Room for One More

Part 5: Shifting Gears

That afternoon, Little Larry wanted to show Beckett something. They were walking to the back of a warehouse.

"Son of a gun." Beckett said under his breath as he checked his pockets.

"What?" Little Larry asked his friend.

"Nothing, man. It's my dad, he's in a bad way." Beckett said.

They walked inside the warehouse. Little Larry went up to a door with a keypad beside it. He pressed in the number code to unlock the door.

"I knew the geek inside of you was up to something." Beckett said.

The door opened and the boys walked into a private room. Little Larry sat down at a desk chair, while Beckett took a look at his surroundings. He found a stack of money on a table and held it in his hands.

"I made them, all of them." Little Larry said, referring to the cash.

"And you're living like you're hungry, man?" Beckett asked, while clutching the stack of money.

Little Larry turned his chair around to face the desk to write some things down.

"Wait, so that hundred dollar bill?" Beckett questioned, remembering the transaction from the grocery store yesterday.

"Yeah. That was a test run." Little Larry said, while staying focused on writing.

"This is epic! Where are the rest of the hundreds?" Beckett asked.

"Those were the last two and Donnie only lets me print fives and twenties." Little Larry explained, then held up two bills.

"That jerk that showed up at your house? Who is he, really?" Beckett asked.

"My mom's ex-cousin-in-law." Little Larry answered.

"And?" Beckett asked as he turned Little Larry's chair around.

"And, I've been helping Donnie since I was a kid. A few years ago, he had me take over and he comes in every two weeks, I give him what I make in exchange for the cash." his friend explained.

"Okay. What's the cut?" Beckett asked.

"25 to 75." Little Larry answered.

"25?!" Beckett exclaimed.

Little Larry got up from his desk chair and walked over to the other side of the room.

"So, let me get this straight. You've been working for him for years, you're still taking the bus, you're swimming in dough here and you ain't got stuff to show for it." Beckett figured out.

"Well, the Feds have idiots just looking for people like us. Donnie survived because he doesn't spend." Little Larry explained.

"What is the point of having money if you're not gonna spend it?" Beckett asked.

"He has a guy that comes in every two weeks and brings a set amount of paper and ink. I have to account for every little thing that I use. If I mess up a sheet, I have to save it so Donnie can rest easy. I'm not stealing from him." Little Larry explained.

"Did Donnie give you that too? Was that a part of the deal?" Beckett asked, referring to the black eye.

"The rules are in place, so we don't get caught." Little Larry said.

"I cry BS on that." Beckett said.

"That's what they are." Little Larry said as he walked back over to his desk.

"The cashier at the grocery store used that pen on that hundred dollar bill and it passed with flying colors." Beckett said.

"Of course, it's the perfect note." Little Larry said.