by Kara Hart
“I’m in.” He said. His mouth slowly formed into a smile and he reached over and shook Adam’s hand.
“You won’t regret this.” Adam said.
“Who knows if I will or not? I don’t give a damn. If my life ends in a hellfire of glory, that’s at least something to celebrate.”
“Look, all you have to do is make sure none of the police inside the building take a shot at me or Rose. I want no bloodshed, just smooth sailing. Got it?”
“Roger that.” He said.
“Adam,” I interjected. “I don’t mean to be rude, but how’s he gonna’ do that? He’s got one good leg…”
“Little girl, do you know who you’re talking to?” He asked. “I’m the mother fuckin’ head of the bank security. I’ve been working there for 25 long years now. I know all the ins and outs of that place. Please. I could be in a wheelchair, it wouldn’t matter one bit.”
“You seem confident.” I said. “But when all eyes are on us, I want to rely on you. I want to know you won’t turn on us like everyone else Adam knows. How can I trust you?”
“You can’t. But in our world, you have to be willing to take some big risks. I thought you wanted to be a part of the free life. Now you’re making me think you’re just waiting to get back to mommy and daddy.”
He knew exactly how to press my buttons. “Shut your mouth, Daryl. I’m not a little girl. I’m the reason we’re even at your place discussing your precious retirement fund. Just remember that, old man.”
He burst out laughing. “Damn, Adam! That’s one fiery broad you got yourself! Okay, no problems here. I get it. You’re a grown up. Fine. But I want you to remember something too. You got police working their way up the coast just to find your ass and bring you back to the desert. Now maybe this works, maybe it doesn’t. Either way, you gotta’ make sure they don’t see your face on those cameras when you walk up to them doors. You’re going to need some good disguises.” He picked his fat body up off the chair and hobbled over to a box. “Here we go.”
He pulled out a pair of Halloween costumes. “It’s simple, but they’ll do. Oh! I got myself another idea. Now, where’s that damn thing…” He went rummaging through a set of boxes in the opposite corner. He pulled out a toaster, mumbling to himself. “No…that’s not it…hmm…AHA!” He grabbed a small boom box. “Tada!”
“A stereo?” Adam said, looking skeptical.
“Laugh all you want. This shit will distract and invoke fear in everyone inside that building. You play some old operatic shit and turn it up real loud, you’ll get everyone to listen up right quick.”
“This ain’t a movie, Daryl. In and out, remember? I’m not playing any music for anyone.”
“Yeah. I like the costume idea. Let’s stick with that.” I laughed.
Adam shook his head. “Glad you still got an imagination though.”
“Yeah, yeah. Even us old men can be creative.” He glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes. “Okay, I’ll answer your question once and for all. The team switches shifts at 1:15 PM, on the dot. That’s when you’ll move in. This has to be like clockwork. You move in and raise your guns in the air immediately. No one will notice because my people manning the screens will be out the door. There’s a two to five minute gap where you’ll be almost guaranteed to slip by. You bust in, do your thing, scare the tellers a bit – that part I love – and set the c4’s off at the vault. I’ve got a blueprint somewhere around here that we can look over beforehand. I don’t know how you heard, but construction is going down around the vault. They’re adding a new section to the bank, so the street’s gonna’ be closed. The sensors are disabled twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday. You should be able to get in with relative ease. That all sound good to you, folks?”
We shook our heads. Adam ran his dirty hands across my back and massaged the knots that had formed.
“Good. Grab the money and get the fuck out of there. This time, there can’t be a driver. The roads around the bank are closed, so I’ll get one of my guys to lend me his dirt bike.” Adam gave him an angry look. “Yeah, I get it. It’s no motorcycle. Still, you’re going to want to be good at hopping sidewalks and maneuvering through construction. You have to get from there back here. I’m sorry to say it Adam, but you’ll be walking in the sewage drain again. No worries though. You’ll be rich by the time you make your way outside. From there, it’s on you. I don’t speak to you. I don’t hear from you. You two are ghosts. Comprende, little girl?” He smiled at me.
“Comprende.” I smiled back.
Chapter 19
“Whatever we do, we use this money for good, not evil. Right?” I asked Adam. We were standing behind a tree at the foot of the entrance to the forest. The bank was across the way, maybe 2 blocks in front of us, but we had a clear view from where we were standing.
“We split it 50/50 with Daryl. He deserves it. Been sitting on a broken kneecap for over a decade now. The rest of it, we keep. How else are we supposed to live free together?” He said.
I put a pair of binoculars to my eyes. “Look, they’re leaving.” I said. “It’s 1:15.”
“Like clockwork.” Adam whispered. “Daryl might actually have a plan after all.”
“You doubted him?” I asked.
“I doubt everyone.”
I laughed. “Even me?”
“Especially you. Little girl.” I punched his arm.
“Knock it off!”
We watched as the officers switched positions and I breathed a breath of fresh air. So far so good… I thought to myself. I began to wonder, would this really be that hard? It seemed like everything had been set in place for us to succeed. So far, we had avoided imminent death at least three times. What would stop us now? Whatever came our way, I was ready for it. “We got this.” I said.
“Damn right we do.” He said. “Come on. It’s time to scope this place out.”
We grabbed our things and left the forest trail. I looked back at the darkened passageway and kept walking. “If things go wrong,” He began, “you run back here and keep fucking running. You don’t look back. We meet at the end of the tunnel.”
“Got it.” I said. He grabbed a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, adjusting his sunglasses. Our clothes were pretty normal. Adam had changed into a suit and I posed as his daughter. From the looks of us, we didn’t stand out one bit.
With every step, I could feel my heart beat faster. Thump, thump, thump… I controlled my breathing, but still, I was full of anxiety. We were being attacked at all angles: the police were after us, the Feds, and the Cartel. Who knew who would turn on us next?
Above us were two cameras. Bang, bang. We opened the door and were greeted by a worker. “Good afternoon, welcome to Northern Sun Bank. Are you making a deposit today?”
“Yes, uh, I was looking to speak to someone about a possible loan…” Adam said, looking quite normal. I looked around the building. There were two guards in front, two in back, and I’m sure a few in the back rooms that we couldn’t even see. I started to get nervous.
“Well that’s great. Why don’t you two take a seat in Jackson’s cubicle right over there? He’s on his break, but it shouldn’t be more than 5 minutes.
“Sounds fantastic.” Adam said, smiling. I don’t think I had seen him smile like that before and it took a lot of energy not to laugh out loud. We sat down and scoped the place out from our seats.
“Just like the blueprints, huh kid?”
“Yeah, only it’s bigger than I thought. Adam, how are we going to control a crowd in this room?” It was three times the size that I envisioned in my head. A little girl and a man robbing a whole bank by themselves? It seemed suicidal.
“Yeah, it’s not the best situation. I’ll give you that. But do you have a better plan?”
I shook my head in disbelief. “ I guess not.”
He leaned over towards me, massaging my shoulders. He kissed my cheek. “I’m gonna’ need you to be strong for me. I know this is hard for you, but we
have to make this work. If we don’t, I’m all out of options.”
Just then we heard the jingle from the door open.
“Good afternoon, ma’am. Welcome to Northern Sun Bank can I—” The woman cut him off before he could finish. The man nearly fell backwards out of dumb shock, and stammered for a few seconds.
“No thanks. I’m here for other purposes.”
Where do I know that voice? I thought to myself. I looked over the plexiglass covering. It was a woman in an official black suit, wearing dark sunglasses. She was turned around, so I couldn’t see her face.
“What is it?” Adam asked me. “The banker will be back at any second. We should go. You scope the place out enough?”
“Adam…” I realized in that moment who I was looking at. Brianna Baxter…
“Come on. We should go.” Adam grabbed my shoulders and picked me up. I punched backward in his stomach and he let go.
“What the hell, kid.”
“Get down!” I whispered.
“What is up with you?”
“I said, get down!” Adam was smart enough to know when something really bad was happening around him. And throughout this trip, I had learned enough to know when to hide. We both ducked behind the man’s desk and Adam crawled out just enough to get a peek of what was going on.
“Well, I’ll be damned…” He whispered. “Brianna? Ah, shit!”
“What’re we gonna’ do?” I asked, feeling my heart press against my chest.
“Well, she’s not here to make a deposit. That’s for damn sure.”
Brianna walked up to the teller, looking around the building. “She’s scoping this place out, Adam.” She was trying to find us. That had to be it.
Brianna stopped when she saw an officer. “ Excuse me. Have you seen these two?”
The man looked annoyed by her inquiry. “Ma’am, I don’t give out information about our customers. I just guard the place. If you have any more questions, please go see a teller or banker.”
“Sir, with all do respect, if you do not answer my questions, I will have you detained for a very long time. You’ll get charged with non-compliance and assault of a federal officer.”
“What in the hell? You must be out of your damn mi—” She stopped him, holding out an identification card. “Ma’am, I’m so sorry. Uh, let me go find someone who can better help you. Again, I’m just so sorry, my God…” The man went running to the back rooms. Brianna turned around, nearly spotting Adam. He ducked behind the cubicle.
“Jesus Christ! That was close. Alright, let me think…uh…shit…We gotta’, get out of here, Rose. As soon as she turns back around, we walk out of the building. Act casually. I doubt she’ll spot us by our backside.”
“Don’t be too sure…” I whispered. Adam frowned.
At that moment, however, a banker stood above us. “Excuse me, you two.” Adam simply looked up at him. “Can I help you?”
He cleared his throat and looked back at Brianna who had turned around again. “No thank you, goodbye!” I said hurriedly. Adam pushed me forward with haste and decisive thinking. He picked his briefcase off the ground and walked hastily towards the exit doors. I held his hand, trying to remain as calm as I could. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel Brianna’s presence behind us. “Just a few more yards…” He muttered under his breath.
“Have a good day!” The worker said as we exited the building.
Brianna turned around, only to see the glass door swinging shut.
Chapter 20
“That was close.” Adam said. He was walking in circles in the cottage.
“Who said it was over? Shit, you guys bring some dark forces into this town!” Daryl slammed his fist onto the table. The old mugs and crusted up bowls of food jingled.
“You think they saw us, Adam?” I asked him, biting my lip.
“Who knows? Daryl, turn on your TV.” He grabbed the remote and switched it to the news station. The screen was scratchy and moving from left to right. “How old is this thing?” Adam asked as he hit the top of the tube three times. The screen went to normal and we all sat down to watch.
“And we’re back! The hunt for Rose Fischer is still under way. Still, the authorities have very little clues as to her whereabouts.” The screen cut to a press conference with the sheriff. “At about 7:30 PM, we were tipped off by an officer in Oregon that a young girl was spotted without her parents at a local gas station. The evidence from the cameras has now confirmed that it was Rose Fischer. At that time, she was alive and well. If anyone has any information they can offer to us, please call the number to the hotline or your local police station.”
I watched as my parents walked up to the microphone next. My father was holding my mother as she cried into his arms. “We just want our little girl back. Please help us find our little girl. That is all.” They walked away from the podium, back behind the curtain. I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret and pain. I had hurt them tremendously, and for that I couldn’t be forgiven.
The news reporter was back on the screen:
“We’re here with Dr. Daniel Peterson, author of ‘Cold Hearted Kidnappings.’ Doctor, what exactly are we dealing with here?”
“Well, Diane, first let me say that this isn’t something as simple as the news makes it out to be. It seems we’re dealing with a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome. I’ll define that for your viewers in case they don’t know about the subject. The term ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, otherwise known as capture-bonding, is a psychological phenomenon in which that captive expresses sympathy, and in some cases it develops into a deep bond or love, for their captors. In about 8 percent of…” Click!
“Hey!” I yelled. “I was watching that!”
Adam waved his hand at me and lit a cigarette. “Enough watching. We gotta’ figure our situation out. Are we in danger if we carry this out?” He looked over at Daryl for answers.
Daryl looked exhausted. He was sweating and wiping his forehead with his hands, pressing hard onto his eyes. “Listen, Adam. I’m not sure if I can help you two.”
“You what?” Adam said, eyes blinking with confusion.
“There’s just a lot at risk here. I was cool with the plan in the beginning, but with Brianna in the picture, things could go south fast.”
“Oh, like Hell it will!” Adam pulled at his hair. The two men were at their wits end.
“This ain’t no normal drug dealing type shit, Adam! This is rob a bank, go to jail for the rest of your life kind of shit. This is federal punishment kind of shit. This is kill a black man by hanging type of shit. I ain’t dying like my great grandparents. Hell no. Let me die in peace.”
“I hear you. But, man, Daryl…I’m out of options. If I don’t get this cash, I’ll be stuck in the same damn cycle I’ve been in, since the beginning. Man, I lost everything during that last heist. I promise you, I ain’t gonna’ lose this time. We’re gonna’ win. You gotta’ trust me on this.”
I stood up from my chair and let out a growl. “Does anyone give a damn about me?” I screamed. “God, you two can be so selfish sometimes!”
The two men stood in silence. “Alright, girl. Speak. Let it out.” Daryl said, waiting for me to say what was on my mind.
At first I didn’t even know what I wanted to say. I think I was just angry they wouldn’t let me have my say. Finally, after a few seconds of thinking, it came to me. “We’re doing the job, guys.”
“What makes you think you can just tell us what we’re doing?” Daryl said, looking more frustrated than ever. “You…you…you guys just come in my house and tell me what to do? Ah, hell no! You got some fucking nerve, you know that?”
“Daryl, you don’t even have to do anything, except stick your hand out for some cash. We’re the ones putting our necks on the line. Now, shut up and listen. I’ve got a plan.”
“Alright, girl. I’m listening.” An air of respect filled the room and for once I felt strong.
I took a deep breath and relayed the plan. “I’l
l give myself up.” I said.
Adam laughed to himself. “Like shit you will. You’re joking right?”
“It’s not a joke.” I said, shaking my head. I lowered my tone. “Adam, I have to go home. It’s the only way.”
Adam’s eyes creased. “What are you saying, kid? Spit it out already.”
“If I don’t, we’ll lose our lives in that bank. Trust me on this, Adam. I’ve got a bad feeling about seeing Brianna there.”
“I told you already. It’s just coincidence.” He said, leaning towards me.
“Adam, if you don’t wise up, you’ll end up getting us killed. There is a good reason we saw Brianna today. She was trying to find us. Who knows, maybe she even saw us come in the damn building. Either way, she knows something’s up. If I turn myself in, no one will suspect I had anything to do with my disappearance. If I leave, you can pull off the bank, while the focus of attention is on me.”
