The Straight Man

"Start talking, or we cut your fingers off, one by one.”The Straight Man told them the truth. They gave him a month to come up with the money. He’d been burned, but The Mob didn’t care. He owed them ten grand. Where would he get it?He sat down to think.Burglary was a field open to almost any fool, the prisons were full of them.Kidnapping would bring in tons of federal smoke. The idea of winning money gambling had built a lot of casinos.International gun running was controlled by the Spanish people and the government.Loan sharking was done legally by the banks for a mortgage on your soul, and illegally by The Mob for a mortgage on your life.Cattle rustling was open to everyone, some restaurants would go under without it.Hijacking was out ... it takes a well-organized gang for that, The best shot would be a one-time stunt that hadn’t been pulled before, like the first sky-jacker. He’d thought it out and been the only one to ever get away clean. America, The Straight Man decided, is a nation of specialists.