Chapter 12:

I proof read it 10/30/06

Thank you to those who reviewed

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Thank you all! Until next chapter...bye!

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Joey and Anthony arrived in New Jersey by train. Joey was still shocked by the actions that just took place. He never killed anyone in his life. Stole, beaten, swindled, but never murdered. He was beginning to wonder if Anthony was telling the truth when he said his previous act of murder was actually committed in self defense. Whether or not he was telling the truth, Tony knew no one would believe him... especially now. Now, he had two murder crimes on his hands.

Once the train stopped and they stepped off, Anthony took out a cigar and lit it quite calmly.

"What do we do now?" asked Joey. Tony turned his head to his friend.

"I don't know," he replied, honestly. This wasn't the answer Joey wanted or expected. Tony usually had a plan. If he didn't, Joey did. Now, neither of them knew what to do. They murdered their boss. He deserved it, yes, but they would be wanted by the government for killing him, nonetheless. Revenge isn't an accepted excuse for murder in this society.

"I need to t'ink," Tony announced, after a few minutes. The two men strolled into town and got lunch from a local luncheon. Tony sat in a booth and rested his elbow on the table while leaning his head in his hand, and thought. He didn't order anything; he wasn't hungry. Joey ordered a beef stew. Both of the boys were starting to grow a stubble and they both had dark circles under their eyes.

"See dat bank?"Tony said suddenly, pointing across the street to a large building. Joey nodded. Tony continued in a hushed tone, "We're running low on dough. We need ta rob it."

"Didn't you get enough crimes for one twenty four hour period?"

"We need moah money."

"Fine," he said.

"Tonight. At nine. That's when we'll do it. Try to find something to cover your face with. Put powder in your hair, make it look grey. I don't want them to get our full identity. Let them think we're old men. Whatever. Just try to disguise yourself good," Tony ordered.

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That night, Tony got themselves some theatrical grey beards and eyebrows. They bought hats and powdered their hair, rubbing in grease as well, so that the powder didn't come off as well. Race had a bowler hat and Joey had a cowboy one. They both stole plaid shirts from a clothes line. All of these things they wore on top of their normal clothes. This was so that after they rob the bank, they could quickly discard their clothes and run.

Tony stole two horses for the both of them and they rode to the bank and burst in. People didn't see the two famous outlaws. They saw two drunken old men. Of course, Tony and Joey never performed a planned crime drunk, but nobody knew that. It was important to perform crimes with the utmost consideration and delicacy; so, all their crimes were done sober.

Once they made their way to the teller, they pulled out their guns and ordered everyone to get down and told the teller to give them two thousand dollars or they'll shoot. Once they received the money, they ran out a secret door in the back that they knew was their from a previous robbery. Of course, when they robbed this bank two years ago, they robbed it as Joey and Tony. Right now, the two "old" men ran out a back escape, by climbing over the teller's desk and waving their guns in the air. Joey held the money closely to his chest. They made their way to the basement of the bank. By that time, a policeman had barged into the bank, and the teller told him that the two thieves were headed for the basement. Tony searched quickly for the secret door. It was an opening in one of the stone walls. He just had to find a very large, loose stone. He found it within 40 seconds and rolled it away. He let Joey crawl in first, because he had the money. Tony followed quickly. He tried to roll the stone back in place, the best he could and pull it in , back in place. Then, he crawled the tunnel, that would lead to the basement of a train station. Tony knew this, because he built the tunnel himself. It took him a whole year, but no one knew about the tunnel except for Tony, Joey, Diaz (who was now deceased), and another one of Diaz's men, who helped Tony build the tunnel. The other man's name was Alex Sawyer. He was killed in the process of the robbery. Diaz didn't accompany them, of course, because his only job was to boss them around and carry out all the orders.

As of right now, there was a twist in the tunnel. Tony and Joey rounded the twist, and once they rounded it, they stripped off their plaid shirts, revealing white linen shirts under them and they pulled the suspenders over them. They took off their beards and hats and decided they would wash out the powder in their hair in the creek that was by the station. It was also decided that they would not be taking the train. They would travel by boat. There was a river called the Hackensack near by and they would be taking that route. They had a long way to go, but that was okay. The more they traveled down the tunnel, the more dirty they got. Joey had stuffed the money in his pants, in between where the left suspender was clipped on his pants, and his body. They had nothing with them but the clothes on their backs and they money that Joey stuffed in his pants. He made sure the sack the money was in tied tightly. They traveled in the tunnel for two hours before they entered the basement of the train station. Tony pushed away a stone, hoping no one was on the other side, and he and Joey got out. They brushed off some of the dirt on their clothes and rolled the stone back. They snuck out through a dirty window in the basement. The window was just an opening, really. They supposed that when the station closed up, they would put a block of wood in its place so no thieves like them could enter in.

The window they climbed out of was facing the back of the station, where, hopefully, no one would notice them. The creek wasn't exactly right next to the station and they had to travel about a mile and a half to get to it. Once there, they took of their shoes and stuffed the bag into one of Joey's big boots. Then they leaped right into the creek. They air was cool as it always was in the night, and so was the creek. It took them a really long time to wash all the powder and grease out. It would have been hard, anyway, even with soap, but they would rather they had soap, than just their bare hands. Every once in a while, one of them would stop and look at the other and say,"Did I get all of it out, yet?"

"No. How 'bout me?"

"Nah, not yet."

Once they were both clean and powderless, they climbed out of the creak and retrieved their shoes and the money, then waded back across to the other side, where there was a forest. They traveled through the forest for five miles. They got lost twice, so it was more like seven miles, but they finally made their way out of the forest. By this time, they weren't soaking wet, anymore, just fairly damp. They had to travel another four miles to get to the Hackensack. By the time they got there, they were both very tired. They snuck onto a steam boat and were able to stay on the part were all the cargo was kept. You'd think that with all the money they had, they could buy a ticket, but they were afraid of being recognized. Two days later, the ship stopped in a city in Massachusetts. Boston. They arrived in the Boston Harbor. That was good enough for the both of them, and they opened the window in the cargo room and they both jumped out, Joey held tightly onto the money in the bag as they swam ashore. They swam under a dock and waited, till they thought no one was watching and climbed out. Of course, a few people were watching and Tony explained that some money that they had won in a contest had fallen into the harbor.

"We dived in to get it and we got it! T'anks foah youse concern ladies and gen'lmen," Tony had said to drive off the attention. Later, Tony and Joey laughed about the "contest money". They were left alone after that. They sat on a bench over looking the harbor and waited until they were dry. They hadn't eaten at all in two days and they both felt very weak and hungry. Sooner than later, two young men fell asleep on the benches. By the time they woke up it was no longer day, but they were dry. They decided to grab something small to eat, find a hotel and get washed, then get a full meal (which they really needed, of course) and then go back to the hotel and get some more sleep. This was exactly what they did.

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The next day, Tony and Joey got their money and checked out of the hotel. They went to the Boston train station and bought two one way tickets to Canada. Thirty minutes later, a train arrived and they boarded it. They were both still exhausted from all the activity and fell asleep on the train.

It took a while, but soon they arrived in Quebec, Canada. Tony couldn't speak French, which was the common language there, but Joey could and the first thing they did when they got there was get food. Then they checked into a boarding house and got some temporary jobs as factory workers. They bought some clothes because they left all their own clothes miles and miles and miles away from where they were at the moment.

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After two weeks they still weren't found, but they got bored where they were and quit their job, retrieved their two week's pay, and left. They hired a coach to take them to a port. They arrived at the port and got tickets and the ship was to take them to the other side of Quebec and they were going to take another train to Sudbury, Ontario. They stayed there for a week, but after robbing a tailor shop without a disguise (they figured it was okay, because apparently they weren't as famous in Canada as they were in the U.S.), they left and ran by foot, carrying all there stuff with them. They made it successfully through a forest. They were being followed, but they lost those who trailed them. They arrived in a town outside of Sudbury and stole two horses and galloped for miles and miles until they came to a clearing. They were in the middle of no where, and they really didn't know where they were , so, they decided to camp out for the night. In the morning they started off again. After four days, living just on fish, because they were traveling along what they assumed was one of the Great Lakes, They got bored and chose a different trail, which led them north west. Then, they lived on rabbit for a while, which they shot with their guns. After a few more days they arrived at another train station, and abandoned their horses to hitch a ride on one of the cars, that really didn't carry anything except hay, which would be good for hiding under, if needed. This train took them to Winnipeg, where they snuck off. They finally abandoned their new clothes and just took what was left of their original two thousand dollars. They stole another two horses and rode for a week, into Minnesota.

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They were on the border between Canada and Minnesota where they stopped at a hotel. Tony plopped down on the bed in the room which they rented for the night.

"I don't know about you, Joey, but I'm exhausted," sighed Tony.

"Anthony, when are we going to rest?" asked Joey sinking in a chair in the corner of the room.

"Why? You don't like all dis runnin' around?" Tony said, sarcastically.

"Tony, I'm serious. I'm sorry, but I liked it better working for Diaz. I'm not made for adventure like this. I'm made for small town thievery. Not stealing horses, hitching illegal rides on boats and trains, and killing people. I mean, self defense is one thing, but murder? I mean, we go from doing small jobs for Diaz and now we're big time. I don't like it," explained Joey. Tony shuddered at what he just heard.

"Joey, we were big time befoah all dis happened," Tony pointed out.

"Yeah, but really we were only small town thieves and swindlers. I never stole horses before this. We're going to be hung if we get caught. Its straight to death row for us, Tony. Tony, I think we should go our separate ways. It will be easier for us to run, then," stated Joey, sternly. Tony pondered what he just heard for a few minutes and hesitated before speaking again. Joey wasn't looking at him in the eye. He was staring at the floor. Figures. For the first time Tony realized that Joey was afraid of him. He didn't like that feeling...being a subject of fear.

"What-What about da money?" asked Tony.

"Keep it. I'll get by," replied Joey. Tony shook his head in disagreement.

"We need each uddah. We'ah pahtners in crime. We always do our crimes togeddah. It won't be da same," Tony argued.

"I just can't do it, Tony."

Time went by silently for a few minutes. Finally Tony spoke.

"We still have about $1,500 left. At least take half of it," Tony offered.

"No," his friend replied.

"Five hundred," he urged.

"No."

"Yes!" yelled Tony, taking five hundred dollars out of the pouch and shoving it in Joey's hands. "Take it!"

Joey looked down at the money. He swallowed hard, feeling guilty for leaving his friend.

"Go."

Joey looked up at his friend. Tony nodded toward the door.

"Be careful," Joey said, his English accent ringing with concern.

"You too, Joe."

And that was all Tony ever saw of Joey.

Alive.

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Tony, within the next month, arrived in Nevada. He took up a job in a Casino and stayed there for about six or seven months. On his twenty fifth birthday, he decided he wanted to go to New York. It was a suicide vacation, he knew, but he would use the trip as a vacation nonetheless. He planned on betting at Sheepshead and maybe paying Blink a visit. Of course that visit would be spent outside of the building looking in through a window, sitting on a fire escape, but it would be a pleasant one.

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When Tony arrived in New York, he had grown a full beard and wore cowboy apparel that seemed out of place in the big city. However, the good thing was that no one recognized him...

...or no one really held an interest even to try to recognize him. He even walked past someone he thought looked like Mush in the street and he didn't look twice at him. It was probably just as well. He knew someone like Mush. No matter how good a friend he was, always did the right thing. Even if that meant turning an old friend into jail, probably. He would most likely use the excuse that it was for "your own good".

Tony contemplated shaving his beared. He didn't really like it, but he thought it was best that he kept it. He didn't bother to by new clothes and try to fit in more with the people in the city. He thought it best that he looked somewhat awkward in the big city. He did actually feel awkward, anyway. He hadn't been in New York for a while. However, after a few days it was like he had never left. He fell back into the flow of things, that is.

He told people who asked that his name was Jaime West. He said he was looking for a job in New York. He was soon given a job as a distributer. His job would be to distribute the papers to the Brooklyn Newsies. It was like Weasel's old job. He kind of liked the job. He got to see the kids and see how they behaved and how they reminded him of himself when he was their age. He would smile and chuckle to himself.

The prices raised a little. He was a bit sad about that. They say there had been a series of little strikes since he left Manhattan. It was true. Pulitzer won almost every time, though. No one could pull off the strike that the newsies did back in 1899. Everyone knew that. To do that you would have to have another Jack, Blink, Race, and Spot, and all the other newsies associated with a strike. That's not to say that no one would ever pull a strike off...no...its just that no one would pull one off quite like the one that they did.

After about four weeks...toward the end of the month, Race quit the job. He quite and moved up to the Bronx where he finally bought a new set of clothes and shaved his beard and had his long, shaggy hair cut. Race spent two months in the Bronx in very low-key conditions. It was more dangerous that he now looked more like his two-year-old wanted poster (minus the mustache), so, he couldn't take chances of someone recognizing him. He rarely went out during the day time, and if he did, he kept his hat low. He wasn't working, simply because he didn't feel like it, but he was spending a lot of his money during those two months. He spent most of it on liquor and girls. He bought things for all his night time girl friends. Jewelry, dresses, cosmetics, perfume, hair combs, and to one, he even bought a ticket for ship to sail her to France for her to pursue her dream of becoming an actress in the French theatre. Within those two months, he finally ran out of money to pay for boarding in the boarding house he was staying at. He was eventually kicked out into the streets. Tony made his way, mostly on foot, to Manhattan. He had very little money and a sack filled with his clothes and other belongings. He kept his money in a wallet inside a checkered vest pocket. He paid for one night in a hotel, because he wasn't planning on staying more than that. He was planning on robbing the biggest bank in Manhattan.

The next day was spent mostly planning on what he was going to do once he got to the bank. Finally he got so frustrated, he threw away all his plans and stormed out of the building with his belongings, checking out around ten at night.

He ditched all his belongings with the exception of his gun and his money and he made his way, casually, into the bank. He got in and walked up to the teller, as he always did when robbing a bank, and took his gun out, turned around, pointed the gun at everybody in the building and told them to get down. Because he didn't plan anything out, and he surprisingly never robbed this bank before, he had to improvise from here on out. He turned back to the bank teller and ordered him to get a sack and put three thousand dollars in it. People gasped when they heard the amount. Some women who were in the bank at this awful hour of the night, were crying. Tony grabbed the sack out of the teller's hands and counted the money very quickly. It looked about right, so he prepared to leave. He ordered everyone to close their eyes as he looked for a back door. He couldn't find any. Finally someone burst into the building through the front door. A policeman. Tony pointed the gun in his direction.

"Get down!" he ordered.

"What's going on, Mark?" the police man asked the teller.

"Shut up, bastahd!" Tony yelled. "I haven't fired a bullet yet, but you uttah one moah word and da first bullet will be in your skull!"

Tony looked through the blinds that were covering the windows. Another policeman was making his way to the building. He looked strangely familiar. He was dressed in blue uniform like every other bull, but there was something different about this one. Not only did he look familiar in feature, but his apparel looked somewhat familiar. He carried a cane with a gold tip, and there was a familiar twinkle in his eye, and something glittering around his neck. A key. It was Spot...

...Spot? A bull? Hell must have frozen over that day.

Tony just stood there in shock. While he seemed deeply distracted as he stared out the window at the figure coming into the building, the teller had time to get a small gun out from a drawer in his desk and point it in Tony's direction.

"Drop it, sir," yelled the teller, nervously from across the room. Tony turned around, shocked. Tony just lifted his gun as the teller fumbled for the trigger and shot. The bullet hit the teller in the left shoulder. This delayed everyone enough for Tony to climb straight out the window. By this time Spot was inside the building and had just missed him jump out a window that was twenty feet from the ground.

Tony landed with a thud and a yelp of pain.

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I updated as quickly as I could. Hope this chapter was as good as the last.