspected someone was disturbing him at this hour, she would be shocked and indignant, but the faint clack of her typewriter told him she was occupied. He went to the door, unlocked and opened it.

Ira slipped in. Her blue eyes were guileless, her smile confident. She was wearing a slate grey frock with white collars and cuffs, and around her slim waist was a broad black patent leather belt. Her blonde hair glittered like burnished copper in the sunlight coming through the big open windows.

‘I know. I know,’ she said, keeping her voice down. ‘You don’t have to tell me, Daddy. I know I shouldn’t be here and Ashley would swallow her bridgework if she knew, but I just had to see you.’

‘I suppose you realize you’ve broken one of the most sacred rules of the bank by coming here at this hour and by my private entrance?’ Mel said, sitting behind his desk.

Ira pushed aside some papers on his desk, hoisted herself up onto the desk and adjusted her skirt. Mel thought she looked enchanting and the smile she gave him went to his heart and his head.

‘I’ll never do it again, but this happens to be very important,’ she said. ‘Doris Kirby has had an accident and I want to take her place in the vaults.’

Mel leaned back in his chair.

‘How do you know she has had an accident? Is it serious?’

‘Everyone’s talking about it downstairs,’ Ira said airily. ‘She’s hurt quite badly: a broken arm and three fractured ribs. She was foolish enough to fall down a flight of stairs last night. Now listen, Daddy, let’s be sorry for Doris some other time. What is of immediate importance is I want to take her place. That’s why I am here. I want you to tell old Crawsure I’m to have Doris’s job until she is well. I want you to do this right now before he has time to think of someone else to replace her.’

‘I’m certainly not,’ Mel began firmly, but she put her hand across his lips.

‘Don’t say anything you’ll regret later, Daddy dear. Just listen to me. If I’m going to be of any real use to you and to the bank, I should get to know your important clients. After all, I am your daughter. They will be as interested to meet me as I will to meet them. You can’t expect me to take a great deal of interest in the bank unless I have met some of the clients, can you? By meeting them, my work will come alive. Old Crawsure will have difficulty in replacing Doris. A lot of the staff are on vacation. There is also the security risk to consider. As your daughter, old Crawsure can’t object to me being in the vaults. So you see I am the obvious choice since I want to do the work.’

Mel looked at her. How like Muriel she was, he thought, and had a sudden bitter pang that his marriage hadn’t worked out. Norena had the same brittle beauty, the same hardness, the same calculated persuasion Muriel always used when she wanted to get her own way.

‘It’s not much fun, Norena, doing Doris’s work. You’ll be in the vaults all day. I think you’ll soon get tired of it.’

‘Do you imagine it is fun handling a computer?’ Ira asked, lifting her eyebrows. ‘Let me remind you, Daddy, I’m not here for fun. I’m here to gain experience of banking methods.’

‘Oh, come on!’ Mel said and laughed. ‘Don’t expect me to swallow that one. Just why do you want to work in the vaults, Norena?’

She met his gaze steadily, very confident that she could handle this big, handsome man.

‘I want to meet some of the richest people in the world. that’s why. They are unknown species to me. I want to examine them, listen to them, learn from them.’

Mel hesitated, then shrugged. It could be a good idea, he thought, and was delighted she was showing so much interest in the bank.

‘I don’t know what Crawsure’s going to say about it,’ he said doubtfully.

‘Don’t ask him, Daddy, just tell him. You’re the Big Wheel around here. You don’t ask, you order,’ and picking up the telephone receiver, she said to the operator, ‘Connect Mr. Devon with Mr. Crawsure, please,’ and then with a little flourish and an enchanting smile, she handed the receiver to Mel.