Trouble And Money #22

Medford Street, The Charlestown Projects - Charlestown, Massachusetts - 1979

The Kinney Kids were second-generation residents of Medford Street in the Charlestown, Massachusetts, projects in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Sergeant Schultz's attitude from the TV Show Hogan's Heroes on Channel 38 about "knowing nothing" was ingrained in each child well before they got their first communion bicycles. 

They believed that being a rat in any form was a mortal sin, right up there with getting caught. 

They were perfect for the neighborhood, where robbing banks, armored cars, and rolling Yuppies on Boylston Street were competitive sports talked and joked about in Edwards Middle School and Charlestown High School.

Everyone thought they had the perfect hack for robbing an armored car, and in Charlestown, the advanced theories were tested.

One day in 1979, Charles called the whole family into the parlor just before supper.

That day, Patty received a call from the Vice Principal of Charlestown High. He told her that a White Hen Pantry convenience store manager had caught sophomore Scott Kinney stealing chocolate milk and Ring Dings.

That day is remembered by every living Kinney today, and the story has been retold many times.

Charles, speaking to the whole family, looked at each kid—Maria, Lisa, Travis, and Scott—and said, "I don't mind that Scott stole a couple of Ring Dings from the dothead store. I don't care about that." What I care about is that he got caught. "Now the whole neighborhood thinks he is stupid for getting caught. That makes the rest of us look bad."

He aimed his laser blues at Scott, who began to shake and stammer. "I don't know how.."He was told to "Be quiet."

"We don't get caught. The Kinney's don't rat, and the Kinney's don't get caught."

The senior Kinney struck Scott in the mouth and then started beating him. The family had never seen their father so full of anger. As Scott held his arms up to protect his head, Charles got meaner and hit him harder.

"Ria, what don't Kinneys do?" Maria was crying but coughed up, "We don't rat, and we don't get caught." 

Charles punched Scott in the stomach.

Lisa, "What don't Kinneys do?" "We don't get caught, and we don't rat."

Charles punched Scott in the head again.

Travis! "What don't Kinneys do?" We don't rat, and we don't get caught."

Charles slammed his elbow into Scott Kinney's chest.

Charles went out the door and headed down Medord street to beat the crap out of the owner of the convenience store.

Raj, the owner, and his family knew it would happen. When Charles entered, ringing the doorbell, Raj stepped from behind the checkout counter and took a couple of shots. 

This was the norm every time he caught a local shoplifter.

It was a terrible tax, but Raj needed to stay in business because his daughter just got accepted to Northeastern University.

He had to sell a lot of Ring Dings.

From that day on, the Kinney kids believed that any crime was okay if you did not get caught.  Anything out of the normal bounds the family engaged in was planned down to the tiniest detail with a premium master plan for not getting caught.

From that day on, Scott was slower in speech and thought because of multiple hard blows to the head.

From then on, the kids were interested in more significant scores, nothing petty, and avoiding having a record with any police force.

They did not get caught.

Trouble And Money is published Monday through Friday. It is a free serial fiction detective story with characters you will love. Read the adventures of Conrad Grange as he solves cases and contends with a harsh world.