Claude gets out

Claude left the meeting with the Barone brothers with a sense of cautious relief, he wanted to get Daisy out of town before the next conversation with Lenny Barone. He was done. He hurried back to his apartment to meet Daisy. He walked into the apartment and saw his girl lounging on the couch, reading a magazine and eating an apple. “What are you up to?”

“I’m resting for a while then I’ll be getting ready to go to the club this evening. Joe's got a whole band for this weekend, with that new singer I can’t remember the name of.”

“I would really like you to go see your mom and sister tomorrow morning, and we have to be careful. I think that I have Lenny off my back for now but I don’t know how long that will last.”

“What is it between you two? you used to be like best friends.” Daisy swung her feet to the floor and stood wrapping her arms around Claude’s neck. He wrapped his arms around her and danced her across the floor.

“I’ll try to come and get you on friday if I can’t make it I’ll call. I need to pick up some merchandise and get some things settled with Lenny.” He bent his head and kissed her. “ I want us to have a good, safe life together.”

Daisy pulled away just enough to look into Claude’s eyes, she loved his unusual eyes. He was the only person that she had ever met with one blue eye and one green eye. “Are you saying what I think you are saying?”

“I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you, and letting you take care of me. I don’t have everything sorted out yet but I want to get us a little house of our own, away from all the fighting and shooting, the gang conflict is heating up and I want to get you out of the way.”

“What do you know about all that? Do you have anything to do with the liquor supplies around here?”

“I guess if you are going to spend your life with me, you should know. You know I am a trained accountant or bookkeeper, right?” Daisy nodded and tightened her hold on him slightly. “Well when I got her to St. Louis in 1913, I worked for a couple of breweries and was able to stock pile some Beer, whiskey and other liquors, before prohibition took effect. Quite a lot actually.”

“Where is it?”

“What is left of it is in a few cellars and a cave on the property that Lenny and Robert live on. I am actually part owner of the estate.”

“You own the house that they live in and you drive their women around?!”

“I am part owner, and when I drive the ladies around I am delivering to speakeasies around the city.”

“That is dangerous, you could get arrested.” she stared at him worry creased her forehead.

“I know. Lenny was detained about a month ago and it cost us a lot of the stock to get him released. I want them to buy me out, I want to quit and go live somewhere quieter; with you. Could you give up the parties? Or at least some of them?”

Daisy laid her head on his shoulder and he pulled her close, after a few minutes she answered. “I suspected that you had something to do with bootlegging but I didn’t know for sure, I didn’t really want to know. Knowing feels strange and scary.” She paused for a long moment then sighed. “I could give up some parties for you, I don’t want to leave Ida and Willy alone in the city though. I am sure that we could work something out. Are they going to buy you out?”

“I don’t know, exactly we are going to discuss it tomorrow evening, I want you across the river by then, something feels off.”

“What do you mean ‘off’?” She pulled away, put the coffee pot on the hotplate, turned to the table and sat down in one of the two chairs.

“I am not really sure, there have been some people I don't know hanging around, it looked like someone was threatening Bobby yesterday, but he said it was fine, I’m sure that I don’t believe him.” Claude got two cups from the dish rack and sat down at the table across from Daisy. “I would just feel better if you were out of town with your mom and sister before I go talk to them.”

“OK, I’ll go but you be carefull, I can’t have a quiet life with you if they use you for fish food.”

Claude smiled and attempted a laugh. “I don’t think it's going to come to that. The Barone Brothers and I go way back, they wouldn’t be where they are if I hadn’t helped them. I would never turn them in to the police or the Feds.”

“The feds? Who are they?”

“A Group of officers hired by the federal government to crack down on bootleggers. They are going to have their hands full if they try to stop ALL illegal liquor trade across the country.”

“Why don’t they just give up and let us live our lives?” Daisy sipped her coffee and stared out the window.

Claude took her hand, “some day they will, we just need to stay out the way until then.” he smiled at her, watching her sip her coffee. He felt he needed to memorize her face, every freckle, every crinkle at the edge of her blue eyes. Her deep red hair, that hung a little past her shoulders. He liked that she let her hair grow longer than most women these days. If his mom were still around she would have loved working with Daisy’s hair, she would have loved all there was about Daisy, from her laughter to her temper. She wouldn’t approve of Daisy staying with him without marrying him first, but Mom wasn’t around and besides Daisy slept on the couch for over a month before he talked her into staying with him in the bedroom. Her official room was downstairs with her paternal cousins Ida and Willy O’Reilly. “Someone else called me Mrs. Brown this morning, so you’d better make it official” Daisy grinned at him but her eyes still held some apprehension.

Claude grinned back and raised his cup to her, “Now all you need is a lovely daughter”

Daisy gasped, her face reddened, “what did you say?”

Claude shook his head. Apparently that song wasn’t out yet. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll go get some food, you get ready for the club. He stood and reached for his hat. She walked to the door and kissed him.

“If I do have a lovely daughter I hope she has your eyes.”

They were into their third dance when Claude felt uneasy. He looked around the dim lit backroom. The music was great, the beer was good too, It was some of what he had stashed several years before and iced to perfection, but there was something familiar about the man that just slipped out the side door. He pulled Daisy close and whispered, “we have to get out now.” They slipped quietly behind the curtains next to the stage. They followed the tunnel in the dark a few feet and around a corner before Claude fumbled for a candle and a match. He held Daisy close as they found the way through the damp tunnel by the flickering light of the candle. They came out on the bank of the Mississippi. They walked up the bank and hid behind a large tree. Claude held Daisy to him and watched the opening as several more people came out of the opening and dispersed in different directions.

“What just happened?” Daisy whispered against his chest.

“Well, the shadowy figure I saw slipping out the side door was an informant for the revenuers, I don’t know who got picked up tonight, but it wasn’t me. I don’t know exactly who that was or how he knew where the party was tonight but that wasn’t me either.”

“I love you, I believe you, But I think that you are being set up for something.”

“Maybe, I am going to talk to Lenny again tomorrow and we’ll get out. I was hoping to find him tonight so I could just go with you tomorrow.” He led her to a small knoll. The moon was shining over the river and the night was crisp and clear. Claude pulled away slightly, and dropped to his knees. Daisy let out a tiny shriek, and covered her mouth. Claude pulled a ring out of his pocket. “I planned it a little differently, but will you marry me?” He slipped the ring onto her finger. Daisy nodded, tears sliding down her cheeks, she pulled him to his feet and kissed him thoroughly. Claude laughed, “I can get used to a lifetime of this.”

“Now all we need is a priest.” Daisy laughed.

“I had one that was going to show up in about an half hour if the party hadn’t been busted up.” Claude chuckled. “Guess we can walk back to town and see if we can find him.”

“Or you could just stay put and get married under the stars.”

Claude and Daisy spun around to face a tall muscular man in a clerical collar, holding a book, standing in the shadow of the tree.

“Father Franklin, How did you get out here?”

“Well, Claude, do you think that a priest that would agree to do a wedding in an illegal speakeasy wouldn’t know how to get out? Stand there, look into each other's eyes, answer the pertinent questions, sign the papers and I’ll get a picture of you under the moon.”

“Yes, Father, I do.” they all laughed

The next morning, Claude woke early. He lay watching his wife sleep, her hair spread out on his pillow in the early morning light, her freckles dancing a speckled pattern across her pale face, he leaned over and kissed her nose, and spoke softly “Good morning Mrs. Brown.” Daisy wrinkled her nose and smiled before opening her eyes.

“Good morning, Husband.” She rose slowly and walked towards the bathroom. A few minutes later Claude entered the bathroom carrying a belt, he held it out to his new wife.

“I hate to start our life together on a serious note but I would like you to wear this and keep it with you at all times.”

“What is it, besides an ugly belt?”

He drew her into his arms, “don’t worry you wear it under your clothes, no one will see it.” He kissed her and marveled at the difference a day and a commitment made. He felt so much more. More love than he thought was possible, more responsibility and something strange, more of a complete person. He couldn’t find words, tears formed in his eyes, he blinked and kissed his wife firmly. When she pulled away he saw tears in her eyes too, they stood close in their own cloud of oneness, then Daisy broke the spell.

“Ok, what am I supposed to do with this?”

“It is a money belt that has most of my life savings in it. You fasten it around your chest, tuck in under your boobs or something so no one knows you are wearing it.”

Daisy laughed, “Ok, I think I can manage that. Do we get to go out for breakfast before I get on the bus or do we make our own breakfast?” she winked at him.

“Perhaps we have time for both, I wish I could treat you to a week at the Chase but I should be able to join you in a few days and if you like we can find our own place soon far away from here.”

Claude kissed Daisy goodbye at the bus station and watched until the bus was out of sight crossing the bridge into Illinois. He felt relieved that Daisy was away from whatever it was that was happening, and that if anything happened to him she would have legal right to anything that was his. What was happening? He trusted Lenny and Bobby but they seemed different since Lenny had been detained. He decided to walk along the river he still had a few hours before he was supposed to meet Lenny. He walked aimlessly for he didn’t know how long, maybe he should have just left with Daisy and not talked to Lenny, but the note eugene gave him said that Lenny wanted to talk to him one more time before he let him go. He looked up and realized he was standing just under the knoll where he had promised his life and liberty to the woman he loved more than he ever thought possible. He started up the bank when two men walked up and grabbed both his arms and started walking him toward the cave entrance to the tunnels.

“Don’t say a word,” the taller one hissed. They were both wearing hats that shaded their faces. Claude was sure that it was the shadowy man that he saw in the club the night before.

“ I don’t understand,” the men pulled him into the cave, drug him a few yards and shoved him down on a whiskey barrel.

“We will explain, Lenny, Bobby, you are no longer in charge of this operation. Lenny and Bobby now work for Vito Giannola. Lenny said that you wanted out. We promised to get you out and down the river.” Claude felt sharp pain in the back of his head and everything went black. He wasn’t sure when he came to. Hc couldn’t see anything, but he could smell and taste whiskey. He choked and coughed, he couldn’t move. His head was between his knees, he was bouncing around. It took a few minutes but he thought he was stuffed in a whiskey barrel, why? Lenny surely didn’t know anything about this. He took a deep breath and got a lung full of whiskey. His last thoughts were that Daisy was safe and it was good whiskey.