In the meantime, I would have to make do with what was available and get through a very boring time period. I had to make sure that desperation wouldn’t get to me or Bart and lead us to do something that was stupid. Money was a powerful motivator for me and not accumulating more was going to set me back on my timetable. I still felt some minor obligation to give my mother some cash but that would have to wait. I had spoken to her and she seemed to be getting on just fine and if needed, could be a source of a few extra dollars. Other than having to lie low for awhile, my life was settling into a predictable, peaceful routine that would have to be tolerated until I felt that the time was ripe for action again. I had been thinking about changing our methods and giving up the beat and rob routine in order to throw the authorities off our pattern. The idea of committing burglaries came up and seemed to offer a decent substitution since we had already done several in the past. Before, I decided on the best way to get back on track, Bart’s input had to be obtained since he was an essential part of this operation. There was no rush to solve this problem right now so I decided not to ask him about his preferences for a few weeks. In the meantime, I would watch the news and see if any new developments emerged about the killing which was more a matter of curiosity than anything else. This next period would be one of my relaxing phases where I did nothing but experience pleasure and a sense of contentment.
Days were turning into weeks very quickly and I was losing a sense of time until the realization hit me that my money was getting depleted again. It was not because of lavish spending but ordinary expenses that were eating into my stash. Luckily for me, Francine was content to stay at home most of the time and watch movies which she often paid for. I don’t know if she knew how much cash was in my pocket or it was a splitting everything in half kind of attitude on her part but any little contribution helped me. I had spoken to Bart and he was in the same boat and probably almost broke from his reckless spending. We were getting to the point where something had to be done but committing the same type of action was very risky since the victim’s death. Breaking into houses had been on my mind but that was a hit or miss proposition and we needed some type of lucrative idea. I suppose that it was no coincidence that armed robbery of a store came into my mind. It was the kind of job that could be done lightening fast and could provide a good haul if the right kind of store was hit. The newness of this idea generated a surge of excitement throughout my total being that had not been felt in some time. Since Bart already had the car, then all we needed was a pistol that would command total compliance. The more I thought about a store, the more I liked it and wanted to tell Bart about my plan as soon as a suitable target was selected. In fact, I might tell him right away and see what kind of places he could suggest.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The excitement of developing a new kind of operation raised my energy level to a high degree and the thought of carrying a gun made any crime I committed seem even more professional. There were two obstacles to my plan and I had to get by both of them before anything could occur. The first was persuading Bart to join me in this venture although I thought that his lack of money made him vulnerable to any kind of action and the second was in obtaining a gun without leaving a trail of identifying clues. It was very possible that Bart would know of a connection to buying a pistol since his entire family seemed immersed in the underworld culture. I had to be sure that the serial numbers were filed off, so it could not be traced back to the seller. I would phone Bart tonight and ask him to come over so we could discuss these matters without interruptions. Francine was still very much in the picture and I looked forward to seeing her almost every night. We were becoming a couple and she had turned into the kind of girl that was hard to criticize or complain about. She liked to sleep with me, wasn’t a big spender and didn’t mind staying at home most of the time. Sometimes, our matchup seemed too good to be true and I often wondered when it was going to become as strained as other relationships I had. I wanted to see Francine tonight but it would depend on how long the discussion with Bart took. He could sometimes be very obstinate and uncooperative but in the end, usually went along with me. I certainly would have a tough time doing any jobs without him and his car so spending a little more time together was a necessary evil.
Bart agreed to come and discuss our next move and he seemed to be in an agreeable mood which bode well for my plans. I was running out of spare cash and sure that he was also so some kind of action had to be undertaken soon. When I got home from work, Francine was waiting at the door for me and said she had missed me. We went inside and immediately engaged in very hot and heavy sex for an hour which really hit the spot for me. This girl was turning into a real gem and it was hard for me to believe the luck I had in finding her. But, regardless of how good she was, I had to keep in mind that no one can get too close to me and that all people are expendable. I had never had a relationship last very long without going sour and it was too heavy a load of baggage when keeping people in my life too long. It was far better to use them for a time and then break off the relationship. That way, no one can ever get to a place where they can emotionally harm me but should it occur, then I would strike out at them in a rage and cause serious hurt. Francine stayed for awhile before returning to her apartment and I rested up before meeting with Bart. He showed up about an hour later and immediately wanted to know what I had in mind in order to acquire a good amount of cash. I laid out the details of my plan which involved hitting stores while wearing masks and using a gun to scare people into a state of compliance. I was very pleased that Bart liked the idea and thought we could be in and out before an alarm could be activated. He didn’t like using his car but at the moment, it was the only vehicle we had access to. Bart thought that it wouldn’t be difficult to obtain a gun from some people he knew but it would take at least a hundred and fifty dollars to close the deal. Apparently, no one was giving credit and we needed to come up with the cash or no sale. Between us, we didn’t have that much and since Bart had no one to ask, it would be up to me and the first person I thought of to lend me money was Francine.
I would have to give her some kind of story of why the money was needed but that should be easy. The only snag would be if she didn’t have the money either but the chance that the sum I needed was available looked good. I didn’t really want to drag her into our plans but since she didn’t know what the money was for, there was no way for her to become implicated. I decided to ask her for the money tomorrow and make it known that the loan had to be made quickly. Using my mother’s health would be a good persuasive element and telling Francine that I had to buy a piece of medical equipment for her asthma should arouse enough sympathy to deter any further questions. I told Bart that the possibility of getting the money by tomorrow looked promising and he said that the gun dealer would be contacted so that we could consummate the buy as soon as possible. Bart was really eager to get started on this venture and I had the impression that he wanted to carry the weapon, which was not what my original plan called for. He was a very impulsive fellow and carrying a loaded gun might be too much temptation if someone angered him and lead to a shooting. We already had one death that was under intense investigation and another one was not needed. I didn’t want to argue with him at this time but in my mind it would be better if the weapon was in my possession. It seems that things sometimes refuse to move along smoothly and something always turns up to cause a problem.
After I got home from work the next day, I went over to see Francine but she wasn’t there. I had concocted a good story about what my mother needed and hoped that it would appeal to her desire for helping me. I killed an hour in my apartment and went back to see if she was home and this time, Francine answered the door. We had a few cordial words when she noticed the worried look I had on my face that had been rehearsed for awhile. Everything worked as I hoped and after she inquired about my concerns and heard about what my mother had a need for, letting me have the money was no problem. Francine wanted to wr
ite a check but I pressed her for cash using an excuse about the person selling the item wanting no checks. She thought that was odd but agreed to cash a check at the bank tomorrow and bring it to me after work. That situation worked out perfectly and after spending a little time with her, I went to my apartment and called Bart to tell him that the deal was on. He was going to contact the gun seller and meet with him tomorrow night after the money was in his pocket. Things were really moving and we could get started on planning our first armed robbery right away. Now I could spend some time deciding on what kind of business to hit and then case a few places to see which looked easiest to go into and get out of fast. I still wanted to see what kind of idea Bart had before narrowing down the choices. I would speak to him tomorrow after the gun was obtained and figure the best method to operate. I started to feel really high as the time for action approached and in addition, the money factor was certainly adding to the excitement.
I didn’t sleep so well that night because my mind kept going over our upcoming adventures and when morning came, my body was kind of tired. I could have stayed home and taken a sick day but my mind would probably dwell on the meeting tonight so it was better to occupy my thoughts with work. Actually, work had been going real well for me since the tasks were so simple and my efficiency had gone way up. Eventually, the managers offered a promotion and pay raise to me which I had no use for. However, I did my usual act about how wonderful the opportunity was and made sure to express my gratitude to them many times. I liked the idea of having good character references in the event that something went wrong with my true occupation but as far as the promotion, it meant nothing to me. The meager raise wouldn’t have done anything for my standard of living and I probably would have to work three times as hard for the fifty cent an hour raise. The situation at work only reinforced my view that working for a living is a fools’ job and the great majority of people were just suckers earning peanuts while the owners reaped all the rewards. I could hardly wait for the work day to be over and get out of that miserable place. I looked forward to the time when enough money was in my stash to tell them goodbye and watch the surprised looks on their faces. They probably thought that I was dumb enough to follow their lead and toe the line like a good boy but hopefully, that was soon coming to an end.
Work seemed to take forever as the hours ticked by very slowly or was it my impatience? I rushed home and stopped at Francine’s to pick up the money and she had it right in her hand when we met. I gave her a big hug of appreciation and said we could get together later but right now, there were more important matters on my to do list. When I phoned Bart to see how the gun purchase was progressing, he said that it was ready and all that we needed was the cash. Bart would come over about eight and we would be off to seal the deal. I felt a tremendous rush from head to toe as the thought of actually having a gun became a reality to me. In case Francine was expecting me to stop over later, I made a brief visit and gave her an excuse about my mothers’ condition worsening and needing my assistance. She was very understanding of the situation and probably thought I was a terrific son but what can a gullible girl like her know when being misled by an expert like me? Now that I got rid of Francine for the evening all I had to do was bide time until Bart came and then obtain the great persuader. While waiting, I began to think of the kinds of places we could be in and out of in minutes and still grab a nice amount of cash. The ideal business would be somewhere on the outskirts of downtown that was far enough away from a large number of witnesses. It also had to be a kind of store or shop that did lots of transactions for cash and had few employees working at any one time. Staying open in the evening would also be a plus factor for our operation since darkness often offers the best concealment. What I would have to do was walk through the downtown area and check out the firms that seemed to fit the bill. I could do that over the next few days after work, compile a short list of possibilities and go over them with Bart for his input on easy escapes from the area.
I heard a car pull up and went outside to greet Bart so we could get started immediately. He was also hyped up about the weapon and said that the gun was a six shot pistol with an untraceable serial number. He didn’t know much about the history of the weapon but had been told that it was stolen from a private home during a burglary and was never used in a crime before. That was good news to me although I had no intention of shooting anyone and leaving evidence at the scene. Bart drove for about thirty minutes to a decent but run down part of the city and parked. He asked for the money and told me to wait in the car since the dealer could get spooked by another person showing up. I was alright with that since the less people who actually saw me would minimize any identification of my face. Bart got out and walked to a building before slipping through a door. He hadn’t thought that the transaction would take more than ten minutes and it actually took even less because in brief time, we were driving away from the area. After a short period of not saying anything to me, Bart parked on the side of the road and pulled out a beautiful looking, shiny pistol that I couldn’t wait to hold in my hand. The first time I held that gun, it seemed to be the most natural object to ever nestle in my grip. Holding it gave me an incredible surge of power that made me want to use it in a robbery at once. Fortunately, my rational mind took over and made it clear that we needed to find the right target and follow a plan.
On the way back to my place, Bart and I had an argument over who should keep the gun and my argument was more persuasive since living alone meant no prying eyes to find it. The only person who visited me beside Bart was Francine and she never looked in closets or dressers which probably could happen a lot at Bart’s house where several people showed up daily. Having that gun in my possession was very important to me and opened up a new sense of importance that had never been in my mind before. I could hardly wait to point it at someone and watch their reaction. This was going to be a great moment for me and the sooner I got down to business, the better. Back at my apartment, I was content to spend hours holding the pistol and practicing my commands at victims. It was with great reluctance that I finally put it in a hiding place at the back of a closet where it would not be seen. I felt like a kid in a candy store and my mind was filled with all kinds of fantasies about how things were going to happen. Tomorrow, I would check out possibilities and narrow them down so we could start bringing in the dough that was most urgently needed by now.
I had a good nights’ sleep and all the worries about police catching up with me for the death of that jerk victim seemed to disappear. That was old business and now I was moving ahead to bigger and better things. I figured that it was only a matter of time passing before the killing became back page news and disappeared from everyone’s mind, particularly in this world where such things happened so frequently.
After work, I stayed downtown and walked through many streets that were away from the main hub. There were plenty of businesses to check out for late night hours, accessibility of doors, number of employees, and whether it dealt in cash or checks. Anything other than cash was not acceptable because of the risks involved and I wanted to minimize those. I was looking for the ideal place where lots of money was in the till, out of the main district, easy in and easy out, few employees working and no customers on the premises, but there was no such target to be found in my meanderings. I started scouting about five blocks from the main downtown area and worked my way outward to where there were less people and simple traffic patterns to contend with when making a quick exit. I could already tell that my criteria were too high and compromises had to be made or we would have no victims to rob. The best that I came up with was a very busy fast food restaurant that had a steady stream of cars and walk in diners during dinner time but quickly faded into a slow period after eight o’clock. From the hours posted on the window, the eatery was open until midnight and if the day’s cash had not been taken to the bank until late, then a good majority of the days’ receipts would still be in the till or a safe. I surmised that som
eone had to be there to open the safe if there was one, in order to take the proceeds out and to the bank. That person would be the one to help us relieve the business of their money and having the gun made sure that compliance was forthcoming.
For the next few days after my shift was over, I continued checking the business out and making sure that the proper routes out of the area were available and that no other unusual condition arose. I was feeling very proud of myself for working this plan out and looked forward to a successful heist that produced a good amount of dough. When Bart was told about the setup, he thought it was an excellent plan and wanted to get it done right away. It seemed to me that the best evening to pull off the job was on Friday night when people were in a rush to leave the city and get home. The traffic jams would provide us with plenty of cover should it be needed while the evening restaurant business should be a little slower than on other days. Now all we had to do was get our accessories ready, particularly masks, money bags, license plate covers and the gun. The two of us had an argument about who should carry the weapon and reluctantly, I gave in to Bart’s argument that it had been in my possession for days but emphatically stated that he couldn’t have it until the actual heist. I was a little concerned about his willingness to use it before there was a need to do so but there were enough other things to be concerned with and the gun matter slipped by me. We were very eager and diligent in preparing for this job and by the time Friday rolled around, everything was in perfect order. Bart was going to meet me downtown after work and we would hang around until darkness fell and the timing seemed right.
I, Psychopath Page 14