Uncommon Thief

by William Manchee

Chapter 47

  Stakeout

  Once Steve and Randy were provided with Sam Stewart’s sister’s address at 88 Cokesbury Lane, they began a stakeout, hoping to see Sam coming or going. With no action for the first two hours, they were both getting very anxious.

  "We just can't sit here all day," Randy complained.

  "Maybe we should just go up to the door, knock, and ask if Sam is there," Steve replied.

  "We may spook him if we do something so blatant."

  "Yeah, but we’ve got to flush him out somehow.”

  "But how?"

  "We could set his house on fire, and then he would have to come out," Steve noted.

  Randy laughed. "Yeah, right, but neither of us is an arsonist, and it does Fred no good if we end up sitting in the cell next door."

  Steve surveyed the neighborhood for an idea. He observed a gas utility truck parked up the street. The workmen were nowhere in sight. He remembered one time in his youth having to evacuate his neighborhood due to a gas leak. "You’re right. I’ve got a better idea," Steve said. "See that truck up there? Let's get a couple of hard hats and force Sam out in the open."

  Steve got out of the car, grabbed a couple of hard hats from the utility truck, gave one to Randy, and then started walking up and down the street, knocking at each door, telling the occupants there was a natural gas leak in the neighborhood and they needed to evacuate the area for the next hour or so until they got the leak fixed. By the time he got to 88 Cokesbury, the streets were full of nervous residents. He knocked on the door and waited.

  The door opened, and an elderly lady appeared. "Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but there's been a gas leak up the street, and we need everyone to evacuate the area until the gas dissipates," Steve said.

  "I don't smell anything," she protested.

  "You can't smell natural gas or see it for that matter. Please, ma'am, for your own safety, we must insist that you and anyone inside the residence evacuate the neighborhood."

  "Okay. I'll need to go get my brother out too."

  Steve's pulse quickened with her words. After a few minutes, Sam Stewart appeared at the front door, in the flesh. Steve smiled and then continued, "Okay, just walk up the street about two or three blocks just until the gas dissipates. We'll come and get you when it's safe.”

  The crowd moved reluctantly up the street. About this time, Randy entered on the scene and whispered into Steve's ears. Steve then yelled to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, I've just been informed the leak has been fixed and the danger is over. You may return to your homes. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you.”

  At that moment, there was a screeching of tires. From around the corner, a half a dozen police cars suddenly descended on 88 Cokesbury Lane. Sam Stewart was startled by the sudden onslaught of police. He tried to run into his sister's house but was cut off by two Canadian Mounties. He ran down an alley with two officers hot on his trail. As he approached the side street, a squad car squealed to a stop in front of him. He jumped a small fence and cut across a yard.

  One of the officers yelled, "Halt, or I'll shoot!"

  Sam ignored the warning and headed into a vacant field. The officer fired a warning shot over his head. Sam veered to the left into a wooded area. He approached a small cottage, where a gardener was working next to his pickup truck. He jumped into the truck, cranked the engine, and screeched down the driveway toward the street. He made a hard right and accelerated away from his pursuers. Suddenly, from a side street, came a squad car with its sirens blaring. Sam disappeared over a hill with the squad car on his tail.

  As Randy looked back at all the activity around Sam's house, he recognized Agent Harper getting out of one of the squad cars. He waved and walked over to them.

  "Mr. Hanson, I heard you were up here in Canada searching for Sam Stewart. We thought we would give you a little assistance."

  "Well, it looks all you've managed to do so far is let him escape."

  "Don't worry. They'll catch him."

  "I know you're not here to help Fred, so what made you suddenly decide to get serious about finding Sam?"

  "My real purpose for being here is to tie up a loose end. We know your friend is guilty, but until Sam Stewart was apprehended, there could be some doubt. Now, with Mr. Stewart in custody, we can verify his alibi and prove he was not involved in the robbery."

  "Agent Harper, you need to come inside!" an officer yelled.

  "Excuse me, boys. Let me see what this is all about."

  Harper walked into the house, where a search was underway. Steve and Randy followed behind him closely.

  "Look over here, sir. There's a gray bag."

  "What's in it?" Harper asked.

  "Money, sir . . . lots of it!"

  Harper looked at Steve and Randy and then scurried over to the bag. He looked inside and began rummaging through the stacks and stacks of cash. After a moment, he looked up, rather embarrassed and said, "Well, I guess I owe Mr. Fuller an apology."

  Steve and Randy smiled at Harper’s words. A great sense of relief engulfed them. They looked at each other, fighting off tears of happiness and relief. They shook hands at first but soon embraced. Steve went over to Harper and gave him a hug too. Harper laughed and shook his head.

  Randy suddenly remembered Sam's sister and started looking around for her. He was worried about what Sam might have told her and what she might tell the police. He finally spotted her standing near one of the patrol cars, weeping softly. He walked up to her and said, "Sorry we had to track down Sam. You just have to understand that Fred is like a brother to Steve and me. He even saved our lives once. Fred's only nineteen years old, you know. He has his whole life ahead of him.”

  She looked at him but didn’t speak. Steve handed her a handkerchief, and she wiped the tears from her eyes. “I hope they don’t hurt him,” she said.

  “I’m sure they won’t,” Steve replied and then looked down the road where Sam had disappeared, wondering if he had gotten away. “Fred always said he really liked Sam and couldn't believe he had taken the money. Did he tell you about the bank robbery?"

  "What bank robbery? He didn't tell me anything about a bank robbery.”

  In a few moments, Agent Harper appeared from out of the house. "Well, there's only a little over $250,000 in there so Fred’s not off the hook. They could have been in it together and this was Sam’s cut," Harper suggested.

  “That’s bullshit?” Randy spat. “Fred had nothing to do with the robbery. There may be somebody else involved but it wasn’t Fred.”

  “Tell that to the jury.”

  As Harper was enjoying Randy’s discomfort, a voice came over the radio. “Unit Forty-Four, come in”

  One of the officers picked up the microphone and responded. "This is Unit Forty-four."

  "Sir, we were pursuing the suspect east on Southwell Road, where he collided with a freight train at the Hanover Crossing," the radio crackled.

  "What is the suspect’s status?" the officer asked.

  "You won't need an ambulance. The suspect has been incinerated."

  Steve and Randy looked at each other in shock. Mrs. Stewart let out a scream and nearly collapsed. One of Harper’s men grabbed her and took her back into the house. Steve and Randy looked at each other in shock and confusion. They didn’t know whether this turn of events was good or bad for Fred but they knew Joel needed to know about it immediately.

  "Agent Harper, we need to contact Joel right away before the jury renders its verdict!" Steve said.

  Agent Harper stared at Steve for a moment and then replied, "Okay. Follow me over to police headquarters, and we'll phone LA."

  Harper got into a squad car, and Steve and Randy followed him to the station. They went inside, and Walters got on the phone and called FBI headquarters in LA, where Agent Walters had been waiting for a report. Walters promised to go tell Joel and advise the court of this most recent development.

  Steve and Randy
went to their hotel, gathered together their luggage, and headed for the airport. They were anxious to see what would happen when the court found out about the recovery of a portion of the bank's money and Sam's death. They arrived and got in line to go through customs. Not having passports or birth certificates, the custom’s officers refused at first to let them through. Finally, when they produced drivers’ licenses and draft cards, the officer gave in and let them onto the plane. A bit shaken, Steve and Randy sat down at the gate to wait for their flight.

  "What do you think will happen now?" Steve asked.

  "If the jury hears that Sam got caught with some of the money, they will have to assume he was in on the robbery," Randy said, “but that doesn’t help Fred.”

  "Right. Fred could still be an accomplice?"

  "But they don't have any evidence of Sam and Fred working together. There’s a chance the jury will give Fred the benefit of the doubt."

  The airport announcer came on and advised them that the flight to LA was now boarding. Steve and Randy got on the plane, feeling pretty proud of their accomplishment but worried it wouldn’t be enough to save their blood brother.