by Anna Wild
“Jamaica, baby!” He cheered. “I want to buy a house there.”
“Just hack the damn thing.” Tim urged. “I’ll do the rest.”
“Yes, sir,” Jon saluted him. Just when he finished his sentence, the two men noticed headlights in a distance. They belonged to a red van, with a large, ancient helmet mural on the side and a big, bright sign on the roof, in black letters:
“Spartan Security”
“Showtime…” Jon murmured, starting the massive engine of his truck. He then put it in reverse and backed out of the grove, before turning left. All four tires picked up mud and gravel from the road, as he put his foot hard down on the gas pedal. He climbed the uphill road and then turned right, into Actors Colony Road. Tim had never felt so stressed about a burglary. His heart was beating so loudly that he could hear it, as they passed by one luxurious mansion after another. Predictably, the expensive, suburban neighborhood was empty and quiet. Bradford’s house was located at the end of it and to the right. It was by far the largest and most extravagant in the neighborhood, featuring a huge, grey, iron fence gate. Jon eased up on the brakes, allowing his truck to roll slowly down the road.
“Alright,” Jon started. “Get over there and wait. I’ll tell you when I’ve disabled those sensors. Bradford’s bedroom’s on the first floor, second door on the right. Remember: You got two minutes, before all hell breaks loose. Good luck.”
Tim merely nodded to his friend, before opening the passenger door. Crouching low, he ran towards the gate, with a large sports bag in his hand. He put his hands on the 4ft-tall, stone column, jumped over it and into the garden. The mud sank beneath his feet. He cast a furtive glance right; the lights were out in the house closest to Bradford’s. Bringing his gaze forward, he raced along the wide garden. Upon reaching the rear garden, he slowed down and stopped. He threw another glance right; fortunately, the neighboring house was completely dark.
Turning around, he faced the glass, back door. Then, Tim sat on his knees, throwing the sports bag onto the ground in front of him. Anxiously waiting to hear Jon’s voice in the intercom, he unzipped it and pulled out a black, pistol-like, laser glass cutter. For the first time ever, his fingers trembled as he raised it at shoulder height. He shut his eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. Josephine’s smiling face flashed through his mind.
“I want to make you smile again.” He thought to himself, as his eyes snapped open. In a split second, his grip around the glass cutter handle grew immensely tighter.
“All set.” Jon’s signal sent his adrenaline into the ozone layer. Tim pointed the device at the door and pressed the button. A tiny puff of smoke went up in the air, as the red beam made contact with the glass. Slowly and steadily, it began to cut out a glass circle, from left to right. He held out his left hand, as the cutter reached the top. The large chunk of glass fell outward and into his palm. Tim put the device back in his sports bag and used both hands to ease the piece of glass down onto the ground. He put his hand into his sports bag and pulled out his flashlight, before tossing it through the hole.
“One minute and thirty seconds.” Jon spoke through the intercom, as he crawled through the hole. Using his left hand, Tim once more grabbed the sports bag and jumped up. He turned on the flashlight and pointed it across from him. There was a staircase, more than fifty feet away from him. He sprinted across the massive living room, the sound of his heavy footsteps echoing back at the walls. Climbing the stairs, he pointed the flashlight right. The door to Bradford’s bedroom came into view, just when he reached the top landing. It lay at least thirty feet down the hall. Tim rushed towards it, a drop of sweat dripping down his brow. Stopping before the door, he threw the sports bag onto the floor and pointed the flashlight down at the doorknob, on the left side of the door. Much to his disappointment though, the door was locked.
“Fuck!” He cried, his stentorian voice bouncing off the walls.
“One minute.” Jon said, adding to his immense frustration. Tim raised his right leg and kicked at it. His first attempt failed. One more, even more violent kick sent the door more than ten feet across the bedroom. He picked up the sports bag and entered. Noticing Bradford’s bed, he went to the left. He pulled a small explosive charge and a detonator out of the bag and planted it on the door of the safe, just below the lock. Finally, he crouched low, covering his ears and pressed the button. The powerful blast rocked the bedroom. Hundreds of chunks of concrete and metal were ejected across it. His ears started buzzing, as he waved the smoke away.
“Thirty seconds. Hurry up!” Jon’s spoke once more, as the smoke cleared. An unbelievable sight met Tim’s eyes. Numerous stacks of green bills were piled on top of one another. Without wasting any time, he brought the bag in front of him and reached out his right arm. Tim started throwing large stacks into it, feeling his heart ready to explode. The fact that he still held the flashlight did not help him, but he didn’t have much choice. Second by second, his sports bag became heavier.
“Fifteen seconds. Get your ass out of there!” Jon’s last sentence forced him to stop. He turned his body left and jumped out of bed, holding the bag tightly in his hand. It was so heavy that he could barely lift it. Tim turned left and sprinted along the hall, as fast as he could. He was so stressed that he began to jump over the steps.
“Ten, nine, eight…” Jon’s countdown began, as soon as he landed on the living room. He made a dash towards the back door, fixing his gaze on the hole. His friend’s voice quivered, as the he counted down the last few seconds.
“Five, four, three…” Tim tossed the bag through the hole, before lunging through it. He landed flat and hard on his chest, just next to the sports bag, banging his head against his left forearm. His hands sank into the muddy soil, before he rolled over onto his back, gasping for breath. Before he could address Jon though, his ears were filled with the loud, piercing sound of the alarm. Picking up the sports bag, he jumped up.
“Jon, what the hell?” He spoke through the intercom, his voice riddled with tension. “Why did the goddamn alarm go off?”
“You must have destroyed the touch sensor on that door.” Jon his voice filled with panic, yelled, “Where are you?”
“I’m on my way.” Tim replied, hurtling towards the gate. As he approached it, he realized that Jon’s truck was facing in the direction that they had come from. Tim quickly zipped the bag and tossed it over the gate. It landed on the sidewalk as he put his hands on the stone wall. Tim jumped over it and grabbed the bag. He moved around Jon’s truck and threw it inside, before opening the passenger door. Tim got in, but Jon didn’t give him enough time to close the door. Instead, he slammed his foot hard down on the gas pedal. The massive engine roared as Jon drove off, with both men casting frightened, furtive glances around them. The two friends had been lucky. Everything had happened very quickly and the alarm had not awakened any of Bradford’s neighbors. The house closest to his was still dark and the same could be said about the one across from it.
“Man, what the hell happened out there?!” Tim protested, pulling and closing the passenger door.
“The backup system kicked in and tried to get a signal from a touch sensor. It didn’t.” Jon explained, as his truck sped up the road. “How did it go?”
“You were right.” Tim sighed in relief, tilting his head back. “If I had enough time, I’d need a wheelbarrow to carry all that money. I did take a lot, though.”
“How much do you think?” Jon inquired, easing on the brakes, as they reached the end of the road.
“I don’t know; I couldn’t see that well.” Tim claimed. “Just drive us out of here, will you?”
“We made it, baby.” Jon positively affirmed, glancing at the dark road on the right, as a broad smile spread across his face. Tim ignored him; he couldn’t share his enthusiasm just yet. Yes, the security van was not there, but many things could still go wrong.
“Take us back to New York,” Tim urged, still feeling the adrenaline in his veins. “I still have to ditch this unifo
rm.” He added, pulling his mask up and over his head.
“Aren’t you the least bit curious about how much money you stole?” Jon raised his tone, turning to him.
“Sure. Pull over; let’s count it right here. We’ll tell the cops that we took it for a stroll around the park.” Tim’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. “We’re going to your place. I don’t want to wake up my sister.”
“Whatever you say, big Tim.” Jon smiled up at him, before turning his gaze to the road up ahead. “Whatever you say.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The numerous wads of cash fell on Jon’s kitchen table with a thump, as Tim emptied his bag. Some of them even fell off the edges. They all had bank straps wrapped around them. Most of the wads were $100 or $50 bills. There were only three packs of $20’s on the left and two stacks of $10 on the right side of the massive pile.
“Holy shit…” Jon whispered, opening his eyes wide. “There’s got to be more than a million here.”
“Way more,” Tim spoke his mind, the sight of the money putting a smile of contentment on his face. “Let’s count it.”
Jon did not speak. He picked up the wads from the floor and tossed them onto the pile, before they started separating them. By the time they finished counting the loot, the two friends were ecstatic. Tim could finally relax. Not only had they evaded arrest, but they seemed to have stolen more than enough money for his plan.
“One million, two hundred and forty thousand bucks, baby!” Jon cheered, wrapping his chubby arms around Tim.
“Damn…” Tim snorted. “I just love the smell of money. Thanks a lot for this, Jonny.”
“Thank you!” Jon exclaimed, pulling back. “What the hell are you talking about? You did all the work!”
“We did this together, man.” Tim winked at him.
“I’d love to see the look on Bradford’s face.” Jon laughed. “That smug son of a bitch won’t even know what hit him.”
“I got a favor to ask.” Tim assumed a firm tone.
“Anything,” Jon responded.
“We need to pay someone a visit,” Tim continued. “Burt Maddox, the CEO of ‘Maddox Pharmaceuticals’. Have you heard of him?”
“Who hasn’t?” Jon shrugged his shoulders. “Why do you want to meet with him?”
“He owns that compound in Vermont; the one where Jitter got killed,” Tim elaborated. “I want to lease it for a while; maybe buy it, if I can.”
Jon’s smile fled his face. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Much to Tim’s frustration however, Jon quickly burst into loud laughter, clutching his stomach.
“Oh, baby…” Jon chuckled. “That’s just sweet, you know that?”
“Know what?” Tim grumbled.
“You’re doing all this for a chick!” Jon laughed. “Who would have thought?”
“Are you coming with or not?” Tim insisted.
“Oh, I am.” Jon nodded. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I can’t blame you there. I saw her; she’s really hot. But what if he says ‘no’, Tim? What are you going to do then?”
“He won’t.” Tim assured. “Who the hell would turn down six hundred grand, anyway?”
“Six hundred?” Jon opened his eyes wide in disbelief. “That’s your cut from the job. You’re giving her everything you’ve got?”
“Almost,” Tim sighed. “I’ll still have another twenty left.”
“Big deal…” Jon mumbled. “You went through all this trouble…” He faltered, “For twenty thousand? Seriously?”
“It’s not just that, man. There are some things you can’t put a price on.” Tim groaned. “She loves her work. It’s her...”
“I really hope you know what you’re doing.” Jon interrupted. “I hope you don’t regret this. Anyway, what do you need me for?”
“Let’s say he may need some…” Tim paused, “persuading.”
“What do you mean?” Jon squinted at him. “You want me to rough him up?”
“No, dumbass,” Tim grumbled. “I can do that by myself. Just make sure you get your laptop.”
“I really should teach you a thing or two about computers.” Jon pointed out. “I don’t need to come with. Hacks can be done remotely. All you have to do is call me. I don’t know about you, but I think we should do this again. You saw it; we make a good team.”
“That we do.” Tim smiled. “Don’t tell me you’ve already found your next victim.”
“I wish.” Jon said with a sigh. “But I’m sure I’ll find something, soon enough. What about you? What do you have in mind?”
“I don’t know.” Tim attempted a serious tone, as his smile slowly faded. “Going legit felt pretty good: I didn’t have to look over my shoulder; I met some nice people…”
“Shitty paycheck,” Jon interjected. “Look, we’ve just committed the perfect burglary. We were fast, accurate, professional… No witnesses. No fingerprints. Even the bomb we used is untraceable. I bought it off a Cuban lowlife in Miami. I know you, Tim. You’re only saying these things because you met her. She made things interesting, didn’t she?”
“It’s a lot more than just ‘interesting’.” Tim disagreed.
“Just think about it.” Jon urged. “It would be great to work with you again.”
“Yeah, I feel the same about you..” Tim’s smile returned to his face, as he offered his hand for a handshake.
“Good luck.” Jon’s voice became lower, as he shook his friend’s hand. “If you change your mind…”
“I know where to find you.” Tim finished his sentence. “Goodnight, buddy; I’ll call you tomorrow.”
The two men exchanged a cordial hug. Eager to break the Josephine the news of his success, Tim left his friend’s house in Queens, swelling with pride. After all, Jon was right: they had stolen more than a million dollars, without leaving any clues. Nobody would even suspect them.
Teaming up with Jonny? That sounds fantastic. The guy’s a computer wiz. But, I don’t think Joey’s going to like that. I’m coming home to you, baby.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tim caught himself dreaming about a new life, on his way back to Manhattan. As intriguing as his friend’s suggestion had sounded, he was not convinced that going back to breaking into people’s houses was an option. He had always enjoyed the thrill; he loved the rush that burglaries gave him, but he no longer desired that. Tim had found something different than just a temporary sensation: the possibility of having a normal life, with a loving woman by his side. So far, such thoughts had not even crossed his mind. It was then that he realized just how much power Josephine had over him. Tim had never allowed anyone to have control over his life; yet, for her, he would gladly make an exception. To him, the idea of being with her made it worthwhile.
It was 5:00am when he walked into his sister’s apartment and, as one would expect, it was completely dark. Josephine was not in the living room. Tim went to the bedroom adjacent to Caitlin’s but she was not there, either. Immediately, he started worrying about her. But, it didn’t take him long to discover what had transpired. There was a white, thick envelope in the living room, behind the armchair, one that he had failed to notice earlier. He bent down and picked it up. The envelope front read. He tore it open only to find a letter:
“To Tim”
“My dear Tim,
I read what happened in North Haven. It’s all over the internet. It looks like you and your friend were successful. I’ll never know how people can do such things. Aren’t they afraid of getting caught? Or of prison, maybe? I’m not judging. It’s just that I could never do what you did tonight.
A few minutes ago, I received a phone call from the University of Paris. I applied there, on the day that you and Laura visited me in my lab. They love my work. They said that they would be happy to have me on board. That phone call made my decision so much easier…
You see, I wouldn’t have accepted that money. I just couldn’t. You have every right to be mad at me; I agreed to this and I’m the
reason you did it for, but I could never live with myself, knowing that I took someone else’s money. It’s not right; it’s unethical, even. It doesn’t matter who you stole it from. The only thing that matters is that you stole it.
When Paul mentioned that you’d be working at the facility, I lost it. I started yelling at him, thinking that burglars are terrible people. But, you’ve been proving me wrong, since I met you. And tonight, you did the noblest thing anyone’s ever done for me. You risked your life, so that I could keep my job. You could have been shot or arrested, so that a crazy scientist like me could keep experimenting on her chimpanzees. My God, what did I put you through? I don’t know if I can ever forgive myself for making you do this…
Please, forgive me, Tim. Not just because you committed a crime for my sake. I’m very sure you don’t regret it; that’s the kind of person you are. Forgive me, for not having the heart to say ‘goodbye’ to you in person. I know it’s a lot to ask. Leaving you is a horrible thing, but, you should know that it’s perhaps the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do. It really breaks my heart, knowing that I will not see your face tomorrow morning: the face of the man who stood by me; who gave me hope; who did everything in his power to make me happy, even though he didn’t know me that well. If only I could go back in time… That way, I would do what you suggested sooner and spend some more time with you. God, what I wouldn’t do to see you again… Touch you… Kiss you… Feel you.
I’ll never forget you, Tim Shaw. I will never forget the outlaw who stole my heart and went out his way for me. He will always be the man of my dreams. I was able to have him for a short while and, although reality drove us apart, he will always hold a special place in my heart. He is the sweetest, bravest and toughest man I’ve ever met. I will miss him, much more than words can say.
Love,
Josephine
Tim’s world fell apart. Two tears spilled from his eyes and rushed down his cheeks, as her letter slipped through his fingers. Losing her was too much for him to bear. He dropped to his knees, squeezing his eyes shut, wishing that he could see her one last time. Tim felt someone staring at him, but he didn’t even have the heart to turn to see who it was. Only when he felt Caitlin’s slender arms being wrapped around his neck did he discover who it was.
