Richard Stark_Parker_02 by The Man & the Getaway Face

Author:The Man & the Getaway Face [Man, The & Face, the Getaway]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Criminals, Mystery & Detective, Crime, Fiction, Suspense, General, Parker (Fictitious Character), General Interest, Hard-Boiled, Detective and Mystery Stories, Suspense Fiction
ISBN: 9780745193175
Publisher: Chivers Large print (Chivers, Windsor, Paragon & C
Published: 1981-01-02T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

SATURDAY, Handy went shopping around in different stores and pieced together a dark blue guard's uniform. That afternoon, to keep Skimm and Alma happy, they all got together and made a timed dry run of the getaway.

Alma and Skimm jumped into the Dodge and went bumping off into the scrub back of the diner, and Parker and Handy pushed the Ford south on 9. They were to go south on 9, turn right on 516 to 18 and then left on Main Street and on to the farmhouse. Alma and Skimm were coming around the back way, down the Amboy Turnpike. That's the way it was being done today, with everybody playing games and being serious about it, and Skimm the only one who thought it was for real.

When Parker and Handy got to the dirt road turn-off to the farmhouse, the green Dodge was already there, parked on the shoulder of the road; Parker stopped behind it and kept his motor running. He didn't like the two cars together like this, so close to the time of the job.

Skimm came over from the Dodge and leaned in the window. "How'd it go?"

"Sweet," Handy said. "No problems."

"We ought to run through it again," Skimm said.

Parker shook his head. He was disgusted because he had to play a part when he should be concentrating on the job.

"Alma doesn't want to either," Skimm said.

"She's right," Handy answered.

"We'll go into the farmhouse," Parker said.

Skimm went back to the Dodge, and Parker turned the Ford across the road and went up the dirt track and around the tree and down to the farmhouse, He parked in back, and he and Handy got out and stretched. Then Parker went inside and took the automatic from the card table and unbarred the door. He kicked the door and stepped back. "Come on out."

Stubbs came out. He didn't have anything in his hands, and he wasn't watching for a chance to jump Parker. He'd stopped all that four or five days ago, around the same time he'd stopped shaving.

Parker had brought him shaving gear the third day, and for a while Stubbs had shaved every day or so, but now he'd stopped. His beard was spiny, dark brown flecked with grey. His mouth looked dirty too, with spittle caked white on the lips, and he kept his eyes half-closed against the light.

When Parker told him to go on outside in the air, he shuffled, keeping his arms at his sides. His movements were getting shorter and more economical every day.

When Stubbs and Parker came out, Alma and Skimm were standing with Handy, talking. Stubbs stopped and looked at them, blinking some more. He'd been at the farmhouse twelve days now, and this was the first he'd seen more than one person at a time.

Parker held the automatic loose at his side. "Wait around," he said, "but don't go near the cars."

Stubbs walked around, in a large ragged circle. His shuffling made the white sand kick up around his feet.

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