Chapter thirty four
Four miles north of Crystal River Sean picked up a sixteen-year-old girl, hitchhiking.
She didn’t seem at all curious about the rifle lying on the front floorboards. She asked him if she could put it in the back seat so she could have a little foot room. Sean said, “Sure” and asked her where she was going. She answered, “I don’t know. I was thinking Tallahassee. Where are you going?”
The girl was a little on the plump side with a slight acne problem, but was very cute in spite of it. After a mile or so of silence the girl said, “Do you talk?”
“Sometimes, what’s your name?”
“Samantha, Samantha Giacobone. Everybody calls me Sam, but I don’t like it.”
“What do you like?”
“Mandy.”
“Okay Mandy it is.”
“What’s your name?”
“Sean Proudfoot.”
“You some kinda Indian or something?”
“Full blooded Navajo. You got a problem with that?”
“Nope. Just haven’t ever met an Indian before. Sean doesn’t sound much like an Indian name.”
“Mom liked it. Dad didn’t. How old are you Mandy?”
“Sixteen. You worried about statutory rape?”
“Nope. Why, you thinking about raping me?”
“You never know. You’re kinda cute.”
They spent the night in Tallahassee and in the morning, over breakfast, Sean asked if she was from Crystal River.
“No. I’m from Tampa. Actually, I’m from Toledo but I’ve been in Tampa for the last six months. The night before last, my boyfriend decided to use me for a punching bag. I waited till he was asleep, cleaned out his wallet and hit the road. I don’t take that kind of shit from anyone. I would have taken his car too, but I figured he would report it stolen so instead I just slashed all his tires. Why do you ask?”
“No reason much. I might need to go back there after awhile. Did you get much?”
Mandy was hesitant to divulge the amount of money she had but something told her she could trust Sean, at least up to a point.
“Only a couple thousand. Why”
“Just curious”
“What do you do for a living Sean?”
“I rob people.”
“Really? You make any money doing that?”
“Haven’t lately but I’m thinking of branchin out. You know what one of those old-time robbers said, when they ask him why he robbed banks?”
“No.”
“Because that’s where the money is.”
“Ha… Ha. Are you thinking of robbing banks?”
“Don’t know yet. I know one thing though. I’ve got to get me a gun. I had to leave mine in Crystal River and you can’t rob nobody with a rifle. Trouble is I aint got a clue as to how to find a friendly gun dealer.”
“Apparently you don’t have a clue about the laws in Florida either. Anyone can buy a gun in this state.”
“You don’t need a permit or license?”
“No. You just walk in and buy it. I think they ask if you’re a felon, which I suspect you might be, but I doubt that you’re above telling a lie.
“Christ. I never realized I was in such a civilized state.”
“Hell Cochise, it gets even better….
“Don’t ever call me that again!”
“Sorry, I didn’t know you were so touchy.”
“I’m not touchy. I just don’t like to be made fun of and I sure as hell don’t like being insulted.”
“I wasn’t making fun of you Sean and I sure wasn’t insulting you. I was just joking around.”
“Well I didn’t find it particularly funny.”
“I’ll have to remember that you don’t have a sense of humor.”
“I have a fine sense of humor.”
“Okay, fine, How do you feel about Geronimo?”
“You know you’re a real smart ass?”
“Yeah, I get that a lot. It probably comes from associating with “bad-assed robbers.”
“Finish up your coffee Mandy. We’re going to find us one of those “flea markets.”
When he paid the bill, he asked the girl at the register if she knew where there was a flea market.
“Sure, just go east on I-10. Turn south on 19. It’s only about ten miles, but I’m not sure what days it’s open.”
After they left the restaurant, Sean said, “Mandy you up for some robbin? You don’t really strike me as the robbin type.”
“You bet your ass Co… Sean. I’m not too sure about banks though. It seems to me that they would have an awful lot of security. But I could be up for some “robbin.”
Mandy caught herself and hoped that Sean hadn’t, but he had. She hesitated slightly but went on.
“We’ll have to give some real thought to that for sure.”
“Hey you makin fun of me?”
“No Sean, just joking a little.”
“You know before I did time, I spoke fairly good English. I keep hangin.. Hanging around you and I might again.”
Sean didn’t have a very good memory. He had never used proper English, although it was a little more socially acceptable version before prison. La Tuna, however, had turned him into a very vulgar person. Some might say, La Tuna had added color to his speech. Some people had the ability to temper their speech to their environment like men returning from war. Sean however, found it difficult to change a habit once established.
“You did Time?”
“Yeah, I made the mistake of doin a job with an idiot.”
“You mean, like in a real prison?”
“Yeah, La Tuna is about as real a prison as prisons get.”
“Where is La Tuna? It sounds like a fish.”
“It’s the New Mexico federal prison and a lotta people that don’t speak Spanish take it for a fish. It’s actually a Mexican name for a cactus that grows in the west.”
“Habla usted español?”
“Si`, una poco, almost everyone speaks a little where I came from. I didn’t know they spoke a lot of mex in Toledo.”
“They don’t and I don’t. I just picked up a little in high school. For awhile in my senior year the snooty kids kind of thought it was cool.”
“High school, senior?”
“Yeah, well I skipped over a few grades. I’m kind of bright.”
“What the hell is a “kind of bright” kid from Toledo doin hitchin around Florida?”
“I didn’t get along with my father. It’s a long story and I would rather not talk about it. If you don’t mind!”
“Hey don’t get pissed with me. I was just makin conversation.”
“Tell me about prison, I hear that it’s really nasty.”
“I didn’t get along to well with my playmates. It’s a long story, and I’d rather not talk about it. If you don’t mind!”
“Touché.”
They were in luck. The flea market was open and there were a number of people selling firearms. They stopped in front of a beat up six-foot folding table that held an impressive array of pistols, rifles and shotguns. Behind the table on a canvas folding chair sat a man of about sixty. He was wearing worn bib overalls, a John Deere cap and sported a foot long beard. He looked more like a farmer than a gun dealer, but he seemed to know his business. Sean settled on a nine millimeter Glock and bought Mandy a Smith and Wesson twenty-two both with leg holsters. The dealer gave him fifty for the rifle and threw in a box of shells for both pistols.
“You do know of course, that you have to have a permit to carry a concealed weapon in this state.”
Although Sean hadn’t had a clue he answered, “Yeah, that’s not a problem.”
After they left the flea market Sean said, “We need to get the hell out of Florida for awhile. I also need to dump this car and get another one.”
“Is it hot?”
“Very, and the last thing I want is to wind up back in prison over some P.O.S. Buick.”
“P.O.S.?
“Piece of shit.”
“Ha ha. Maybe we should buy a car. I know we can’t afford much, but at least it wouldn’t be hot. We could put it in my name. I don’t think anyone’s looking for me.”
“You know what I think?”
“No, what?”
“I think maybe you are kinda bright.”
“You know something?”
“You mean beside you’re kinda bright?”
“Yes.”
“What’s that?”
“If you’re set on robbing people for a living, I know someone you could rob easily, and he has a lot of money.”
“Who’s that?”
“My dear sweet father.”
“You would rob your own father?”
“In a heartbeat, and with glee.”
“What about your mother?”
“She won’t be a problem. She has made a career out of not being a problem. If you’re half the bad guy you seem to be, Daddy won’t be a problem either. When I get done neither one of them will ever be a problem again.”
“You sound like you’re thinking about killing your parents.”
“I can’t think of another thing in this whole world that would please me more.”
“Are you serious?”
“Serious as a funeral. I’ve been planning this a long time, but if you’re not up for it I’ll find someone else.”
“Hey it’s fine by me. They’re your parents. I’m just a little surprised I guess. It’s not every day you come across someone that wants to kill their parents and you sure didn’t strike me as a killer. What the hell did they do to you?”
“I don’t know you well enough to talk about my personal life. If you stick around long enough and I get to like you enough, maybe then.”
They bought a five hundred dollar car and ditched Henrietta’s Buick. The new car was a fourteen-year-old Mercury Sable. The man on the used car lot assured them, that although the Sable wasn’t pretty, it was dependable. After leaving the lot, Sean said to Mandy, “I hope you know what you’re doing cause I’m getting real close to broke.”
They stopped for a quick lunch and then headed for Toledo. Sean drove at exactly the posted speed limit even in construction zones. That garnered him a few dirty looks and a few even flipped him the “bird”, but he wasn’t taking any chances of being pulled over. He was certain that he was a wanted man and for more than just parole violation.
On the way to Toledo Mandy filled him in on the setup. She had a key and knew the code for the alarm system. She was certain that her father wouldn’t have changed the locks. The alarm system was something else. If he hadn’t changed the code no sweat, they wouldn’t know they were in the house until they woke them up.
“What if he has changed the code?”
“I doubt it, but if he has we’ll come back in the daytime to visit my sweet mother and wait for him to come home.”
“Once the alarms gone off won’t they wonder what’s going on?”
When you open the door, you have one minute to reset the alarm before it goes off. If they have reset the codes then when I enter the code the pad will read code refused and the alarm will sound at the security company. By the time they get there we will have relocked the door and be long gone. Just another false alarm, it happens all the time.”
“Your folks won’t wake up?”
“It’s a silent alarm. It only sounds at the security company office and if they find the doors locked and no sign of a break in they will just write it off as a false alarm. They may call the house to confirm that they’re alright, but we will be away from there by then.
“Sweet.”
Mandy told him about the way the house was laid out and later that night in the motel, she drew him a floor plan of the house and a diagram of the grounds. Her plan was that they would take whatever money there was in the house. That would kill two birds with one stone. It would net them considerable cash and also make it look like a robbery. She thought that there should be a lot of money in the house. Her father had a safe in his office in which he kept a considerable stash. It turns out daddy was a very shady character that had trouble explaining where a lot of his money came from.
Mandy also figured on holding on to Dad while Mom went to the bank to make a hefty withdrawal. Mandy didn’t think that Mom would be hard to convince since they were going to improve her life drastically.
Sean didn’t like the idea of sending mom to the bank and said so.
“There is too much that can go wrong with that Mandy. She could go to the cops, scream robbery, or just not come back. If she had any idea what your plans for her was she would be a fool to come back.”
“I guess you’re right. There should be plenty of money in the safe anyway.”
“It sounds to me like you’ve been planning this for quite a while.”
“I have, the only thing lacking was someone with guts enough to help me. I’m not sure I could do it by myself. I had a boyfriend once that said he would help, but when it got down to it, he was chicken. I think he only said he would, so that he could get in my pants.”
“And mighty lovely pants they are too. I’m getting the feeling that you don’t like Dad and aint to fond of Mom either.”
“You got that shit straight Co… Sean. I’m sorry Sean, I don’t mean any disrespect, I just think it’s cute, you being an Indian.”
“I’ll try not to get pissed Mandy. Just don’t make a habit of it and sure as hell don’t do it in public, Okay?”
“Okay. I know I have a smart mouth on me, but I don’t mean anything. I really like you Sean.”
Sean decided to tell her about the ball. He thought they were going to make quite a pair and he figured she should know since he intended to go back for it. At first, she looked at him as if he was nuts, but after he told her about Matt and Etty and how Matt had healed his sister she started coming around.
“So what do you figure, about this ball?”
“I have no idea. I understand that he found in out in the desert. The only thing I can figure is that it come off one of those UFO’s that crashed out there in the old days.”
“I have heard of that. I never thought that there was any truth to it. If you get it, what do you plan on doing with it? Well, for one thing, I think this thing does more than heal or make you young. After my sister was healed she was all of a sudden a straight A student and she wound up getting herself a scholarship to some fancy medical school up in Michigan.”
“Now that is interesting although I’m already kind of bright you know.”
“Yeah, I know. Maybe we could both be kinda bright. See I’m thinking that a man could make fortune with that thing. I mean my God, what would people pay to be young again or to be healed. Think about all the people with cancer not to mention the cripples. Christ the possibilities are endless.”
I don’t know Sean, I think it could get out of hand real easy. You might not be the only one to think it would be nice to have. Moreover, if you start healing people for money, how are you going to control it? You could have literally thousands of people mobbing you and refusing to take ‘no’ for an answer.”
“Well shit I guess I better just forget the whole fuckin thing!”
“No Sean, I’m not saying that, I’m just saying you have to be real careful how you use it. It sure would be a nice thing to have.”
Sean told Mandy to get dressed.
“I’ve got to go shopping. I had to leave the last place in a hurry and I don’t even have a change of underwear. For now I’ll just get the necessities, if this job of yours is as good as you say I’ll improve my wardrobe afterward.”
He drove to Wal-Mart and parked the car. As they were walking toward the entrance, Mandy said, “Wal-Mart.”
Sean replied, “I been shopping at this kinda store and worse my whole life. Maybe you’re some kinda high society, but I’m not. Shit, back on the reservation, when I was a kid I wore used clothes. Most of us did. White folks take pity on us poor dumb redskins. Maybe if this job of yours comes off good you can show me how to dress right.”
“I’m sorry Sean. I didn’t mean anything its just that the kids I grew up with made fun of people that shopped at Wal-Mart. I guess that wasn’t very nice, but you know how kids are. Especially us spoiled little rich brats.”
“No I guess I wouldn’t know, I never knew any rich brats.”
“After we leave Toledo, I’ll take you to a real store and get you some nice clothes. I guess I did get a little snobby growing up with money, but it’s still nice to have good clothes. Besides people treat you different when you’re wearing expensive clothes, it’s almost like if you can afford to dress well you must be a better person.”
While they were in Wal-Mart Mandy bought them each a pair of gloves explaining,
“You’re prints are on file and I’ve been gone long enough that the police wouldn’t expect to find my prints in the house.”