BooksBarbecue
Back Come Again No More
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover
  3. Title Page
  4. Contents
  5. PART I 
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. PART II 
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. PART III 
  38. 31.
  39. 32.
  40. 33.
  41. 34.
  42. 35.
  43. 36.
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. PART IV 
  48. 40.
  49. 41.
  50. 42.
  51. 43.
  52. 44.
  53. 45.
  54. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  55. Touchstone Reading Group Guide

It was a week before he could walk the ten blocks to the bank. He took the bank book that showed a balance of $4,237.74, filled out a withdrawal slip for fifty dollars, handed it to the teller. She took it, pulled his card out of a file, held it up for him to see.

“I’m sorry, Mr. McCloskey. Your balance is one dollar.” She pointed to the figure: $1.00.

“That aint right. I got better than four thousand dollars in this bank.”

“It was a joint account, Mr. McCloskey. Your wife? Thelma Pearl McCloskey? She withdrew the money on October seventeenth, 1931. See, that’s her signature right there.”

It was Thelma Pearl’s signature, plain as day. Right under the amount she had withdrawn, $4,236.74. Jake stood there looking helpless. With his black eyes and his swollen nose, he looked like a bum and felt like one.

“You mean she took it all?”

“All except this dollar, as you can see. With a joint account, either of you can withdraw the money.”

“That aint right. How come nobody called me?”

The teller blushed. “Well, she came to me with this. It was a lot of money to take out at one time, so I took her to see the manager, Mr. Martz, and she was in his office for a while. When they came out he told me to go into the safe and get the lady’s money.”

Jake didn’t need to know more. Thelma Pearl had ways of getting men to do exactly what she wanted them to do. It was possible she had done something on her knees in the banker’s office to get that money, but it was usually enough for her to lick her lips and bat those big eyes. He looked over his shoulder at the manager’s office. The curtains were drawn and the lights were out. The teller saw what he was thinking.

“Mr. Martz is away,” she said. “He’ll be back in two weeks.”

Jake shook his head like a wounded bull. He wanted to beat the hell out of this Martz fellow, but he couldn’t even do that. For all he knew, she had lit out with the banker who helped her take Jake’s money. He felt light-headed, as though another of Lionel Kane’s punches had landed on his noggin. He could see the teller mouthing words at him, but she had to repeat what she was saying three times before it registered.

“Did you need anything else?”

“No, ma’am.”