She looked around, pointed at some more rings, and he deftly pulled out two more display boards.
Another customer entered, a friendly young man with a big hello. Said he wanted to look at some watches, which Mr. Kresky pointed to in a display before quickly returning to Sissy.
Hugh leaned closer and said to Mr. Kresky, “See that purse of hers. There’s a pistol in there.” The other customer, Jimmie, stepped over and said, “And I’ve got one right here.” He pulled back his jacket and showed him a Ruger clamped to his belt. Jimmie then stepped to the door, turned the deadbolt, and flipped the open sign to closed.
Hugh said, “Put all these in a bag, now, quickly, and no one gets hurt.”
“What is this?” Mr. Kresky asked, wild-eyed.
“It’s called a robbery,” Hugh barked. “Hurry up before we start shooting.”
Hugh walked around the counter, grabbed two large shopping bags, and began snatching every piece of jewelry and watch in view.
“I can’t believe this,” Mr. Kresky said.
“Shut up!” Hugh snapped.
In seconds the two bags were stuffed, the display cases looted. Hugh grabbed Mr. Kresky and put him on the floor while Sissy pulled a roll of silver duct tape from her purse. “Please don’t hurt me,” Mr. Kresky begged.
“Shut up and nobody gets hurt.”
Hugh and Jimmie wrapped his ankles and wrists, and rather roughly slapped the tape over his mouth and around his head, leaving only a slight gap so he could breathe. Without a word, Jimmie took one bag, unlocked the door, and left. He walked around the corner and hopped into Hugh’s 1969 Pontiac Firebird, with a fresh set of Louisiana license plates. If anyone noticed him, he wasn’t aware of it. He stopped in front of the jewelry store, Hugh and Sissy jumped in with the other bag, and the getaway was clean and quick. Five minutes later they were out of town, heading north, howling with laughter at their cunning. It had been as easy as taking candy from a baby. Sissy, in the back seat, was already trying on diamond rings.
They drove at a reasonable speed, no sense in taking chances, and an hour later crossed into Mississippi. In the river town of Vicksburg, they stopped at a hot dog stand for lunch, then continued north on Highway 61, through the heart of the Mississippi Delta. At a service station, they put their valuables—two dozen diamond rings, several gold pendants, earrings and necklaces with rubies and sapphires, and twenty-one watches—in a metal box and hid it in the trunk. They threw away the shopping bags and display boards from Mr. Kresky’s store. They replaced the Louisiana license plates with a set from Arkansas. At 3:00 p.m. they crossed the Mississippi River and were soon in downtown Helena, population 10,000, with a Main Street that was busy but not crowded. They parked with the jewelry store in sight and watched for customers coming and going.
Hugh and Jimmie had argued over strategy. Hugh wanted to carefully case each target and plan their movements. Jimmie thought it was a bad idea because the more time they spent on-site, the likelier someone would notice them. He wanted to hit fast and get out of town before something went wrong. Sissy had no opinion and was just thrilled to be along for the adventure. It was much more fun than hustling soldiers for drinks and sex.
At 3:30, when they were convinced there were no customers inside Mason’s Keepsakes, Hugh and Sissy, holding hands, entered the store and said hello to Mrs. Mason, the lady behind the counter. Before long it was covered with velvet boards displaying dozens of inexpensive diamonds. Hugh said he wanted to spend some money and she yelled for someone in the back. Mr. Mason appeared with a locked box, which he opened and proudly showed the handsome young couple.
Jimmie entered the store with a smile and asked about watches. He pulled his Ruger, and within seconds the Masons were on the floor begging for their lives. When their ankles, wrists, and mouths were taped, Jimmie left first with a mason’s keepsakes shopping bag filled with jewelry. Hugh and Sissy followed minutes later with another bag. The getaway was easy, with no one giving them a second look. Two hours later they arrived in downtown Memphis, got a fine room at the Peabody Hotel downtown, and went to the bar. After a long dinner, the three slept together in the same bed and enjoyed a rowdy time of it.