Safe Harbor on a cold and windy Early Evening

"My God man, what is the world coming to", roared Officer Patrick Fitzgerald, acting confused.  "Have they resorted to stealing children's toy rifles now?  And why would they need to keep such things in a safe for transport anyway?  I'd better get my partner Officer Gerald Fitzpatrick over here to assist."  Nearby, The Keeper of the Scrolls, Basil Bowler, Guido the Guide and Pinkerton Paulo gave one another an amused smirk; their plan to locate fugitive "Alice Jenkus" just may have worked.  Alice and the phony "Professor Denkus Jenkus III" had been arrested in Cairo with the Emperor's stolen Mercedes limousine.  Jenkus III was jailed there and now shared a cell with effeminate camel thief Abdullah Willdoyuh.  Alice was sent to hospital with a severe concussion from her limo bumper encounter, but escaped and was traced to having boarded a flight a week ago to New York.  Oddly enough this was the same flight taken by The Keeper of the Scrolls; who noticed her at the luggage carousel upon their arrival.  Realizing Alice's obsession with stealing The Scrolls, The Cairo Crew devised a sting where they made it known "on the street" that The Scrolls were being sent by train from New York to Chicago this Thursday, locked in a baggage car safe along with some antique Quakenbush Air Rifles. With the rail car positioned on a siding the Cairo Crew and Officer Fitzgerald positioned themselves and waited patiently.  After several hours a young blonde haired man wearing a tan trench coat emerged from the shadows.  Pinkerton Paulo recognized him immediately from information briefings as Reiner "Tumblers" Burkhardt, a safe cracker wunderkind out of Newark, who was at age 31 already an underworld legend in his craft.  Knowing Tumblers worked only high level contract work, The Cairo Crew were optimistic that the elusive Alice Jenkus was behind his presence.  They watched as Tumblers effortlessly cheated the baggage car lock and entered; his cat-like reflexes on high alert.  He removed his trench coat, pulled a stethoscope from his pocket and with head mounted light in place, began to roll the dial of the safe with the intense precision of a surgeon.  Moments later a metallic click was heard as Tumblers opened the safe door and quickly looked inside; cursing quietly as he realized  the rifles were the only contents.  Inherently sensing danger, Tumblers glanced about furtively but did not spot The Cairo Crew, well hidden and ready to pounce.  Tumblers removed the four rifles from the safe and placed them in the torn lining of his trench coat.  He then signaled with his flashlight; whereupon a Chrysler Town and Country convertible quietly approached from the darkened east siding area.  As the car stopped, Officer Fitzgerald emerged from the shadows, ordered everyone to freeze and placed them under arrest at gunpoint.  The woman and man from the Chrysler immediately began to tell Fitzgerald that he was mistaken and purported themselves to be Miss Alice Leaner and her solicitor Dewey Cheatum.  Miss Leaner claimed to be a family member of the Leaner Transport Corporation, owners of the railroad and said that they were simply driving by when they saw the young man around the baggage car and stopped to check.  Pinkerton Paulo pretended to be satisfied with this explanation, walked back into the baggage car then yelled out animatedly to Fitzgerald that the safe was ajar.  Fitzgerald ordered everyone to stay where they were and radioed for back up and the police tow truck to seize the safe for evidence.  The Cairo Crew, still hidden nearby, waited until the tow truck arrived to remove the safe for seizure as evidence.  The woman and man from the Chrysler emphatically maintained their innocence; telling Fitzgerald that he was making a mistake he would come to regret and that he had best let them proceed.  The Cairo Crew listened excitedly as they allowed the criminals to continue to sink themselves with their story.  Tumblers glowered at the woman; realizing he was about to be set up for the safe job.  He decided to try to slug the cop and make a run for it so slowly began to put on his rifle laden trench coat.  Sensing escape was imminent, The Cairo Crew swooped in from the shadows and stopped everyone in their tracks.  The woman ran to her Chrysler to flee but when she cast her eyes on The Keeper of the Scrolls, saw him smile and say "Well hello Alice Jenkus, we've been waiting for you", her heart sunk as she realized it was all over.

And now a word from our sponsor Quackenbush Air Rifles....

@jack-dodds   holy scribe Batman !!!.....It would take me 17 days to put this many words together !!!!.....

....I can sincerely say that I enjoyed your story every bit as much as you enjoyed my pictures however,I do not believe that the various miscreants can be held liable for atrocities perpetrated in previous story lines......Alice called me up and she was TRIPPIN`!!!!!

@bob-jackman   

Well, there is an amazing amount of imagination on display here. I am not sure what has intrigued me more, the photos or the story.

The photos are excellent-so much to see. I gotta come back and view them some more when I have more time. And the story, a quick skim is not sufficient-I will be back to read it again.

@jcarnutz    As the screen writer/director,I must admit, that never having read the actual book, I was not privy to the depths of duplicity surrounding the Quackenbush Quarry aka "Safe harbor".This tale along with it`s predecessor "The Man from Cairo" https://diecast.org/community/1_24/the-man-from-cairo/ contain practically all the words there are.It wasn`t until the explosive J Dodds expose that I learned the rest of the story

Posted by: @john-barry

@jack-dodds   holy scribe Batman !!!.....It would take me 17 days to put this many words together !!!!.....

 

....I can sincerely say that I enjoyed your story every bit as much as you enjoyed my pictures however,I do not believe that the various miscreants can be held liable for atrocities perpetrated in previous story lines......Alice called me up and she was TRIPPIN`!!!!!

Alice gets a pass on the Cairo caper as Professor Jenkus' imposter took the rap for the Mercedes.  She's done on this safe job though as the betrayed Tumblers will sing like a bird and take a plea deal to implicate her as the planner.  Nobody tries to set up Tumblers Burkhardt and walks away!

from humble beginnings off off off Broadway,to her notoriety as a Leaner,Alice just naturally seems to fall for the wrong guy.....once sought for her work as best supporting actress,Alice is now THE most supported actress still working the 24 circuit

After her arrest Alice Malice, aka Alice Jenkus, spent five despondent weeks in the County Jail before coming up with sufficient money to make bail.  These funds were kindly deposited by Mark Cash, one of Alice's past paramours whose unknowing wife happened to be from a very wealthy family.  One simple phone call to Mark suggesting she would like to make friends with his wife was all it took to make the funds appear.  Alice chuckled at how very simple it had been; thinking that the poor fool bore an appropriate name.

Once making bail, Alice immediately decided to skip, brazenly stole a Chevy Nomad parked at a nearby campground and blew town.  After selling the Nomad in a back alley to a man named Slippin' Jimmy three days later, Alice drifted, hustling pool to get by before falling, as always, for another "bad boy."   Johnny Rod was cruising on the road to nowhere one sweltering afternoon on his Harley when he picked up Alice, hitchhiking and showing leg in rural Arkansas.  Employing acting skills honed during her time off Broadway the coquettish Alice soon had the musclebound, tattooed Johnny eating out of her hand; doling out cash daily as they both hustled pool in town after dusty town.  This comfortable arrangement inevitably came to an end one late afternoon however in a Paris, Arkansas pool hall.  Alice had just made fifty bucks fishing a young buck by running the table, when she glanced outside and was startled to see the County Sherriff staring intently in her direction.  Seeing her nervous reaction the Sheriff walked to his Chevy cruiser.  Alice began to panic when she saw him begin speaking into his radio mike.  After several minutes the Sheriff got out of his car and began strutting purposefully  toward the pool hall doors.  Alice, realizing her predicament, told Johnny she had to go to the lady's room.  Quickly locking the door she managed to squeeze through the bathroom window, hearing the Sheriff knocking, calling out her name.  Alice ran as quickly as possible for several blocks, cursing her designer shoes which hampered her efforts.  In the distance she heard the wail of the Sheriff's car siren as he closed in on her.  Quickly rounding the corner Alice suddenly encountered a wrought iron fence.  Instinctively she jumped it but clipped her raised heel shoe and stumbled into the roadway directly into the path of an eastbound Chrysler Town and Country station wagon.  A sickening thud was heard...then silence.  As the Sheriff's car screeched to a halt nearby, Alice felt her strength quickly ebbing as she lay in front of the Chrysler.  "How ironic that all I ever wanted was to be a Parisian actress, the center of attention....and my life ends here in Paris, the center of attention" she thought bitterly.  As she began to slip away Alice turned her head and spotting the underside of the car her last, nonsensical thought was of how the car's suspension seemed to be in perfect condition......

                                                                             THE END.....FINALLY! 

@jack-dodds _____________ Geese Jack ! .....You`re tuffer on the dames than I am !!!......You cancelled her contract?....You rolled over her IRA?.

....Had it only been a bobbing weaving Dodge, and not the finely suspended Chrysler that put the last punch on her ration ticket

          _____________   !!!!!!! WONDERFULLY imaginative writing Cap`n Jack !!!!!!!  ___________

I have another Alice né Dorthy né Ms Leaner né Tippi Headeran on the way ..... but I gotta tell Ya,I don`t know if I`ll be able to stand her 

@john-barry

This one looks like she might be Alice Malice on the Coroner's table.  Just sayin'.....

perhaps..............................................................perhaps

I suspect that a bit of Tom Foolery may be at work here.....despite her passing,and the Grand Eulogy having been delivered,someone very much in the likeness of dear Alice was spotted by paparazzi and subsequently taken into custody by Officer Paddy O`Halloran......happened down at the Depot,of all places....."no sign of Flappy Coaterson, but it`s only a matter of time" quipped Paddy

https://diecast.org/community/1_24/the-brace-tumblers-burkhardts-big-head-proves-no-match-for-justice/#post-30357