Chris Niles [Niles - Lost Key

Lost Key is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2019 Chris Niles

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Tommy and Gigi started making plans when the judge replaced the whole jury.

For weeks, Al Capones crew had worked to guarantee every juror was on their side. Even if twelve brand new jurors sat in the box, the Outfit would find a way to win them over, too. The Boss would beat these charges. He always beat the charges.

But this time was different. And Tommy and Gigi knew it.

When the jury announced their verdict, runners sprinted down the streets of Chicago. Every boy in town wanted to be first to shout the inconceivable news. Hey! The jury found him guilty! Theyre takin him straight to jail. The Boss is goin to jail!

In the Lexington Hotel, a young boys breathless cries echoed through the sweeping marble lobby. Barrel-chested henchmen looked up from behind their newspapers, shook their heads, and waved the boy away. No one believed the feds could make anything stick to the great Al Capone.

When Scarface walked the streets, children flocked to his side. He built schools so neighborhood kids could get an education. Later, after the market crashed, he built soup kitchens so they wouldnt starve. He created jobs and protected his employees. Charmed the women, joked with the men. Paid his employees well for their loyalty. Chicago belonged to him.

But as the news trickled in and people realized it was true, men gathered in twos and threes, then more. Working girls ran down to the lobby wrapped in robes none of them would be doing any more business that night. Company cars filled the street in front of the building and the alley behind as Capones guards and enforcers congregated at the Lexington headquarters. The crowd grew louder, and everyone speculated about the future of the organization.

In the chaos, Gigi slipped into the lobby wearing a simple dress. She clutched three small shopping bags in one hand and grabbed Tommy with the other, then tugged him into a narrow stairwell.

Its time, baby. We gotta do it now, or we may never get another opportunity.

Tommy followed her down the steps into the basement. The two dashed through a maze of brick corridors. Mildew stank up the cool damp air, and Gigi stopped to sneeze.

Gigi, shh! Tommy scurried around the corner into Capones storage vault. He pushed aside a stack of crates holding empty bottles. Its still here. Babe, theres a latch beside that big mirror. Feel it? Up a little yeah, there.

Gigi jumped as the mirror swung aside to reveal a hidden staircase. She climbed through the hole in the basement wall then ran up the steps, reappearing seconds later. Theres a delivery truck right outside, and the alley is clear for now. Hurry!

Tommy handed her his Thompson machine gun, then Gigi stood watch in the alley while he rushed up and down the stairs, lugging crate after crate and stacking them in the vehicle. Finally, he slammed the alley door behind him. After flinging the last crate into the back of the truck, he ran around to the cab. Get in!

Gigi leapt into the passengers seat while Tommy started the engine.

They cleared the alley onto 21st Street then zig-zagged through the narrow streets toward freedom. The two drove through the night, Gigi singing songs to help Tommy stay awake. When they ran low on fuel, Tommy hid the truck down a wooded side road, and the two lovers curled together under Tommys jacket to wait for morning.

I think we made it, kid. Tommy tucked a curl behind Gigis ear.

How much do you think we got?

I dunno, but I know my arms are gonna hurt tomorrow. Tommy peeked through the window, counting the heavy crates lined up on the floorboards in the back of the truck.

We can count it later, baby. Right now, I want to get some sleep. In the morning, well get gas, then get as far away as we can.

For the next three months, Gigi and Tommy wound a path throughout the eastern United States. Tommy taught Gigi to drive, and they kept moving, stopping in small towns along the way. He built a false floor in the truck to hide their cargo. Gigi counted the crates. She counted the gold coins and gemstones inside the crates. Then she counted them again, just to make sure.

Were rich. Tommy. Well never have to work for anyone else, ever again.

Tommy kissed the top of her head. I never liked you workin the way you did. But we need to be careful. We gotta hide this loot. We cant go throwin it around. Boss might be in prison, but he still got a lot of friends in a lot of places.

But babe, I want nice things. I want a big house and new hats. I want to ride the Queen Mary to Europe and meet dukes and princesses.

Youre all the princess I need, Gigi. We need to watch our backs. If we dump these all at once, or even in big batches, well be dead within a week. We gotta lie low a little while longer. Just be patient. When the coast is clear, I promise Ill buy you the most beautiful house with the most beautiful view in the whole world.

Tommy sold off a few of the smaller stones one by one for less than they were worth but more than enough to fill the truck with gas, pay for meals and rooms along the way, and build up a little cash reserve. But living on the run wasnt Gigis cup of bathtub gin.

One evening, in a hotel in Chattanooga, Tennessee, she pressed up against him. Baby, you need to buy me a real home, or one morning me and that truck are gonna be gone.

I should have never taught you to drive.

She wrapped her lips around his earlobe and teased it with her teeth. Buy me a house and youll never have to worry about a thing.

The next day, Tommy found a buyer for ten coins the most he dared sell at one time. He tucked $200 in his front pocket then drove south til the road ended.