Chapter 29:
Henry Potter sits at his desk in his office. A nervous looking man stands in front of him. Henry signs a document. "Now that that's taken care of, I think it's time to have a chat with our friend at the Building and Loan."
Henry picks up the phone receiver, dials and then begins to speak with an unusually caring tone, "George, there is a rumor around town that you've closed your doors? Is that true? Oh, I'm very glad to hear that. George. Are you alright? Do you need and Police? Well, you know mobs get pretty ugly sometimes, you know. George, I'm going all out to help in this crisis. I have just guaranteed the bank sufficient funds to meet their needs."
Potter looks at the nervous man, who mops sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. Potter continues, "They will close up for a week and then reopen. I may lose a fortune, but I am willing to guarantee your people too. Just tell them to bring their shares over here and I will pay fifty cents on the dollar."
The voice on the other end of the call responds with venom, "Aw, you never miss a trick, do you Potter? Well, you're gonna miss this one!"
Henry snaps back, "If you close your doors before six p.m., you will never reopen!" Potter jiggles the cradle of the phone, indignant that George has hung up on him.
The clock on Potter's desk reads 8 minutes until 3 pm. The clock advances to 4:15 pm. Potter's phone rings. He receives bad news: the Building and Loan remains open. Customers are walking out calmly and with cash. Potter knows now that he will not sink the B&L today. He clenches his fists tightly, frowns and stares at the metal skull that now sits in a prominent position on his office desk.
A cab stops at a dilapidated house on Sycamore Street. Ernie, the cab driver helps the passenger, Mrs. Mary Bailey, to exit the cab and tries to keep her covered until she is under roof. Both enter the house and find only a single dim bulb lights up when they flip the switch. They stare at each other and shake their heads in dismay.
A police car pulls up behind the taxi. Bert, the cop, approaches the house. Mary enters another room, out of sight. The two men talk and gesture, as they formulate a plan of action. Both agree, shake hands and run back to their vehicles to put their plan into action.
