And me—I’d be baby-sitting the ladies, in Ma Barker’s apartment on Pine Grove Avenue. I might be there for weeks—as long as it took for Hoover to be ransomed, plus some cooling-off time. The men didn’t want to hook back up with their ladies till they were sure the Hoover grab was a success. Nobody wanted his girl serving time on this one.
Also, the guy who’d disable the state attorney’s car had a bigger job than just kicking the nail in the toe of his shoe into the tire on a Hudson. First he’d have to go up a fire escape to get into the garage (which was serviced by carhops); then he’d have to hang around on the street and watch the state attorney’s real delivery boys go after their car and, when it turned out they were delayed by a flat tire, try to delay whoever it was from calling the office.
“That’s your job, Chase,” Karpis told Nelson’s lapdog John Paul.
Chase nodded.
“Just sap him or something,” Nelson said, offhandedly. “Don’t kill him or nothin’.”
Karpis underscored that. “
Heads nodded.
“Now, we got a problem in possibly being recognized,” Karpis said. “I don’t think it’s much of one, ’cause Hoover and his people aren’t going to be looking for the likes of us to be picking him up for supper. But it’s a problem. So me and Chock and Chock’s pal Sullivan will do the pickup in the Hudson.”
Doc said, “Chock’s picture’s been plastered to hell and gone.”
“I know—but he’ll be in a police uniform, driving; he’s a big guy—he’ll look like your typical well-fed Chicago cop—won’t you, Chock?”
“Damn tootin’,” Floyd laughed.
Karpis pointed to himself with a thumb. “My face-lift and glasses and such makes me a good candidate for not being made. And Chock’s friend Sullivan doesn’t have a famous puss like some of the rest of us; he’ll be the other cop, the one in back. I’ll be in a nice suit and look like a state attorney’s assistant. And then the three of us’ll give J. Edgar a ride.”
Nelson pointed toward the map and said, “I want the backup car, parked on Adams there.”
Karpis nodded. “My thoughts exactly. You and Freddie.”
Freddie grinned, goldly, and nodded. “I’ll be wheel man.”
“Doc,” Karpis said, “you got the dock. The loading dock. All you got to do is baby-sit the switch car.”
Doc didn’t seem thrilled about it, but he nodded.
Karpis said, “Chock and Sullivan and me’ll baby-sit Mr. Hoover, incidentally. We got a place waitin’. Nobody else in this room needs know where that place is. Just rest assured it’s safe. Once the ransom’s delivered, I’ll find everybody and distribute the wealth.”
As an outsider to the ways of the outlaw, I was surprised to find that no one objected to this arrangement; the thought of a double cross never arose. They trusted each other. Or at least they trusted Karpis.
Then Doc nodded toward me. “What about Lawrence?”
“He baby-sits the girls.”
There was some laughter.
“Nice work if you can get it!” Floyd hooted, still out of view.
Even Doc smiled. “Where do I sign up to get
Nelson didn’t find it funny. “You got a job to do, Lawrence—do it! And no funny business.”
Fred grinned and said, “Don’t you worry about your better half, George—Lawrence’s already got his hands full with Lulu.”
That wasn’t a particularly witty remark, but there was more laughter, nonetheless, some of it from Nelson this time. Nobody seemed to mind that I’d taken over for Candy Walker with “Lulu” so quickly; it was just part of their world.
Floyd’s voice said, “Seriously, fellers—I think we oughta talk money. Jim mentioned he’d been promised five grand—and that sounds kinda low to me, even if his job is on the soft side.”
Doc said, “I’m for that. Lawrence’ll fall just as far as the rest of us, if it all comes down around us. Kidnapping’s kidnapping.”
Nelson jumped up. “He don’t get a full share. No way he gets a full share.”
Fred said, “Some of his share’s got to go to Candy.”
“Candy’s got no kin,” Doc said. “So it goes to Lulu.”
Nelson laughed, sat back down. “So it goes to Lawrence after all.”
There was some more general good-natured laughter, and Karpis pushed the smoky air with his palms, the teacher quieting his class. “We come to money, then. Fine. You might as well know an extra cut comes off the top.”
“Fuck!” Nelson said. “What for?”
Karpis said, “There’s a silent partner.”
“Who?” Nelson demanded.
Karpis shook his head no. “No name. That’s why they call it ‘silent,’ B.G.”
There were some smiles at the use of the initials; Nelson didn’t pick up on it, but Karpis was gently deriding him.
Karpis went on. “Our silent partner is bankrolling the job, out of his share. If it queers, he takes the loss. Also, he provided the inside dope on Hoover’s activities.” He nodded toward the map. “And he helped me put together this whole shootin’ match.”
Floyd’s voice: “It’s fair, George. It’s only fair.”
