It was kind of boring to just sit there and watch people have a good time but I had to keep my mind focused on the fact that this was work and fun could be had later. I was amazed that so many people were piling into the place and between the noise of the band and the conversations; it was hard to hear myself think. After a few hours had passed, some of the customers began to pick up their money off the bar and prepare to leave. Bart and I had prearranged a signal to identify the best prospects and when one of them started to push away from the bar and head for the door, we knew it was time to act. As usual, Bart went to the car and waited to see which direction the mark was heading, and then I followed him a few minutes later. It was just our luck that the guy headed in the opposite direction from where the car was parked so Bart had to drive past him and stop about a block away. When I thought that he was close enough to the car and no one was in the area, I bolted toward him and whacked the fellow right on the back of his head causing him to stumble and fall. At that moment Bart came up and kicked him very hard in the face so that we didn’t have to hit him again. He wasn’t moving and no one had noticed us take him down. It only took a few minutes to rifle through his pockets and remove whatever he had in them. Then we quickly headed for the car and drove away before his body had been seen. When Bart had kicked the victim, I thought that it had made a strange noise but my mind immediately started concentrating on the next operation.
I didn’t stop to count the wad of bills in my pocket but it didn’t seem to be a large pile although they could be bigger denominations. It was only three miles to the second club and we were probably there before the first robbery had even been reported. We did our usual planned steps and when I entered the bar, it seemed like walking into the previous one except this place was filled with many more customers. People were crowded up to the bar and wildly moving on the dance floor so that stools at the counter were not available at the moment. Bart had taken his spot on one end of the bar and was sipping a beer and watching customers very carefully while I stood at the opposite end, doing the same. The bar was packed to the limit and it was tough to discern what an individual was spending or how much cash was in front of each drinker. It was still early so the chance of many people leaving and thinning out the crowd might not occur for hours. We would just have to wait and hope that a few of the drinkers stood out from the rest. I had noticed upon entering the building that the streets had more people walking about than the other areas did. Hopefully, this would not interfere with our procedure and still allow for a good haul and easy departure. After an hour of watching the mayhem at the bar, it did begin to thin out a bit and we were now able to pick out those marks who had been drinking steadily while throwing bills at the bartender. It seemed that Bart noticed the same potential marks that I did and it now turned into a waiting game to see which of them left first. I wanted to get this job over with and return home since the constant noise of the bands was starting to bother me. It didn’t take long for one of the drinkers to pick up his stack of bills and prepare to leave. Since he was the first to go, we would make him our choice to deal with. As he walked out, Bart made a beeline for his car while I waited for a few minutes before leaving. I watched where the fellow was headed from a doorway and hoped that he wouldn’t get into a car. There were a few strollers in the area but none very close so it seemed safe to commence our assault as the victim walked unsteadily toward the direction of where Bart was waiting. As he approached the car, I did my usually run and punch at the back of his neck and watched him fall down with a thud. Bart whacked him a few times for good measure but it was not necessary since he was totally out. I quickly emptied his pockets and we ran to the car while hearing shouts from people a block away who were screaming “robbery” We were gone in seconds and without the lights on, were sure that no one could have seen the license plate.
As we drove away from the area, the sounds of sirens filled the air and it seemed strange that police could have responded so soon unless they were scouting this particular location. I didn’t see how they could know where we were going to strike so their presence was chalked it up to coincidence. Within minutes, we were far enough out of the area to avoid any problems and a short time later, reached my apartment. We went in and breathed a sigh of relief at having completed our work successfully and then counted all the bills I had thrown on the bed. We each counted the amount twice since it didn’t seem possible that the number was correct but it was. We had scored a total of six hundred and eighty dollars from these two men and that made it a very good nights’ work. Bart took his share and left and I was finally able to sit down and relax. Now that I had enough money to tide me over for awhile, the next step was to ready myself for a new romance which was going to begin tomorrow. I put on the eleven o’clock news out of curiosity about the nights events and hoped to catch at least a small story about the crimes. To my amazement, the lead news story told about a robbery where the victim was severely beaten and was in very serious condition at a hospital. I was sure that this was the guy who Bart kicked in the head and it looked like he might be a goner. If this man died, then matters would become very complicated because police would step up their investigation to find the killers. If we were caught, it could result in a life sentence. I suppose that in the back of my mind, the thought of a victim dying was always a possibility especially when we sometimes beat them severely. This guy dying didn’t mean a thing to me except for the added heat of an investigation that would not end. However, I felt very confident that there was no way to tie us to the crimes and after a little restlessness, was able to sleep soundly until morning.
A good nights’ rest cleared my mind of problems and I looked forward to meeting with my attractive neighbor and beginning a new relationship. After reading the newspaper, I would knock on Francine’s door and see if we could agree to have some fun for the day. Looking through the newspaper, I found details of the robbery on page three and they offered nothing new from last nights’ news. It looked like the fellow hadn’t died but was still in critical condition. The police were looking for witnesses to the crime and a reward had been offered by the tavern but nothing had come of it yet. There were also stories about similar robberies that had occurred during the past few weeks and authorities thought that they might have been committed by the same thugs. Let them think all they want because they’ll never know who we are. I planned to call Bart later and tell him that we should lay low for awhile until things cool off. In fact, if this guy did die, then we would probably have to change our operation and find some other way to acquire extra cash. I had enough of this matter for the day and looked forward to a pleasant diversion. It was early afternoon when I knocked on Francine’s door and was greeted by her smiling face. She had nice features and a shapely body that generated a lot of interest from my senses I was invited in and we sat on her couch and engaged in polite conversation about nothing in particular until we decided that going to a movie would be fun. Luckily, Francine had a car so it made things a lot easier without hopping on busses. We drove downtown and picked out a comedy to spend a few hours with which turned out to be a good choice since it gave us lots of laughs. After the movie, I took her to a nice restaurant for dinner and the way it looked to me, we seemed to be hitting it off real well.
Francine was twenty and in her first apartment since moving from her parents’ house. She worked in an art supply store and liked her job although it didn’t pay much more than minimum wage. Her work was easy and the people she met were interesting, so in one way, it made up for the lack of a better salary although more money could certainly be useful. I told her about my job and how it was alright for the time being but my future involved owning a business that could provide for all my needs. I could see that she was impressed by my ambition although had she known the entire truth, her impression of me would be quite different. We left the restaurant and drove back to the complex and as I was exiting the car, she asked me to come in for awhile and have a drink. I didn’t want to show
my eagerness so my reply was “well, just for a short time, there are still things to do before work tomorrow”. I sat on her couch while she poured coffee liquor into two glasses and sat beside me. We continued talking and sipping from the glasses until that moment came when a silence filled the air and our eyes seem to fixate on each other. That seemed to be my cue and I leaned forward and kissed her very gently. At first she was a little hesitant but suddenly her arms were around me and her lips were pressing hard against mine. It didn’t take long for us to move into the bedroom where we spent two hours in sexual splendor. I still hadn’t grasped the fact that females today are as much into sex as guys and would often take the initiative. At eleven, I decided to leave her embrace and return to my place but not until telling her how wonderful this day had been. She said pretty much the same and we agreed to meet again tomorrow after work and spend the evening together. I had to admit that it was not easy for me to leave her warmth but no use letting the girl think that this is the start of something more than a pleasant first date.
I slept real good that night since my body sorely needed it to recuperate from all that loving after a period of none at all. There was no reason to stay with one woman very long since they were plentiful and each new love was better than ever. All those years in the camp had robbed me of the knowledge that comes with growing older but I was certainly making up for that loss and looked forward to having a multitude of girlfriends. Work that day was a drag because my body was still depleted of energy but I managed to get through without any major mishaps. In fact, to my surprise, the manager called me in and told me that I was getting a raise of fifty cents an hour. He probably thought it was a big deal that I would make twenty dollars a week more. That huge amount would certainly put me in the chips and secure my financial future. Putting on an act, I thanked him profusely and let it be known that this job was really a great opportunity for someone with my background. It’s amazing how I could tell him such lies with a straight face but my facial expressions were really getting under control and lying was much easier to do. As soon as I could score big and have enough money to live well, it would be goodbye to that crummy job with its starvation wages. Those kinds of jobs I’ll leave to the flocks of sheep that make up most of the population since it is their destiny to follow anyone who can lead. As for me, I’ll go my own way and do whatever suits my fancy without worrying about how it affects anyone’s life. That is the role I have chosen to follow and in my estimation, it’s absolutely justified and correct.
I thought that events were starting to look real good for me when two pieces of information crossed my path. The first had to do with Cal being seen in the area again and this time, Bart thought he knew exactly where to find him. The second had to do with our victim of last week who died from his injuries at the hospital without regaining consciousness. Too bad for him, he shouldn’t have gone drinking alone with a bundle of cash to display. Actually, the dope deserved it and in a way had done me a favor by dying since there was no way he could incriminate the two of us had our faces been seen. Cal was the more pressing problem and I knew that Bart would want to act on his vengeance immediately. Bart had phoned and told me the news while making an urgent plea for action. He didn’t even care about the victim dying and brushed that information aside while pressing me to come with him tonight and settle the matter with Cal once and for all. I didn’t feel the same amount of hatred for Cal that Bart did but if it would keep him working with me, then let’s get him. Bart was sure that he knew where to find him and said he would come for me as darkness fell and head straight for the showdown. I thought about bringing a bat or some kind of weapon but the two of us should be able to give him a severe beating with only our fists Nothing much to do now except wait for Bart to arrive and hopefully get this business over quickly and return home. The more I thought about Cal, the higher my state of anxiety became as my body was working itself up to a crescendo of anger against him. I recalled the nine years spent as a prisoner because of his snitching and doing so made my blood boil inside. I phoned Francine and cancelled our date by stating that my mother was ill and needed help from me. I let her know that we would meet tomorrow evening.
Bart arrived and I could see that his eyes looked wild from using drugs to bolster his confidence. By then, I had worked myself up to a rage and ready to kick the crap out of Cal in a big way. He said that Cal had been seen at a local market and should still be there if we hurried over right now before the opportunity slipped away. We headed out to the location and parked a block away from a small store that was dimly lit but contained a number of people inside. I was hoping that Cal hadn’t changed much over the years so that we could recognize him but Bart seemed very confident that he would know the face. We approached the store and looked in and I could see Cal standing by the counter. He had grown tall and looked thin but the features were unmistakable even after eleven years. Now we needed a way to draw him out without being noticed. Our best prospect was to wait for him to leave and catch up after he walked a short distance from the store. We watched as people started leaving and knew that Cal wouldn’t linger much longer. Fifteen minutes later, he walked through the door and headed down a street that appeared isolated and dark. This was our best chance to confront him and we went back to the car so Bart could drive ahead of him and wait for his arrival. We sat in the car until he approached and then got out to face him. Cal had a startled look on his face and when he could actually see who we were, the look turned to fear. He knew why we were there and made an attempt at friendliness which didn’t go over well. Bart asked him how he could snitch on us after making a pact to always stick together and I blurted out about spending nine years in hell because of his big mouth. He was attempting to answer when Bart whacked him on the side of his head which made him stumble and almost fall down. After the first blow, we waded in quickly and wailed at any part of his body that was closest to our hands and feet. He was trying his best to defend himself but the blows were raining down too fast and he eventually crumpled to the ground while Bart continued to kick his head and body. I pulled Bart away when it became evident that Cal was totally out and told him that we should get out of here. I suppose that there was always a chance that Cal could finger us for the beating but we would cross that bridge later. We left Cal on the ground and drove away without seeing him stir at all. It was possible that he was dead and if so, his fate was well deserved.
Bart dropped me off at my apartment and left immediately. We had not talked very much about the incident and I was sure that each of us felt a sense of satisfaction from our actions along with a little fear of the law stepping in. As I tried to relax on the couch, my body went through a period of shaking that lasted ten minutes. I had never felt that before and knew that my nerves had been stretched to their limit. Events in the last few days had turned very violent and I needed to take a break and rejuvenate my inner strength before undertaking any more heists. I turned on the television and hoped to divert my thoughts toward something entertaining which worked for awhile. The news came on and I was very interested in seeing if the beating had been reported but nothing about it came to view. If Cal had come to and left the area without saying anything to authorities then there was little to worry about. If he was dead, then there was nothing to connect us to his demise and since we hadn’t seen him in eleven years, probably no one knew that we were once friends. I felt a little more relaxed after turning off the tube and decided to try and sleep a lot of hours before the next day once again began to take its toll of my energy. Sleep didn’t come easy but after tossing and turning for what seemed to be hours, I drifted off until awoken by my clock radio. Time for the disgusting routine once again but at least it took my mind off all that had been going on and seeing Francine later would make things even better for me.
By the end of the week, I was feeling much calmer and pleasant after seeing Francine a few times and learning nothing new about the incident with Cal. Bart had not seen nor heard anything about him
either so we figured that he somehow crawled back to his place and said nothing about the beating. I was sure that he knew that it was well deserved and while it didn’t make us exactly even, the matter was closed in my mind and hopefully, in Bart’s also. There was still the matter of that fellow dying and I was sure that the police were looking for any clues to our identity. Almost a week had passed and nothing about the case had been reported on the news so it looked like a dead end for them. We had planned the robbery pretty well and carefully checked that no witnesses were about. Even if the police knew a few of the license plate letters and numbers, it was still a long shot that their investigation could eventually lead to Bart but it was not going to happen. Time was our greatest ally and the more that it passed further diminished the possibility of identifying us. However, I was not going to take any chances for awhile and even if my money stash went to zero, a good period of time would have to pass before planning any more jobs. Until then, I would just have to tough it out with my salary and learn to live very simply. It was a good thing that Francine wasn’t a gold digger who wanted gifts and entertainment many times a week. She seemed more like a homebody type who liked to watch movies and occasionally eat out but was content to make home cooked meals. By sheer necessity, I would have to stick with her for the companionship she offered or else spend money attempting to find someone else. She would do for now and actually, the situation wasn’t too bad. She was very romantic and liked sex and most of all, found me to be rather appealing. I’m sure that if extra money was needed for something, that she would lend it to me.
I, Psychopath Page 13