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pocket. He d gone five blocks when he swore.
It s the cops again. A blue Aries this time, but I can spot them any-
where. Jupiter heard him laugh. Then he began to talk to the police car.
Okay, boys, if that s the way you want it. Hang on, Jupe.
The car seemed to shoot off like a rocket. Jupiter clung to the bottom
of the backseat. Ty drove like a cannonball. The car made screeching turns
that flung Jupiter like a sack around on the floor of the hatch-back. But he
wasn t worried about himself.
62
Inside Jobs
My car! Jupiter wailed. You ll wreck it!
Ty laughed. Nah. It s a tough little baby!
Bruised and battered, Jupe listened to the little car creak and groan in
violent turns and wild speed-ups. It bounced and rattled over bone-jarring
bumps and ruts as if Ty were driving over plowed fields and railroad ties.
Then it slowed down and stopped bouncing.
Ty laughed again. Lost em. You okay?
I think so. Jupiter groaned. Is the car okay?
Perfect. Ty chuckled. We re almost at the garage. Stay way down.
Jupiter lay rigid as the car came to a stop. Ty honked.
Max the gunman came out again. Yeah?
Need parking for a week, Ty said.
No openings.
You look like a guy knows how to be treated right. What s the week in
advance?
There was a silence. Then, Fifty bucks.
Hey, that s only half what I figured. Let s say a hundred. Got it right
here. Cash.
There was a silence, then Max spoke.
I guess we can squeeze you in.
The doors opened, and the Honda drove into the dim garage. It parked
in a row toward the back.
Okay, you re in, Ty said.
Jupiter groaned. That hundred was all we had in the treasury.
It was the only way, Jupe. I ll hitch back to the car wash and see what
I can do to help Pete. Be back for you around five.
Then Jupiter was alone in the gloom of the silent garage.
63
13
The Big Payoff!
AT THE CAR WASH, PETE DRIED AND POLISHED EACH car as it
emerged from the automatic wash. He and the other hand finishers carried
rags and bottles of window cleaner. They worked in teams.
As Pete worked, his eyes were constantly alert for any signs of Joe Torres
or Tiburon and the Piranhas. The afternoon passed. He saw nothing but
dripping cars rolling out of the automatic wash line and Ty sipping Cokes
and eating burritos at the Taco Bell next door.
Pete went on working.
Ty went on waiting.
x x x x x x x
In the gloom of the parking garage, Jupiter raised himself up to look out
the window. The parked cars stood silently under the dim lights.
He became aware of the sounds of mechanics working on the second floor.
He could even hear faint sounds coming from the third floor air compres-
sors humming and hammering to supply the power to paint the cars.
He strained to listen for other sounds. The orange Cadillac had vanished
somewhere inside this building. And Joe Torres and the gunman had come
from somewhere in the black Buick.
But where?
x x x x x x x
At four o clock, Ty looked at his watch. Nothing had happened at the
car wash. All he d seen was a steady stream of cars that Pete and his fellow
hand finishers swarmed over like ants on a log full of honey.
There had been no sign of Tiburon and the Piranhas or their girlfriends.
Joe Torres had not appeared. It was almost time to go and pick up the
Honda and Jupiter.
Soon they would all have to quit for the day.
The Big Payoff!
x x x x x x x
Twice Jupiter had to duck down as Max the gunman passed on his patrol
of the floor. Jupe s watch read four thirty when he slipped out of the little
Honda. He crept through the dimness of the garage interior toward the
automobile elevator.
He listened intently as he moved, in case Max returned. He had seen no
one else. No cars had driven in, stolen or otherwise.
Now he circled the entire floor to see if there was anything he and Pete
had somehow overlooked the first time. He even opened the half-glass doors
of the offices. All were being used as storerooms, or were unfurnished and
abandoned.
He ended his search at the car elevator with its slatted wooden gates.
The platform was down on the ground floor. The wide shaft above was as
dimly lit as the floor itself. Two rectangles of light showed where it opened
onto each upper floor.
The footsteps caught him by surprise!
Max the gunman was walking down the ramp.
x x x x x x x
Tiburon and the Piranhas arrived at the car wash in their lowriders. They
looked like a western outlaw gang riding into their hideout after a raid. It
was five o clock, closing time at the car wash. Pete was being paid as Tiburon
strode into the owner s office.
Thanks, sir, Pete said loud enough for anyone to hear. I sure need the
money. My dad s out of work, so if you hear of anyone who needs a good
mechanic, I d appreciate knowing about it.
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