CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Frank killed himself,” said Ed, walking in the door of the camper.

They’d found a campground in rural Virginia that rented cabins and trailers by the week. The cabins were all full of temporary workers, but the trailers were larger and had room for everyone in one. It was still tight, but they were together.

“He what?” gasped Myrtle.

“He killed himself. They found out the connection between us and the bridge club. They must have seen his photo on the wall along with ours. When they confronted him, the news said he shot himself.”

“Did he say anything to them?” asked Mac.

“Mac! He killed himself,” said Ed.

“I know that, but if he told them everything about us, we’re cooked. We’ve got nowhere to go, and we need to get the hell out of here now!”

“No,” said Jeffrey. “No. I’m not done yet, and neither are you guys. I just know it. We have more in us. We have to do one more job.”

“Jeffrey, they know who we are, and they’re coming for us. It’s only a matter of time,” said Helen. “Now, you might be willing to die in a bank heist, but I’m not.”

“That’s why we’re not doing a bank heist,” said Jeffrey.

“What are you talking about? We’re not professionals. We knew about banks because we had inside information for them all.”

“That’s right. You did,” said Jeffrey. “Thanks to me. I was the one that hacked into your records to get the schematics on every bank on the East Coast.”

“You got in because Willie knew how to let you in,” said Ed. “We can’t be foolish here, Jeffrey.”

“Listen to me. I know what I’m doing. We’re going to rob from the robbers.”

They all stared at him, unsure of what in the world he was talking about. Maybe he’d started to lose his mind. If they left now, they could be in Mexico in two days or Canada by tomorrow night.

“We should just head to one of the borders now,” said Helen.

“Listen to me!” yelled Jeffrey. “A week ago, Baltimore and D.C. police did a joint raid of The Silencers, the motorcycle gang. They confiscated more than fifty-five million in drugs, two million in weapons, and thirty million in cash.”

“Holy shit,” muttered Mac.

“That’s right. Holy shit. They took it all and have it housed in a central evidence locker located between D.C. and Baltimore. It’s one I know intimately.”

“And you think they’re going to just let you walk in there and take all of that?” asked Myrtle.

“No, I think The Silencers are going to pay me to let them inside to get what they want.”

“Jesus, do you hear yourself?” said Ed. “You’re going to put drugs and guns back in the hands of one of the most vicious gangs in the country. I don’t know if I can do that, Jeffrey.”

“I’ll do it. For us. For Estelle, Willie, and Frank. I’ll do it. Me. I’ll split the cut that they give me, and we can all go our separate ways. They want their shit back, and they will be willing to pay for it.”

“How can you be sure?” asked Ed.

“Because I know these people. I hunted them and maybe worked with them on occasion.”

“Holy shit, were you a dirty cop?” asked Mac. Jeffrey laughed, shaking his head.

“You’re asking me this now? We’re fucking bank robbers and murderers, Mac. You fucking killed two federal agents. Don’t judge me. I know them. That’s all you need to know. They’re going to meet me at Diascund Reservoir tonight at ten. You can come with me, or I can go alone.”

“I’ll go with him,” said Helen. “I trust him, but this way, I’ll come back with information that will make all of you feel better.”

“Please, Helen,” smirked Myrtle. “We all know that you and Jeffrey have been climbing all over one another for the last year. Don’t give us that bullshit.”

“Really, you want to go there, Myrtle? Do you think we don’t know that you were screwing around with Willie. While your husband was alive.” The older woman stared at her friend, her lip quivering.

“Stop! None of that matters now,” said Ed. “So what if Myrtle and Willie were seeing one another? Nick was an asshole to her sometimes. We all saw it. Willie was a sweet, kind man. They deserved some happiness together. I don’t give a shit about you and Jeffrey, Helen. We’ve known about this for a while now. All of it.”

The trailer quieted once again as they peered out the small windows, watching the wind blow the falling leaves across the park. With their affair public, Helen sat next to Jeffrey, who put his arm around her.

“I think we have to give it a shot,” said Mac. “If we can make enough money off of this to help the last few people, we can move on and maybe find another way.”

“How much will we make, Jeffrey?” asked Myrtle.

“I’ve asked them for half the cash. That’s fifteen million dollars. More than enough to do what we want to do. I get them access to the building, and they’ll give me the cash before they leave.”

“Can you really trust them?” asked Ed.

“With my life.”

“How can you be so sure? These are criminals. I know what you’re going to say. So are we, but they are violent men. You can’t be sure!”

“I can.”

“How?” pressed Mac.

“Because the leader is my brother.”

“Your brother? Your blood brother?” asked Mac.

“Yes. Different fathers but same mother. We’ve always been close, even when he went to the gang and I went to the academy. I helped him. He helped me. He won’t double-cross me.”

“What do you all say?” asked Ed.

“I say yes,” said Helen.

“Yes,” said Myrtle. Ed nodded.

“Alright. Let’s find a new way to help.”