I thought that things were going real well when the clerk suddenly attacked me as we stepped inside the back room. I was pushed down on the ground but was able to see that he was reaching for a phone which prompted me to get up very quickly and whack him on the side of his head with my fist. He went down immediately and for good measure, I gave him a series of hard kicks to his body and head. Looking around, I spotted the deposit bags that had been readied for the bank and quickly opened them to make sure they were filled with money. Putting the bags in my backpack, I hurried out and motioned for Bart to get everyone down on the floor with warnings not to move for five minutes. We were out of that store within seconds and a minute later had driven many blocks away. We had taken off our masks and Bart was starting to ask numerous questions when I said “later” in a tone that made him concentrate on driving. I was nervously looking around for any signs of police cars or sirens but fortunately, didn’t notice either while we kept on putting miles between us and the crime scene. Bart drove for an hour and then headed back to my apartment where I finally told him what had happened. He didn’t seem shook up by my story and said the guy deserved it for trying to be a hero. There were four things left to do; count up the money and split it, get the gun back into my possession and watch the late night news. The loot made a large pile on my bed and many of the bills were large denominations. It took us an hour to count it all up and even then, I was not sure that it was entirely correct but the amount came to eleven thousand eight hundred dollars. Even I was shocked by that total and felt a tremendous elation over the successful operation we had pulled off. Next, I told Bart that the gun stayed here since it was mine to begin with. He must have been very pleased with the money because it was handed over to me without any argument. After splitting up the take, Bart put his share in a bag and left but not before telling me “what a good team we were.” He was going to be very surprised when I told him that we were going to be dissolved as a duo but that could wait until later.
Now I had a chance to relax and bask in the glory of what had occurred. Enough money was in my stash to last me for a year if I was prudent with spending but knowing me, other ways would be found soon to add to my pile. When the late night news came on, I watched with great curiosity for news about the robbery and beating that accompanied it. I guess it was not important enough to make the first headlines but a short version of the crime was presented about twenty minutes later. The heist was given all the usual names like brazen, brutal, ugly and well executed but failed to disclose the status of a clerk who was savagely beaten by one of the thugs when he tried to prevent the hold up. I would have liked to know more about his condition but nothing was being said at this time. Now, I would have to wait until tomorrows’ newspaper to learn about the poor sap. Sympathy was something I didn’t have for anyone and especially a person who tried to thwart me from my business. His living or dying was no real concern for me but I did have a certain curiosity about him. Well, nothing much to do now except watch a late movie, get some much needed sleep and start off a new day. Actually, everything was in proper order since I now had the gun in my possession, lots of cash and plenty of free time. I looked forward to seeing Francine sometime late in the afternoon and perhaps, take her out to a nice dinner. After all, I had to reward myself for the fine work that had been accomplished.
During the next few hours, my mind focused on how to tell Bart that we were through as a team and what kind of future crimes would be feasible for a single person. Bart had enough money so he wouldn’t be too broken up by our split. I believed that nothing really goes on forever and there is always a time for change. Maybe Bart also wanted something new for himself and now had the money to buy some kind of small business that could take care of his finances forever. I know that he spent money fast but last nights’ take should be enough to give him a good start in many areas. I didn’t see any problem with that aspect of my agenda but had much more concern with deciding on a new direction that would provide a continuing income with low risk. Without wheels to get around in, it would be almost an impossibility to pull off jobs successfully and this might be the right time to finally obtain a driving license and a car. Buying a car would take some of my stash but I could think of it as an investment in the future that should return a huge amount of cash. If I bought a less expensive, nondescript looking car, it would blend in with traffic real well and allow me to move right out of an area without a hitch. Tomorrow, I will go to the motor vehicle bureau, get a learners permit so that I could use Francine’s car to brush up on my driving skills and then take the test. There would be no trouble passing it and with a license in hand, I could look for a suitable car and get back to business.
I went to the DMV on the next day and quickly read the manual before taking the test and passing it. It seemed so easy that I wondered how anyone could ever fail this dopey exam. Now that I had a learners permit, it was just a matter of taking a few drives with Francine and passing the driving test. Pleased with my quick success, I went home and waited until Francine returned from work so she could be apprised of my plans. When I did tell her of my intent, she was very happy for me and thought it was time to have a car of my own. We took our first drive that evening and within minutes, I was totally in control of the car. The only aspect of our lesson that needed a little extra help was when I attempted parallel parking but it didn’t take that long to master the technique. I would call the next day and schedule a driving test as soon as possible which hopefully would not take too long. I spent that entire evening with Francine and didn’t leave her apartment until the morning when she went to work. As soon as it was eight a.m., I phoned the DMV and made and driving test appointment at their earliest date which was three days from now. The extra time would allow me to practice driving for a few more days so that passing the test would be a snap. In the meantime, I could look through the paper and see what cars cost since my experience with them was very limited. I looked through the newspaper each day until having some idea of what prices were and even went out to a few nearby car lots to check on their available vehicles. Used cars cost more than I thought but getting something too old might bring problems with their reliability so the best compromise seemed to be a five to seven year old four door sedan that would not stand out in traffic. The color was also of importance and I decided to get a muted tone such as a brown or grey shade. The choices were not those I would normally make for a car purchase but being prudent was the best way to go. In the future when I could afford to buy a flashy expensive auto, it would more than make up for the piece of junk that was going to be mine.
Days move very fast when not working and the day of my driving test came up quickly. Francine drove me to the Bureau and waited inside while I took the test with her car. After a little delay, the instructor got into the car and ten minutes later we were done. I thought it had gone very well and was not surprised when told to go to the desk and pay a fee for my temporary license until the real one came in the mail. I drove Francine to a restaurant for dinner and looked forward to the next day and some serious car hunting. My life was in an upward spiral and even the news that my beating victim had died from head injuries failed to diminish my good feelings. I hadn’t really meant to kill the guy but it was him or me and how stupid could someone be to risk their life for money that wasn’t theirs? If people just did as they were told, there would be much fewer problems in this world and what had happened with me and this fellow proved that I was right. Now I had caused two men’s deaths and if the police ever apprehended me, it would probably mean a life sentence or worse. I had no concern with their futile efforts but there was always a chance that Bart could turn on me if he was caught in some stupid crime. Once we were separated, Bart would have to fend for himself and if he decided to try his hand at crime then his attempts would most certainly be feeble. I was sure that authorities could easily figure out his methods and nab him by no later than a second attempt at whatever he was doing. I had to really convince him to go
straight and invest money in a business so he would forget about the loot from a job. Otherwise, he would always be a thorn in my side that could lead to disaster for me at any time. Well, at least I had retrieved the gun from him and avoided any shooting that would end up with his probable capture within a short time.
My drivers’ license arrived in a few days and I had a certain sense of excitement about looking at cars. I had never owned one and it was an achievement that made me feel proud. I took a bus to the area where many car dealers were located and started on one end of the street and perused the vehicles at each lot until there were no more dealerships to visit. I didn’t really know anything about cars but had already decided on some kind of newer, frumpy car that would suit my purposes. I looked at several four door plain color autos that were no more than five years old and while all of them seemed adequate, the mechanical aspects had to be dependable. I was allowed to drive one of the cars to an auto repair shop a few blocks away and for forty dollars, learned that the engine and other parts were in fine working order. The car was a light beige four door sedan that probably wouldn’t be noticed on a bet. When I told the salesman to close the deal, he was surprised that a young fellow would buy something so plain looking and tried to steer me to flashier coupes that most young people would like to own. As tempting as it was, I stuck to my guns and bought the car for four thousand dollars which was a lot less than the asking price. I suppose that he just wanted to get rid of it and didn’t want me to walk off because of the price.
All I had to do was obtain insurance which Francine helped with and my car problem was solved. Now all I had to do was practice driving for a few days and get the hang of handling the car and then figure out my next move. Before getting involved in new ways of making money, I had to deal with Bart and break the news to him about our parting of the ways. I decided to phone Bart and tell him about the car and meet somewhere to talk using the guise of showing off the new purchase. He was surprised at how quickly I had acquired a license and a car and was eager to see it. There was no doubt in my mind that he would think I was loco for buying such an unlikely looking dull vehicle but let him think whatever came to his mind, the car was just right. I met with Bart that evening at a diner and his reaction to my choice was exactly as predicted. I could tell that he was trying to find ways to congratulate me but it wasn’t easy. We were sitting in the car when I decided to bring up the subject of ending our partnership. I told Bart that my crime days were over and finding a business to operate was the new priority. While telling this lie, I was indirectly hinting that he should do the same and while he listened carefully to my words, they didn’t seem to be sinking in enough to make any impact. I brought up the amount of money he had amassed and how the law of averages would eventually catch up with us if we continued our ways. He agreed that people do get caught and said that the idea was interesting and worth looking into. At that instant, I told him that we should no longer contact each other and try to erase any connection between us which he thought was a good idea. We shook hands and after a last look at my face, Bart went to his car and drove away. Hopefully, he would take my advice and not risk certain apprehension but I wasn’t sure of what his direction would be. Well, resolving this problem hadn’t been too difficult and I felt a sigh of relief at accomplishing the task so easily. I had done pretty well over the last few days and taken care of all the loose ends that needed to be closed. I was doing very well for a young man in his early twenties and looked forward to a very prosperous future.
Now I was on my own and only had contact with Francine and occasionally, my mother. I had not seen Mom in awhile which didn’t bother me but it was a matter of curiosity to see how she was doing. For the first time in months, I visited her at the same apartment where we had lived and found that nothing had really changed very much except for having a new boyfriend. My mother seemed to go through men much faster than I changed women and it’s possible that our behavior might be genetic. We were both essentially loners who didn’t want long term commitments and were happy to live as single people for long stretches. Mom was a nice looking middle age woman who could easily attract different age men and continue on that course for a long time. That habit was certainly one that I admired in her and might have been the only trait she had that was cool. She certainly wasn’t anything like Francine or other women I have known in that they were not so flighty and unpredictable. I would have thought that a woman of my mothers’ age had reached a level of mellowness in life. She probably should have been more concerned with security and long term companionship but that was not the case. The younger girls I knew seemed much more stable and concerned with preparing for the future. My mother just bounced along in any direction and never did know what was coming next. That might have been one of the characteristics I liked about her and didn’t find so admirable in the others. Women always want to take over and control the man so that he conforms to their ideal of a perfect mate. It happened before and would probably happen again with Francine if I let it but my lack of emotional attachment to anyone was a wall in the way of their plans. I knew that eventually Francine would attempt the same dominance in some manner and that could mean the end of our contacts. Not that I really cared that much when there were so many other desirable women waiting in the wings.
My predictions did not have long to wait before starting to come true and they emerged on a visit with Francine when she started asking about our future together. I knew what was coming but allowed her to bring up her true feelings about us. She started off by acting moody and letting me know that our relationship seemed to have reached an impasse and there was no way to tell which way it was going. The next level had to do with saving money by moving in together which would give her a sense of security with me. Francine let me know that she was true to me and thought that I loved her but wanted something more tangible for the world to see. According to her, many close friends had been asking about the status of the relationship and she didn’t know what to tell them. Her parents also had expressed some interest in where we were going as a couple so that the pressure had become annoying. She went on for awhile longer about my lack of commitment and then stopped talking and seemed to expect that I would respond to each point in her dialogue. This very conversation had been expected for some time so there was no surprise when it actually happened and some thought had been given to the matter in the last few weeks. I would have liked to evade the situation but it didn’t seem possible right now and taking a deep breath, started letting words come out of my mouth.
I began by tell her how much fun we had together and the great amount of satisfaction that she gave me. I continued by stating that she was the only girl in my life and while others were all over the place, none had been able to tempt me away. While I talked, Francine listened intently but the look on her face indicated that the words spoken were not what she wanted to hear. She cut right in and asked if I loved her and wanted to live together with the eventual goal of marrying and starting a family. That question and her tone of voice started to rile me up and I quickly answered that “our arrangement as it stood now was fine with me and any other aspects had not entered my mind yet.” I was trying hard to keep from raising my voice and blowing up at the audacity of this girl who was trying to corner me into something unwanted. Our discussion might have been peaceful if not for the fact that she began to raise her voice and demand to know how serious my intentions were. That was the last straw and I began shouting back at her that she had no business trying to change our social life if it was going well. Our shouting went back and forth and accusations began to fly from our mouths until she finally told me to get out and not bother her again. I would have let that pass and comply but she pushed me toward the door and without thinking, my reaction was to smack her across the face. A surprised look came over her face before she fell to the carpet with a dazed look on her face. It took all my restraint to keep from giving her a real beating but I surely wanted to. I left and slammed the doo
r very hard and went back to my apartment to fume awhile and then calm down. The nerve of that bitch pushing me out, she was lucky I didn’t kill her.
None of the other neighbors had reacted to our battle and I assumed that they merely minded their own business about us. About an hour later, a knock on the door startled me and for a second, I thought it was Francine showing up to apologize until the door was opened. Right in front of me were two policemen who said they had received a complaint of an assault by a woman known to me. I told them that we had an argument where both of us physically struck each other. One of the policemen said that Francine had a bruise on her mouth and had been bleeding and asked to see my injury. When I couldn’t show him one, he placed me under arrest for assault and put handcuffs on my wrists. I hadn’t felt steel on my wrists since the day when police cuffed me some twelve years ago and they certainly didn’t feel good. I was driven to a local police station and put in a holding cell for a few hours before being moved again to the county jail where fingerprints and photos were taken of me. The one call I could make went to Bart who had prior experience with lawyers and he would arrange for one to expedite my release. I sat in a cell for six hours before a guard came and led me toward a room where a sharply dressed man was waiting. He introduced himself as Louis Burns, attorney and said that we could leave because he had obtained my release without bail. Well, not having bail was a relief but I wondered what this guy would cost me for showing up and then representing me in court. On the way out, Louis told me that I was charged with assault IV, a misdemeanor and at the worst, might spend a few days in jail or merely let off with a fine. Francine had admitted that she pushed me first and that had mitigated the charge from a possible felony to the current one. Even a few hours of jail had turned my stomach and brought me down to a low level of depression which was starting to reverse as I returned home. I knew that it would not be a good idea to see Francine again and so a move to another apartment would have to be made which at the most was an inconvenience.
I, Psychopath Page 17