Bye Bye Blackbird
A Change of Scenery
"Next stop, Chicago!" Was yelled down the car hallway. He had been doing that all morning and it was really starting to get obnoxious. If I was Frankie right now, that two-bit johnny would be dead. Lucky for him, I’m helpless little Janey who can’t even lift her trunks down onto the platform herself and has to enlist the help of the two young men in the car that had been staring at my legs the entire ride. They practically fell over themselves to hand me down to the platform. To think what would have happened had they know they were carrying Frankie Dietrich’s guns and nearly $100,000. They probably would have keeled over right there.
"Jeez sweetheart, what you got in here? Rocks?" The man holding the trunk heavily laden with suits and guns asked. The other trunk held my woman’s clothing and the money from under my mattress and the briefcase. I held a few hat boxes that contained my fedoras.
"Something like that." I grinned. "If you wouldn’t mind waiting for a moment boys, I need to make a phone call." I didn’t wait for their response before walking to the telephones. I knew they would stay.
I dialed the number Daddy Dietrich had left in the briefcase and quickly decided I should be Jane since I would be staying with these people.
"Hello?" A man answered.
"Hello. May I speak with.....uhhh... a John Dillinger please?" I asked rereading the note he left quickly.
"Who is this?" He asked suspiciously.
"Well I don’t really think that matters unless you’re Mr. Dillinger, which you’re not, now does it?" Who does this guy think he is?
"Well Mr. Dillinger don’t speak to nobody he don’t know." The man said.
"That’s ridiculous. How does he meet anybody?"
"Whatever lady. I’m hangin’ up now."
"Wait!"
"What?" He was clearly annoyed but he wasn’t the one talking to a moron.
"Does it make a difference if I tell you Walter Dietrich told me to call him?"
"Lemme ask him...... hey Johnny. Some broad says Dietrich told her to call you." There was a pause then a rustle as someone picked the phone up.
"Who are you?"
"John Dillinger?"
"No. I believe that’s my name. What’s yours? And why did Walter tell you to call me?"
"I’m Jane De Luca and I need a place to stay. I got more to tell you but I’m in the middle of the train station and anyone can hear me." I said, again there was a pause.
"Alright. Be outside." And he hung up. I walked back the boys with my trunks.
"Could I trouble you to take these outside for me?" I asked in a voice so sugary I saw them visibly tremble.
"N..not a p..problem." One stuttered out. I didn’t bother to learn their names.
"Thank you boys. This is as far as you need to go." I said motioning to the curb right outside of the main doors.
"Are you sure we can’t get you where your going?" The taller of the two asked.
"Oh you don’t want to get where I’m going." I smiled.
"Oh... alright." He looked at me strangely. "Hope to meet you again sometime."
"Oh you really don’t, Pal. You really don’t." I said under my breath. I noticed 2 black cars pulling up to the curb in front of me. "I do believe this is my ride boys. Have a nice life."
"Miss De Luca?" A man asked from the front one. I nodded and another took my trunks to the back car as I climbed into the front one.
"John Dillinger." The driver stuck out his hand. I shook it.
"Frankie Jane De Luca." I replied. He was a good looking dark haired man with a scar that ran down his right cheek.
"So why did dear old Daddy Dietrich send you to me?" He asked once we got to the whore house they were currently holed up in, sitting around the kitchen table.
"I could ask you the same thing. He wanted me out of New York. This is where he told me to go."
"And why did he want you out of New York? You his mistress?" I laughed out loud.
"So the feds couldn’t trace me." I shook my head.
"And what would the government want with a pretty little thing like you?"
"Well, you see, they aren’t very happy with me. At least half of me." I said.
"I’m not sure I follow, Doll."
"Come with me." I got up and led the four men to the bedroom my trunks were currently in. I kicked open the trunk containing my suits, mens coats, and guns. They all had the exact same look of surprise. "You see," I said opening my coat to reveal a pistol holstered over my blouse. I dropped my voice down to the husky tone I had been practicing for nearly a decade. "I’m Frankie Dietrich."
"Jeez sweetheart, what you got in here? Rocks?" The man holding the trunk heavily laden with suits and guns asked. The other trunk held my woman’s clothing and the money from under my mattress and the briefcase. I held a few hat boxes that contained my fedoras.
"Something like that." I grinned. "If you wouldn’t mind waiting for a moment boys, I need to make a phone call." I didn’t wait for their response before walking to the telephones. I knew they would stay.
I dialed the number Daddy Dietrich had left in the briefcase and quickly decided I should be Jane since I would be staying with these people.
"Hello?" A man answered.
"Hello. May I speak with.....uhhh... a John Dillinger please?" I asked rereading the note he left quickly.
"Who is this?" He asked suspiciously.
"Well I don’t really think that matters unless you’re Mr. Dillinger, which you’re not, now does it?" Who does this guy think he is?
"Well Mr. Dillinger don’t speak to nobody he don’t know." The man said.
"That’s ridiculous. How does he meet anybody?"
"Whatever lady. I’m hangin’ up now."
"Wait!"
"What?" He was clearly annoyed but he wasn’t the one talking to a moron.
"Does it make a difference if I tell you Walter Dietrich told me to call him?"
"Lemme ask him...... hey Johnny. Some broad says Dietrich told her to call you." There was a pause then a rustle as someone picked the phone up.
"Who are you?"
"John Dillinger?"
"No. I believe that’s my name. What’s yours? And why did Walter tell you to call me?"
"I’m Jane De Luca and I need a place to stay. I got more to tell you but I’m in the middle of the train station and anyone can hear me." I said, again there was a pause.
"Alright. Be outside." And he hung up. I walked back the boys with my trunks.
"Could I trouble you to take these outside for me?" I asked in a voice so sugary I saw them visibly tremble.
"N..not a p..problem." One stuttered out. I didn’t bother to learn their names.
"Thank you boys. This is as far as you need to go." I said motioning to the curb right outside of the main doors.
"Are you sure we can’t get you where your going?" The taller of the two asked.
"Oh you don’t want to get where I’m going." I smiled.
"Oh... alright." He looked at me strangely. "Hope to meet you again sometime."
"Oh you really don’t, Pal. You really don’t." I said under my breath. I noticed 2 black cars pulling up to the curb in front of me. "I do believe this is my ride boys. Have a nice life."
"Miss De Luca?" A man asked from the front one. I nodded and another took my trunks to the back car as I climbed into the front one.
"John Dillinger." The driver stuck out his hand. I shook it.
"Frankie Jane De Luca." I replied. He was a good looking dark haired man with a scar that ran down his right cheek.
"So why did dear old Daddy Dietrich send you to me?" He asked once we got to the whore house they were currently holed up in, sitting around the kitchen table.
"I could ask you the same thing. He wanted me out of New York. This is where he told me to go."
"And why did he want you out of New York? You his mistress?" I laughed out loud.
"So the feds couldn’t trace me." I shook my head.
"And what would the government want with a pretty little thing like you?"
"Well, you see, they aren’t very happy with me. At least half of me." I said.
"I’m not sure I follow, Doll."
"Come with me." I got up and led the four men to the bedroom my trunks were currently in. I kicked open the trunk containing my suits, mens coats, and guns. They all had the exact same look of surprise. "You see," I said opening my coat to reveal a pistol holstered over my blouse. I dropped my voice down to the husky tone I had been practicing for nearly a decade. "I’m Frankie Dietrich."