Read Online Cherokee by Giles Tippette - Free Book Online Page A

Kansas City drummer waiting at the hotel in Blessing?”
    She gave me a punch in the ribs. I said, “Owww.”
    She said, “Justa, this trip is a little different, don’t you think? I objected, and still object to those trips you took where there was every chance you’d be coming home with a bullet in you. Now all you’re doing is running an errand for your daddy.”
    I gave a dry little laugh. “Darling girl, a saddlebag with twenty-five thousand dollars can draw more attention than a hundred-dollar bill in a whorehouse. And if you think this part of the country ain’t civilized, you ought to see Oklahoma.”
    â€œNobody will know you have it if you don’t go to flashing it around. That seems like a simple enough thing to do.”
    â€œYou know how much that much gold weighs? Right around sixty pounds. How are you suppose to lug it around? Put it in a sack and tell folks it’s hymnals?”
    She ignored that. “What do you suppose Howard means about what Charlie Stevens can tell you that he won’t?”
    â€œThat’s got my curiosity up also.” I turned toward her. “Probably the main reason I’m going.”
    â€œWell, I suppose if you have to ... Justa, what are you doing?”
    â€œYou don’t know by now?”
    â€œMister, you certainly have your nerve going around . . . Ooooooh!”
    Â 
    I went into town the next morning, going straight over to the bank. Bill Simms was the president. I eased into his office and as soon as we got the necessary remarks out of the way I told him what I wanted. It kind of took him by surprise. He took off his glasses and wiped them and said, “Mister Williams, let me get this straight. You want twenty-five thousand dollars in gold coins or bullion by day after tomorrow?”
    I nodded. “Yes, Bill. And I want you to do it yourself. I’ll pick it up after the bank closes. What I’m trying to say is that the fewer people know about this the better.”
    He put his glasses back on. He was a small fussy man in his early forties who’d been running the bank for at least ten years. “Mister Williams, I’m not even sure we’ve got that much in gold coins. We don’t have any bullion. You couldn’t take part of it in paper money?”
    I shook my head. “Bill, I know you feel like you ought to get an explanation and I’d like to give you one. But I can’t. The business I’m going to be doing has got to be done in gold. Let’s just say the parties don’t trust paper money.”
    He looked perplexed. “Who wouldn’t take U.S. government currency? It’s recognized all over the world. I—”
    â€œBill,” I said, “don’t worry your mind about it. Just get it. Today is Wednesday. I’ll come in after three o’clock on Friday and pick the money up. I’ll bring my own containers.”
    He looked as disapproving as a banker could. “You plan to go riding around with that amount of money? In gold?”
    I looked at him.
    â€œWell, of course, Mister Williams. It is your money. Far as that goes, it’s your bank. What, ah, what account do you want it debited against?”
    I hadn’t thought about that part of it. By rights I should have talked to Norris first, but I hadn’t. I gave it a moment’s consideration. Ben wanted some blooded Thoroughbred stock. Animals like that ran high. I said, “Charge it to the horse herd account. If there’s not enough in it, bleed off the rest out of the general funds account.”
    He said, “Yes, sir.” I got up and went up to the second floor to Norris’s office.
    Norris was behind his desk wearing a gray summer seersucker suit. Even though it was fall, it was ninety degrees outside and not a hell of a lot cooler in the building. I pulled up a chair, and Norris obliged me by looking up from his work and giving me his attention.