Dolan's Cadillac (short story)
| "Dolan's Cadillac" | |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | crime, thriller, short story |
| Published in | Nightmares & Dreamscapes |
| Publication type | Anthology |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Publication date | 1993 |
"Dolan's Cadillac" is a short story by Stephen King. It was originally published in Castle Rock, King's official newsletter, in monthly installments from February to June 1985. In 1993, "Dolan's Cadillac" was collected in Nightmares & Dreamscapes. The story is narrated by the protagonist, a schoolteacher, and there is only one other main character, Dolan.
The narrator, known only by his surname, Robinson, is a schoolteacher who lives in Las Vegas. He has become widowed after Dolan, a wealthy crime-boss, had his wife murdered with a car bomb in order to prevent her from testifying against him. The murder remains unsolved, and Robinson, unskilled in the arts of revenge, has no recourse. Over a seven-year period, however, Robinson—mentally haunted by his wife's voice—devises a scheme of retaliation.
Discovering that Dolan regularly takes the same route along State Route 71 when traveling to Los Angeles, while in his Cadillac, Robinson decides to trick Dolan into taking a fake detour, in which the Cadillac will crash into a ditch and he'll be buried alive. He takes on a summer job with a road paving crew so that he can learn to operate the heavy equipment needed to excavate an ditch just long and deep enough to contain the car, but not so wide as to allow escape through its doors.
The trap works, and Dolan is stuck in his Cadillac as it crashes into the pit. One of Dolan's bodyguards is killed in the crash, while the other, crushed by the engine block, screams out in pain and panic, prompting Dolan to kill him. Robinson greets Dolan and announces his intent on burying him alive. Dolan addresses Robinson by name, prompting him to lean over the roof of the car as Dolan fires a few bullets skyward. He misses Robinson, who proceeds with the burial.
Dolan, increasingly desperate, pleads with Robinson for his freedom, offering him a large sum of cash. Robinson merely tells him he will be released if he screams as loud as the explosives that killed his wife, gleefully listening to Dolan's cries as he completes the burial and paves over the car. With what must be the last gasp of air left to him, Dolan screams out, "For the love of God, Robinson!" (An allusion to The Cask of Amontillado) as the latter drops the last piece of paving into place.
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