Rule Number One
By Alan Orloff
After pulling off an art heist, an experienced Boston criminal navigates trust and betrayal when it comes time to sell the stolen goods.
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Kane, an experienced robber in Boston, visits his ailing longtime mentor Pen to go over the details of an upcoming heist, where Pen will be the getaway driver. Pen reveals that he plans to retire after this last job and move to Florida because of his deteriorating health. A few weeks after the heist, Kane meets with his dim-witted partners in crime, Jimmy Fitzpatrick and Nagelman, to announce that he has found a buyer for the $3 million worth of artifacts that they stole from a Boston museum. Fitzpatrick and Nagelman had stashed the loot, so they plan to pick up the treasures on their way to meet the buyer the next day. Kane secretly confirms with Nagelman that they will double cross Fitzpatrick and cut him out of the profit, although Nagelman worries that Fitzpatrick is getting suspicious. Later, Kane confirms with Fitzpatrick that they will double cross Nagelman, although Fitzpatrick worries that Nagelman is getting suspicious. The next day, the three men drive to the low-security storage facility where Fitzpatrick and Nagelman stashed the goods. They load up their van and drive to the buyer's house in the middle of nowhere. Outside the front door, Kane points his gun at Fitzpatrick and Nagelman, and they realize they've been "triple crossed". He takes away their guns and phones, then drives off, leaving both men stranded. Kane arrives at the agreed meeting place, where Pen waits with the getaway car. Pen points his gun at Kane, chastising him for forgetting rule number one: never trust anyone. Pen takes the keys to the van and drives off with the loot, ready to retire on a remote tropical island. Once he drives off, Kane returns to the hiding place where he has stashed the merchandise, revealing that Pen's van is actually full of old clothes. Kane drives the getaway car to the buyer's house.
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