I had two days of fun with Allison and was able to get my mind off planning jobs and Wesley’s killing. Now that she was off to the wild blue yonder again, it was time to get serious again and come up with a new caper to impress my confederate. I had stayed away from most suburban areas because of the lack of adequate escape routes and traffic congestion but it was becoming quite apparent that some of these areas were as highly developed as the inner city. From looking at the expensive houses that sprang up in these outlying areas, there was no question in my mind that people with money were living outside the city limits and spending lavishly. I thought it might be time to pay a visit to some of these areas and see what kind of easy opportunities they had to offer. The next two days were spent at a few upscale suburban malls surveying the prospects and narrowing down my choices. As usual, I looked for stores that took in lots of cash, stayed open late and had few employees on duty during the last hour of business. You can never know what kind of firm would provide the best haul and to my surprise, the one that held the most promise was a women’s apparel shop that was located near the end of one of the malls. I had seen luxury cars drive up to it and well dressed ladies enter and leave with arms full of shopping bags. By looking through the windows, I could see and hear the constant ringing of cash registers and while not sure of whether goods were paid with checks, cards or cash, it still looked like a lucrative place to hit. I would spend one more day looking it over before making a final decision and calling Steve.
I had a good feeling about this store and liked the idea that mostly women were the customers and clerks. I could not imagine that one of them would make the slightest attempt to interfere with a robbery especially when guns were pointed at them. What I needed to make sure of was an escape route that would not be subjected to road blocks by police. I wanted to be sure that we could get away from the area and blend in with other cars in a relatively short period of time which would prevent cops from noticing a single car driving around on the back roads. All I needed was some deputy sheriff spotting us and deciding to check the car out. Being stopped would invite a shootout that might lead to being hurt or worse and I could do without that kind of interference. I spent a few hours during the next day taking practice drives from the target to various avenues and decided on two of them as the best escape choices. I also looked over the store and made a note of where two exits led to side streets that would give us easy access to the car. Everything seemed to be in order and after giving some final thoughts to the matter of Steve joining me, I decided to bring him in without reservations. Now it was time to let Steve know what the job was about and get his opinion of my plan. While I couldn’t see any flaws in the details, he might see something that could be improved. We set up a meeting at a restaurant that evening to go over the job and make sure that all the necessary equipment was brought along. I had to admit that it seemed unusual that Steve had never asked about Wes’ exclusion from the job. I could only surmise that their acquaintance was minimal and while Wes may have thought Steve was a close friend, the feeling was not reciprocated. As long as Steve didn’t bring up Wes’s non involvement, I would certainly offer no information to him. I never saw anything in the paper or telecasts about a body discovered in a deserted area. If my luck held, the police would chalk it up to an unexplained slaying and expend no effort in an investigation.
The usual highs that came upon me every time a new heist was to happen ran all through my body that night and I had a restless seven hours in bed although there were intermittent periods of light sleep. In spite of the poor sleep, my restless energy gave me a boost that carried through the entire day until it was getting close to show time. I ate my usual light supper that kept the pangs of hunger away and allowed me to focus on the job at hand. Steve was due to arrive at seven and go over everything that was to be done including any last minute changes to our routine. We knew where to park, when and where to enter the store, how to control the people inside, and the quickest way to collect all of the money in the register. While Steve took care of business in the front, I would enter the back room and see if any deposit bags or loose cash was in sight. Once satisfied, we would threaten the victims, walk slowly to the car and follow the escape route. If the job went as planned, we should be out of the building within ten minutes and far away from the scene before police even knew about the robbery. When Steve arrived, we went over some last minute details including a mild admonition about using his piece needlessly. I also decided to use my car because it would blend into traffic better than Steve’s auto. After going over the plan again we left the apartment and arrived at the mall parking lot a little after eight. Many cars were still in the area and a quick look inside the apparel store showed that six customers and four clerks were conducting business. We continued to watch the store for another half hour until only two customers were inside. I could only see three of the clerks and surmised that one of them had gone into the back room to begin closing up for the day. If luck was with me, he would be adding up the days’ receipts and preparing them for deposit which if so, would make my work easier. Most of the cars had left the mall by now and the time looked ripe for action. I drove the car around to the side and put the pistol in my belt. Our masks were put on before entering through the side door brandishing the weapons at the people while ordering them to turn away from the front windows in a very gruff voice. The women immediately complied and Steve went to work opening the registers and emptying them. I went to the back room and surprised the clerk figuring out the days deposits. I ordered him to lie on the floor while grabbing the two bags that were slated for the bank and told him not to move. As I was walking to the front, loud female screams could be heard followed by two gun shots. I rushed in and found one clerk on the floor and a customer holding her bleeding arm. We ordered the people not to move for fifteen minutes and left, hoping that no one had heard the noise and called police. I couldn’t chance that so the escape was made at a faster pace than usual and within minutes we were far from the area and heading toward downtown. The closer we came to the city, the heavier traffic had become and our situation seemed very safe at this time. Even if police did arrive at the store very quickly, they would have no idea where we headed and while I couldn’t be sure that a witness hadn’t seen us, even if one had, there was no way to identify our faces.
I didn’t know whether to be angry or not about the shots being fired by Steve until the facts were known but up to now, he had not volunteered to speak about what happened. When I thought that we were safely out of harms’ way, a few words from me started him talking. He stated that everything was going as planned when one of the clerks reached behind a counter and appeared to grab something. Steve told him to freeze but he continued his action and was shot before any further problem developed. Whether he was reaching for a pistol or not was unknown because his body fell on the object and it couldn’t be seen. After the shooting, one of the women started screaming and wouldn’t stop when told to. The chance of someone hearing her made it imperative that something had to be done and without giving it much thought, Steve shot at her. Luckily for her, his aim was off and she was hit in the upper arm. After hearing his version, I couldn’t tell if he was trigger happy or had acted appropriately. There was no use trying to figure it out now and all I could think of was heading back to the apartment, splitting up the loot and taking a well deserved rest. We didn’t speak much until we arrived at my place and carried the bags inside. We dumped two deposit bags and one back pack full of bills on the bed and promptly started to count them. The shootings had toned down my excitement over obtaining a large haul and the counting went very slow because of having to sort the bills from the checks and credit card receipts. Finally, we finished and were pleased that the amount totaled twenty three thousand seven hundred dollars. With my share and the previous stash, I definitely could take close to a year off before having to undertake another caper. Steve took his money, said he would be in touch and drove off. Now it was time for a m
uch needed rest.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I knew that the shooting of a woman would bring a huge outcry from the public and result in police conducting a more intense investigation. They would look for any leads that could trip us up and possibly tie this job to similar crimes. I wasn’t too concerned because they usually bungled most cases and as had been noted before, if no one saw our license plate, then we were in the clear. Of course, I had no idea of how Steve would react with all that cash in his pocket. Hopefully, he would not suddenly splurge on expensive items and bring attention to himself since that act could lead to me. I decided to burn all papers that came from the bags in a trashcan fire as had previously been done and remove that source of incriminating evidence from ever being found. I was really curious about how the news report of the robbery would play out and finally got to see it at eleven. Much to my chagrin, it was the first story and sensationalized to the fullest. The clerk was not dead but had been taken to a hospital and was on critical status. The woman customer with the arm wound was the wife of a prominent businessman and the push was on to capture those responsible once and for all. I didn’t need all of this publicity but nothing could be done about it now. Anytime that I worked with a partner, a certain amount of unpredictability existed that was beyond my control and unfortunately, it’s just something that had to be lived with. I was beginning to have second thoughts about working with another person and wondered if it was better to be a loner again in spite of the difficulties that were encountered in my past efforts. It seems that everyone who joins me has some odd quirk that creates more problems than needed and it just might be that no one in this world will ever satisfy my criteria completely.
Well, there was no use wasting time by thinking of what might have been since there was no way to change the facts. I might as well use my time to think of ways to enjoy the money so that it could lift up my mood. After all, if the clerk had reached for a gun, then Steve had acted properly and shot first. Since no mention was made of a gun in the news report, it was a moot point that probably would never be answered. Tomorrow seemed like a good day to go out and buy a few new outfits that would impress Allison since I hadn’t really spent money on clothes in some time. I wished there was some way to bank the cash but there’s always the matter of prying eyes and to a person of my suspicious nature, everyone could be out to get me. Still, I hated to keep all that money around and could possibly use my mother or Allison to open some kind of accounts that would allow me to withdraw cash as needed. The next few days were very relaxing and peaceful and spent by taking care of personal interests such as shopping and attending movies. I forget how nice avoiding all people and conversations could be and promised myself to exercise this option more often. I had phoned my mother to see about setting up some kind of savings account through her but her interest in my request was to zealous that it seemed better to keep her out of my business. Every time I had contact with that woman, it pushed me further away from thinking that she could ever be close to me. Well, that still left Allison available to take care of what I needed and while she was still not trusted completely, there was really no one else.
Too bad that I didn’t feel up to opening some kind of bank account on my own but it just seemed too risky with all the personal questions that would be asked and even if the answers were confidential, the whole matter didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t know how banks operated but if Allison could open some kind of account for me and I could write checks against it, my needs would be well taken care of. It seemed like an easy solution to me but I always found that some snag turns up and sabotages my plan. Hopefully Allison will be able to accommodate my need to safeguard the money and eliminate the tiny fear in my mind that some thief would break into the apartment and steal everything. I’m always thinking that someone will screw me royally if my level of alertness should ever drop and although it wasn’t a realistic way of looking at things, it didn’t seem to go away. I phoned Allison but only heard the answering machine come on. I would try again in a few hours but a certain feeling of impatience came over me because she wasn’t there when needed. While I knew it was not always possible to have my way totally, there was still a great annoyance that ran through my brain when people let me down. I sulked for a few minutes and then went to a restaurant for a nice meal that reduced my anger. Not wanting to return to the apartment just yet, I decided to see a movie that had looked interesting in the ads and spent the next two hours lost in someone else’s adventures.
I immediately called Allison upon returning to my place and felt some small degree of relief when she answered. She wanted me to come right over and I didn’t waste any time heeding her request. We ended up in the usual place and had very good sex for two hours before I brought up the checking account matter. After explaining what I was looking for, she didn’t see any problem with opening an account that either of us could write checks on or make deposits. I didn’t like the idea of both of us having access to the account and asked if there was some other banking method that could be used. Her immediate response was suggesting a safe deposit box in which cash could be deposited without anyone knowing about it. That was the kind of answer I was seeking and we made plans to visit the bank tomorrow where I would deposit about nine thousand dollars in cash as a way of avoiding the governments’ or anyone else’s prying eyes. I would deposit another similar amount two weeks later and keep the balance in my secret place. I would keep the safe deposit key as a precaution against Allison making withdrawals and going on a spending spree. I didn’t think she would mind since it was all my money. We spent the rest of the evening together watching movies and snuggling on the couch until I excused myself and returned to my apartment. Allison was beginning to make a fuss every time I left at night and wondered why we couldn’t stay together all the time. I think that she was hinting at us moving in together with the intent of forming a permanent relationship but that was not in my plans so the problem was skillfully evaded for the time being.
I had a good nights’ sleep and after eating breakfast, put my cash in a bag and went to meet Allison who, hopefully, was ready for our trip to the bank. She had just gotten up and was not completely dressed but upon seeing the look on my face, got ready in a few minutes time. We drove to the bank in her car and entered the building where a bank employee greeted us and began the application process. Unfortunately for me, I had left my identification documents at the apartment and the only way to rent the box at this time was to put it in Allison’s name. I suppose that we could have returned to the apartment and retrieved the ID’s but my impatience got the best of me and the box was put in her name for the time being. The entire transaction took only twenty minutes and when we left the bank, I had for the first time since starting my criminal ways, a safe place to store the loot. I could now move money back and forth without anyone knowing my business once I had the bank papers put only in my name. This had worked out real well and to show my appreciation to Allison, I took her to a fancy restaurant for lunch. While we were eating, Allison once again brought up the idea of the two of us living together and I could now see that her persistence on the matter was not going away. I couldn’t keep evading the question because the more it was unanswered, the more she kept bringing it up. This was not going to be an easy matter to deal with and the fact that I just opened a bank deposit with her did not make it any simpler. After a few minutes of thought, I came up with a possible temporary solution that if nothing else, would buy me time. I would tell Allison that moving in together was an appealing idea and one that had been in my mind for awhile but at this moment, a little time was needed in order to put all my personal and business matters in order. As I expected, she pressed me for a time frame and one month just popped out of my mouth. I could see that she wasn’t happy with having to wait but a commitment had been made and it was better than nothing.
The drive back to the apartment building was notable for its silence but I thought that Allison would get over her immediate
disappointment and start thinking about the next month. I was sure that she was going to come up with all kinds of questions concerning who does the moving, should we find a new larger place, how to split the bills and other annoying inquiries. At least I had a month to come up with some way out of this mess although there was probably no way it could end pleasantly. I just could not see myself living with a woman who would end up treating me worse than my mother had and robbing all my possessions at the same time. I had fun with Allison but that didn’t translate into a pseudo marital arrangement that could end up crippling my career. To do the kind of work I liked meant being free of others influences and certainly not having to explain my whereabouts. I was in my twenty second year and had made a choice of a life style that suited me immensely so there was no reason to change it. I felt an intense flash of anger at Allison for putting me in this bind and attempting to manipulate my destiny. For a brief instant, I thought about eliminating her from the picture but as reason took hold, that idea showed itself to be very bad. If she disappeared, I would be the first person who police would question since we had been seen together numerous times by residents of the apartment building and clerks from local businesses.
I would have to come up with some other way out of this and still have all my assets intact. Now that I had seen the simplicity in opening a safety deposit box, there was nothing to stop me from switching it to my name only. That was a matter I would take care of before Allison had a chance to jerk me around and withdraw money. I had heard that a woman scorned is a terrible person to deal with and after she found out what my intentions were, the result would be worse than damage from a hurricane. I had no sympathy for the bitch who should have been happy with things as they were instead of trying to force her control over me. As I was going over these thoughts, they created disgust for her and a belief that anything that happened was well deserved and needed no softening. I was starting to see how she was becoming my mother and felt revulsion at that thought. If there was anything I never wanted in life, it was a close relationship with my parent who had never really given me anything but rejection. I was getting so worked up that Steve came into mind as someone who could whack Allison but that idea was also dismissed when the realization came to me that taking her out was not an option. When push came to shove, and Allison realized that I had no intention of living with her or even socializing anymore, there would be hell to pay and that storm would just have to be weathered no matter what she did.
I, Psychopath Page 24