“Oh, my God.”
“Yeah. If it hadn’t been for Ray, we would have all been killed.”
Karen looked at the floor. “Ray told me something else that happened over there, you know.”
“Yeah? What was that?”
“He said you might have fired on a crowd of civilians in Fallujah. Something about a riot.”
Ben shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t matter now. Sure, I did that. They had it coming, though.”
“There were women and children in the crowd. I read about it in a magazine.”
Ben turned around put his face close to hers. “They deserved it.”
Karen was appalled. “How can you justify something like that?”
“Did he tell you what those ragheads did a couple of days before that happened?”
“No.”
“They killed some Blackwater guys we knew and hung their bodies over a bridge crossing the Euphrates River. So first chance I got, I took a little payback. Yeah. I mowed their fucking asses down.”
Karen put her hand over her mouth and turned away.
Ray walked into the living room. “Anything stirring down there on the road?” He looked at Karen. “What’s wrong?”
“She doesn’t like war stories,” said Ben.
“What the fuck are you telling her?”
“About Fallujah.” He pointed out the window. “Hey look, they’re still doing the crime scene stuff. Might go on all night.”
“Do me a favor, Ben. Don’t talk to my wife about Iraq.”
Karen shook her head. “He said he did that thing you told me about.”
“What thing?”
“That he was the one who shot those people in the crowd in Fallujah.”
Ray was taken aback. He looked at Ben. “So you did do that after all.”
Ben nodded. “Yeah. I did it. When you sent me out that day to check on Charlie company, I saw rifles in that crowd. They starting throwing rocks. So I opened up on them with a SAW. Shut their asses down quick, you can bet on that. You remember when I told you going out there to check on Charlie company was a bad idea? You didn’t listen. So it’s partly your fault, too. Anyway, it’s a little late to worry about that now, wouldn’t you say?”
“You can try justifying your actions, but it was murder, plain and simple,” said Ray. He put an arm around Karen. “Just keep the war stories to yourself from now on. Now let’s turn on the evening news. It’s almost time.”
Ben picked up his sandwich and milk and went into the living room. He found the remote control and switched on the big-screen television.
Everyone took seats on the couches and waited for the news. Karen sat as far away from Ben as possible. From time to time, she stole a glance at him and noticed he didn’t seem concerned about anything.
“All right everyone,” said Sergeant Ackerman, “let’s wrap it up!” He waved at the tow truck drivers who were waiting patiently at the edge of the crime scene. “You guys can hook up the cars now. Haul them over to the CHP office in Eureka,” he said. The drivers waved back and got into their trucks to move them into position.
Ackerman looked around at the burned patrol cars and the debris littering the ground. He shook his head. I’ll get the sons-of-bitches who did this if it’s the last thing I do, he thought.
The ambulances with the bodies were long gone, headed for the hospital and an autopsy. Two CHP officers were pulling down the police line tape. A few others were picking up the last of the smaller debris and dropping it into garbage bags. The road would soon be open to traffic once more.
Ackerman got into his car – a new one, since his other one now had the ignition wiring ripped from it – and screeched the tires as he headed off for Eureka. Every available CHP officer in the area had been called in to attend a midnight meeting, and his job was to assign those officers to the morning stakeout of the banks.
“There has been no sign of the fugitives since the shootout on Elk River Road near Eureka,” said the TV announcer in a somber voice. “Officers Andrew Harris and William Gordon of the California Highway Patrol were declared dead at the scene, although Officer Harris was able to give a description of their attackers before he died. In a statement issued late this afternoon, the governor has assured CHP officials that his office is ready to offer whatever assistance they need to help apprehend the fugitives. The three fugitives are identified as Benjamin Cummings, Raymond Morris, and his wife Karen Morris.”
Sitting on the couch, the Ray, Karen, and Ben Cummings watched in silence as the news announcer added a few more things, including the F.B.I.’s involvement in the case, before moving on to another story.
Ben switched off the television and put his feet up on the coffee table. “Damn,” he said. “We are really in the shit now. Now the Feds on us.”
“That announcer said something about you and when you robbed those banks,” said Ray. “They might try staking out the banks, you know. Maybe we should just get the hell out of here and try hitting some banks up in Oregon or Washington instead. There’s too much heat around here now.”
“No,” said Ben, “we stick with the plan. It’s our only chance, Ray. If we start robbing banks up in Washington, they’ll know where we are for sure. The best thing is to try hitting them here, and then heading up to Seattle afterward. Once we get up there, we stay clean, get those passports, and find a way out of the country.”
Karen stood up and headed toward the bedrooms at the back of the house. “I’ll check on our guests,” she said. The MP-5 was slung under her arm.
“Wait a minute,” said Ben. “We can’t leave those two tied up all night. Let’s move them into that little bathroom, the one without the windows.” He took out his pistol and followed her down the hall. When they reached the master bedroom, he stepped in front of Karen and opened the door.
The prisoners were still on the bed, tied hand and foot.
“We’re going to move you,” said Ben, “and I don’t want any trouble about it.”
The husband sat up on the bed. “You’re not going to kill us, are you?”
“Not unless you give us trouble,” said Ben. “We’re going to lock you in the powder room with some bedding and pillows. Just stay in there. You can come out at noon tomorrow, but not before. Got it?”
“No problem,” said the man.
The blonde woman said nothing, but Ben read the terror on her face. “Take it easy,” he said. He pulled out a pocketknife and she ducked away from him, rolling over on the bed. “Hey,” he said. “I’m just going to cut off those ropes. Turn over so I reach them.”
She did as she was told and Ben sliced through the ropes smoothly, tossing them into the corner. He did the same thing for her husband and then pointed toward the door. “Okay, you two. Grab some blankets and pillows and off into the powder room you go.” He glanced over at Karen. “Give them some food and a couple of bottles of water out of the refrigerator.”
“Sure.” She hurried off to get the items.
Ben marched them to the powder room at gunpoint. After they were inside, Karen came back with a box of doughnuts and some bottled water. “Leave that stuff on the sink,” he said.
She placed the water and the box of doughnuts on the sink, and then backed out of the room.
“I know it’s a little cramped in here,” said Ben, “but this is better than being tied up, right?”
“Thank you,” said the man.
“No problem. Now I’m going to secure this door damn good, folks. And I want to thank you for your hospitality. But if you try to break out of here before noon tomorrow, we might still be here. If that happens, all bets are off. So wait until noon before you try to get out, you understand me?”
“No problem. We won’t try anything.”
“You have a watch?”
The man held out his wrist. It was a Rolex. “You can have it.”
“I don’t want your fucking watch. I just wanted to make sure you can tell what time it is,” said Ben. “Now d
on’t make me come back in here. Noon. Not before. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
Ben closed the door, noticing it opened in an outward direction. Perfect. He spotted a heavy china cabinet sitting against the wall in the dining room. “Ray!” he shouted. “Come on down here. I need your help for a second.”
“What is it?”
“Let’s move that china cabinet up against this door.”
The two men dragged the heavy cabinet down the hallway and shoved it into place. They ignored the rips that tore into the linoleum on the floor. Then Ben brought one of the dining chairs and forced it in between the opposite wall in the hallway and the cabinet. “They’ll be a while getting past that,” he said, laughing.
Sergeant Ackerman was already exhausted when he walked into the Ready Room at the CHP office in Eureka. It was just after midnight. More than a hundred officers, many of them not even assigned to the Eureka area, were already waiting. It was standing room only and the room buzzed with talk. Ackerman held up a hand for silence and faced them from the front of the room.
“First, I want to thank all of you for coming tonight,” he said. “I think you all know the basics here. We’ve got three perps out there who are out of control and they are heavily armed.” Ackerman saw his superior, Carl Nester, standing against a wall with his arms folded. He pointed to Nester. “I’ve been assigned as the primary on this case for the patrol, but Captain Nester here will coordinate with the F.B.I. and the Governor’s office on the case.”
“That’s right,” said Nester. “Sergeant Ackerman, I understand you want to start staking out banks tomorrow morning?”
“That’s right, sir.”
“What makes you think they are planning a bank robbery?”
“This guy Ben is a suspect in six previous bank jobs,” said Ackerman, “and we found evidence he had a spot set up in a loft at his ranch where he was using disguises in these robberies.”
“So?”
“Well, we can tell someone packed up a lot of it in a big damn hurry. If he wasn’t planning on hitting another bank, he would have left it all behind.”
“Okay,” said Nester. “Makes sense to me. How many banks can we cover with the manpower we have?”
“About half of the banks here in Eureka, and most of the major ones in the outlying areas. Some of those are being covered by local units and the F.B.I.”
“I may be able to get some National Guardsmen assigned to help us on roadblock duty,” said Nester, “but the governor won’t do it unless these three pop up again somewhere first. He’s leaving it to us for the moment, along with the F.B.I.”
“Well,” said Ackerman, “you’d better keep the governor’s number handy then, sir. We’re going to need those National Guardsmen. It’s a sure bet those assholes will turn up somewhere soon. When they do, I plan on being there for the reception.” Ackerman opened up a folder and started handing out printed sheets of paper to all of the officers in the room. “These are the assignments for the stakeout of the banks,” he said. “Forget about sleep tonight. We have work to do and I want everyone in place when those banks open tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, wherever you go – keep an eye out for that white Ford truck.”
Karen Morris finished packing away the last of the food into the Toyota motor home and checked to make sure the refrigerator was actually working. She put her hand inside it and felt cold air. Satisfied, she closed the door. “It works,” she said to the men, who were busy packing in weapons, camping equipment stolen from the couple whose home they had appropriated, and everything else from the Ford truck.
“Good,” said Ben. “Karen, are you sure you can drive this rig?”
“No problem. I used to own a Toyota truck. It’s the same setup, just a little bigger. I’ll be fine.”
“She’s a good driver,” said Ray. He reached up and adjusted the wig on his head. “It’s slipping around a little,” he said.
“You look good as a blonde. I might ask you out on a date later,” said Ben.
“He’s taken already,” said Karen.
“Alright, that’s it,” said Ben, as he packed away the last of the gear. “Everyone knows what to do, right?”
“Right,” said Karen. “I take the motorhome and park it at the Safeway right around the corner from the bank and wait for you.”
“That’s right. Ray and I go inside the bank, get the money, and we’ll meet you at the Safeway. We ditch the BMW there and then we all leave in the motorhome. As long as no one sees us doing the switch, we’ll be fine. Then we’re going camping out in the woods for a day or two before we head over to Crescent City for the next job.”
“Camping where?” said Karen. “I took every bit of food I could find in the house, but it’s only enough for maybe a couple of days.”
“We’ll find some little store later and pick up more supplies. I know a Forest Service road that leads out into the middle of nowhere. It’s off Highway 299 north of Eureka. They’ll never find us out there,” he said. “I used to hunt up there. There’s a good camping spot where we can hide out. There’s good tree cover there, too, in case they do an air search.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Ray. He wiped his palms on his shirt.
“You nervous?” Ben asked.
“What do you think?”
“Take it easy. Your job is to watch the front door at the bank and do crowd control in the lobby. That’s all. I’ll grab the manager and make her open the vault where they keep the day money.”
“Manager’s a woman?” Karen asked.
“Yeah. I do my research. Her name is Penny,” said Ben.
“You’re not going to shoot her, are you, Ben?”
“No.”
“What if she refuses to give you guys the money?” Karen said.
Ben laughed. “Don’t worry. She won’t refuse. She can’t. It’s against the insurance rules for the bank. The insurance company won’t pay off if the employees resist during a robbery.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“It’s because the money itself is federally insured, but the insurance company is responsible if anyone gets hurt during the commission of a robbery. And they don’t want to have to pay off a wrongful death suit or a bunch of hospital bills if someone gets hurt,” said Ben. “Robbery 101.” He checked his watch. “Okay. It’s almost eight a.m. The bank opens at nine.” He tapped Karen on the shoulder. “Just stay behind us in the motorhome on the way into town. We’ll drive past the Safeway and you park there and wait for us while we go over to the bank.” He looked at Ray. “You ready?”
“Yeah, I’m ready,” said Ray.
“Let’s go make a withdrawal then, folks.”
Karen sat behind the wheel of the motorhome as the engine warmed up. She watched as Ray and Ben put on their Kevlar vests, slipped on their long business raincoats, and checked their weapons. She wondered for a moment if this was the last time she would see the two men alive, and then forced the thought from her mind. When they were finished, both of them climbed into the BMW. She put the Toyota into gear and followed them down the driveway to Elk River Road. An MP-5 submachine gun sat beside her on the passenger seat. She glanced at it and hoped she wouldn’t have to use it.
During the night, Wayne Hargrove had used a metal nail file to grind a hole into the sheetrock between the powder room and the outside wall of the house. He had managed to carve out a hole through the siding until he had a peephole enabling him to see out into the driveway in front of the house. He watched impassively as his motorhome and his new BMN sedan rolled away toward the main highway. The two men were in the BMW, he saw. The woman was in the Toyota. As soon as they were gone, he got up and started pushing and kicking against the bathroom door.
“But they said wait until noon,” said his wife.
“Fuck that, Annie. They’re long gone. Give me a hand.”
Chapter 7
CHP officers Michael Watson and Drew Pierce sipped their coffee and kept a steady watch on the f
ront doors of First National in Eureka. They were parked in an unmarked car across the street and about a half-block down from the bank. This gave them a good view of everyone coming into and out of the bank. The bank had been open for fifteen minutes now, and so far, everything seemed normal.
“Ah, they probably won’t try hitting a downtown branch anyway,” said Watson. “Maybe some smaller bank near the edge of town. You think?”
“Maybe,” said Pierce, who was sitting on the passenger side of the car. He pulled back the slide gently on the twelve-gauge shotgun he held and checked to insure there was a shell in the chamber. He lowered the slide just as gently. “Where’s our backup?”
“Ten blocks east,” said Watson. “Martin and that rookie, what’s his name...”
“Turner. Dave Turner.”
“Yeah. They’re over at Chase Bank, main branch.”
“Nobody closer?”
“Not right now,” said Watson. “Look, just in case those guys show up here, I’m not giving them a chance to do to us what they did to Harris and Gordon. I’ll blow their fucking heads off without as much as a how-do-you-do. And if you’re smart, you’ll do the same. No one’s going to say anything if we put them down without a warning shot. You understand?”
“I’m with you, partner,” said Pierce. “Shoot on sight works for me. Just as long as we get our stories straight afterward.”
As they watched, a white BMW sedan pulled up to the curb on the other side of the street in front of the bank. Two men wearing long coats got out of the car. One of the men stopped long enough to drop some quarters into the parking meter. They both headed into the bank.
“Run that Beamer plate,” said Pierce.
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