Twice Tempted by William Manchee

Chapter Eight

Several weeks later Maria and I were sitting under a tree in front of the UCLA library having a late lunch. It was a pleasant October day as the morning fog had finally given way to the warm rays of the sun. I was relaxing with my head in Maria’s lap. The sweet aroma of her body was intoxicating. I could have lingered there all day. She was running her fingers through my hair as we discussed what to do on the weekend.

"I've got to study a lot this weekend," Maria warned.

"You can take time out to go to the Dodger game can't you?"

"Maybe. What time is it at?"

"Three o'clock, but we'll have to leave at one-thirty to make it there on time."

"Okay, but that's about all I will be able to do this weekend. I've got a biology test on Monday."

"You've got to eat, don't you?"

"Not necessarily, but it would be nice."

"And I can't imagine you missing mass."

"No. I wouldn't dare miss mass; God might punish me by letting me flunk my biology test."

"Okay then, I'll take you to mass at 10:30 and then I will buy you lunch. That way you won't starve, God will help you pass your biology test and I won't have to go a whole day without seeing you."

"Do you always get what you want?"

"Of course, I am going to be a lawyer."

"I hate to mention this, but it's three o'clock. You'd better get moving or you’re going to be late for work."

"No, don’t make me go. I'd rather stay here with you."

She laughed and shook her head. "Come on you lazy bum. . . . Get out of here, I don't want you to get in trouble."

I sighed. "Okay, I am gone."

After I kissed her, I took off. It was twenty-five minutes to downtown so I had to hustle. When I arrived Jim threw me my keys and said, "Better get rolling Fred you're five minutes late already. I don't want to be waiting around all night for you again tonight."

"What. . . . your lady friends complaining again?"

"Not yet, but I don't want to get them started."

"Okay, you can count on me, I'll have you out of here on time, don't worry."

"Quit your bloody jabbering and get the hell out of here."

"Okay, au revoir."

I hit the San Bernadino Freeway and even though I was only five or ten minutes late traffic was already getting pretty heavy. I wasn't able to make up any time until I got out of San Bernadino and then only a few minutes. When I arrived at the Palm Springs branch I walked in the bank lobby and saw Candy at the end of the counter. She wasn’t smiling which made me feel uneasy. I felt I needed to apologize to her for running off the way I did at our last meeting. I approached her cautiously.

"Hi, Candy."

She forced a smile. "Hi, Fred."

"Hey, about the other day. . . . I’m sorry I was short with you. It's not that your idea wasn't enticing, because it was, believe me. Actually, I've given it serious consideration, but I just don't know if I could pull it off, it's just not me."

"I understand. You're just too much of a Boy Scout."

"Well, I don't know about that, but anyway, I hope we can still be friends."

"Sure, Maria is a lucky woman to have someone so faithful."

"Well, you certainly put my fidelity to the test."

"But you did turn me down, right?"

I paused a moment for reflection although it was a simple question with an obvious answer. Then words came out of me from nowhere. I said, "Well, for now."

"You mean there’s still hope?" Candy replied.

"There's always hope."

Candy gave me a calculating look and I knew immediately I was in trouble. What had I done? Why didn't I just tell her there was no chance in hell of this mistress idea ever happening? Why had I left the door open? I should have been upset with myself for how ineptly I had handled the situation, but somehow I didn't feel badly at all. She was the most desirable woman I had ever known and she had invited me to be her lover for godsakes! What else did I want, an engraved invitation? How could I close the door to such an exciting relationship? The fact was, I couldn't.

Up until tonight I had been able to analyze the situation with Candy somewhat objectively. It was obvious from my moral and religious training that any relationship with her was out of the question. Besides, I wasn't entirely sure that Candy's proposal was genuine as it had occurred to me she might just be teasing me, after all she was planning to be an actress. But tonight, Candy seemed genuinely hurt and disappointed that I had rejected her proposal. For the first time I was convinced she wasn't teasing me, she was absolutely serious.

I thought to myself, if I passed up this opportunity now I might regret it for the rest of my life. And what if what Candy was right? What if it were possible for us to have this relationship which would always remain our well-kept secret? How could I pass that up? Luckily, by the time I got to the Redding Branch I was starting to regain my senses. I had better go to confession tomorrow, I decided, for I had almost given my soul to the Devil.

But, if I thought my moral scrutiny for the evening was over I was woefully mistaken. As I drove into the San Bernadino Branch parking lot, I saw Sam Stewart leaning against his VW waiting for me. I looked at my watch and I was still running five minutes late.

"How's it going?" I asked. I wanted to say Santa but restrained myself.

"Can't complain, you're running late again I see."

"Yeah, I've been trying to catch up all night but haven't had any luck."

"Well, I reckon I should warn you, in a few weeks you'll be waiting for me every night?"

"Really, why's that?"

"Come November there’s gonna be lots of snow up there in them mountains around Arrowhead and Big Bear. Driving will be mean and it will be take a lot longer than usual to get down off the mountain."

"Well, I guess I'll bring a good book."

"You just might hit some there snow yourself between Palm Springs and Banning. Yeah, I used to have your route years ago and several times I got caught in some pretty mean snow storms."

"That should be fun."

I meant that seriously, snow fascinated me. I guess this was due to the fact that I saw so little of it living in California.

"Speaking of snow and the approach of Winter have you ever thought of playing Santa Claus during the holiday season? You'd be a natural, I am sure you could make a mint."

"Let me just ask you one question," Sam said. Have you ever had 200 snotty nosed kids coughing and sneezing all over you?"

"No, but it sounds like you have."

"You're damn right I have and it's no fun, believe me."

"Okay. . . . Just curious. I guess I better go. Jim's got some hot women he's meeting tonight and he already warned me not to be late."

"Jim has hot women after him every night, don't rush on account of him."

"That’s true. Okay, see ya later."

As Sam got in his car and drove off, I turned toward the bank, approached the front door and unlocked it. I locked the door behind me, as I always did, and then started to walk toward the place where the bags were usually left for me. It was dark and I couldn't see too well, but there was a night light that illuminated the bank enough so I could get around without running into furniture. I spotted the bags and walked toward them but as I scanned the bank lobby I noticed something odd. The bank vault appeared to be open. I wandered over to it and, sure enough, the massive steel door was wide open!

A million thoughts began to run through my head. How much money was in the vault? Is there any kind of alarm inside if someone were to walk in? Who would be so stupid to leave a bank vault open? Would anyone miss a thousand dollars or ten thousand dollars?

After starring in the vault for several minutes I knew the right thing to do was to call the motor pool and report to them that the bank vault was open. I picked up one of the bank phones and dialed the number. It rang several times.

"Hello, this is Sinclair."

"Mr. Sinclair, this is Fred Fuller."

"Fuller, what's wrong?"

"Well, I am over here at San Bernadino and someone has left the bank vault open."

"Oh shit! Okay, stay right there and I'll have someone over to the bank in just a few minutes."

"Okay."

"Thanks for calling, Fred."

After about fifteen minutes a dark blue Cadillac drove up. A short stocky man got out of his car and approached me. He seemed a little wobbly as he walked, his speech was slurred and he smelled of liquor.

"You Fuller," he asked.

"Yes, I replied."

"I'm Harvey Hamlin, the cashier here. I understand we have a little situation."

"Yeah. I noticed the bank vault was left open so I reported it to my supervisor."

"Well, aren't you Mr. Honest Abe."

"I thought if someone happened to look in and see the vault open it might be somewhat of a temptation."

"What? . . . You mean someone might want the 6.7 million bucks that's in there right now?"

"Is that how much is in there?"

"You're most certainly damn right. I counted it myself this afternoon."

"Damn! Isn't that a lot of money to be in a small branch like this?"

"Not when you got three major defense plants less than two miles away with 12,000 employees. On payday we can shell out two or three million easy."

"Six point seven million is a lot of money," I said "With the vault open like that could someone really just walk in there and take the money?"

"I don't know why not, the alarm isn't activated until I close the vault.."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you missed your opportunity Fred. You could have just walked in there and taken six point seven million dollars. Instead you called Sinclair. What a dumb ass!"

Mr. Hamlin went in to the bank, looked around and headed for the vault. He walked inside, I guess to check and see if all the money was still there, then he swung the heavy steel door around and pushed the vault closed. Then he turned the wheel on the front of the vault, which I later learned activated the locking system and the alarm.

"You can go now Fuller, The bank's money is safe."

"I know it's none of my business but I am curious about what happened. Why was the vault left open?"

"Your right, it's none of your damn business!"

"Okay. Okay. . . . Just curious. . . . No big deal."

"If you must know, my wife, she left me, she took the kids and she didn't even leave a note. Everyone had left and I was about to close the vault when my mother-in-law called and gave me the bad news. I was so upset I just dropped everything and left."

"Why did your wife leave you?"

"I guess she finally got tired of being married to a drunk."

"Gee Mr. Hamlin, I’m so sorry. I hope you find your family," I said.

"Thank you, I’m sorry I messed up your evening."

"You didn't mess anything up. I only lost about an hour, it's no big deal."

"Well you better get out of here, Sinclair is going to be looking for you."

"Okay, can you make it home all right?"

"Yeah, I am starting to sober up now."

"Good. See you later."

It was already 9 p.m. and I had nearly an hour to drive. I knew Jim was going to be furious so I raced home as fast I could, keeping a lookout for the California Highway Patrol. As it turned out, my race back was unnecessary as Jim had been sent home and Sinclair was waiting for me at the motor pool as I drove in.

"Did Hamlin show up?"

"Yes, Sir. He came about fifteen minutes after I called."

"Did you see him close the vault?"

"Yes, sir. He went inside, checked it out and then closed it."

"Good. Nice work, Fuller. It's good to know we have an honest employee."

"No problem, Sir."

It was too late to go see Maria so I went straight home. When I walked in Steve was watching TV. I went to the refrigerator and got a coke and then plopped myself down on the sofa.

"How was Maria tonight?" Steve asked.

"I don't know, I just got off work."

"How come you're so late?"

"You won't believe what happened."

"What?"

"The Cashier over at the San Bernadino Branch left the vault open with 6.7 million dollars in it."

"You've got to be joking!"

"I had to wait around for him to get his drunk-ass over to the bank and close the vault."

"He was really drunk?"

"Yeah. Plastered."

"I bet he was relieved that you discovered it open before someone robbed the bank."

"Not really, he said I was a dumb ass for not taking the money."

"Yeah, but they would have known you took it, wouldn't they?"

"Not necessarily, what if I took the money and then closed the vault."

"What about the alarm?"

"Mr. Hamlin says the alarm doesn't activate until the vault is closed."

"Too bad you didn't know all that before you discovered the vault open."

"You mean you think I should have taken the money?"

"Not really, but 6.7 million dollars is a lot of temptation," Steve said.

"Yeah, you could go just about anywhere in the world and live like a king for the rest of your life."

"But you would have to leave all your friends and family and you could never come back to the United States," Steve replied.

"Unless they didn't know you took the money."

"But, Hamlin would have remembered he left the vault open and told the FBI, don't you think?"

"That would be the big gamble, but I am pretty sure he would lie to save his ass. He wouldn't want anyone to know he did something as stupid as leaving the bank vault open. Besides he was so drunk he might not have known whether he left the vault open or not."

For a moment we both sat silently pondering the situation and what we could have done with $6.7 million. After several minutes, Steve smiled and then broke the silence.

"Well, it's a moot point now since the vault is closed and the money is safe. It's probably a good thing that you didn't know then what you know now or you might have taken the money and ended up ruining your life, not to mention Maria's.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I’m going to call Maria and then go to bed."

I went into my bedroom, dialed Maria's number and told the desk clerk I wanted Maria's room. He immediately rang her number. The phone rang several times.

"Hello."

"Hi, Babe."

"Hi, Fred. Where have you been? It's almost 10:30."

"I got slightly delayed at San Bernadino."

"What, they didn't have the bags ready again?"

"No, some idiot forgot to close the vault."

"How could someone forget something like that?"

"He had some domestic problems, his wife left him."

"So what did you do?"

"I called my supervisor and then had to wait for Mr. Hamlin to come and close the vault."

"Damn, I missed seeing you tonight."

My curiosity was aroused as to how Maria would have reacted if I had decided to steal the money. I wondered what she would have done had she been forced to choose between me and her family and friends. It was probably a cruel thing to ask her but I couldn't help it, I wanted to know.

"Maria, what would you have done if I had called you tonight and said I've got 6.7 million dollars and we need to leave the country tonight."

"I would have said you're crazy."

"I'm serious, the vault had 6.7 million dollars in it and all I would have had to do was walk in and take the money."

"Come on, you couldn't have just taken the money."

"Yes, I could have, the alarm is not activated until the vault is closed. Hamlin said I could have walked right in and taken the money."

"But they would have known you took it."

"That's my question. What if I called you and said I've got 6.7 million dollars and we need to leave the country tonight. What would you have done?"

"I would have said, good bye."

I sighed. "That's what I figured."

"Well, I am not going to leave my family and friends to go off to some third world country and hide the rest of my life."

"Don't you love me?"

"Of course I do. But the man I love is a decent, honest man, not a thief."

"Doesn't the thought of having 6.7 million dollars tempt you just a little?"

"No, I know that you will be making lots of money when you become a lawyer and I can wait. Anyway, I've always been told a law license was a license to steal, so be patient. Wait until you get a license before you start stealing other people's money."

"You're a real comedian."

She smiled. "I know, you're lucky to have me."

"Yeah, well I guess I better go do some studying or I'll never get that law license you're depending on so much."

"That's right, get to work."

"Okay. . . . Good night. Love ya."

"Love ya too. Bye."

By Monday I had managed to purge the 6.7 million dollar question out of my mind, however, when I got to Palm Springs Candy was waiting impatiently for me. "Well if it isn't the Boy Scout," she said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I heard about the open bank vault."

"Oh that."

"You just walked away from 6.7. million dollars?"

"First of all, I didn't know there was 6.7 million dollars in the vault nor did I know that the alarm wouldn't go off if I took the money."

"I’m sorry, it would have been just so fabulous had you been able to take that money."

"So, if I had called you Friday night and said I've got 6.7 million dollars, pack your bags, we're leaving the country, you’d of said-?"

"What time are you picking me up?"

"That's what I figured."

"What about your family and friends?"

"I'll have all the friends I'll ever need with that much money."

"What if you can never come back to the United States again?"

"With 6.7 million dollars we don't need the United States."

"What about your career?"

"We would have enough money to make our own movies."

"What if we got caught and you went to jail as an accomplice?"

"You're too smart to get caught, anyway, life wouldn't be any fun if you didn't take a little risk once and a while."

"One last question. How would I know I could trust you?"

"Like you say, I'd be an accomplice. My neck would be on the line too. So if you got caught I would get caught. And who knows, I might just fall in love with you."

"Wouldn't that mess up our business relationship?"

"Maybe, maybe I wouldn't care."

About that time the bank manager walked in and saw us talking. He looked at his watch and said, "Shouldn't you be half way to Beaumont by now?"

"Yeah, I am out of here, bye Candy."

"See ya, Fred."

Again I had been ambushed by Candy. She had a way of totally immobilizing me. She was so gorgeous and sexy I couldn't think rationally when I was around her. But when she told me she might fall in love with me that was a major jolt, . . . a 6.7 on the Richter Scale. If I thought Candy could really love me then that would change everything.

I couldn't take my mind off her all evening. How different she was from Maria. She lived in a totally different world. How could I choose between them? Deep inside I didn't want to choose, I wanted both of them. It was really a bizarre situation as Candy wouldn't care if I married Maria as long as I took care of her, but Maria would not share me with anyone. What a perilous existence that would be.

That night I had trouble sleeping. Life had become too complicated. I knew I should stay clear of Candy, but she excited me and I didn't know how long I could resist her.

Nine

Suddenly the phone rang awakening me from my reminiscing. There was no way in hell I was going to answer it. I looked again at the keys in front of me. My mind raced with every imaginable thought. I remembered in my commencement address I had quoted an old English philosopher who had said, "The thoughts of a man go over many things, holy, profane, clean, obscene, light and grave without shame or blame." What I had done so far was only to think and ponder something evil. There was no crime in that, but now I was forced to act. Now I had to choose between good and evil, right and wrong, or did I have a choice?

My mind began to rationalize. If I closed the vault and called an ambulance there would be lots of questions, probably some I couldn't answer. If no money was missing then I guess the whole incident might blow over but then again it might not. And how would I explain why Hamlin and I were in the bank so late? What if he were about to rob the bank or already had helped himself to some of the money. He was so pissed off at the bank examiner he might have decided to rip off the bank and take off to Mexico. What if they think I was his accomplice? Shit! If there is money missing, I will be the prime suspect.

Suddenly I was convinced that the events had gone too far to do anything but take the money. If I were likely to go to jail anyway, I might as well take a shot at becoming a rich man. I grabbed the keys and walked swiftly to the vault. I shone the flashlight inside and went straight for the gate. Angling the light down at the key ring, I surmised the largest key would have to be the one that would fit. I picked it out and shook the other keys out of the way. The key slid into the lock easily. As I turned it to the right I heard it click, so I pushed it forward and the gate swung open.

Inside the inner vault were stainless steel shelves upon which were neat stacks of $100 bills wrapped in bundles of 100. There were bags full of money apparently ready for transport to local businesses the next morning. It occurred to me that I should find some messenger bags in which to put the money. If someone saw me leaving with messenger bags they wouldn't be suspicious. I went outside the vault, looked behind the teller counters and sure enough there were two large bags. I grabbed them and went back into the vault. In just a few minutes I had unloaded the content of the vault into the two bags. They were very heavy. I dragged them outside and deposited them next to the bags that I was scheduled to bring into the data processing center.

After a minute of pondering my next move I went back to the vault, grabbed a towel, grasped the door of the vault with both hands and swung it around. Then I walked around in front of the vault and started to close it. Wait a minute, I thought, if I put Hamlin in the vault no one will find him until Monday. That will give me more time to get away if I decide to run. Quickly I ran back into the office where Harvey was lying on the floor. I grabbed him under the arms and dragged him down the hall, around the teller's windows and into the vault. I grabbed some packing tape that was laying on the counter and bound Hamlin's feet and hands. Just to finish off the job I put some tape across his mouth. My logic in doing this was to make the authorities think it was a professional bank robbery. After pushing the vault closed, I turned the security mechanism and held my breath that the alarm wouldn't go off. Nothing happened, so I let out a sigh of relief and considered my next move. I didn't want to make a mistake that would later give me away. The only thing I could think of was Hamlin's office. It needed to be straightened up and any prints wiped away.

After cleaning up Hamlin's office, I looked at my watch and saw it was 9:15. I had to get out of there immediately so I grabbed the bags and moved them near the front door, unlocked the door and then put the bags outside. After locking the front door again I carried the bags to the car and put them in the trunk. As I took one last look at the bank I wondered if I had left any clues as to what had happened.

Moving cautiously toward the parking lot exit, I looked around and prayed no one had seen me there at this late hour. Before long I was on the freeway heading back to the motor pool.

As I sped down the San Bernadino Freeway I wondered how I was going to account for being over an hour late. The logical thing would be some kind of car trouble. Let's see I could pull out a spark plug wire and then call AAA, but what if they sent someone from the motor pool out to get me. How would I get rid of the money? What if I ran out of gas? No, they wouldn't buy that since the car was filled up before I left. Then the perfect solution came to me.

I looked in my rear view mirror and saw that the road was clear behind me. I pulled over on the shoulder of the freeway, walked behind the Impala and pulled out my pocket knife. Knelling down, I opened out the hole punch and then stuck it firmly into the tread of the tire. Instantaneously one corner of the car began to sink as air rapidly escaped from the tire.

Immediately I pulled out the spare tire and began to change it. Luckily I had changed my own tires many times and was pretty good at it. When the task was complete, I threw the deflated tire in the trunk and sped off. At the next gas station I stopped to call Jim.

"Hello, motor pool," Jim said.

"Jim, this is Fuller," I replied.

"Where the Dickens are you, Fred?"

"I got a flat tire."

"Oh, what bloody rotten luck. Have you fixed it?"

"I had a bitch of a time, but it's fixed now."

"Where are you?"

"Just outside of Pomona, I should be back there about 9:45 or so."

"Okay, I'll tell Sinclair, he's been asking about you."

"Okay, see you in a few minutes."

Jim seemed to have bought my story pretty much so now all I had to do was get rid of the money before I checked into the motor pool. As I drove into downtown LA I began to worry how long it would be before someone missed Harvey Hamlin? Would they search the bank looking for him? What was going to happen Monday when they opened the vault? Would I be a suspect? Should I make a run for it during the night? I could be in Mexico or Canada long before Monday morning, but what about Maria? She said she wouldn't leave the country even to be with me.

Suddenly I looked up and I saw I was almost past my exit. I made a hard right, the tires screeched and I narrowly missed the yellow protective barrels in front of the dividing wall. Don't be stupid I said to myself, all I need now is to get into an accident with six million dollars in my trunk!

As I neared the motor pool I took a detour to where my car was parked. It was two blocks away and I was sure no one would be there at this hour. I pulled up next to my car, jumped out and took a look around. A car was driving by so I waited until it passed. When the street was clear, I opened the trunk of my Fairlane and then the Impala. In less than thirty seconds I had transferred the two bags full of money into the Fairlane's trunk. Then I immediately returned to the motor pool.

As I pulled in the driveway I noticed Jake had just pulled up to the gas pump. I was surprised to see him in the motor pool at this late hour so I decided to ask him what had happened.

"Sinclair put you back on a route I see?"

"It looks that way, doesn't it?" he replied.

"I didn't know there were any routes that came in as late as mine."

"Well, you don't know a lot of things, Fuller."

"I guess there's no chance you'll ever get that chip off your shoulder so we can be friends."

"There isn't a chip on my shoulder Fuller, I just don't like you."

"Well, if you ever figure out why, let me know, I'd be interested."

Before Jake could launch another verbal grenade at me, Jim walked out from Sinclair's office and said, "Hey, you made it?"

"Yeah, finally."

"Unload your cargo and then bring me your car."

"Okay."

I proceeded to unload the bags on the loading dock and then drove back over to the gas pumps. Jim took my keys and opened the trunk. As he examined the tire, I held my breath.

"Looks like you picked up a nail. I'll send it to the garage in the morning to be fixed."

"Okay, sorry I kept you late, see you Monday."

"Oh, before you go, Sinclair wants to see you."

"Sinclair?" I said.

"Yeah, he said to come by and see him before you left."

"Oh, okay."

After I picked my heart up out of my shoes I reluctantly wandered over to Sinclair's office. He was sitting at his desk filling out a report when I walked in.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Fuller, you had a rough night I see?"

"Yes, sir. I kind a did."

"Well, I am glad you know how to change a tire. Some of these drivers don't you know."

"Really, well I've had to change my own tires plenty of times so this was no big deal."

"Oh, thanks for calling us and telling us you were going to be late. We were worried about you and it was good to hear from you. You've got a lot of common sense for a kid your age?"

"Thank you, sir."

"Okay, have a good weekend."

"Yes, sir. See you Monday."

I turned to leave with a great since of relief when Sinclair started speaking again. "Oh, Fuller, you didn't happen to see Harvey Hamlin at San Bernadino did you?"

The question knocked the wind out of me. I hesitated a second to regain my composure. Then I turned around slowly and gave Sinclair a blank look.

"Hamlin. . . . The cashier at San Bernadino?" he repeated.

"No, sir. The bank was deserted when I got there. As a matter of fact it was pitch black too. I had to use my flashlight."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, the night lamp was out."

Sinclair gave me a pensive look. "Gee, that's strange."

"Why did you ask if I saw Hamlin?"

"Oh, his wife called looking for him. Apparently he didn't come home from work. He was probably out at some bar somewhere."

I shrugged. "Maybe so," I said.

Sinclair gave me a hard look that made me feel uneasy. I wondered what he was thinking. Then abruptly he said, "Okay, that's all Fuller, good bye"

"Thank you, sir. Good bye."

I walked quickly to my car, opened the door and fell into my seat. Now what? I looked at my watch and saw it was 10:10 p.m. Where should I stash this money. My apartment was out of the question. I couldn't leave it in my car obviously. What about Ventura at my parent's house? No, if the FBI came after me they might search all of those places. Where could I put the money so that no one could ever find it yet it would be kept safe for a later retrieval? What about a safety deposit box I thought. Wouldn't that be ironic, the bank's money is in the bank? No, that wouldn't work because there would be a record of me depositing the money into the safety deposit box the day after the robbery. That wouldn't be too cleaver.

There has got to be a better place. What about if I bury it somewhere, I thought. I could get a trunk, line it with plastic and bury it deep beneath the earth in some secluded place. Where is a good secluded place? Perhaps up in the mountains. No, better yet, the desert. Where in the desert? Suddenly I remembered Devil's Canyon. That was it! I hadn't been there for six or seven years but that would be the perfect place. No one would ever find the money at Devil's Canyon Mining Camp, if I could just remember how to find it.

I remembered that Devil's Canyon was about four hours from LA so I knew I had to be on my way. After starting the engine I took off toward the on-ramp to the freeway. Traffic was light at this time of night so I made good time. About ten minutes out of LA it occurred to me that Maria would be worried about me. I decided I better call her so I stopped at the next gas station.

"Hello," Maria answered.

"Baby doll, how are you?"

"Fred, what happened to you?"

"Nothing. I got a flat tire and didn't get back to the bank until late."

"Oh no! Are you all right?"

"Of course I’m all right. I know how to change a tire."

"I was so worried about you."

"Nothing to worry about, but I am kind of tired."

"Maybe you should go home and go to bed."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Okay, go home and go to bed and sleep late. I won't call you before eleven."

"Okay, you're the boss."

"Good bye, I love you."

"I love you too."

Luckily Steve was home in Ventura for the summer so I didn't have to worry about checking in with him. After I got back into the car I opened my glove compartment and took out a map of California. I mapped out the route to Devil's Canyon and continued my journey. For the first time that evening I began to relax as I got out onto the open road. Maybe everything would work out I told myself. After awhile it occurred to me that I hadn't eaten anything since lunch. Maybe I should call Candy and see if she's hungry since I'll be going right by her place. Wouldn't she be surprised?

The idea of seeing Candy excited me. Now that I was a bank robber what difference did it make whether I was faithful to Maria. She'd dump me anyway if she knew what I had done. It seemed strange that suddenly morality was no longer a factor in my life. How quickly my life had changed. If there was a hell I was surely destined to go there, but I wasn't feeling any remorse. I was excited and I felt like living it up.

When I got to Banning I stopped at a gas station and looked up Candy's phone number, dialed her number and waited.

"Hello," Candy said.

"Candy, this is Fred."

"Fred?"

"Yeah, Fred Fuller."

"Oh Fred, what's going on?"

"I was in town and thought maybe you would like to get something to eat. I haven't eaten since lunch and I hate to eat alone."

"Well, I already had dinner but I would certainly be happy to keep you company."

"Would you? That's great. Where do you live?"

"Why don't I meet you somewhere?"

"Okay, there's a Denny's right off the freeway, would that be okay?"

"Sure, I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Okay, Bye."

"Bye."

Now that we were actually going to meet, I began to wonder what I was going to say to her. What would be my excuse for wanting to see her? Where would I tell her I was going? I could tell her I was on my way to bury six million dollars in a mining camp in the middle of the Mojave Desert. That would certainly get her attention, but that would be a little risky at this stage of the game.

Without resolving my dilemma I jumped into my car and headed for Denny's. When I arrived I got a booth and waited. After about fifteen minutes she arrived. She was wearing a white halter top, red shorts and tennis shoes. When she spotted me she smiled brightly and walked briskly to my table.

"Hi, Fred."

"Hi, Candy."

"Gee it was sure a surprise to get a call from you tonight."

"I’m sorry I called you so late, but I was passing through town and thought of you."

"Well, it's about time you thought of me. I was beginning to think you didn't like me."

"No way, I think you're great. You just blew my mind with that incredible proposition you made."

"Well, perhaps I was a little premature in hitting you with such a radical idea."

"I was very flattered that you would consider such a relationship with me but I didn't know how to deal with the gravity of the proposal."

"I'm sorry, it must have really been a shock to you since we hardly knew each other."

"How could you know whether I could deliver my end of the bargain? You know attorney's don't always get rich overnight."

"That didn't concern me. You have an aura of success about you. Besides, even if you didn't get rich, I kind of like you and our time together wouldn't have been a total loss."

"Why is that the women in my life are so sure of themselves?"

"What do you mean?"

"Maria told her mother she was going to marry me the first day we met."

Candy smiled. "You see what effect you have on women."

The waitress came over and asked us what we would like. I ordered a cheeseburger and fries and Candy ordered a banana split.

"So what are you doing passing through Banning tonight?"

"Well. . . . Actually I came to see you."

"You came all the way out to Banning to see me?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I did."

"Well, I am glad you're here, but I must admit I am a little bit surprised."

"I am a little surprised too, but things have changed."

"Really?"

"Yeah, when you first hit me with your proposition, I went through a morality crisis."

"A morality crisis? You think I am immoral?"

"Well, I did at first but now I realize how little I know about morality."

"Oh. I am not sure I understand totally but I'm glad you're here anyway. So why did you want to see me?"

"I am seriously considering your proposal and I wanted to be sure you were serious for one thing. And, secondly, if you are then I guess we need to start getting to know each other better."

Candy smiled at me and began to laugh. "You little devil. I knew you'd come around."

"You knew I would? How is that?"

"I just did."

"You're amazing, I'd sure like to know what makes you tick."

"Shall we go to my place so you can find out?"

Looking at my watch I saw it was ten minutes to twelve. "Listen Candy, there is nothing in the world I would rather do than go to your place tonight and be with you, but unfortunately I can't. I have to get back right now. Can I get a rain check for Sunday night?"

"I suppose so," Candy said. "Although I really don't understand what's your big hurry."

"I know it's weird, but it is important that I leave. I'll explain it all to you some day soon."

"What time on Sunday?"

"How about four or five o'clock, we can spend the evening together. I'll take you to any restaurant you want?

"It's dangerous to give a woman carte blanc."

"I like to live dangerously. As a matter of fact my life is becoming more perilous each day."

"It's fun though, isn't it?"

"I haven't made up my mind yet."

"Don't worry, you're going to love it."

"Well, I've got to go." We both got up and walked outside to Candy's car. Before she got in, I put my arms around her and we kissed for the first time. It was incredible. When it was over she winked and said, "See you Sunday."

Candy drove off and I got back on the San Bernadino Freeway heading toward the desert. It took all night to get to Devil's Canyon, stash the money and then return. At 9:11 a.m. I walked through my front door, went directly to my bed and crashed. At precisely 11:00 a.m. Maria called, "Hi honey. How did you sleep?" "Like a log."

"How do you feel?"

"I am still pretty tired, I think I'll sleep a few more hours."

"Okay, but don't forget we've got Dodger tickets for this afternoon."

"Oh, that's right, the game's tonight and Drysdale still has his streak going. I'll pick you up at five okay."

"All right, go back to bed."

"Thanks, good night."

Maria didn't care much about baseball, but she tolerated it for my benefit. The previous week I had bought these tickets because Don Drysdale was working on a record for consecutive scoreless innings. There was an excellent chance that he would break that record tonight, so I really wanted to go to the game. I figured by five o'clock I would have recovered.

In talking to Maria I had momentarily forgotten the events of the previous day. Although it had only been a few hours since I returned home it seemed much longer. Had it all been a dream, I wondered, or perhaps wished? As I was leaving Devil's Canyon it had occurred to me that I might need some expense money so I stuck $7,000 in my coat pocket. I knew that if all of this had been a dream there wouldn't be $7,000 in my pocket. I climbed out of bed and walked over to the chair where I had thrown my coat. Slowly, I stuck my hand in the first pocket. It was empty. I felt a glimmer of hope as I gently stuck my hand in the other pocket, but it wasn't. I pulled out the two neatly rapped packets of $20 and $50 bills and starred at them. Yes, it definitely was not a dream.

Ten

By four o'clock I was awake and fully recovered from the fatigue of the previous day. As I started to move around, I tried to forget that yesterday ever happened. I had taken a class in psychology and learned that the mind was very good at repressing unpleasant thoughts. If I could put the whole affair totally out of my mind then I wouldn't be likely to do anything unusual that might attract attention. It was a pretty sure bet that the FBI would consider me a suspect and be watching.

My first concern was what to do with the $7,000. If I were found with it I would be linked to the robbery. In retrospect I wished I hadn't taken it as it seemed it was going to be difficult to hide. I couldn't leave it in my apartment or my car as they might get searched. Seven thousand dollars didn't seem like that much money so I thought about just putting it in my bank account, but then I might have to explain where I got it. After pondering different ideas the solution finally came to me. I would rent a private mail box, buy money orders with the $7,000 and then mail them to the box. When I needed money I would just go pick up what I needed and cash them. Since the box had a combination lock, I had no key and thus nothing to connect me to the box full of money orders.

With that problem worked out I was feeling pretty good when it came time to pick up Maria for the game. First, however, since I was now a millionaire, and feeling really guilty about my conversation with Candy the previous evening, I stopped at a jewelry store and bought Maria a present.

When I got to her dorm, she wasn't anywhere to be found. I went inside and used the house phone to call her room. She said she’d be right down.

The dorm was laid out like a resort hotel. There was a front desk, a large lobby area, a recreation room, cafeteria and elevators to all of the rooms. The dorm had two wings, one for the women and one for the men. There was no mingling of the sexes allowed and curfew on weekdays was midnight and 2 a.m. on weekends.

I sat down on one of the sofas in the lobby and began reading a magazine. It was a clear view to the elevators from where I was sitting. After a few minutes, one of them opened and Maria hurriedly walked out. She was wearing yellow shorts, sneakers and a blue UCLA T-shirt.

"Hi, Fred. Sorry I’m late but I couldn't get my hair to cooperate."

Maria had shoulder length, dark brown hair which she wore in a variety of styles. Today it was in a pony tail which was my favorite.

"Your hair looks great," I informed her.

"Thank you, you're a good liar."

"I’m not lying, you know I love it this way."

Maria smiled as we grabbed each other’s hand and starting walking toward the front door.

"Where do you want to go eat?" I asked.

"I don't know. What do you feel like?"

"It doesn't matter, you pick."

"Okay, I feel like Pizza."

"Okay, how about Shakeys?"

"Let's go."

We jumped in my car and took Santa Monica Boulevard all the way to Sunset and then went south toward Dodger Stadium. We stopped at Shakeys and went in. The waitress took us to a large red booth and we slid in next to each other as we always did. We ordered a large sausage pizza and drinks. I was excited about the baseball game as I had been an avid Dodger fan for as long as I could remember. Duke Snider was my sports idol and I was also very fond of Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax. Don Drysdale was pitching tonight against the Pittsburgh Pirates and had five straight shutouts to his credit. Tonight he had a shot at breaking the National League Record for consecutive scoreless innings.

"I hope Drysdale is sharp tonight so we can see him break the record."

"Is Drysdale a pitcher," Maria asked?

I looked at her incredulously and said, "Yes, surely you've heard of Don Drysdale, haven't you?"

"The name sounds familiar."

"He's just one of the greatest pitchers the Dodgers have ever had."

"Oh really?" Maria said.

"Yes, he is," I said as I gazed into her big beautiful brown eyes. Then I remembered the present. "Oh, I've got something for you."

"What?"

I pulled out a black velvet box and gave it to her.

"What is this?"

"Well open it and you’ll find out."

She opened the box, her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "Oh, a necklace! It's so beautiful. . . . You must have paid a fortune for this!"

"Do you like it?"

"I love it. Thank you," she said as she studied the necklace more closely. "Are those real diamonds?"

"Well, they're diamond chips."

"Gee, Fred. . . . How could you afford this? It's not even my birthday."

"Well, you deserve it, you've been so good to me."

Maria looked at me with a sexy smile, put her hand on my leg and then leaned over and gave me a tender kiss.

"You're so sweet, Fred. I love you."

With those words I suddenly felt sick. What had I done? How could I ever leave Maria? Tears began to swell in my eyes and I fought to hide my emotions. Maria sensed my anguish and said, "What's wrong Fred?"

"Nothing, I’m just so glad you liked your present. Just remember, no matter whatever happens to us, I love you."

Maria frowned. "What do expect to happen to us?."

"Nothing. . . . Nothing. . . . But you know . . . Either one of us could get run over by a bus tomorrow. Life in unpredictable."

She gave me a skeptical look. "You’ve never been a pessimist, Fred. What’s got into you?"

"Nothing. . . . Forget it," I said wishing I’d never brought up the subject. She shrugged and looked away.

When we had finished eating our pizza, we paid our bill and then drove to Chavez Ravine and Dodger Stadium. Maria was quiet. I was sure she knew something was awry. After parking we had to climb a long flight of stairs up to the stadium. The game was sold out as most everyone believed Drysdale would break the record that night. Drysdale was warming up when we took our seats along the third base line. I was very excited but Maria was only mildly interested in the game.

"What are we going to do tomorrow, Fred?" Maria asked.

"Oh, tomorrow. . . . Well, I suppose I better work on my government paper since its due next week. We can go to church in the morning but then I've got to hit the typewriter."

It was a lie but I couldn't think of anything better to excuse my absence while I was visiting Candy. I felt very guilty lying to Maria but I had convinced myself that it didn't make much difference anymore. After all I had totally compromised my integrity the previous night. It was only a matter of time before Maria would find out what I had done and it would be over between us.

When Drysdale reached fifty-six innings of scoreless baseball, the crowd was on its feet. The noise of the stadium was deafening. Maria however was still seated admiring her gift. "Maria, aren't you going to stand up and see history made?" I said.

"No," she said.

After the next batter was out the crowd went wild. Maria looked up and smiled at me. I sat down, put my arm around her and said, "I'm glad you're so excited about this historic event."

"I am excited about this historic event. This is the first gift you’ve given me just because you love me. I’m so happy, Fred."

"I’m glad," I said meekly. What had I done?

The next morning Maria and I went to mass at St. Monica's Cathedral on Wilshire Boulevard. We had gone by it several times and were awed by its magnificence. We decided to go to mass there so we could see the inside. We imagined that it must be something to behold and we were not disappointed. When we went inside, I suddenly felt uncomfortable sitting in the house of God knowing that I had just violated one of the ten commandments and committed a mortal sin.

A million thoughts crossed my mind. What would have happened had I just called Sinclair after Harvey Hamlin died in my arms? Would Sinclair and the FBI have believed what really happened? Or would they think Harvey and I were in the process of robbing the bank when he had his heart attack. Maybe I had seen too many movies where innocent men were bullied into phony confessions by the police. I could just see myself in the interrogation room with a couple of special agents in my face. I would be no match for them.

But then again, perhaps with the money still in the vault, they wouldn't have done anything to me at all. Who knows? It just seemed that jail was a distinct risk no matter which decision I made so if the risk was inevitable then it only made sense to take the money. If I escaped jail then I would obviously rather be rich than poor. If the FBI came after me, at least with the money I might be able to flee the country or, if caught, have money to defend myself.

All my rationalizing didn't make me feel any better. I thought of going to confession but I had never had much faith in the priest-penitent confidence. With most priests I would probably be safe, but not all priests are true to their vows and I wasn't about to take any chances. The only person I was sure I could trust was myself. I knew, of course, Steve and Randy would never betray me but they couldn't be protected from the law and I didn't want them getting hurt.

After mass Maria and I had lunch at McDonalds on Western Avenue and then I took her back to her dorm. I told her I was going to spend the rest of the day in the library working on my term paper. She said she had homework too and for me to call her later. It felt horrible lying to her. Obviously I was going to have to end our relationship very soon for her sake as well as mine.

Once I got on the open road my thoughts turned to Candy. Where were she and I going? Was she going to wait around for six years for me to finish my education and become my mistress? Somehow I didn't see that happening. Could it be that she really did love me and the whole mistress routine was just a line to initially get my attention? Was there an ordinary woman under that cool, calculating facade? Maybe I should call her bluff and find out.

At about 3 p.m. I entered the city limits of Banning, California. I called Candy from the same phone booth that I had called her from before. She gave me directions to her apartment and I was at her front door within ten minutes.

I knocked at the door and she immediately answered. "Hello Fred, come in."

"Hi Candy, how are you?"

"Fine." She took a good look at me and said, "Well, you look much better than you did Friday night."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You seemed kind of nervous and very tired. You must have had a really bad day."

"Was it that obvious?"

"It was pretty noticeable."

"Well, I’m sorry. I've got a lot of sleep since then so I feel a lot better."

"So what do you want to do the rest of the day?" Candy asked.

"You know it occurred to me on the way over here that I didn't really know much about you. Like, what kind of things do you like to do?"

"I don't know."

"Well, do you like going to the movies?

"Yes."

"That's good, I am movie freak myself. How about baseball. Do you like baseball?"

"I love baseball."

"Do you know who Don Drysdale is?"

"Of course, do you think I am some kind of moron? He's only the best pitcher the Dodgers ever had besides Sandy Koufax."

"Wow! We're going to get along great."

"Now it's my turn," Candy stated. "Do you like to read?"

"Not particularly. It reminds me too much of school"

"Well, I love to read, but that's okay."

"Do you play tennis?"

"Sure do, I was on my high school tennis team," I advised her proudly.

"I’m on the Junior College team," she replied.

"Hmm, maybe we shouldn't play tennis then."

Candy smiled broadly and replied, "I think we should. It will be distinct pleasure to beat you."

"You may not want to beat me, I am a sore loser."

"I don't believe that."

"What about golf?" I asked.

"Never played it."

"Good, I would be embarrassed for you to see me play."

"What about eating?" She asked jokingly.

"Yeah. I kind of like to eat.

"Good because I am hungry. . . . Oh, and I did pick out an excellent restaurant as you requested. Very expensive."

"Excellent, I’m a rich man, let's go. You can give me directions on the way."

We got in my car and drove about fifteen minutes until we were in downtown Banning. Candy pointed to a red building with a green roof. It’s exterior was ornately trimmed in black and gold. She said, "There it is the Golden Dragon Restaurant. It has the best Chinese food in town."

I pulled the car into the parking lot and we went inside. The interior of the restaurant was very ornate and quite beautiful. The restaurant was not crowded as it was still early. A young Chinese girl in her native garb greeted us and took us to a quiet little table in a secluded part of the restaurant.

"There's another thing we have in common, we both like Chinese food," I observed.

"I knew from the very first time I saw you that we would be perfect together," Candy said.

"How could you know that?"

"Women's intuition."

"Well since you've got this whole thing worked out, I've got a couple of questions for you."

"Okay, I’m listening."

"What do you plan to do for the next six years while I'm getting my law license?"

"I still have to finish college and get some acting experience. You just can't become a great actress over night. It would be nice if I didn't have to work but I guess that's not in the cards."

"Why don't you find someone who already has money so you can quit work right away and get on with your life's ambition?"

"I don't want just any man to take care of me, I want someone special. I've been searching for just the right person for a long time. When you walked into the bank the first time and told me you were going to be a lawyer, I knew it was you."

"Come on, how could you possibly know that from just seeing me for the first time?"

"I don't know, I can't explain it, I just knew."

"Do you believe in fate?" I asked.

"Yes."

"I never did until Friday."

"What happened Friday?"

"Friday I realized you and I were meant to be together."

"See, I’m much more perceptive than you. It took you six months to figure out what I knew the first day."

"You are definitely amazing."

"You haven't seen anything yet."

"Is that a promise?"

"Definitely."

The waitress finally showed up with some appetizers and hot tea. While Candy was digging into the Poo Poo Tray I was pondering whether to take the plunge with her. It really seemed inevitable and certainly we were brought together by fate. Why resist?

"Well I've got some good news for you."

"What's that?"

"About five or six years ago my Aunt Virginia came to live with us. She was estranged from her husband for some twenty years and had worked as a secretary for all that time. She and I got along really well. We played tennis and cards together and were good friends. Unfortunately all those lonely nights got to her and she began to have mental problems. My Mom didn't want her to have to go to the funny farm so she came to live with us. "Well, last year she died and we found out much to everyone's shock that she had been stockpiling her money all those years and had accumulated over $50,000. When her lawyer read the will guess, who she left the money to?"

"Who?"

"Moi."

"You're kidding?"

"Nope. Now no one is supposed to know about this, so don't you dare ever tell anyone."

"I wouldn't tell a soul."

"So I figure with $50,000 we could just about make it without you working until I get out of law school."

Candy looked stunned, "I don't know what to say."

"Now tell me dreams don't come true," I said.

"I wouldn't dare."

"Of course, we could do it a little differently."

"What do you mean?"

"I've given it a lot of thought; I know you have your plan to be a big actress and everything; obviously you don't want anything to get in your way, but what if I were to ask you to marry me?"

"What about Maria?"

"I love Maria too much to betray her. I know you wouldn't care if I married Maria, but Maria would care a lot if she found I had a mistress.

"It would be much more comfortable for me with just one woman and I am willing to make a choice."

"You'd chose me over Maria?"

"Yes, if I believed you loved me and you could make a commitment to me."

Candy sat silently and starred into my eyes. After a few moments she responded. "I do love you, but I can't make a commitment. All of my life I’ve had this dream. Some day that dream is going to come true unless I do something to screw it up. No matter what it takes, I am going to be a great actress. I would like you to be there with me, but I can't promise that I will be faithful to you if being faithful will jeopardize my career."

"I was afraid that would be your answer."

"It's important to me that our relationship is honest. I don't want to play the jealousy game. You can do what you want and I can do what I want and we can tell each other without feeling any guilt."

"You really think that will work?"

"I know it will."

"Okay," I said and then reached into my pocket and pulled out an envelope and handed it to Candy."

"What's this?"

"The beginning of the fulfillment of your dreams."

Candy opened the envelope curiously. She smiled when she saw four blank money orders each in the amount of $500. "Is this for me?"

"Yeah, did I ever tell you I am a man of action. I don't pussyfoot around."

"You didn't have to tell me, I knew that."

"So quit your job and start concentrating on becoming a great actress. I figure a thousand dollars a month ought to pay your rent and keep a little bread on the table."

"Yeah, it's more than I make at the bank."

"Now, what was it that you were telling me about sampling the merchandise?"

Candy smiled, "Okay, after dinner I'll take you home for some dessert."

"Fine, I'm done, are you finished?"

She laughed. "Not yet, I haven't read my fortune cookie."

Candy picked up her fortune cookie and snapped it apart. "Wisdom is rare in youth and beauty."

She frowned. "Do you think that’s true?"

"Not necessarily," I said.

She said, "What does yours say?"

I cracked mine open and read it aloud. "It is the fate of the fish to swim, and the thief to run."

"Very interesting," Candy said. " Okay, let's get the hell out of here."

I hailed the waitress and asked her for our check. She obliged, we paid it and left. By the time we got to Candy's apartment we were both ready to explode from the sexual energy that had been slowly building all evening. Before we got to the front door of her apartment we began to attack each other furiously. She fumbled for her keys and tried to unlock the door while kissing me passionately. A neighbor looked on with great amusement.

Finally, we got inside, I kicked the door shut and we ripped off each others clothes. Candy was more than I could have ever dreamed. So passionate, so sensual, so voluptuous. I felt like the luckiest man on the planet. Candy was mine! Sure, Candy was going to cost me plenty, but she was worth every penny and now I certainly could afford her.

After our passion finally succumbed to exhaustion we cuddled up in each other's arms and fell asleep. After a few hours we reluctantly got up and Candy made us some coffee. We were both very relaxed and contented. Our first sexual encounter had been incredible. We may have commenced a rather bizarre relationship but at that moment it seemed right, and apparently was our destiny.

Unfortunately I had to eventually leave that night since I had an 8 a.m. class the next morning. I finally went to the door, kissed Candy goodbye and left.