I, Psychopath

by Ph. D. Stephen M. Kahn

  Many months had passed since my last job which bodes well for me since any leads that police thought they might have would be icy cold. I hadn’t given much thought to the kind of firm to hit as yet but it needed the usual mix of having a good deal of cash on hand, few employees on duty, easy exits out of the area and somewhat isolated from prying eyes. I still preferred the downtown area to suburbs although if there was some place of interest further out that was appropriate, it would be considered. The next day, I parked at different areas of the city and walked up and down the streets looking at potential places for our needs. Many of them seemed suitable but there was always something that gave me an uneasy feeling about hitting a particular business. Either it was in the middle of a street, closed too early or had employees make deposits several times a day which reduced the cash on hand to a small amount. I just kept at it and continued to narrow down the choices until the one firm that remained on my list was a large camera and electronic equipment store that seemed to be doing a booming business. People just seemed to stream in and out of the place while I was watching but whether they were paying for goods in cash, checks or credit cards was an unknown. I decided to walk in and browse at the merchandise while keeping a sharp eye on how sales were paid for. People did pay with checks and cards but a large majority of them were buying their items for cash and I was amazed at the amount of bills that passed over the counter and went into the registers. The haul from here would be good but first I had a few other details to contend with.

  The building had a front door and at least one side door to the street that led to a small parking area. There were at least three registers and a back room which might hold a good deal of the days’ receipts since I didn’t notice anyone taking a deposit bag to the bank during my hours spent casing the place. I could not see any guards on duty and the store remained open until nine in the evening when few customers would be present. At that hour, it looked like four clerks were still working along with whoever was in the back room getting the deposit ready. One drawback was the number of windows that looked out into the street and increased the risk of witnesses noticing our activities but if we worked fast, the job could be completed before police were anywhere near the place. There were streets leaving the area in all directions and blending into traffic would be simple until we were well out of the city. This heist would be the most daring and brazen one I had ever been involved with and if all went well, should provide me with enough cash to live on for a long time. All I had to do now was brief Wes on how the job was going down and make sure that he knew exactly what to do. Once I was satisfied with his understanding, all that remained was picking out a day, time and two escape routes.

  Now that I had the details taken care of, it was time to see about obtaining a pistol. The only person I knew who had an ideal weapon was Bart and if he would part with it without any questions, it would resolve the issue. First I wanted to see if Wes had any luck and a call to him gave me a quick negative answer. I don’t think that he would even know where to start looking so it was now up to me. I phoned Bart that evening and caught him just before he was going out. During our few minutes of banter, he let slip that his funds were running woefully low and could I lend him some money. That was a good stroke of luck I thought and shrewdly let him know that cash was low with me too but some amount could be scraped up if he wanted to sell his revolver. I was hoping he wouldn’t question my reason for wanting it but willingly unload it if money was really a problem. To his credit, he didn’t ask me anything but blurted out a sum of two hundred dollars for the piece. I told him that it was too high and offered him one hundred for it. After a little haggling on both sides we settled on one hundred and thirty dollars. Bart must have really needed money because he was eager to bring the gun to me quickly and collect the money. I would get back my cost from Wesley once we had our loot but right now, everything had fallen into place and it was time to get started. Bart came over within a half hour and placed the revolver on the table with a box of ammunition. I gave him the cash and without asking anything else, he said he had to be somewhere and would talk to me at a later time. While not totally sure of Bart’s silence on the matter, I never had a reason in the past to doubt his loyalty and put the matter out of my mind.

  After having another talk with Wes concerning the job, we decided that the best day to hit the store was Friday around closing time. There were both advantages and disadvantages to the time chosen in that the number of customers should have dwindled off to a few, but traffic would still be very heavy enough to blend in with. If my spying was correct then no deposits would have been made by that hour and whatever proceeds were taken in that day would still be on the premises. I had gone over this situation numerous times in my mind and couldn’t come up with an ideal scenario so the best available plan had to be used. If everything went well, we could be out of the store in ten minutes and on our way and moving away from the area. I had a contingency plan should any snag hold us up and give police time to respond to what would most likely be a silent alarm. If it looked like there was any chance that police were closing in, we would drive downtown, park on a street and sit in a restaurant for however long it took for the scene to calm down. As long as no one could identify the car or our faces, there was nothing to worry about and we could casually make our way to my apartment. I preferred to leave the area immediately after the job was finished but if that was not the case, we would use plan B. Sitting in a restaurant would not be a problem for me but I had no idea how Wes would handle the pressure even though he had assured me that it was a simple matter to deal with. I had no choice but to take his word and hope that he lived up to it.

  We had a few days until Friday and fortunately Allison was returning tomorrow which made the days less boring. I wouldn’t have looked forward to sitting home alone and fighting with my thoughts to keep from going over the plans numerous times. I believed that everything had been well thought out and ready for execution unless some unforeseen obstacle should suddenly show up like a police car parked in front of the store. That event didn’t seem likely so I could spend time with Allison and keep my mind clear and alert. I stayed up late that night watching television until sleep overtook me and put an end to my ruminations. A sense of grogginess pervaded my head in the morning and I had to drink several cups of coffee to shake the cobwebs out. It was nearly noon when I walked over to Allison’s place and discovered that she was tired also after having just arrived home. It seems that a flight was delayed and she had to stay up many hours more than scheduled. I suggested that we take a nap which she agreed to and several hours were spent in blissful sleep that helped us both regain our alertness. After waking up, I took Allison out to lunch and listened to her chatter about the trip and complain about the delay. Her constant yakking was the part that irked me when we were together. She seemed oblivious to dominating the conversation and although I never liked to talk very much, it would be nice to get a word in sometimes. I considered that part of being with her an ordeal that had to be put up with in order to get the wonderful pleasures that came from this woman.

  We went back to the apartment and spent several more hours in bed before drifting off again into a peaceful unconsciousness. I spent the better part of that day and the next with her but was not in any way displeased when she had to resume her work schedule. For the most part, I kept my mind off the impending job and felt refreshed by our time together. With my thinking really sharpened, I could now devote all of my energy to taking care of business. When Friday finally came, I spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool and making sure that all the equipment needed was in my bag. If we ever were apprehended, the contents of the bag would most certainly hang us but I felt super confident that no such thing was going to happen. My thoughts changed to a more pleasant time when we would be counting the loot obtained from our efforts. It was a cloudy day so darkness fell a little earlier than usual and hopefully there would be no rain to slow us down. I cooked a nice supper and watch
ed the tube until eight when a car pulled up and Wesley came to the door. We checked our bags again and once sure that everything was in order put them in my car. I gave Wes the loaded revolver which he placed in his belt and cautioned him about being too quick to shoot. He was aware that should it be necessary to shoot then let it happen but the noise of a gunshot would be heard by passer bys and could be reported immediately. Wesley said that the weapon would not be fired indiscriminately and only for our survival and safety. With our intentions clear and the excitement building in my body and mind, we left for the downtown area with a strong feeling of confidence that everything was going to work out just perfect.

  It was a short drive to our destination and at that hour, parking was plentiful so we were able to leave the car in an alleyway that faced a main street. It was the best possible spot for the car since it was out of the line of sight of store customers or pedestrians. At that hour, very few people were in the vicinity but traffic was still heavier than I thought it would be. It was now about ten to nine and the outside store lights had been turned off so that we could clearly see inside with ease. I could make out four customers and three clerks in the front and assumed that at least one additional worker was in the back room. As we approached the building, Wes walked around to the side door and I stood at the front. It was nearly nine when we put on our masks and entered simultaneously to the astonished looks of everyone inside. In a loud and gruff voice, I ordered everyone to freeze and keep their backs to the front windows. We showed the guns in our belts and that seemed to be enough incentive for immediate compliance. While Wes had the clerks empty the registers into his bag, I quickly walked to the rear room where a clerk was sitting at a table counting the days’ receipts. A startled look showed on his face as I told him to put all the cash in my bag which he immediately started doing. The operation was moving ahead right on schedule when a loud gunshot was heard from the front area. By now the clerk had filled up my bag and we went into the front area where I saw one of the other clerks lying in a pool of blood. Without asking for an explanation, we told everyone to stay put for ten minutes or else, grabbed up the bags and walked briskly from the store to avoid arousing attention from people in the street. Within seconds we were in the car and heading into traffic that would take us away from the downtown area. Oddly enough, I did not hear any sirens and wondered if the people were really scared by my threats and sitting tight for ten minutes before calling the police.

  Well, it looked like Plan B wasn’t needed after all because we had not noticed any roadblocks on streets in our vicinity. However, having the plan still seemed like a good idea to me. As we drove toward the suburbs and out of any danger, I was finally able to ask Wes about the shooting and obtain what appeared to sound like a very reasonable explanation. While I was in the back area, Wes had told the seven people not to move and continue facing away from the front windows. Everyone was complying and the entire situation looked like it would pass without a problem when he noticed one of the clerks trying to reach a button on the floor with his foot. Wes thought that it was a burglar alarm and told the clerk to stand still but he continued to inch his foot forward. At the same time, another clerk had reached under the counter and brought out what appeared to be a pistol while turning his body around. These movements had probably made Wes ultra nervous and without even thinking about it, he shot the clerk who seemed to have a gun. After hearing his version, I couldn’t find any reason to challenge his actions and probably would have done the same under those exact circumstances. I just don’t understand why people try to find ways of antagonizing gunmen and risk death to save someone else’s profits. I had thought about this matter before and came to the same conclusion that they were completely stupid.

  We continued driving away from the city until it felt safe to head back to my apartment and satisfy our curiosity about the amount of cash in the bags. I was hoping that it was a good score to make up for the inconvenience of having to deal with another shooting. We arrived at my place about eleven thirty and brought everything inside so I could hide the guns and other items in a safe place. The bags were emptied on my bed and the piles just kept growing. It took us about two hours to count the bills twice and feel satisfied that the total was correct. We had managed to get away with twenty two thousand four hundred dollars and the amount made my usually stoic expression change for a brief period as I gasped at my good fortune. Over eleven thousand dollars plus the few thousand I had left would keep me at a comfortable level of existence for at least five months before I had to consider another job. Wes was ecstatic with his share and told me that I was the best partner he could ever imagine working with. He was not very happy about shooting someone and perhaps, was just now realizing that a new level of criminality had been reached. Wes knew that if we were nabbed, it would mean a very long prison term but I thought he would shrug off the event as if it had been one of the costs of doing business. Too bad for the victim but when someone holds a gun in your face, you do what they say. Wesley put his share back in a bag and said he would keep in touch before departing for his place. Actually, he had turned out to be a pretty good accomplice and showed no inkling of panic during the job. I could see us working together on many more jobs in the future but that was a ways off since it was now time for fun and games.

  I put all the money in my hiding place except for the small pile of checks and credit card receipts that were in the bag. It was probably best to burn them and destroy all traces of their existence. I could light a fire in one of the metal trash cans and throw them in when it looked like no one was around. There was still a heightened excitement coursing through my body and I took a few drinks of vodka to help calm my nerves while trying to catch a late night newscast that might have a story about the robbery. At one in the morning, I was able to turn to a news report that detailed the heist from the victims’ view and although leaving out many aspects of the event, it was fairly accurate. The dead man had been a twenty four year old law student who worked part time and left a wife and one child. The others had been scared out of their minds and gave somewhat consistent but slightly jumbled versions. Some said that two men were involved in the robbery, while others said that three men were in on it. Police were looking at all possible leads and were fairly sure that the procedures were similar to other hold ups that had occurred within the last year. I would think that a guy with a family who had little commitment to the firm would do nothing to bring harm on himself but that shows how unpredictable people can be in stressful situations. The authorities would probably recover the bullet from his body but the gun itself was untraceable and would not present a problem to us. From where I’m standing, it looks like we got away with it free and clean.

  I was able to sleep pretty good that night with thoughts of having sufficient cash to last quite a while. Allison was coming home sometime tonight and we could do something fun tomorrow. Who knows, I might even buy her a little gift. The morning paper had huge headlines about the deadly robbery downtown but there appeared to be no indication of who might have done the deed. A few people had heard the screech of tires as a car left the area quickly but no one had obtained a look at the model, color or license plate. Why couldn’t the dead man behave like the others and do what he was told? I didn’t mind killing someone when it was necessary to do the deed but it always made the situation a little more complicated and it was my belief that simpler was better. It was time to get my mind off last night and pay Allison a call so about two in the afternoon; I sauntered over to her apartment and was welcomed in with a big smile. She was really happy to see me and had been thinking of the emptiness in her life when not in my presence. I was very flattered by her attention to me and said something similar that really was well accepted. We spent the next few hours in bed by having torrid sex that exhausted us right into a nice three hours of sleep. When we regained consciousness, there were the usual pangs of hunger and it was time to go out for a meal. On the way to the restaurant, Allison mentioned th
e robbery and killing that was now permeating the media and wondered how people could be so callous about taking a life. I replied that the world was comprised of many different kinds of humans and that some of them act in a way that just makes no sense That was enough to end the conversation about the crime and we turned to more pleasant matters of greater interest to us.

  I spent three terrific days with Allison before she had to return to work although our closeness was starting to give me a twinge of apprehension. One question that she asked which I found annoying had to do with my supply of money. Never before had she asked how I could continue spending money without working and it seemed like a major concern to her. She had been told that I inherited a large amount of money but probably every woman wants to think that their man is heading toward a successful career. I was glad when she left and hoped that nothing more was mentioned by her about my funds. I never liked answering questions that were of a personal nature especially when there were no true facts to present. So many lies had been given out that I often became confused over what had been said in the past and might give out contradictory statements. The few times that had occurred, I had been embarrassed and that feeling never set well with me. Should it become a problem with Allison, I was prepared to desert her and move on even if it bothered me to do so. My survival always came first and nothing would ever block that strong determination. For the next few days, I wouldn’t have to concern myself with her nosiness and I could spend time on enjoyable activities that could be done alone. I could go to movies, eat out, shop around for a few things and lead the life of a man of wealth. Eventually it would become boring but it was better than having many friends and acquaintances who continually pry into your business. In the kind of business I had, no one could ever be allowed to get close unless they were a trusted accomplice and even then, there were limits.