Two Boys, Two Gangsters, and a Tale of Intrigue - Part 2

It was about 8 o'clock, Saturday morning and with shovels in hand, Brian and Todd began digging. They were determined to dig up, whatever this was, by the end of the day. In their minds, they were hoping that it really was the Maddox brothers' Model A, but were trying not to get their hopes up, though that was a very difficult thing not to do.. after all, they were 11 year old boys with stories of gangsters and intrigue flying through their heads. As they continued to dig, they soon saw a grill, then a door, then a hood, and finally, there it was... they had discovered the elusive and legendary, Maddox getaway car! When the brothers had originally buried the car, they did so with it on it's side. I suppose that meant a shallower hole and less of a likelihood that the car would be found. The boys couldn't have been more thrilled! This was the most exciting moment of their lives; better than Christmas morning or even their Birthdays! It didn't even seem real, though it was... very real.

Brian and Todd were ecstatic over their find! For a moment, they discussed what they should do next, and came to the conclusion that they would continue to keep this under raps, at least for the time being. So, now that they had the getaway car, what of the supposed briefcase full of stolen money? 

Brian and Todd threw their shovels aside, jumped down into the hole and began to feverishly search the car. They knew it had to be there. After all, according to the story, the briefcase was never found.  As they rummaged through the entire car, they found nothing. Needless to say, they were very disappointed. However, there was one area of the car that they didn't search because it was was still surrounded by a bit too much dirt. So, on the outside chance that the engine might hold the briefcase, they grabbed their shovels, once again, and began digging all around the edges of the hood. They finally got enough mud out to be able to open the hood, and as they did, they couldn't believe their 11 year old eyes! Their it was, the briefcase that once belonged to the infamous Maddox brothers. Of course, they immediately tried to open it, but because it was so old and had been buried for so long, the lock was sealed shut. They were going to have to sneak it home and try to open it there, because they certainly couldn't chance leaving it in the woods. They also didn't feel that they should leave the car exposed. So, they gathered branches and debris and disguised it as best they could. They took the back way home, so as not to be seen buy anyone and made it back to Todd's house. They borrowed his dad's screwdriver and after trying for a good while, they finally pried the lock open. At that point, the boys looked at each other with much anticipation. They couldn't believe this moment had actually arrived! They were about to see, with their own eyes, the stolen money from the famous Cornville Bank and Trust heist! Wow, this was the most exciting day of their lives! 

As Brian and Todd slowly began to open the briefcase, the look of excitement, on their faces, quickly turned to disbelief. There was no money inside, only a small piece of paper with something written on it. It read, "Southwest terminal 357 A." When they read this, they were not only disappointed but confused. What did this note mean and where was the money? They sat for hours behind the garage, trying to come up with some explanation, but couldn't. They finally decided to move on to some other adventure. Sure they had found the Maddox brothers getaway car and briefcase, but what good was it, if there was no heist money. They decided to keep this their secret, never to tell anyone. They made a blood pact, without the blood of course. 

Fast forward, many years later, in 1969, Todd was working in a nearby town as a welder for a ship building company and Brian was an apprentice at an architectural firm in a neighboring state. The two had lost touch to some degree, just because of life, but did speak occasionally, always mentioning how they have to get together soon, but never do. They hadn't spoken of the Maddox adventure in many years.

One, hot, sunny, summer morning, Brian arrived at the demolition of an old railway station. This particular station had been abandoned for many decades and was to be removed to make way for a new, modern, shopping center. As Brian was walking through the old, crumbling, building, he was taken back to his and Todd's many adventures, as kids. He walked every room and hallway of this station, feeling like a kid again, exploring old ruins. The last room was a locker room. He thought, possibly, it had been used by the employees of the train line. As he was perusing the lockers, he saw one locker with the number "357 A" on the door; the "A" barely hanging on, by a small nail. He immediately remembered that same number being written on the note inside the briefcase. He thought for a moment and realized that this particular station had been known as the southwest terminal, for this particular line. He thought, could it be? It can't possibly... but, what if? The locker still had a padlock on it, but when Brian touched it, because of it's age and state of dilapidation, it fell right off. With his heart pounding and a knot in his stomach, Brian slowly opened the locker door and suddenly, a look of complete shock came over his face.. He couldn't believe his eyes... and immediately ran back to the company trailer to call Todd...