Copyright © 2004 D.B. Anderson All rights reserved
At first
light of dawn, after the horrific fire had totally devastated Osgood Bentley's
wagon and furniture factory, Adonis and Flurrie felt it somewhat unseemly to
even consider stealing gems or paintings from his mansion. They discussed it over a breakfast of
buckwheat pancakes drenched in melting freshly churned butter, maple syrup,
sizzling bacon, black coffee and a huge piece of cooled pumpkin pie. The Hotel Platte dining room was near
deserted at nine in the morning. The
morning chief was a short heavy-set young woman, blond-haired, blue-eyed,
wearing a constant smile and continuously hummed some sort of a lilting
Scandinavian fjord melody. She appeared
to be in her early twenties and she made no effort to hide the fact that she
had her eye on Flurrie.
"I
understand you are an artist, Mr. Peoples," she said with a very slight
Nordic accent, pouring them a second cup of the wonderfully odorous coffee, and
as she poured she leaned her ample twin peaks into Flurrie's shoulder.
Flurrie's
hand trembled as he attempted to eat another bit of his pie. "Yes!"
"He
is quite an excellent artist," Adonis quickly spoke trying to cover his
friend's obvious state of fluster.
"Why not ask him to sketch your lovely face?"
Flurrie
quickly gazed up at her. "I will be
pleased to profile you."
She began
to giggle. "My name is Hedda. I finish work at ten-thirty this
morning. I can wait for you in front of
the hotel."
Flurrie
waived his right hand in a negative gesture.
"We have several appointments to sell railroad stocks and bonds
today. Perhaps tomorrow."
She
covered the cheeks of her face with her hands.
"I am so impressed! You sell
stocks and bonds and are also an artist!"
She suddenly blushed. "I'll
wait for you at ten-thirty tomorrow morning.
I will send the drawing home to my parents in
Suddenly
the hotel manager appeared at the table.
Hedda glanced at him in discomfort and quickly moved back to the
kitchen.
"Gentlemen," the manager spoke placing two slips of paper on
the table in front of Adonis. "I
have two enquiries from the placard I had made up for your Adonis
"Ten
dollars per lead?" Adonis questioned.
The hotel manger glanced away feigning indignity. Adonis slipped a twenty-dollar bill from his
vest pocket and placed it on top of the two slips of paper. "We appreciate your help."
The
manager beamed with delight.
"Anything I can do for you gentlemen. Anything at all. I have many contacts. I am at your service."
Adonis
nodded. "Thank you. We will be in contact. Do keep up the excellent work." The manger quickly tucked the twenty-dollar
bill in his coat pocket and scurried back to his office. Adonis gazed at
Flurrie and chuckled. "My original
deal with him was for five dollars per
sales lead but maybe we can use him for other tasks in the future. We have to keep our foot soldiers
happy."
Flurrie
nodded in agreement. "Righto, now
just what pray tell is your Lordship's decision on the Bentley mansion
heist? Tonight? Tomorrow night?"
Adonis
chuckled again. "You know I have to do this, don't you? I totally despise the uncaring rich."
"Yes," Flurrie replied in an empathetic tone. "Especially after their kind so
disgracefully ruined your father's business in
Adonis
actually pounded his fist on the tabletop.
"And also stripped him of his pride. They are total filth, working young children
and adults to death in their factories and I take great pleasure in depriving
them of the most treasured items from their collections."
"I'm
with you. You know that," Flurrie
replied somewhat surprised at his friend's sudden outburst.
"I
apologize. It is something festering in
my very soul." Adonis said, taking
a deep breath. "I'll check on the
mansion tonight to see how long the lights are burning, what the ingress and
egress is and so forth."
"Osgood Bentley mentioned his wife is visiting her mother in
"Yes," Adonis agreed, "but he will probably be tired out
from planning to rebuild his wagon factory after the terrible fire. Let's work the heist tomorrow night. I'll
notify Ol' Johnny to have his carriage ready."
Flurrie
suddenly beamed with pleasure. "Not
to forget, I have the appointment this morning with Paul Parnassus at The Dab
Hand Gallery. I'll be taking my art work
in for the showing he is setting up for me on next weekend."
"Excellent. Let's have
breakfast again tomorrow morning and confirm our plans." Adonis smirked, glancing back at the kitchen
area. "Perhaps Hedda will give you
an extra portion of pumpkin pie."
"Hmmphh..." Flurrie groaned arising and moving to the lobby
and up the grand stairway to their quarters on the second floor.
Flurrie
scurried around the suite as he gathered up his eight paintings and twenty
sketches and he carefully wrapped them in a bed sheet, tying its four corners
into a type of carrying handle. He
placed the sack over his back and merrily made his way out of the suite and
almost danced down the winged stairway to the lobby.
The
Manager stood in complete confusion as he watched his esteemed guest laboring
under the weight of the bulky bundle.
"Might I obtain some help for you, Mr. Peoples?"
"No,
no," Flurrie gaily responded.
"I'm just fine, and I'll return your bed sheet later."
The Manger
glanced away with a smug look and muttered to himself. "Common salesman..."
Flurrie
spent the rest of the day helping Peter Parnassas paint the walls of his Dab
Art Gallery in a ferocious puce colored deep dried blood shading which he
guaranteed would gather the attention of the guests to Flurrie's atmospheric paintings and breathtaking
portrait sketches of twenty exquisite women he had randomly sketched. Flurrie then helped Paul to frame and hang
his artwork and while so doing they drank copious amounts of a Greek mountain
wine and Paul sang passionate Grecian songs.
Flurrie left the gallery at about eight in the evening and stumbled down
the street to the Platte Hotel just several doors away.
He woke up
in the middle of the night in complete darkness. He arose from the bed and tripped on
something, falling to his knees. A door
suddenly opened forcing in an intruding beam of blinding light. Flurrie glanced up at the outline of a rotund
silhouette.
"Are
you all right, Mr. Peoples? You fell
down the hotel's winged stairway three times.
I heard the commotion and carried you into my room here at the rear of
the hotel."
'Hedda!" Flurrie exclaimed.
She
reached over and easily lifted him to a standing position, keeping her arm
around his waist to steady him. "I
will help you to your suite now."
Flurrie
shook his head. "I am so
embarrassed. I usually don't drink like
that. I was at The Dab Hand Art Gallery
down the street and helped set up my exhibit for next week's showing,
and..."
"Easy... Take a deep
breath. I'm here to help you," she
lovingly consoled.
He glanced
down at her arm around his waist steadying him from falling again. It felt marvelous, exciting. The scent of lilac wafted from her blond
hair. He then noticed the bed he had
arisen from. "Perhaps if I could
lie down a bit longer..."
Hedda
laughed, backing away from him.
"No, no. It's time for you to go up to your suite," she
chuckled, opening the door to the hallway.
"Will
you help me upstairs?"
"I
think you are doing just fine now," she said with a smile.
Flurrie
began to limp. "I think I've
twisted my ankle. I'm quite lame. You wouldn't throw a lame man out? I am in horrible need!"
"So
am I," she chuckled, poking her head outside her room to the empty back
hallway of the hotel. All was
quite. Flurrie stuck his head out to see
what she was looking at and she pushed him back into her room.
At five in
the morning she made him go up to his suite.
"I have to prepare the kitchen ovens and pots and pans for
breakfast. Hurry up to your room before
someone discovers us together. I can't
afford to get fired."
Flurrie
wrapped his arms around her full body caressing and kissing her. She returned the emotion and then pushed him
out the door. "I'll see you later,
my little Kringle."
A knock on
his bedroom door woke Flurrie from a sound sleep. The sun was blazing in the window. He heard Adonis voice on the other side of
the door. "Let's forget about
breakfast this morning. Let's meet here
at eleven tonight and discuss our midnight appointment."
"Very
good," Flurrie responded in relief, tucking his aching head under the
pillow.
Adonis and
Flurrie departed the Platte Hotel at eleven-thirty that night dressed in black
clothing. They were silent as they
strolled to the end of the block where Ol' Johnny was waiting with his carriage
to transport them to their appointed heist. Just a few blocks West of their location the nightlife district was in full swing
with raucous piano music serenading not only the drinkers, gamblers, and love
makers, but also everyone else in a several block area.
“Noisy
lot,” Flurrie mumbled.
Adonis
pointed upward. "Clear skies, full
moon lighting everything in its path.
Disgusting weather.”
Flurrie
chuckled. "Mother Nature has no
consideration for thieves in the night."
Ol' Johnny
waived down to them from his driver's seat.
After they comfortably settled themselves in the carriage Adonis tapped
his walking cane on the frame of the carriage and they were quickly and almost
silently transported along several side streets to the tree lined mansion row
of Omaha. Ol' Johnny slowed the carriage
as they passed the Osgood Bentley mansion.
"There
is our destination. Italianate white
stucco walls," Adonis commented.
"The house is dark."
Ol' Johnny
stopped the carriage under an aged oak tree with its limbs spreading far and
wide to provide a perfect hiding place in the shadows of night. Adonis and Flurrie moved along a perimeter
line of hedges offering them some secrecy and then the duo quickly made their
way to the rear garden area of the Bentley mansion. In a matter of a seconds Adonis had jimmied
the lock of the French doors and they found themselves in a medium-size room
containing books, stuffed wild animal trophies, and a wall displaying hunting
rifles, knives, and swords.
"Very
impressive," Flurrie mumbled.
“Don't be
too impressed. His type usually does
this for show only," Adonis responded cynically.
They
methodically searched the room for a wall safe, but found none. Suddenly a strange shadow appeared and then
disappeared at the outside the French doors.
It was a short very rotund figure, wearing a top hat with a feathered
plume. They quickly hid behind an
overstuffed leather-covered sofa. The
roly-poly figure moved swiftly and methodically through the room to the hallway
door, listened at the door, then opened it and silently disappeared. They gazed at each other in complete
astonishment.
"Incredible,” Adonis whispered.
“It's our competition...the Pumpkin Man.
Let's stay put. I wish to see
what he does next.”
Within
five minutes the rotund figure made its way back through their proposed heist
area, and through the open French doors.
The figure moved very swiftly for its size and shape through the Bentley
backyard and they visually followed his silhouette through several adjoining
backyards, its form curiously silhouetted by the light of the full moon.
Adonis
shook his head. "Well, old chum,
there is a first time for everything."
"This
is totally unbelievable," Flurrie responded almost too loudly.
"Now
back to the business at hand," Adonis ordered, moving to the
fireplace. "There is an old adage
amongst us cracksmen; When there is no
wall safe, check the fireplace."
"What?" Flurrie questioned.
Adonis
began running his hands over the finely carved mahogany just below the
mantelshelf of the fireplace. His
fingertips moved quickly and expertly over the carved hunting scene running the
length of the fireplace. He then began
to move his fingers down the right side molding and then he stopped short. He smiled as he pushed on a short section of
the molding and a hidden drawer slid open just under the mantelshelf. He quickly reached in and removed a small
cloth sack and slipped it into his pocket without viewing the contents.
"Hurry," he whispered.
"Let's rush from here.
Danger is in the air."
They
swiftly and silently exited the French doors, leaving them wide open on
purpose, and began moving along the perimeter line of hedges to the
street. Suddenly a light brightened an
upper window of the mansion. They
scampered to Ol' Johnny's waiting carriage and were quickly transported from
the scene.
Adonis
poured he and Flurrie a very large brandy as they rested on the couch in the
security of their sitting room in the Presidential Suite of the Platte
Hotel. Neither even bothered removing
their outer suit jackets.
"Cheers," Adonis toasted, raising his glass.
Flurrie
nodded in agreement, raising his glass.
"To our encounter with the infamous Pumpkin Man." Flurrie then paused. "Curiously, the scent of lilacs seemed
to flow behind him as he passed us in the dark.
Did you catch the scent?"
"Yes
indeed. A very distinct garden scent but
then being a pumpkin his home would
be in a garden somewhere," Adonis teased.
"Good
Lord, man! Aren't you awash in the
mystery of it all?"
"Righto, but first let's see what we have here," Adonis
questioned, reaching into his suit coat pocket and slipping out the small cloth
sack he had purloined from the concealed drawer in the Bentley fireplace. He eagerly poured out several mixed size
gems, including two very large diamonds.
"All easily worth one hundred thousand dollars or more.” He then stared seriously into Flurrie's
widened eyes over the sight of the gems.
"I must admit I have a very curious feeling about this entire heist." He looked away. "I can't explain it."
"Do
you think we were taken advantage again by the committee? As was the case
when we purloined the Prussian Royal Family jewels from Paul Schmidter, the
brewery owner?"
"Perhaps. We did heist his jewels without knowing we were
being guided into it by the committee. He wanted his jewels purloined so he might
receive the insurance money. What irked
me was the fact that all the committee
had to do was ask us to do the job, but instead engaged in subterfuge. They had to prove they have a superior
control over us."
"Yet,
we made out all right on that. We
received our 20% of the jewelry value.
It was business as usual."
Adonis
raised the index finger on his right hand.
"That may be it. We are
becoming far too casual about all of this." Adonis wagged his finger in a scolding
manner. "If caught we would be the
ones going to jail for several years. We
would be the individuals standing there with out fists full of purloined
jewelry. The committee, whom ever they
are, would not be involved in the least bit.
And we might be sequestered for ten to twenty years rotting our young
manhood away."
Flurrie
shuddered. “What do you suggest?"
'We have
been rather lackadaisical in committing our heists. Let's plan them out in greater detail,
including what to do if one or the other of us gets caught. Let's formulate a contingency plan for each heist.
And I despise saying this, but lets do carry our Derringers at all times
incase violence would ensue."
"I don't
like the sound of that!" Flurrie stated in a somewhat rattled tone. "I don't know if I would care to injure
anyone during a heist!"
"Don't misunderstand, we may most certainly continue doing things
as we have been but with the addition of the prospect for violence. I am quite apt with my walking cane and you
certainly are proficient in bare-knuckle boxing, and we will have our
Derringers for back up. That should take
care of any unforeseen bumps in the night."
Flurrie
released a deep sigh. "I hate this
kind of discussion. It takes the
romantic adventure out of being a society thief.”
Adonis
sipped from his brandy and then smiled.
"We do have the advantage of operating in the frontier settlements
of our country in its move west. The law
is basically loose and they are far more interested in jailing drunks and bank
robbers, rather than a pair of sophisticated jewel thieves as
ourselves."
Flurrie
gulped on his brandy. "Valid
point," Flurrie agreed, taking another gulp of brandy. "Every job has its pitfalls. One must be alert at all times." He then shook his head. "Money wise, I can't believe I have
several thousands of dollars hidden in my sock drawer and all accumulated in
the last few months."
Adonis
suddenly chuckled. "Not your sock
drawer, of all places."
Flurrie
broke into laughter. "Just joking;
some Canadian humor. I certainly don't
mind telling you that I keep my profits hid in my derelict appearing wooden
paint kit. No one would bother stealing
the scratched paint smeared wooden box."
He paused. "I obtained the
idea from the totally disreputable sea chest you keep in your office in
Milwaukee. I remember when the draymen
first brought it; I thought it was some sort of mistake. You informed me that you kept it because if a
thief saw it standing on a railway depot platform that he would pass it up for
some expensive appearing luggage."
"Disguise is always useful," Adonis mused, pouring them each
another glass of brandy.
"Speaking of disguises..." Flurrie inquisitively
commented. "This Pumpkin Man is
really a very incredible chap. He is
short, squat, fast on his feet."
“Perhaps HE is a SHE," Adonis reasoned, sipping his brandy. "Remember the scent of lilacs when IT passed us in the dark?"
Flurrie
suddenly froze in place.
"Lilacs!"
Adonis
grinned. "Now what?"
Flurrie
excitedly pointed in a downward motion.
"Her! She!"
"Calm
down, man! You'll have a stroke,"
Adonis warned, patting Flurrie on his right shoulder. "Easy..."
"Hedda wears a lilac scent in her hair. She is short, a bit heavy set, in great
physical condition."
Adonis
broke into laughter again. "Well,
you would certainly be the authority regarding her physical stamina."
Flurrie
pounded his fist on the tabletop in front of them. "This is serious! And it all fits. The physical description. Her agility..."
"Do
go on..." Adonis teased, leaning towards Flurrie. "I want a full dossier of her
prowess."
Flurrie
then nervously joined in the laughter beginning to feel the effect of the third
brandy rolling down his throat.
"Laugh, but I'm the one that can brag that I stayed the night with
the infamous Pumpkin Man."
Adonis
broke into uncontrollable laughter reaching out and shaking Flurrie's
hand. "Congratulations, old
chum. I’ll make sure that is published
in the gossip column of the local paper.”
Flurrie
then became meditative. "I must
investigate this further. I do like
Hedda...quite a bit."
"She
is very lovely,” Adonis said. “And if she is this Pumpkin character she
does it quite well."
Flurrie
gazed intently at Adonis. "I will
not rest until I know."
"If I
can help out in any way, do let me know.
There is an old saying that it
takes a thief to catch a thief."
Flurrie
nodded. "I just may call on
you. I need time to cipher this
out."
"What
of your one man show at the Dab Hand Gallery?
Is it all set for next Saturday night?
I've asked around about the gallery owner Peter Parnassas and I understand
he is quite a promoter and salesman, and panders to the distaff side of the
local gentry."
Flurrie
beamed with pleasure. "There is another strange aspect of all
of this. By becoming a thief my art
career has positively flourished."
"Propinquity, old chap, and my motto Confidence wins the day!"
At eight
the next morning Flurrie rushed down to have breakfast in the Platte Hotel
dinning room extremely anxious to converse with Hedda. He lay awake for the last few hours laboring
over the fact if she was indeed the Pumpkin Man thief or not. He wondered how he might extract the
information from her without giving away the fact that he and Adonis were also
thieves, crouched behind the couch in the very room she entered to commit her petty
theft. The lilac scent of her hair was
unforgiving. Yet, he found it impossible
to say nothing at all. He had grown very
fond of her. Yet again, was it any of
his business? Hedda was delighted to see
him gazing intently in her
direction. She scurried to his table.
"Where have you been?" she asked in a whisper. "I've been watching for you." She pretended to write up his breakfast order
on her pad of paper. "I have
something extremely important to discuss with you. It is frightening." She then glanced up to see the hotel manager
arrive at the front desk. "The
vulture has arrived."
Flurrie
began to turn around to see whom she was talking about. "Extreme importance? What vulture?"
"No,
no! Don't turn around. It is the manager. Meet me in the rear of the hotel at
ten-thirty this morning. I have to see
you." She paused, her expression
falling into despair. "Flurrie, I
know..." she said, as she drifted to the kitchen door.
"You
know? I'm the one that knows!"
The manager
then entered the dinning room and sat at a table in front of the bay window
facing the Platte River. He nodded his
head to Flurrie in acknowledgment.
Flurrie nodded back. Hedda
silently served Flurrie a full breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausages, mashed
potatoes soaking in melted butter, coffee and a piece of warm Danish pastry.
Flurrie
sniffed in her direction as she served him.
"I love that scent of lilacs in your hair," he whispered.
"Not
now," she whispered in return. She
then remained very business-like treating him as a customer only.
Flurrie
stood near the back door of the hotel at ten-twenty and waited in immense
indecision for her to exit. He wondered
again if he should confront her as being the Pumpkin Man thief or not. It was probably all some fantastic
coincidence. At exactly ten-thirty the
door swung open and she ran to Flurrie burying herself in his arms. "We must
speak of something. Let's stroll from
here."
She was
still wearing her white chief's dress but had placed a black velvet jacket over
her bodice and she wore a tan straw hat with a short black feather tucked into
its navy blue ribbon band.
She gazed
up in a mixture of confusion and disappointment. "Are you a common thief?"
"What
are you talking about?"
"Flurrie I saw you and your partner running along the hedges of the
Bentley mansion last night. I also saw
him jimmy the lock on the French doors and then you two entered the study
room."
Flurrie's
face flushed red. "Then you are the Pumpkin Man. It was the
lilac scent from your hair that gave you away.
You should be more careful!"
She
paused. "Strange, I never gave my
perfumed hair a second thought."
She then stopped short, grasping Flurrie's right arm. "You were in the Study Room in the
dark?"
"Adonis and I were crouched behind the couch, but if you knew we
were in the house why did you enter?"
Hedda's
forehead wrinkled. "I don't
know. I hoped to see what you two were
up to."
Flurrie
stopped short and took Hedda in his arms.
"This is absolutely insane.
Hedda, I love you."
She began
to cry. "I'm frightened, and I love
you. Let's walk down by the river. We have a lot to talk about."
Flurrie kissed her and then snuggled his head next to her head. Suddenly a wagon full of men passed them and they whistled and teased as they waived their hands and arms at the lovers. Flurrie and Hedda broke into laughter and ran towards the river.
The next
day Flurrie felt decidedly nervous in facing his friend, confidant, and partner
Adonis with the news that he had confessed to Hedda their side venture of being
society thieves. Secondly, he would also
partake the news that Hedda was the local almost legendary Pumpkin Man
thief. Thirdly, he would also tell his
friend that he and Hedda were in love.
Adonis sat
silently as Flurrie spewed forth the news items in a rambling, jittery tone.
"Please say something. I
have betrayed you, dear friend."
"No. No, not at all,"
Adonis responded picking up his walking cane.
He began fencing with his imaginary foe.
"She certainly is your type."
"I am
very serious about her."
Adonis
shook his head in doubt. "She now
knows we are thieves, and we have verified she is a thief."
"It
balances out, doesn't it?" Flurrie asked.
"I
guess it does at that," he agreed, staring into Flurrie's confused
eyes. "Flurrie, I'm afraid I have
some terrible personal news. I have
received a telegram from my mother that my dad has passed away."
"Oh, no! Adonis!" Flurrie said in shock placing
his arm over his friend's shoulders.
"Terrible news! I am so
sorry."
"I am
leaving for Boston tonight. I may be
gone for at least four months. Will you
maintain the railroad stock and bond agency until I return?"
"I
will take care of everything on this end.
Not to worry. Take all the time
you need."
"I
will be back," Adonis stated in a positive tone. "I would prefer to be alone
now."
"Most
certainly."
“I'm
afraid I will miss your art gallery opening night this Saturday."
“Hedda and
I will see you off at the station."
"No. I prefer to be left
alone."
Flurrie
backed away from Adonis in respect.
"Hedda would like to meet you."
"When
I return.”
"I'll leave you then. I'm taking her on a picnic near the
river."
Adonis
grinned ever so slightly. "Good
luck, old friend. I shall enjoy trading theft tales with her when I
return." He reached over and shook
Flurrie's hand and then entered his bedroom and closed the door almost
silently.
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