The Life and Times of Cheater Hayes

A Can't-Miss Plot

     Mona sat down at a table with the three men. Fingers and Cheater stayed standing, while Muggs lowered his generous girth into a chair. Cheater moved an inch closer to Mona. No one seemed to notice.

    "Ever hear of the Ice Garden?" she asked, which got a confused grunt out of Fingers. Fingers, Cheater had noticed, didn't talk much at all.

     Mona went on to explain that the Ice Garden was a diamond necklace, worth a million dollars at least. She had called the mobsters to steal it from a socialite that lived in Long Island. The rich woman owned the necklace and intended to give it to her niece for her eighteenth birthday. The niece was a popular flapper named Polly, who spent many weeks away from home and vacationing in luxurious destinations. She was also the object of Muggs' affections.

    "Happy birthday, Polly." Muggs whispered, the picture of awe. Cheater silenced the bigger man with a stomp of a boot on his toe.

     Mona went on to explain how the gangsters were going to be disguised as temporary help, a trio of waiters that could disappear without a trace once the party was over and the deed had been done. Fingers was nodding, hanging on Mona's every word, nodding at the brains behind the plan.

    "ay, wait Mona." Muggs interrupted "What about pay?"

    "Fifty fifty, even." Mona replied. "What you do with your cut is your choice." Muggs nodded, obviously pleased at the thought of half a million dollars going to him. He didn't think of splitting the money further with his fellow gang members.

    "Waitaminute, Mona, we never agreed to help you out. What if we back out now? We know your whole plan, whats stopping us from going to the police with it?" Cheater asked. Mona shrugged. This had been the question she had been waiting for since the three of them walked in. Her answer to this would cinch their help for sure.

    "Well, I went to the boys that I thought could help me best. After all, when it came to heisting, Cheater Hayes, Muggs O'Toole and Fingers Flannigan..." Here, she stopped to snicker. Her voice aquired a taunting tone "Well,  you used to be the best."

    The gangsters fell for the bait hook, line, and sinker. 

     "We're still the best!"

     "Good! Then you'll have no problem pulling this off." For a moment, Mona grabbed Fingers' shoulder, digging her nails into his jacket. "Right?"

      Suddenly, the door opened. Black, shiny shoes stepped into the room, followed by a trenchcoat and hat, with gleaming blue eyes underneath, and a cocky smirk to match. Lieutenant Fluke, local chief o police

      "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."