There are twelve major banks in the city and it was also the Halloween celebration time. I don't need Halloween to remind me of the ghouls and bloodsuckers. We have our share of it; their victims lies on the street without shelter. Nobody cares about them; do they live or die? Or do they knew that it was Halloween that year.
But some robbers did remember that celebration. They went on a 'treat or tricks' on a local bank. And one ended in the ground dressed like Frankenstein. The brave guard who does not feared the dark side and had retrieved his gun before shooting at Frankenstein. That was the better part; the lousy part was the other robber ran off with the loot missed by the wounded guards; a few millions in cash plus some personal effects from the boxes. He was dressed as the werewolf.
Not your typical nightmare, right? But this amateur robber aka the werewolf stole something more than that later. The robber also took a hostage in the getaway; a kid from the local school during his escape. So that makes a Feds issue now.
So we have a hostage situation with the Feds but this one was not any kid but the son of a multi millionaire who had just offered a five million reward for the return of his son.
That's was causing us the problem as overnight the search dragnet included the wannabes to the professional bounty hunter. We have a situation that could developed into a major conflict if not handled properly.
That was three hours ago. Now the sh*t have hit the fan.
"I don't care about the rewards, or the Feds. The robbery was in my district and I disliked to be held from my holiday." The Captain was annoyed to recalled back. "I have already two shootings with fatalities in the last three hours attributed to the case. Get the robber and stop the innocent bodies from piling up at the Morgue."
The bounty hunters are shooting among themselves on trails of leads which could leed to more fatalities.
"He must be really pissed." Frank whispered to me when the Captain walked out. Then he turned those still sitting around.
"Get out there and find me the robber." Frank can really holler better than coach on the football circuit. They all trooped out but Frank grabbed my arm.
"I heard the organized are in too." Frank whispered over. "Father was a very influential businessman."
Damned! I got the whole troupe of performers out there and only missing was the audience and ringmaster. It guessed its time for me that former and tried to direct the coming show. Since Sam left, they did not give me any partners as there was none to spare but today, I got myself my newbie.
Carlisle Kinsey; Law Student, promoted from the rookies, and martial exponent. She's a blonde and stand taller than me, with those legs, I would love to be below her. She carried a M1911 courtesy of her boyfriend who was overseas now; destination undisclosed. So that was how much I knew of her before the road.
I had no leads and neither did anyone. So we went to Di Angelo. He greeted us with his oily food and dark coffee before he started off with his version of how we can close this case.
"Frank, remember back then in '96, we had the robbery at the National. We solved it in one day." Frank nodded as he was there as the newly promoted Sargeant then. They caught the robber napping in the motel, but since then the robbers have move upstream to hideout at private homes. Motels are for the movies makers now.
It was then Dan walked in and slumped himself on the seat next to me.
"Jim, I found this on the body of the suspect." Dan handed me a bottom of Dilantin ( Phenytoin ) "Its for people with seizures. None of the two dead ones have any records of such. I checked for you."
"Dan, are you telling me that the robber could be epileptic?" I asked back as I took hold of the bottle.
Dan nodded as he sink his molars in his mouth onto the greasy burger. He likes his meat rare which is was a turned off in this meal but I am used to it.
So we got a lead. I asked Carl for short of Carlisle to check on the pharmacy for recent sales of the medicine. I thanked Dan for the lead and walked to the car. As I was to start the car, I spied another familiar car in the park. I got out and walked towards the dark sedan.
"Hello, Percy." Percy was an ex-cop turned bad when he was caught with his hands inside the Evidence Room. He has been working with the mobs since then. He is a tough guy with larger biceps and muscles which throbbed flashing, but his brain worked like his prick; it only get started off when he sees a lady. He was now, as he saw my partner.
"Jim, how come they paired you with her? She could be anyone's but yours."
I looked over my shoulder at Carl, and smiled. She may be a beaut but she my partner.
"Well, with wolves like you, I am the better shepherd to keep the ewes form being ravished." I replied to him sarcastically. He smiled and then did an imitation of the wolf before driving off. I rejoined Carl which gave me the latest rundown on the pharmacies. One of them at Northern Side reported of a large purchase one hour ago. That was half an hour drive.
"You are sure that the person who bought this had a prescription?" I asked the Pharmacist who was an older lady with her round rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose.
"Sir, I been doing this for years." The older pharmacist was screeching. "I don't sell unless they have a prescription."
Darned! A robber does not carry a prescription in their pocket when they robbed a bank. So that's a dead end. Carl wanted to see the prescription and was surprised that it was addressed to Mrs Smith, and signed by a doctor Jones. The stamp on the order was a Doctor Janus Mitchum. She checked and noted that Doctor Janus was running a clinic not far from here.
We decided to go over to visit Doctor Janus.
"Detective, I did not prescribed that." Doctor Janus may be an aged man but being senile was not his concern as yet. "I do not used that for my prescription."
We excused ourselves out and Carl asked the nurse on duty to borrowed some paper to write. The nurse tore off a page off the note pad on her desk and passed it to Carl. She wrote something and then spoke to the nurse.
"I think I know how the prescription was issued. The stamp on the pad was the doctor's stamp used for endorsing general notes. The robber must had taken it and used it to acquire the drugs."
Now we are getting somewhere.
I got the Precinct to checked the closed circuit cameras at the Pharmacy and the streets outside. The hunt was on, as within minutes of my call in, the street at the Pharmacy was filled with the vultures including Percy.
"Never trusted the radio. They are easy to tapped." I would had replied if not the commotion in front of the Pharmacy between two rivals bounty hunters. I stopped them from fighting and ended up as the pigeon stooge for the coming race with the vultures. They tailed my car as I did a city tour and followed us even back to the Precinct.
"Jim, did you get the robber?" The Captain asked me with his hope that he can still go for his vacation. I shook my head and slipped into my chair. There I called Jenny not to wait for me. She hung up before I can explained. It was not needed after so many such phone calls made to her. We had a mutual understanding; its okay to be late as she won't wait for me to sleep.
While I was doing the city tour, I had the call from the Precinct. The suspect was back at the bank. This time he ain’t robbing it anymore; he doing his stand off there. The uniformed ones have got the place blocked and the Feds are on their way again, but I was faster.
“Frank, what’s the take?” I asked Frank who standing behind the patrol car with a Remington in his hand.
“The SOB in there, with the kid with some new hostages. Wants to talk to news but we held back until the Feds are here.” Frank gave me the rundown. “SWAT on the way and so are the Feds.”
“Frank, delayed the Feds.” I told Frank who gave me the WTF looks. I did not reply but left my gun and jacket with him before walking out. He would understand later. They all do.
I approached the bank entrance and called out.
“Peter Bench, this Detective Jimmy Barnes. I am coming in to talk with you. Can you please opened the door?’ The man inside did and I went in. There were all inside; hostages and robber.
Peter Bench was as described to me by the Precinct. We caught him on the camera when he bought the medicine. He was fat with a girth that matched the term beyond obese, dressed in casual with jeans, but in his right hand was the automatic wrapped with tapes attached to the back of the boy’s neck. The kid looked well, dressed in t-shirt and jeans. I was not keen on the other hostages all huddled inside the manager's room. There were six of them who was clearing up after the robbery when Peter came back. He overcome the uniformed officer there and had him leave without his gun.
“Peter, I am here to talk.” I spoke out while showing him I was without any guns.
“Detective, I have not taken my medication as yet today. I can go into a seizures anytime. When I do, I may just pressed the trigger here.” He pointed the boy. “He would die here. For his sake, get the news here. They need to know why I robbed the bank. And why I took Kevin.”
Peter called the boy by his given name. I showed him the recorder on my portable.
I knew from my earlier calls that Peter Bench was an employee of the Beacon family; the millionaire with the cash to spare. Peter was the father’s financial accountant. He knew where the money are stashed but his value was reduced to nil when his medical condition worsen. The employer does not want to burden themselves with his hospital bills although he had given ten years of his service. He came to rob the bank where the Beacon’s placed their business funds, but he did not expect the other two accomplice he hired to be shot at that time when they rushed out. When he saw the shooting, Peter escaped in the car before they sealed the area off. On the run, he got himself the hostage whom he picked up at school. But he forgot his fix of his medication, so he got it through a fake prescription.
“So why the news for? To tell you story of the dismissal?” I asked Peter. “Peter, no one cares but if you shoot the boy, they would not care too but pressed for your trip to the gas chamber.”
“No, it was not about my dismissal. I got my money for it; I stashed them away safe. I don’t mind the jail times. I would be out to spend it. But his father,” Peter pointed to Kevin. “He would regret playing me for a fool. He placed the bounty on me not because of his son but for his personal records. I got his personal accounts records here; the money he asked me to transferred out illegally. He’s welcomed to join me in the same cell.”
“Kevin was a ruse to get the father involved. He needed to be seen in the news too. But he over played it for me. Five millions in bounty. I helped him more than that in the transfers.”
“Carl Beacon, you are worse than Shylock. You miserable merchant of the illegal trades. You can call off your hounds now and pay for a good lawyer. Hear me out now, Carl. I am passing over the records to the law now." Peter handed me the mini drive which I placed inside my pocket. Peter then began peeling off the tapes from the boy's neck. "I also lied about the medication. I did take mine today. I planned the trail so you would asked the right questions. We accountants are meticulous in our works."
“The gun not loaded.” Peter laughed at me. Once he done that, he looked down at Kevin.
"I am sorry." Kevin heard him and towards the bank employees. I called in the squads to take over the scene while I pocketed the portable. Among the uniformed was the Feds who grabbed hold of Peter. The Feds were upset at me for overtaking them on the case. I replied; winners takes all.
Just before they took him out, I whispered to Peter.
"A token would do."
Two days, later the news came out with a shocking news; New evidence implicated Carl Bench of money laundering. I also got my wish; the money came in a leather bag to my house. I took some and the rest I donated to the Homeless Organization. I could be one like them one day, and may need their assistance too. The amount I took went to getting Jenny's mother a gift. It was worth the amount as I got appreciated well by Jenny that night. Did someone once said; no risk no gain? Well, I took a small risk and got much treated that night.
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