How did they retrieve the rope? (Spoiler alert!)
If you haven't seen the pilot movie, it'd be a good idea to watch that before reading any further, because even my question contains some plot spoilers. If you don't have the DVD, the pilot is currently available on YouTube (though it may be somewhat edited there, and the DVD has probably has better definition) -- just search YouTube for Longstreet Pilot.
It recently occurred to me that the jewel robbers (in the pilot) had clearly taken their rope away with them after their heists in New Orleans, New York, and LA. But how did they the do it? Specifically, how did they de-attach the far end of the rope after escaping to the building across the street?
The attachment step seems fairly straightforward. Duke said that (in Chicago) a fourth member of the gang was already on the roof of that other building, and of course the three robbers soon came to the roof of the building they had just robbed. So let's say the fourth guy has the rope, with a weight fastened to one end. He attaches the free end of the rope to some part of the building he's on, then heaves the weight across the street to the other building, where the other three tie that end of the rope to something sturdy.
Then the three robbers swing hand-over-hand along the rope to the other building and make their escape. Of course Duke may not have known how they would have retrieved the rope in Chicago, if they weren't given a chance to do so. But how had they retrieved it the previous three times?
My first thought was that it was an Elven rope (as in Lord of the Rings), so all they had to do was give it a gentle tug -- but of course that's the wrong universe.
My next thought was that they set fire to the end of the rope and let it burn completely. But (for one thing) that doesn't explain the unburnt fiber that Mike found on the standpipe.
How do you think they did it? I have one more idea, but won't post it till the rest of you have a chance to think about it (and hopefully someone replies to this thread).