A Glibertarians Exclusive – The Deal, Part III

by | Apr 18, 2022 | Fiction | 109 comments

A Glibertarians Exclusive – The Deal, Part III

June 1937 – Near Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Good thing to have a full moon.  Penny was right, lots easier to see.

Penny had insisted on waiting for the two weeks she and Ad had spent in a small town outside of Milwaukee, in the cheapest of a line of cheap motels they had stayed in since Ad had walked out of McAlester, two months earlier.  But the wait for the full moon, Ad had to admit, had been worthwhile.

Ad and Penny were crouched behind a low hedge.  In front of them wasn’t a house, but a mansion, a huge, white, three-story structure with a long, paved driveway that delivered autos to a parking area just in front of the main doors.  A big garage was visible to the left rear, and on the other side was a stable, now apparently empty.

The Szabo brothers were crouched behind Ad and Penny.  The four had driven to the mansion in the brother’s Packard, which was parked a half-mile down a lonely stretch of road.  The lights of Milwaukee illuminated the sky to the east.  No lights were on in the mansion.

“OK,” Penny whispered.  She opened the 12-gauge double, checked the shells in both chambers.  “Just like we planned.  Let’s go.”

Ad led the way, bounding over the hedge and running up the driveway, the heavy Thompson in both hands.  He had removed the buttstock to make it easier to handle, but it still felt heavy as a cinder block, especially with the big drum carrying 100 .45 caliber rounds attached.  Penny followed, with the Hungarian brothers bringing up the rear.

It seemed to take hours, running in the dark, to get to the front doors.  Penny produced a key – another bit of help provided by her cousin – and opened the big double doors.

“Up those big stairs,” she whispered, pointing out a grand staircase just ahead.  “To the right, down to the end of the hallway, big doors on the left.  That’s his bedroom.”

Ad led the way, the short ugly nozzle of the Thompson preceding him.  He crashed through the bedroom doors.  Penny followed him in, the Hungarians close on her heels.

“GET UP, GET UP, GET UP” Ad shouted.  A lamp on the bedside table came on and there he was, an old man, bearded, wide-eyed, bewildered, sitting up in a big four-poster bed.

Ad grabbed the sleeve of the old man’s nightshirt and stuck the muzzle of the Thompson in his face.  “You’ve got a big stash of cash here, don’t you?  Oh, don’t shake your head at me, we know you do.  In the attic.  Show us.  NOW!”

“All right,” the old man said.  “Just don’t shoot.  You can have it.”

Ad stepped back so the old man could get up.  As he turned and levered himself up off the mattress, his body passed in front of his left hand, so nobody saw the small black button on the nightstand or noticed the quick stab of a forefinger to set off the silent alarm.

The old man led them into the hall, down to the other end of the house.  He opened a narrow door, revealing a narrow set of stairs.  A switch was just inside; the old man flipped it, lighting the stairs dimly.  “This way,” he said.  “It’s up here.”

And it was, just as Penny had described; under a couple of loose boards, a metal strongbox padlocked shut.  The Hungarians carried it back down to the second-floor hallway, where Penny escorted the old man back to his bedroom, shotgun stuck in the small of his back, to retrieve the key.

She opened the box.  It was full of currency:  Twenty, fifty and hundred-dollar bills in bundles and gold and silver coins.  Penny looked at Ad, then at the Hungarians, all of them grinning widely.

“OK,” Ad said to the old man.  “You’re going with us to the front door.  Once we’re all outside, we’ll turn you loose.  Don’t try to follow us, see?”  He raised the Thompson for emphasis.  “You two,” he turned to the Szabo brothers, “bring the box.  I’ll lead the way.  You bring up the rear,” he nodded at Penny.  “If the old guy does anything funny, smash him over the head with that shotgun.”

“On it, lover,” Penny agreed.

The were halfway down the stairs when suddenly, startlingly, the entire great front room and the grand staircase was suddenly bathed in brilliant, dazzling, impossible light.

Ad stopped suddenly, stunned.  A tall, blocky man stood at the bottom of the staircase.  He was wearing a nightshirt, but in his hands – Ad recognized the piece, a Winchester Self-Loading rifle, like the ones the guards at McAlester sometimes carried.  It was a short, brutal piece, firing a heavy .40 caliber bullet, and as Ad watched, frozen and dazzled, the man shouldered the rifle and aimed.

Behind Ad, the old man dove down and to the right, hugging the staircase railing.  “SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT!” he shouted.

Ad brought the Thompson’s muzzle up.  He knew he wasn’t going to make it.  He watched the big man’s Winchester foreshorten and, as if in slow motion, flame spurted from the muzzle.  He heard a wet slap behind him, the thump of the strongbox falling, and one of the Hungarian twins fell down the stairs, part of his head shot away.

Ad aimed the Thompson, awkwardly with no shoulder stock.  He hit the trigger – nothing.  Dammit dammit the safety where the hell is the safety!  He felt for it, found it.  Another shot rang out from the Winchester, and the other Hungarian went down hard.

Ad pulled the Thompson’s trigger.  The gun let out a chattering roar, spraying slugs.  It was hard to manage, but Ad manage to wrestle the muzzle down and at what had to be the old man’s bodyguard.  The big man got off one more shot before he went down in the hail of .45 caliber bullets, and Ad, in horror, heard Penny’s screech of pain.

He turned.  Penny was sitting on a step, clenching her upper arm.  Both the Hungarians were obviously and messily dead, one with his head blown half-off, the other with a huge hole in his throat.

“Can you move?” Ad demanded.

“Hell yes!” Penny snapped.  “Grab the money!”

“I can’t carry that box and this chopper.”  He opened the box, grabbed bundles of bills, and stuffed them in his pockets.  “That will have to do.”  He helped Penny to her feet.

The old man was still cowering at the railing.  In a fit of rage, Ad leveled the Thompson and put a burst into him.

“Come on,” he told Penny.  “That big guy will have called the cops.  We have to move – fast.”

Penny was able to move.  They made it back to the Szabo’s Packard; fortunately, they had the foresight to stash the keys on top of one of the back tires.  Ad slid in the driver’s seat and stepped on the starter.

“Head back to the hotel,” Penny gasped.  “We’ll get my car.  They may be looking for this one.”

“We should get you to a hospital,” Ad said.  He put the Packard in gear and stomped on the gas.

“No hospital.  Didn’t you see me bleeding all the way out the door?  They’ll know someone is hurt and got away.  I’ll be fine, it went clean through, just need a bandage and some rest.”

They made it to the hotel without incident, although several times they heard sirens in the near distance.  In their room, Ad tore strips off a bedsheet and bandaged Penny’s arm; the slug had passed through her bicep without hitting bone.  “I think you’ll be all right,” he said.  “We’ll want to get some iodine on it as soon as we can.”

“Fine,” Penny gritted out.  “Now can we get out of here?”

“Where should be go?”

“North.  If we can make it to Canada, the heat will be off.  For a while, anyway.”

“Fine.”  Ad started gathering their few possessions.

“You could have left me there,” Penny said as Ad was grabbing small clothes and socks out of a dresser drawer and stuffing them in his old suitcase.  “You weren’t bleeding.  They may have thought the Szabos and me were the only ones there.”

“And you wouldn’t have told them?”

“Running is one thing.  But squealing?  Something else.  Do we have any booze?  Fuck this arm hurts.”

Ad found a bottle of whiskey and handed it to her.  “Anyway, no, I wasn’t going to run then, and I’m not going to bail on you now.  No matter what road we take now, I’m sticking with you to the end.”

Penny forced a painful smile.  “Why?”

Ad thought for a moment.  “Why?  Well, I’m a-gonna tell you.  It’s because these past few weeks with you, I’ve felt more alive than I have, well, ever.  I don’t even think about you growing feathers on that last job anymore.  That’s all done past.  I’d rather end it alongside you than get away without you.  I guess, what I’m saying is, we’re in this together now.  To the end.  Like I said.”

“I’ll take it,” Penny smiled.  “Now.  Can we get out of here?”

“Yeah.  That’s probably a hell of a good idea.”

***

Well the moon gives light and shines by night

And I scarcely feel the glow

We learn to live and then we forgive

Or the road we’re bound to go

More frailer than the flowers, these precious hours

That keep us so tightly bound

You come to my eyes like a vision from the skies

And I’ll be with you when the deal goes down

See Bob Dylan’s original video, featuring a young and rather delectable Scarlett Johannsen, here.

About The Author

Animal

Animal

Semi-notorious local political gadfly and general pain in the ass. I’m firmly convinced that the Earth and all its inhabitants were placed here for my personal amusement and entertainment, and I comport myself accordingly. Vote Animal/STEVE SMITH 2024!

109 Comments

  1. DEG

    Huh. I figured Penny would shank Ad.

    Good stuff Animal!

    • R C Dean

      I figured Penny would shank Ad.

      Its not over yet. Plus, I doubt she was planning on catching a bullet.

      You note how surprised she was he didn’t ditch her. That tells you where her head is at.

      • ron73440

        You note how surprised she was he didn’t ditch her. That tells you where her head is at.

        Yep, dirtbags never trust others, they assume everyone has the same morals they do.

      • R C Dean

        Also:

        I guess, what I’m saying is, we’re in this together now. To the end. Like I said.”

        “I’ll take it,” Penny smiled. “Now. Can we get out of here?”

        She’ll take it, but she won’t give it.

  2. ron73440

    DAMN Shit went downhill fast!

    Luckily for Ad, the body guard sucked at threat recognition.

    Thought for sure Penny was going to screw him over.

  3. R C Dean

    The old man was still cowering at the railing. In a fit of rage, Ad leveled the Thompson and put a burst into him.

    See, now I don’t much care what happens to Ad.

    • Grumbletarian

      Maybe it turns out the old man was Penny’s great uncle and due to just getting shot she doesn’t know Ad did that.

    • Animal

      See, now I don’t much care what happens to Ad.

      Well, that’s good.

      • juris imprudent

        The deal doesn’t just go down, it goes south!

    • db

      Yeah, I had a hard time relating to him when he agreed to a criminal venture with the lady who was his partner in the most recent crime that put him in prison. Then he murders
      a man in cold blood because he’s frustrated that his ill considered criminal venture is going off the rails?

      Just terrible judgment all the time with this guy.

  4. Tundra

    Boy, I called that wrong!

    I still think Ad is a retard. She’s gonna leave him holding the bag. Classic femme fatale.

    Great stuff, Animal!

  5. Sean

    <—-

    • UnCivilServant

      You realize that if you ever change your avatar, none of these comments will make any sense.

      • Sean

        *shrug*

      • Gender Traitor

        As long as you don’t change it to Tres’s old Johnny Cash avatar. ?

  6. Fourscore

    Surprised me, Animal, great story. The money can’t last forever, however, but the story can keep on keeping on.
    Count me in for next week’s exciting chapter.

  7. UnCivilServant

    OT – How confusing would a placename of ‘Col de Poisson’ be? Should I lampshade that it literally means ‘Fish Neck’?

    • juris imprudent

      Is the intent for it to be a subtle joke? If so, then why ruin it?

      • UnCivilServant

        I don’t know how funny or subtle it is

    • Fatty Bolger

      Could also be taken as Colonel of Fish.

      • Hank

        Sometimes he and Colonel Mustard team up.

      • slumbrew

        Sometimes even Colonel Angus makes an appearance.

  8. db

    It’s frickin’ snowing outside. I’m super tired of this crappy weather.

    • Lackadaisical

      Typically isn’t safe until sometime into May.

    • Timeloose

      Yea, I have the 2-8″ forecast for tonight into tomorrow morning. There is a world of difference between the valleys and mountains.

    • DEG

      There was a bit of snow falling on the drive from PA back to NH yesterday.

      Northern NH got plowable snow out of that storm from what I heard.

      Some forecasters claim the next storm will bring snow to my area, others say just rain. We’ll see. I wouldn’t be surprised to see snow. My snowblower is in the shop getting maintenance, my summer tires are on, and I don’t have my snow shovel in my car yet.

      • DEG

        err…

        “don’t have my snow shovel in my car anymore.”

        I also haven’t taken the board covering my A/C unit off, but I’ll do that soon.

      • Lackadaisical

        This man is a radical.

        You must like the snow.

  9. juris imprudent

    OT – stumbled across this discussion of political ‘misinformation’.

    Cheap Speech is extremely compelling on its own terms. At the same time, Rick’s exhaustive exposition raises the question whether we have the right model for understanding the problem. If the problem of misinformation presents a demand-side problem, or to the extent that there is both a demand-side and supply-side problem, supply-side only solutions are not likely to resolve the problem. Similarly, to the extent that we have a supply-side problem, then demand-side solutions are not going to suffice.

    Most critics of mis- or dis- information focus on the supply of it. I think it’s best to liken it to drugs – the problem resides far more on the demand side than supply.

    • Urthona

      And I think the demand side has grown into new areas precisely because the corporate media has lost pubic trust and people are seeking alternative explanations for things. It’s actually healthy.

      • db

        You know who else lost pubic trust?

      • Gender Traitor

        Toobin?

      • R C Dean

        Winston’s Mom?

      • Sean

        Lorena Bobbitt?

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        *golf clap*

      • Animal

        Ron Jeremy?

      • invisible finger

        Anita Hill?

      • MikeS

        Dil?

      • Hank

        Ironically enough, Grover Cleveland, who said a public office was a public trust.

      • Hank

        Missed the joke, as usual.

      • juris imprudent

        corporate media has lost pubic trust

        Actually that’s about all they inspire anymore. fap-fap-fap

      • juris imprudent

        People might trust something that doesn’t require a suspension of disbelief as a precondition.

    • UnCivilServant

      It would have been more interesting if the Gator had gone on an Italian vacation.

      • Hank

        His relatives did, but as luggage.

      • The Other Kevin

        Live gators would add an entirely new dimension to gondola rides.

      • db

        More live gators throughout Europe, pls.

  10. Tundra
  11. The Gunslinger

    Really good stuff Animal. Boy, that bodyguard is insanely loyal to stand there shootin’ em up while staring down a tommygun. Where do you find good help like that these days?

  12. robc

    I watched the first episode of the Obama narrated National Parks series on Netflix yesterday afternoon. I had a great nap. The man is no David Attenborough.

    • juris imprudent

      Wasn’t the Ken Burns version bad enough?

    • Urthona

      Did he mention whether or not if we like our parks we can keep them?

      • robc

        It was about National Parks, but mostly other countries National Parks, which seems like a misrepresentation to me.

        But you know, Hawaii/Kenya, what’s the difference?

    • Urthona

      Does this take effect? I haven’t been following.

      • db

        It’s from a District court in Florida so its scope would be limited to that court’s jurisdiction, likely?

      • Urthona

        Ah. I just went flaccid again.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Unless it’s a Hawaiian court.

      • db

        True, those have universal jurisdiction due to their proximity to the International Date Line.

      • Urthona

        I’m reading that it does take effect. On May 3rd. The day mask mandates expire anyway.

        lol government

      • slumbrew

        “the day mask mandates expire anyway were going to be extended”.

        FIFY

      • Urthona

        true dat

      • db

        Well even if the the timing is ridiculous, at least it’s on record in court documents that the mandate exceeded the agency’s appropriate authority.

        Expect this to be the way most things go from now on–emergency rulings followed by litigation resulting in findings of illegality, but not until the illegal rulings have accomplished their intended effects.

        At least it was found to be illegal, rather than mooted by the agency withdrawing the ruling before having it struck down.

      • R C Dean

        I’m not seeing an effective date. I would assume it goes into effect today.

      • Urthona

        Well awesome.

      • DEG

        I skimmed over the ruling. The bit at the end with the Court’s order seems to me that the CDC’s order is vacated and the CDC is ordered to rethink the mask order in accordance with the ruling. I think that would be nationwide. Of course, the CDC can appeal.

      • R C Dean

        As near as I can tell, the order is vacated immediately. The remand to CDC is for likely pro forma, for them to try again only with the proper basis or somesuch, or for some pointless internal hogwash they need to do. Who knows?

    • R C Dean

      Pretty sure that’s nationwide.

    • Ownbestenemy

      It was sent back to the CDC for “further proceedings consistent with this order.” So yeah, look for them to take their sweet time to put out the order

    • Fatty Bolger

      “The Court directs the Clerk to TERMINATE President Joseph R. Biden”

      !!!!!

      (But would anybody even notice?)

      • R C Dean

        *Clerk goes to locked cabinet, assembles over-elaborate sniper rifle, leaves office*

      • slumbrew

        muttering “The law is the law.” as he goes.

  13. slumbrew

    How much chopped liver is too much to eat in a single sitting? Asking for a friend.

    Also, what does gout feel like?

      • slumbrew

        The heat produced in any given time depends on the degree of this acceleration; the fluids are shaken, the humors attenuated, the secretions facilitated, and all goes well; the cheeks are ruddy, and health is established.

        You can’t fool me – that was written by Tres Cool.

    • Fatty Bolger

      Wife’s grandfather had it, the main symptom was that his big toe would get sore. Started out like pins and needles, but then it would start to hurt more and have almost a burning feeling.

    • juris imprudent

      Also, what does gout feel like?

      Like there is broken glass inside your foot.

    • Timeloose

      King of the Hill can inform.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTLibYIDEvs

      “Bobby gets gout from eating too much Chopped Chicken Liver at the ShowBiz Deli and takes the easy way out.”

    • rhywun

      Had a co-worker get it a lot – it would basically knock him out of commission.

  14. Gustave Lytton

    Click jacking is back on Glibs.

    • R C Dean

      Is that what all this weird Quordle stuff is?

      • UnCivilServant

        Quordle reall is just the commentbots suffering failures and dumping core. The error code numbers and colored squares are used for debugging the AI.

  15. Ted S.

    Daily Quordle 84
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    Fucking bottom left.

  16. trshmnstr the terrible

    OT – Big pet peeve of mine, no matter the context, but especially in recruiting.

    Recruiter: Send me your availability for early next week.

    Me, a couple hours later: Here’s my availability. I tend to get booked up as we get closer, so the sooner you nail down a time, the better.

    Recruiter: *6 days of radio silence*

    Me: Just checking in whether you received my email. I still have some limited availability for tomorrow and the next day.

    Recruiter: Oh, I was OOO. I’ll get back to you in the next day or so.

    You couldn’t pass the scheduling responsibilities to a colleague? You couldn’t nail down the scheduling before you went out? What was the point of the email of we’re going to have to do it all over again now that we’re in the middle of the time period you asked about?

    • rhywun

      Yeah, recruiters play all buddy-buddy but they are not your friend. Except you’d think he’d be all over whatever commission he’s angling for.

  17. l0b0t

    Daily Quordle 84
    7️⃣2️⃣
    4️⃣5️⃣
    quordle.com
    ⬜⬜⬜?⬜ ?⬜???
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  18. robc

    Reading Draw and Derby Co loss today means that the impossible survival quest for Derby has ended, they are getting relegated out of the Championship.

    Overcoming a 21 point penalty is next to impossible. Or maybe impossible.

    • Pine_Tree

      I can tell from the words you’re using that your post is in English. But that’s about all.

      Seems to be a reference to some kind of competition…

      • MikeS

        You beat me to it. I hope he’s not having a stroke.

    • rhywun

      LOL I had to parse the first few words several times too – doesn’t help that I just came out of a 7-hour training class… but I got it. Why was Derby County penalized 21 (!) points? They broke?

      • robc

        I think it was 12 pts for being broke and another 9 for falsifying financial docs.

        Or something like that. They started the season negative, then got the bonus penalty in the fall to make things worse. And it still took 43 of 46 games to relegate them.

      • robc

        Derby were initially stung with a 12-point deduction in September 2021 for entering administration, with that punishment dropping them immediately to the foot of the Championship table.

        Things then went from bad to worse for the East Midlands outfit when a further nine-point penalty, plus a further suspended three points, was handed out in November.

        Derby must now find a buyer this year – one willing to pay creditors at least 25 per cent of what they are owed – in order to avoid a further 15-point penalty.

      • rhywun

        Manager: Wayne Rooney

        LOL

        I remember Lampard was a manager.

        Good riddance. I can’t stand either of them. Plus I am a fan of Forest.

      • robc

        Lampard is at Everton now. And doing a decent job with a crappy group of players.

      • robc

        Rooney would have been Manager of the Year (if they even give such a thing) if he had kept Derby up.

  19. MikeS

    Biden Makes Deal With Ghost In Historic Ghost Gun Compromise

    Reporters were not given the name of the ghost or told what the ghost said in his exchange with the president—only that the ghost was “totally real” and “totally shook the President’s hand.”

    “We will be withholding the name of the spirit out of respect for the dead,” said Psaki. “From now on, if you see President Biden do anything weird in public, just assume he’s in intense negotiations with a disembodied specter of someone who passed on many years ago.” Psaki then muttered “I can’t do this,” and stormed off the podium.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Animal’s Daily Tax Day News | Animal Magnetism - […] we start, check out Part 3 of The Deal over at […]