The three thieves considered their next move.
“We lost Jimmy in the department store job, Bobby on the bank job,” said the Leader, who stared at a 7-11 across the street.
“And there’re only three of us left,” said the Second in Command.
Which left the Third in Command to say: “Well, which one of us will go next do you think?”
“If it’s me,” the Leader said, “you won’t have a Leader.”
“Or, if it’s you then I’ll become the leader,” said the Second in Command.
“And then I’ll be next in line,” said the Third Thief.
“Jimmy knew all about bombs,” said the Leader. “Now we have no one who knows about bombs.”
The Second Thief said, “And Bobby knew all about safes. Now we have no one who knows about safes.”
“That’s not good,” said the Third Thief. “I don’t know anything about bombs or safes.”
“And what do you know about?” said the Leader, but not really in an interested way.
“Guns,” said the Third Thief. “I can shoot a gun. Hell, you know that.”
“So can I,” said the Second Thief, as if everyone could or should know how.
“Well,” said the Third Thief, “if we lose you in the next job at least there’ll be someone in this crew who can shoot.”
“If I didn’t know no better, I’d think you were plotting against me,” said the Second in Command. “You been plotting against me forever.”
“I’m not plotting against you,” said the Third Thief. “I just want to know if they’ll take you down next. I need to prepare. It could happen. It could be me. Anything could happen.”
“I think you are. You want to be me, who’s Second in Command. You want me out of this outfit. Maybe on the next job, you’ll lock me out or push me into the line of fire or forget to give me the signal.”
“What signal?” said the Third Thief.
“You know, the signal.” The Second Thief shook his fist and made a few other motions.
“Oh that signal,” the Third Thief said.
“Quit it,” said the Leader, who was watching the 7-11, the people entering, people pumping gas, how every movement had a part to play.
“He started it,” said the Second in Command, “thinking he’s the only one who knows how to shoot a gun.”
“I don’t care who started it,” said the Leader. “Now, should we do something big or small? A 7-11, a bank, do some houses?”
“Houses,” said the Third in Command. “We should do houses.”
“Bank,” said the Second in Command. “We should do a bank.”
“I’m thirsty,” the Leader said.
“Well, if we do houses we can get something to drink there,” said the Third in Command.
“Like what?” the Second in Command asked.
“Water maybe. A coke. Liquor. Whatever they have in the refrigerator,” the Third in Command said. He scratched himself under his chin. “It’s hot in here.”
“Open a window,” the Leader said. “If we do houses we’ll need to find the houses that we want to do. And shooting isn’t going to come in all that handy if we do do houses. We don’t want anybody dying.”
“Neither would bombs come in all that handy,” said the Second in Command “But without Bobby, we won’t be able to get at the insides of the safes,” the Second in Command added, appearing to change his mind.
“I’m thinking 7-11s,” the Leader said. “Then you all could shoot if it came to pass that we needed shooting done just in case. Like if the cops showed up or the cashier didn’t do what I said. It could get tense. 7-11s and houses are different. There are different rules.”
“Like when we did those convenience stores in Reno,” the Third Thief said. “When we met Bobby and you shot that guy behind the counter and his dog.”
“I didn’t mean to shoot him,” said the Second in Command.
“But you shot him just the same,” said the Third in Command. “Boom, right in the face. Remember how loud it was, like an explosion, and all the smoke. The guy just dropped behind the counter. It happened so fast. I didn’t know you’d shot the guy till after it had happened.”
“Well how else would you have known it?” the Leader said.
The Third in Command said, “It was just that I wasn’t expecting it. So it was only after it happened that I expected it.”
“I didn’t mean to shoot him,” the Second in Command said. “But I could tell he was going for the alarm. He was going for the alarm. I had to shoot him and his dog that wouldn’t stop yapping even after we opened that package of bacon.”
“All the smoke,” said the Third in Command. “It was a lot of smoke. And we only got a few twenties out of the thing. All that trouble for a few twenties.”
The Second Thief said, “If the dog had just eaten the bacon.”
The Leader was looking out his window at the 7-11. He tapped his fingers on the wheel. “Maybe we should do houses. We can’t do a bank because we lost Bobby. And we have no one to cook up distractions and take out walls. You all should maybe learn about safes and bombs.”
“So,” said the Third in Command, “which one of us do you think’ll be next? We lost Bobby and we lost Jimmy. Who do you think’s next.”
“I’m thirsty, too,” said the Second in Command. “I’ve been thirsty for freakin ever.”
