Tru Profitt and The Sons of Thunder, Chapter Seven

At 10:25 PM that night, a canary yellow Citation pulled into the parking lot behind a floral shop at 25th and May with its headlights out. Four dark forms climbed out, one of them, walking with a cane, paused to light a cigarette.

“Nana, you wait here with Bear while we do recon. Bear, don't let anything happen to my Nana.” Tommy looked around the parking lot, the neighborhood was still, except for passing traffic on May Avenue.

Bear grinned and popped the top on a fresh can of beer, rolling up his black ski mask to take a sip. “Nana's safe with me. I love her like she was my own, dude.”

“Maybe more,” Willa quipped, “I think Thomas has just been waiting for me to kick it so he can have the trailer.” Tommy flinched. His grandmother’s glare was burning a hole through him.

“Nana, stay here, we'll be right back, and for Pete's sake stay quiet and out of sight.” Tommy turned to Ed and gave him a thumb’s up.

Ed handed Tommy a pair of night vision goggles he had taken in trade for a set of Ping golf clubs and donned a second pair. Tommy turned his goggles on, only the right eye worked, but it was better than walking blind. The two men crossed 25th street and walked along the front of the May Avenue Methodist gymnasium. The parking lot was dark, except for a pair of small security lights, so far so good. When they got to the house's open basement, Tommy was down the stairs first, feeling his way with one hand on the wall.

“The panel should be four feet past the bottom of the stairs on your right,” Ed said. When they reached the spot, both men removed the night vision goggles and Ed pulled out a small LED flashlight. It had a blue lens to shield the light from view up at street level, something he’d learned in a theater stage craft class in high school.

Ed found the panel with little trouble. After a few tense moments of trial and error, he pressed in, and the panel popped open. They held the breath as it swung back. The space behind the panel was nearly pitch black, but there, in the moonlight, and the blue glow from the LED light, was the vault. The chrome hinges and combination dial appeared to float against the flat black finish of the safe.
The men looked at each other. It was here. It was almost too good to be true.
“We may have overlooked one small detail,” Ed whispered.

Tommy looked for signs of trouble. He didn't see or hear anything out of place. “What do you mean? This must be one of the smoothest heists in history. Open the vault.”

Ed shone his flashlight on the safe and tapped the vault's dial. “Unless you've developed psychic abilities, we don't have the combination.”

Tommy laughed, “Oh, ye of little Faith. Stand aside amateur. I'll take it from here. I found the combination earlier.”

“You did?” Ed looked confused.

Tommy pulled out a notebook. “Kiefer’s badge number, from the bank. It has to be, remember when you asked what the combination was? He said he was keeping it close to the vest, then he tapped his badge, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah, so, how do we get a thirty-year-old badge number for a bank guard?”

“I got it this afternoon. I found the security company that used to cover Penn Square Bank online and emailed them that I was writing a story on Kiefer, since he's dead. They were very helpful.” Tommy flipped open the notebook and turned the dial.

Half an hour later the number still wasn't working. They tried left first, then right first. They tried regrouping the numbers, then backwards with no luck. As the two men exited the basement they met two dark forms, one with a glowing ember hanging out of its mouth.

“Nana, I told you to wait,” Tommy whispered.

“She didn't listen. Tommy, where's the money?” Bear asked, between sips of beer.
“What's taking so long?” Willa Conner had one volume setting, loud.

“Ssshh!” Tommy and Ed looked around, sure someone would hear. For one brief instant, Tommy considered clapping a hand over his grandmother's mouth. But, self-preservation kicked-in and he realized that was a dumb idea.

“What's that smell?” Bear asked. Ed flashed his light around and found a generator setting at the end of the house. “Smells like gasoline, that generator must be leaking.” He shone his light on the generator and watched the tiny clear drops for a moment, then returned his focus to the house.

“Come on, we need to get inside before somebody sees us.” Tommy climbed onto the trailer platform and held the front door open. Bear and Ed prepared to hand Willa up to him. Bear threw her cane up into the house, there was the sound of breaking glass.

“Great. That won't alert the neighbors.” Tommy slapped Bear on the top of the head, “Nana put your cigarette out, I don't want to get burned, or set any fires.”

Willa glared up at her grandson. “I'll be hanged if I will. I've been smoking cigarettes for 53 years and I am not ready to quit! Besides, I just lit this one, do you have any idea what these things cost?”

Tommy considered his options, and chose no-nonsense. “Nana, put the cigarette out, or, you can go sit in the Citation and wait.” She tossed the cigarette aside.

They got into the house without further incident. Everything was as they remembered it. No one had even bothered to remove the plastic from the furniture before lifting the house off its foundation.

Willa ran her hand greedily over the transparent vinyl covers on the sofa and chairs. “Do you think this is the right size to fit my sofa?” She studied the covers, talking around her cigarette, clamped in her lips firmly, so she could use both arms to check the sofa’s length.

"I think your sofa needs more than a clear vinyl cover." Tommy snapped. He crossed to the front windows and pulled the curtains closed. Tommy and Ed turned their night vision back on and Ed handed Bear the LED flashlight.

"Bear, whatever you do, don't point that...ahhh! Damn it, Bear, now I can't see a thing!" Ed bellowed, snatching off the goggles. Bear looked into the flashlight himself, not getting the point.

“Can somebody please tell me what is happening? Thomas, can we get this over with? I have Pilates in the morning.” Willa snatched the flashlight from Bear and gave it back to Ed.

Tommy took a deep breath and explained. “We thought we had discovered the combination, but we got the wrong number, Nana. So, now we're looking for it.”

“What number did you think it was?” There was a tone in Willa’s voice she reserved for times when she knew something Tommy didn’t.

Tommy took another deep breath. “Mr. Kiefer's badge number.”

“That's strange. That should be right.” Willa lit another cigarette as Tommy handed her the notebook. “Nope, this number, is not his badge number.”

“What do you mean? Are you holding out on us?” Tommy was losing patience.
Willa took a long drag and let it out in a long, slow, stream of smoke. “Mrs. Kiefer was my best friend for over thirty years, remember?”

“What? Why are you just now mentioning this?” Tommy asked.

Willa smiled. It was a bitter expression Tommy knew only too well. “You had it all worked out. Didn't want any help from an ancient old lady. Well, go on then. I'll just be resting over here.” She sank into a moldy recliner.

“Oh, for pity's sake, Nana. This is no time for one of your moods.” Tommy was slipping over the edge emotionally. He couldn’t be responsible for what might happen next.

“I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, Thomas. And I don't approve of your tone.” Willa took another long drag and let out a column of smoke. It hung lazily over her head, making the blue beam of Bear’s flashlight visible, like a laser light show, with fog.

Tommy sighed, he had to give her what she wanted. “I'm sorry, Nana. I didn't mean to make you feel unwanted. In fact, you are the most valuable member of the team. Now, will you please tell us what you know?”

“Ida told me, if the unthinkable happened to her and her son to take care of Toby. She mentioned that I'd need Trent's badge number. I always figured it was a safe deposit box or something. There’s a note hidden in a cookie jar with the details.” Willa stood and walked into the kitchen. She walked to the pantry and opened the door.

There on the bottom shelf, next to a box of graham crackers that had long since turned to dust, was a cookie jar in the shape of a teddy bear, wearing a police uniform.

Tommy took the jar from Willa and opened it. In it was a folded slip of paper and a small, black wallet. Tommy shook the paper and wallet out onto the kitchen table and Ed shone his light on them. Tommy unfolded the paper, careful not to tear it.

It read, “If you are reading this, the worst has happened and my Toby is alone in the world. His father has set aside a nest egg to help get him started. You will find it hidden behind a panel in the wall just past the foot of the basement stairs. The combination is in a safe deposit box at Bank of Oklahoma at Britton and Penn. Here is the key. To open the vault: Complete turn right then first 2 digits, left to second 2 digits and finally, right to the 3rd pair. Willa, you are Toby's Godmother, use this money wisely. Take care of my boy. Sincerely, Ida Kiefer.”

Tommy shook the cookie jar again, “There's no key. Nana, where's the key?”

Willa picked up the note and sat in a kitchen chair. “Where did you get the number you tried?” Willa asked.

“From Kiefer's security badge, but now we have the order.” Tommy moved toward the front door.

“It won't do any good.” Willa said. Disappointment crept into her voice.

Tommy turned back. “Why not?”

Willa got up, took Ed's flashlight and led the way into a hall, stopping in front of a picture of a group of young police cadets. She shone her light on the face of a young Trent Kiefer. “The number you need is his police badge,” Willa said.

“So, we need to get to that safe deposit box, Nana, where's the key?” Tommy shook the old woman.

Willa Conners slapped her grandson across the face. “Never touch a lady like that again, do you hear me? That badge is gone. It'll be buried with his body day after tomorrow.”

A flash of light filled the hall and a loud explosion rocked the house. Broken glass blew in from the windows and the curtains smoldered. “What the heck?” Bear ran to the window and pulled the curtains back. “This whole end of the house is on fire.”

“Nana, what did you do with your cigarette?” Tommy asked.

“I put it out, like you told me to.” Willa lit another cigarette and blew a cloud of smoke in her grandson's face.

“Did you stomp it out?” Tommy wanted to throttle her.

Willa smirked, “I'm old, not stupid. I didn't need to, I dropped it in a puddle.”
Ed realized what had happened. “Tommy, that puddle wasn't water, it was gasoline from the leaky generator! The four of us need to get out of this house before the firetrucks show up.” Sirens were sounding from the fire station a few blocks away.

Tommy snatched the new cigarette from his grandmother's mouth, threw it onto the floor and stomped it out. It would be a miracle if Willa died of old age! He ran back to the kitchen and grabbed the note. Knowing he was risking his life, Tommy clapped a hand over his grandmother's mouth. He cut her off mid-scream, tucked her under his arm and sprinted for the back door.Bear rolled out the back door and stood ready to catch her. Ed and Tommy lowered Willa down from the trailer.

"You Dumbass! My cane is still in the house! I ought to kill you, you little..."

Bear threw Willa over his back and ran. There was no time, he would have to replace the cane later. Even Willa realized the seriousness of the situation. She quieted and wrapped her arms around Bear's neck, holding on for dear life. Three dark shapes ran through the May Avenue United Methodist parking lot, two men and an old woman riding piggy back on a giant.

Everyone was silent on their ride back to Shady Acres. They had been so close to a small fortune, that was, by rights at least partially theirs. But now it looked as if they might never get it, and they’d be lucky if they didn’t get arrested for arson.

“Don’t you dare get on that highway, keep going north,” Willa snarled.

“Why, Nana? We’re going home.” Tommy flipped on the turn signal and moved to enter the highway ramp.

Willa Conners was stronger than she looked. She wrenched the wheel away from her grandson and turned the Citation back into traffic.

“Like hell you are. You lost my good cane, and the all-night Walgreen’s is north up May Avenue. I’ll be damned if I’ll wait on your lazy ass every time I need to pee tonight, just because you left my cane behind in a burning house.”