'The Package' (Part Three)

A story of Loyalty, Betrayal and Nitromethane.

Chapter 9

  Jeremiah Winchester III was a great disappointment to his family. He had proved too volatile and unstable for the family business (banking) and even the army had rejected him for similar reasons. It was not until he was introduced to the FBI by a school chum that he found a natural home. Surrounded by fellow xenophobes and homicidal maniacs he was, for a while, content. Eventually it occurred to him that he was consistently passed over for promotion, despite his family connections, and so became disaffected once more. Despite their deplorable ethnic origins he found himself more and more in the company of those whom he was supposed to oppose - the mob. The racism and violence of the gangsters greatly entertained him. Then there were the deals - money and respect (he imagined) from the corruption that came so easily to him. Vinny had proved a very profitable connection because of his love of guns and gizmos. Then the whole Heather thing had happened. Vinny had told him of her betrayal and theft but had neglected to mention just how much she had stolen. When Jeremiah learnt that $200,000 was missing he smelt an opportunity. He remembered that Vinny used one of the FBI tracking devices to keep tabs on her and so he reckoned this was why he didn’t seem too concerned about finding her. So it proved - he simply used his own scanner and tuned it in to the frequency of the device he had sold Vinny and the rest would be easy! Until, of course, that gorilla called Cole Younger became part of it all.

‘I don’t like it’ said Jeremiah.

‘He’s travelling north, why the hell is he going towards Tulsa?’

‘You’re the genius of this caper - why don’t you tell me’ said his reluctant partner Trent.

‘We should’ve taken him out at the diner like I wanted to’

‘Oh yeah, great idea - a shootout at a public place with a guy who knows how to handle the piece he was carrying’

‘You scared of that trailer trash?’ Sneered Jeremiah.

‘You bet I am, I’ve seen his rap sheet.’

‘Well I’m tired of spinin’ my wheels, we’ll take him at Tulsa’

‘High noon, I suppose’ said Trent humourlessly.

                                                    ******************************************

Cole and Heather were laying on the hood of the Dodge looking up at the clear Oklahoma night sky, eating burgers and drinking beer, waiting for the sun to rise.

‘Ain’t you scared of anything Cole?’ asked Heather.

‘Fire’ said Cole

‘What?’

‘Fire, I’m scared of fire - like all funny car drivers. I’ve seen too many guys get burnt not to be scared of fire’

‘Why do you do it, I’ve never understood why you race those monsters’

‘I guess it’s kinda like bull riding at a rodeo - to be able to control all that power. You just get addicted to the next pass. Looking for the perfect run - straight and dry.’

‘And the danger, you were always the daring one at school’ She sighed.

‘Seems like a lifetime ago now Cole - all that hope and innocence’

Cole laughed ‘You, innocent - give me a break’

‘Don’t be horrible to me Cole, not on such a lovely night’

‘Could be my last one’ he mused.

‘Why don’t we just get the hell out of here, with this kind of money we can go anywhere’

‘I gave my word to Vinny’

‘Besides what kind of life would it be, always looking over our shoulders’

‘Better than being dead’ she pleaded.

‘I don’t know if you can understand this, but I owe Vinny. We looked after each other growing up on the tough side of town. I can’t betray him again’

Cole looked up at the stars. ‘You couldn’t see heaven from the neighborhood where we grew up, hell, you couldn't even see the top of the tenements’

 Chapter 10

  ‘You don’t have to do this Troy, it’s not your fight’ said Cole loading his .38.

‘If I don’t help you, who’s going to? You seem real friendly with that Vinny, perhaps it won’t come to a fight?’

‘Perhaps, but he’s got a lot of gun happy help - and those guys will find an excuse to shoot, I know the type’

‘Well I’m in, but you owe me a drive in your funny car when we’re done - I always wanted me a drive in one of those things’

‘You got it big man. Now I know Tulsa Raceway well and when we get there I want you and your scatter gun at the top of the starting tower - there shouldn’t be anyone around, I’ve checked the race schedules. I’ll park up as close as I can and wait for them. Like I said I’m expecting a black Buick to turn up and I don’t want any space behind me for anyone to park. If the shooting starts open up on the Buick and I’ll deal with Vinny’s guys. Any questions?’

‘What if the guys in the Buick start in on Vinny’s mob?’ asked Troy.

‘We couldn’t be that lucky, but if they do keep your head down and let them get on with it’

He fired the Challenger up and they headed out. The younger McCandless brother had taken Heather on to Oklahoma City in the Mustang where they planned to meet later if all went OK, if not, well ,that was her problem. 

The sweat trickled down Cole’s back as he waited. As he’d hoped the place was deserted and Troy had no trouble breaking into the tower. He waved at Cole when he was positioned. That crazy hillbilly seemed to be enjoying himself! Then he saw Vinny’s Charger. They circled the car park slowly before parking about 20 yards in front of Cole. Curly and another guy got out and stood in front of their car. Vinny joined them after a while and beckoned Cole.

‘Just bring the money out Cole, nice and easy’ he said.

Cole reached for the suitcase and got out. Curly was smiling under his reinforced nose dressing. The bloodshot eyes were unblinking with pure hate. Cole knew then that one of them would die here. 

Cole couldn‘t help himself and said: ‘How’s the sinuses Curly?’ 

‘Shut up Cole, you want to get plugged?’ asked Vinny.

Just then the Buick turned up. Vinny’s men backed up against their car. Jeremiah got out.

‘Morning gentlemen, am I interrupting a financial transaction?’

‘What the f**k are you doing here?’ asked Vinny.

‘I figured you owe me Vinny, after all it was one of my bugs that enabled you to track your money down’

‘Get your IV league a*s outta here before I lose my sense of humour’ threatened Vinny.

‘Not a very polite way to speak to your partner, Vinny’ said Jeremiah drawing a gun from inside his $500 suit jacket. 

His partner shouted: ‘No!’ from inside the Buick before the shooting started.

Curly started blasting away at the fed, winging him as he ducked. Returning fire, Jeremiah took down the hood standing next to Curly who fell into Vinny taking them both down to the asphalt. A machine gun rattled from the back seat of the Charger, raking the fed’s car. The guy inside didn’t stand a chance. Jeremiah took a couple of shots at Curly, but his aim was poor and Curly killed him with one bullet to the head. Cole couldn’t help but be a little impressed by his calm under fire, until Curly turned his gun onto Cole.

‘Now it’s your turn, funny man’

Suddenly Vinny came out of nowhere and dived between the two. Curly’s bullet hit him in the back between the shoulder blades. As Vinny fell Cole emptied his gun into Curly. Curly looked surprised as he died, like a man who’d been given the wrong flavour of ice cream!

Cole held Vinny’s head up.

‘Why’d you have to go and do a fool thing like that ?’ asked Cole.

‘Couldn’t let that piece of s**t kill you, could I?’

‘You crazy sonofabitch, he was on your side’

Suddenly the sound of a shotgun echoed around the car park and Cole looked up to see the hood with the machine gun slump to the ground. Vinny looked up and smiled:

‘That giant hillbilly friend of yours?’

‘Yep, I never come to a gunfight without one’

‘Listen Cole, look after Heather won’t you? I think she loved me - she just loved money more’

‘Sure thing Vinny, guess there won’t be a trial now anyway’

‘What trial?’ asked Vinny

‘The one that started this whole thing - you know, Heather being a witness at the club’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’

‘But I thought all the panic was to get her on a boat near LA in eight days?’

‘Her mother’s birthday was in eight days, that’s what she told me’ said Vinny

They both started to laugh at the realisation of Heather’s treachery.

‘What a woman, even at school she used us, nothing changes’ Vinny’s voice was getting weak.

‘Listen, I know a made man in LA who can help you if you give him the money - he can square it with the Jersey family, perhaps. Manny Shirocko at ‘The Big Badda Bing Club’

Again they began to laugh.

‘Sounds like a real classy place’ said Cole

‘I’m gonna miss you’ said Vinny as he stared into eternity.

Chapter 11

  ‘Vinny’s dead! I can’t believe it’ said Heather, trembling slightly.

‘He died saving my life’ Cole was looking at her intently.

‘D - did he say anything ?’

‘Yeah, he said he thought you loved him but that you loved his money more’

‘He said that?’

‘He forgave you, he even laughed when I told him of the lies you fed me to get me to help you’

She was silent.

‘Do you know what really gets to me?’ he asked her.

‘What, Cole?’ her green eyes began to fill.

‘That a gangster like Vinny was able to forgive you but that I can’t. The guy loved us both and we betrayed him’

‘Perhaps you need to forgive yourself, Cole. It was all me. I wanted you but I wanted the money as well - it was my way out’

‘And the baby?’

‘There never was any baby, I’m so sorry Cole, for everything’

He looked away from her.

‘What are you going to do?’ she asked.

‘Vinny said I could make a deal with someone in LA about the money. I’ll give you 10 grand on one condition’

‘What condition?’

‘That I never see you again’

She began to cry.

‘But what will I do?’

‘Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn’

The PA blared out across the bleachers at Ontario Motor Speedway in California: ‘In the next round of Funny Car we have a rematch of the final of the Summernationals at Englishtown  last July. Don ‘the snake’ Prudhomme will take on Cole ‘outlaw’ Younger. The word is that the snake is a bit rattled by being out qualified by the man from New Jersey - should be a great race folks’

‘Come on Cole, get suited up, what are you thinking about so intently?’ asked Gretchen.

‘Oh, nothing much’

Cole was thinking back to when he walked into ‘The Big Badda Bing’ club and asked for Manny Shirocko. The guy was a fat sweaty gangster with a glass eye - he obviously knew all about Cole’s situation. 

‘You got a lotta hard bark on you, comin’ in here like this’ he said ‘What can I do for you?’

‘Vinny told me you were a sporting guy who likes a bet on a long shot occasionally’ lied Cole.

The gangster beckoned Cole to sit.

‘What do you have in mind?’

He didn’t know how he’d done it but he got Manny to loan him half of the money so he could beat Prudhomme in the upcoming world finals. Perhaps they were all a bit ‘snakebit’ here in California and wanted to see the Army poster boy get beat, or maybe they were just bored with ‘fixed’ horse racing and boxing and wanted to bet on something else. What he did know was that if Prudhomme won, the mob would own him - if they didn’t kill him. But this was his chance. With the money he bought a brand new Keith Black hemi - the thing was beautiful and the power! As Vinny would have said: ’Forget about it’

The hemi cackled into life, rocking the safety frame that embraced Cole. The bright sunlight was cut abruptly as the plastic body was lowered, plunging him into darkness before his eyes began to adapt. He pushed it gently into gear and approached the start line. Gretchen gave the signal and the hemi roared defiantly as he performed the burnout. While reversing he thought he heard Vinny’s voice, as it was during their childhood:

‘Hey, Cole, you’ll never make it, you crazy sonofabitch’ he laughed.

The lights on the ‘Christmas tree’ came down and on the green both cars lept like hungry lionesses. A tall willowy blonde got to her feet and, blocking her ears, looked down from the bleachers at the race, with her heart in her mouth.

And so it was, back in the day - when the hair was big and the music was funky. A racing driver from downtown New Jersey thought he could take on the Mob, the FBI, The Army and a man they called ‘The Snake’

THE END

Reviews

[Mockingbird]

great ending. also did not see vinny saving cole's life coming. cole is a great hero and vinny was a complex character. what he decided to do with the girl is reminiscent of a film noir ending. i thoroughly enjoyed this story.

[Wez Hardyn]

Thanks for a great review. I conceived it as a 'road movie' and it just kinda developed into a 'film noir' (two of my favourite genres). I'm hoping that a friend of mine doesn't recognize herself as the inspiration for the 'femme fatale' character!