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Chapter 38: We Once Accidentally Killed an Athlete
🕑 Added 2024-11-28 15:23:05 +0000 UTCThe elderly Lyndon Schneider and the burly Dix were both fugitives. Naturally, Josh couldn’t risk taking them to his own home. That would not only endanger Margaret but also himself.
Instead, he brought them to his late parents old apartment.
Though Josh had long planned to sell the place, it had never been successfully sold.
Bringing the two fugitives there was a calculated move. If they were eventually caught and ratted him out, Josh could argue his innocence convincingly.
For instance, he could claim that Lyndon Schneider, being an old friend of his father, knew about the address and had access to the keys. This would distance Josh from the situation entirely.
So long as Josh stuck to this narrative, even if the two wanted to implicate him, the police and courts wouldn’t have enough to convict him.
Besides, if they had any sense, Schneider and Dix would be unlikely to blame Josh.
Though they had stolen a significant amount of jewels, according to the morning papers, no one had been killed during the heist, except for a security guard who had suffered minor injuries.
As long as they hadn’t committed murder, the law of this time wouldn’t treat their crime as a severe offense—especially since they were white men. At most, they might face a few years in prison.
By establishing good relations, Josh might even be able to help them get out early.
What good would betraying him accomplish?
Upon arrival, Josh casually chatted with the building supervisor, pretending to inquire about the apartment’s sale status. Meanwhile, Schneider and Dix slipped past unnoticed, heading upstairs.
Josh joined them shortly afterward to unlock the door and let them in.
Thankfully, they encountered no one during the process.
“I spoke to the building supervisor. The police conducted a search here earlier today, so this place should be safe for now,” Josh said after locking the door behind them.
“Thank you very much, young man!” Schneider said, bowing stiffly.
“Don’t thank me just yet,” Josh waved him off. “First, explain yourselves. What’s your situation? The papers implied there were more of you. I assume the gunshots I heard near Lakeside earlier were connected to your group. And how exactly did you know my father?”
Schneider and Dix exchanged glances. After a brief hesitation, they told Josh the full story.
It turned out that Josh’s earlier suspicions were correct: the heist was indeed connected to Attorney Emery, who was one of the masterminds.
Schneider himself was the other.
The entire affair began a month earlier when Schneider had just been released from prison.
The newly freed criminal mastermind wasted no time heading to Chicago, where he approached a local fixer named Corby. Schneider proposed a lucrative “business opportunity” that required manpower and a buyer.
The job was the theft of the Leibler family’s jewel vault.
With Schneider’s reputation for intelligence and reliability, Corby eagerly introduced him to a high-profile client: Attorney Emery.
Emery not only agreed to fund the operation but also promised to purchase the stolen jewels at above-market value.
Tempted by the high payout, Schneider agreed. He quickly assembled a team, which included Dix and three others: Louis, Goss, and Cody.
Initially, the heist went smoothly.
However, things took a turn when a security guard stumbled upon their escape route.
Though Dix managed to knock the guard unconscious, the man’s firearm accidentally discharged, hitting Louis.
Forced to split up to avoid capture, Goss took the injured Louis to a back-alley doctor. Schneider, Dix, and Cody went to meet Emery to exchange the goods for payment.
This explained why Emery had hastily left the gala the previous evening after John Leibler's departure—he was preparing to receive the stolen goods.
However, Emery had no intention of paying. Strapped for cash and on the verge of bankruptcy, the attorney planned to double-cross Schneider and flee to Mexico with the jewels.
But Emery had underestimated his adversaries.
Schneider might have been a nonviolent criminal, but Dix and Cody were not.
The confrontation left Emery’s trusted enforcer, Bob Branow, dead at Dix hands.
Though Dix and Cody were ready to kill Emery as well, Schneider stopped them.
Recognizing their precarious position—without a buyer and unable to fence such high-value jewels—Schneider proposed a new plan.
He suggested Emery negotiate with the insurance company. If they offered the jewels at a lower price, the company might privately buy them back to offset their payout to the Leibler family.
Emery reluctantly agreed, disposing of his accomplice’s body in the process.
But things didn’t end there.
Unknown to Schneider, the police had been keeping tabs on him since his release from prison. Combined with pressure from the Leibler's family and city officials, a warrant was issued for Schneider’s arrest, even without solid evidence linking him to the crime.
Shortly after leaving Emery’s estate, Schneider and Dix found themselves tailed by police. In the ensuing chaos, Cody sacrificed himself to lead the authorities away, allowing Schneider and Dix to escape—only to run into Josh.
During Schneider’s recounting, he repeatedly emphasized his close relationship with Josh’s father.
He even claimed that he had helped the family immigrate to the United States.
Josh remained skeptical but couldn’t entirely dismiss the possibility.
After all, Schneider had accurately described his father’s past and handed him a bag of diamonds without hesitation.
Given the circumstances, extending a helping hand seemed reasonable.
After some thought, Josh offered his advice.
“If you trust me, your best option is to surrender,” he said.
“Why?” Schneider asked, puzzled.
“From what you’ve told me, Emery is a key player in all of this. If you align your story and pin the blame on him, I can talk to John Leibler on your behalf. Once he learns his legal advisor is a traitor, he’ll likely help you out.
“If we can make Emery the scapegoat, you’ll only be charged as accomplices. With mitigating factors like surrendering and cooperation, I can get you a good lawyer. You might not even serve time—just a light sentence with the possibility of parole. Isn’t that better than running for the rest of your lives?”
Schneider fell silent, contemplating the proposal.
Josh’s logic was sound, but he couldn’t help gripping the bag of jewels tighter, reluctant to part with them.
“Sir, it’s not that simple,” Dix interjected.
“Our current heist might not have caused any serious harm, but I won’t lie to you—we accidentally killed a tennis player about two weeks ago. Plus, we’ve got a few other skeletons in our closet.
“Surrendering won’t be as easy as you think.”
Josh’s jaw dropped, and he choked on his drink, coughing violently.
