11 - Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson

Dive into the gripping narrative of Thieves Like Us, also known as Your Red Wagon. Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, it tells the story of Bowie Bowers, a young prison escapee who, along with two accomplices, sets his sights on a daring bank heist. As plans unravel, Bowie finds himself entangled in a passionate love affair with Keechie, a relative of one of his partners in crime. This classic noir tale of doomed lovers on the run has been immortalized in film not once, but twice. Originally by Nicholas Ray in 1940s They Live By Night and later by Robert Altman in 1973s rendition of Thieves Like Us. Join us as we delve into this captivating tale. - Synopsis by Ben Tucker

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Chapter eleven of Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson. This
LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Read by Ben Tucker.
Chapter eleven dawns through the cracks of the closed bunk door,
the veins of the drawn window blind and pressed with
leaden heaviness on Bowie's frozen soreness. The suit of winter

(00:24):
underwear d Mobley's hung on the post of the bed
like a scab. I'll get up in a minute, BOI thought,
An like that stove, I'm chilled. An that's what is
wrong with me. He touched his loosened front teeth with
his tongue and heard them creak in their sockets. The
car droned around the curve, thundered past the filling station,
and faded with the sound of a covey of quail

(00:45):
in flight. I'm goin to get up, one for the money,
two for the show, and when I say four to go,
I will get up. But what's the use o gettin' up?
I've got all day, one for the money. Check him
all won't be gone more than two days. He might

(01:07):
show up right tonight, one for the money. It might
not really be happening. Him lying here in this place
and getting ready to get up. This was just his spirit.
His real self was back up that road. No, that
was his spirit too. His real self had got the chair.
I'm like a cat with nine lives. That's it, one

(01:28):
of them in the chair and one of them back
yonder seven left. I'm gonna go dingbatti if I keep
lying here. One for the money. The car was coming
up under the shed of this filling station. Bowie sat
up his right hand, reaching for the floor. Man, you
don't even have a gun. The knob turned, and then
an unarmed figure and the red sweater was standing there.

(01:49):
It was Kichi. Bowie's face felt like it was encased
in a cellophane mask, and if he breathed, his skin
would crackle. She closed the door and came toward him.
What's the matter with you? He breathed accident. She stood
beside the bed. What's the matter. He touched his mouth.

(02:09):
I guess you see my lips now, they're busted up
pretty bad. Anything broke, He shook his head. Shot just
sprung my back a little. She went over to the
kerosene stove, and then a match popped and the igniting
wick sputtered. Bowie lowered himself back to the pillow. The
pan of water rattled on top of the heater. Two

(02:31):
lines creased Keichi's face, from her cheekbones to the corners
of her thin, dry lips. Her eyes were the color
of powdered burnt sugar. Hungry, she said. He shook his head.
Your dad said you were going up to Muskogee or someplace.
Uh huh, I guess he left. All right, Yeah, I

(02:51):
guess you better be careful about staying here, Kichi. I've
been in a little trouble. You look like it. The hot,
wet towel melted, the brittle casing on his face softened
his lips. Her fingers touched his face, and he wanted
to lick them. Just let her stay a little while,
just a little while. I got money, he said, on me,

(03:15):
and in that brown bag under the bed, nineteen thousand dollars.
She straightened, cupping the towel in her hands, looked at him.
I don't know why I said that. I'm glad you
have it, if that's what you want. That wasn't what
I wanted to say. What I wanted to say was
I don't guess it's best for you to be here

(03:36):
you need help. I just thought that if I had
this money and maybe you would like to take a
trip or go someplace. All girls like to go places.
I don't know what other girls like to do. Now,
I didn't mean anything by that, Kichi, Now, don't get
me down wrong. I would do this for a dog.
Kit Chee said, if you'll turn over and pull your

(03:57):
shirt up, I will put some liniment on your back.
She left at noon, but she was comin back. It
would be after dark, and she would bring plasters and
cigarettes and something for him to gargle. She would leave
the model tea and walk back out, telling her aunt
Mara that she was leaving town. She would sleep in
the filling station at nights. Bowie rested on the bed,

(04:17):
his back and head propped against a quilt and pillow.
It's all right, he thought, I've had more'n my share
of bad luck, an I know it's goin to be
all right. For two or three days. The cotton underwear
on the bed looked like the skin of a dead rabbit.
Bowie got up, picked the rusty file from the window
sill and scraped the garment to the floor. Then it
kicked it under the bed end of chapter eleven,