by Kathryn Pana
‘Captain, you have got to see this.’
He turned on the television in the office and there it was Captain Bridges worst nightmare playing out before his eyes.
‘It has been reported that the men holding up the Westgate bank just behind us here in downtown Manhattan is actually a SWAT team from the NYPD. The team leader, Sergeant Falco, and four members of his team took over the bank at nine-thirty this morning. They are holding around fifteen people hostage at this time, it is unclear what their motives are. The police outside are reluctant to move at this time but are instead trying to negotiate with them, to ensure no one gets hurt,’ explained the reporter.
Captain Bridge looked at the screen in disbelief before he responded. ‘What the hell is this?’ he shouted, gesturing at the screen. ‘Someone tell me this is some kind of joke.’
‘I am afraid not, Captain’ Lieutenant Planter answered. ‘And now he is asking to speak to you. He says he won’t talk to anyone else, what do you want me to do?’
‘There has to be some reason for this,’ he turned, walking towards his office. ‘Get me a car out front now. I am going down there, and I will find out what is happening.’
***
The vault was finally open and, as expected, the cell phone rang.
‘Sergeant, you are making an exceptional thief. Are you sure you don’t want a change in career?’
‘Yeah, whatever. Now tell me what the hell we are taking so we can get on with this.’ His voice filled with anger and frustration at the constant tormenting, and he knew they were running out of time.
‘Sergeant, that is not a very nice way to talk to me when I have Kathy here.’ There was a scream of pain. ‘Now be good or she will know what pain really is.’
‘What the hell did you just do to her?’ he responded in anger.
‘Well, let’s just say she has a cut on her arm. Now, you will go into the vault…’
‘You bastard!’ Will started pacing up and down, furious and helpless.
‘Calm down, Sergeant, and listen. She can’t afford for you to get this wrong. In the vault, on the right-hand side, there are some drawers. Count down five and open it, take out the contents and put them in a tube, there should be some there. Then open all the other drawers and empty all the contents onto the floor. Only you and one other member of your team in the vault, no more.’
‘Then what?’
‘Then you can leave as you only have one hour to get to Grand Central Station, platform three. One of my men will meet you there. When he gets the package, he will give you instructions on what to do next. Now, if all goes according to my instructions, you will get to find out where your girlfriend is. If not, she will get to meet your parents.’ He hung up.
Will looked at his watch. He looked at the team and wasn’t sure what was going to happen after this, he could have cost them all their jobs and if this got messed up, Kathy would be in serious danger. He knew he had to figure all this out, quick. He gestured to Palmer to join the rest of the team. ‘Tom, here with me, and you get on the floor with the others,’ he said to the manager.
Tom walked over to Will and they went into the back and entered the vault. The vault was small, no gold or precious items worth millions, just some cash and the drawers. The only upside was there were no cameras inside, just one that covered the door. Will opened drawer five and took out the contents.
‘Blue prints?’ Tom exclaimed.
‘Put them in a tube and empty the other drawers out onto the floor.’ Will picked one up and looked at it. ‘These are valuable possession buildings. For gold and other high-priced items; there are jewellery stores, museums and all sorts here.’ He looked at the ones on the floor. ‘We need to somehow mark which ones we are taking, then the police can work out what he is after, there can’t be many buildings he would target. With the investigation going on, he wouldn’t be able to fence too much.’
‘The tape from your weapons, he won’t notice that missing on the cameras, as they are black and white, and no one outside the PD knows it’s there, and then they will know it was us that put it there.’
‘Great idea, Tom.’
Every member of Will’s team had coloured tape on their weapons for identification, his was red. It had been an idea of Will’s after a suspect’s relative had tried to sue the unit and a member of his team when the suspect was fatally shot in a bank robbery. The team member had left because of the case and what it had done to them. His system made it impossible for anyone to know who pulled the trigger by using colours, not names on any shout, especially over the radio. And when the weapons were in the cage, they were only identified by the coloured tape, so if any were investigated for legal cases, no names were on them. Only SWAT knew whose was which colour and it was never disclosed outside the unit. The number of civil suits had been reduced to zero over the last four years; it had been so successful, each team had adopted their own system, most used numbers and letters, but Will liked to use colours.
Will took the tape off and put it on the drawer handle from where they had taken the blue prints. They walked out of the vault and the bank phone rang.
‘That will be the Captain and our way out,’ Will remarked.
Chapter Fourteen
‘Hello?’ Will answered the phone.
‘Falco, is that you? This is Captain Bridge. do you want to tell me what the hell is going on?’
‘Can’t do that, Captain. We just want to get in our cars and leave. All the people in the bank are unharmed, and no one will get hurt, if we can just leave here.’
‘You mean you want me to let you just leave with no explanation, nothing?’
‘Yeah, for now, anyway. I don’t want to fire at anyone out there. We are cops too, but you also know that me and my team could put down half the officers out there before they can fire one shot, which you know we don’t want to do. We are fully suited for our protection, so it’s going to make it difficult for your guys out there, anyway.’ Will paused and took a deep breath. ‘I just need you to trust me. You know me and you know I would not be doing this if I had a choice.’
‘Yes, I do know you and because of that, I will let you drive away, because I know there is more to this than you can say right now. But once you have left, I can’t control what happens. They will follow you and probably arrest you. Sergeant, you know Internal Affairs will be all over this and I have officers telling me you have gone too far.’
‘I know, and I am very sorry for putting you in this situation, but I have to do this, and though this all seems crazy now, it will make sense soon and I will explain everything the moment I can.’
‘OK, I will stand them down for you to leave, and I will see you at the station.’
Will hung up the phone and took a moment then turned to his team.
‘We are good to go,’ he walked over to the manager and crouched down ‘I am really sorry I had to do this, please know I would never have hurt you or anyone else in this bank.’
The manager nodded at him. Will stood and headed for the doors. They came out of the bank one at a time. The street was full of squad cars and the officers were ready to fire but none of them did. There was a tense atmosphere and Will scanned everywhere, watching to see if anyone made a move. The team got into the cars they had left there earlier, all on edge, not wanting to, but ready to fire should they have to. They pulled away and drove past the Captain, who was left wondering what just happened.
‘You know they are going to follow us, right?’ Tom commented to Will, who was driving the first car.
‘Yeah, I know. That’s why, when we get there, I go in alone and find this guy, while you keep them busy as long as you can, but don’t do anything stupid.’
‘I thought we weren’t going to get done for this? That’s what you said last night, you said it would be OK and we wouldn’t lose our jobs but that’s bound to happen now, right?’’ remarked Bennett from the back.
‘Yeah, sorry about that, Bennett, but if that basta
rd hadn’t plastered it all over the news who we were, we could have avoided this,’ replied Will
Tom turned round and looked at Bennett. ‘The Captain will do what he can. He knows something is going on, but we can’t say anything till Kathy is safe, not even if we are arrested. It will work out, don’t worry,’ he said, reassuringly.
Will glanced over to Tom. He was not sure that his friend was right this time; with Internal Affairs watching them, he knew his job at the very least would be on the line and he could be charged; he would protect the others as best he could but he knew that might not turn out so well. But Kathy was the one who mattered right now, she was the one with her life on the line, because his job was nothing compared to that and he would ensure his team was OK for the future.
***
They pulled up outside the station with not much time left. Will went inside with the tube while the others stood outside, ready to hold off any officers that were going to appear. As Will entered, he heard sirens approaching. He hurried to platform three. It is a big station though and he had to move fast. He got to the platform just on time and spotted the man easy; he was one of the men that had taken Kathy.
A train stopped on the platform in front of them. He stepped onto the train and took the tube from Will. As the doors were closing, he said, ‘He will call YOU in an hour with a location and you had better answer the phone,’ and then the doors closed.
The train was just pulling away when Will heard a voice behind him.
‘Put down all your weapons and get down on the ground with your hands on your head.’
Will recognised the voice, it was Sergeant Dune from the late shift. He had never liked Will and still harboured a lot of resentment for his capabilities and the fact that he ran the sniper team, the most prestigious for any Sergeant on SWAT.
The people on the platform started backing away and watched from a distance with nervous curiosity.
‘Guys, I’m not going to shoot anyone, my weapons are all safe,’ Will replied as he put his rifle on the floor and turned round with his hands on his head. ‘There is no need for such hostilities, you can take my weapons and I will come quietly.’ Sarcasm was in his voice, covering the anxiety deep inside.
‘Right, Falco. You just held up a bank and now we have to arrest you. I would say it is a pleasure, I have been waiting for the day you fell on your ass, but all this is not good for the unit, it was all over the news that one of our teams had become bank robbers, heads are going to roll over this for sure, and you will probably come up smelling of roses as always.’
‘You know it,’ he said smiling ‘And don’t put the cuffs on too tight, I have delicate wrists.’
‘Very funny. Let’s go. Your team are waiting for you, you know it’s one thing to land yourself in the shit, but to take your team down with you is selfish, even for you.’ They started walking towards the steps off the platform.
‘They all went into this with their eyes open, and IF I am under arrest, should you not be reading me my rights about now or have you forgot how, while my team has been doing all the work these last few years?’
As they were walking towards the exit of the station,. Will was read his rights. When he got outside, his team were all waiting in handcuffs, Bennett and Palmer looked scared, an expression he had never seen on them before. Harvey and Tom looked as strong and defiant as always, they were so loyal; he was proud to have them on his team and hoped that one of them would take over if he was fired. Will was put into a waiting squad car as were the others. This was not part of his plan, but had a feeling this is where he wanted him, so now he had to ride with it and hope when he got back to the police station, things would get better and fast, but how could they till he got Kathy back?
Chapter Fifteen
When they got back to the station, Captain Bridge was waiting at the door and walked in with them.
‘I need to talk to him alone for five minutes,’ referring to Will.
‘I am sorry Captain but I have instructions for them all to go straight to interview without talking to anyone,’ replied the Duty Sergeant.
‘Fine. Then I will go with him to the interview room and trust me, I will talk to him before any interview. As his superior, I am allowed, Sergeant.’
***
Will was sat in an interview room for ten minutes before the Captain walked in. The room was small with a square table that had a chair either side of it. Will was sat with his back to the door. He sat with his hands cuffed in front of him, not doing anything but thinking how he could get out of this mess, knowing that someone was watching through the two-way mirror to his left.
‘We have five minutes, so start talking, Falco or I am not going to be able to help you,’ said the Captain as he walked in the room.
‘I can’t tell you yet, Captain, but where is my phone, I need it?’
‘Which phone, your actual phone or this one?’ he asked, putting the disposable cell phone on the table in front of him.
‘That one. I am expecting a call.’
‘Really, well that is going to be difficult with you in cuffs, are you going to co-operate?’ He sat on the edge of the desk in front of Will. ‘If you don’t, I can’t help you or your team, just tell me what the hell is going on.’
‘Look at the evidence and you will work it out, Captain. I don’t know who is watching or listening, so I can’t risk it.’ Will was getting agitated. He knew the phone was going to ring and he needed to answer it or he could lose Kathy. ‘But if I don’t answer that phone when it rings, then someone will pay and it won’t be me. It is going to ring in ten minutes.’
‘Then I guess you have ten minutes to tell me why a highly respected SWAT officer and his team would hold up a bank, don’t you, Sergeant?’
Will turned around. It was Detective Franks. He had been on the force as long as Will but chose to be a detective when Will chose to join SWAT. They knew each other quite well and had worked together on a regular basis when they started out and on the odd occasion, Will assisted in arrest warrants for Franks’ department. That was the main reason Franks had asked to work on the case and be the one to question him. Franks was forty, married with two children. He was thin but stood at six-foot-three, with receding brown hair and tired eyes. He looked much older than Will and not just the two years between them. Will turned round and sat back in his chair.
‘Your team aren’t talking, but I guess you knew that already,’ Franks continued.
‘That’s their choice, not mine, but I can’t say anything till I have that phone call, I just can’t risk it,’ Will replied stubbornly.
‘Well that’s a problem then, I can’t let you answer that cell phone till I get some answers. First you can start by telling me who the call is from you are so eager to answer,’ Franks walked round the table till he was facing Will, sliding the phone till it was just out of Wills reach. Will stayed silent, staring at the phone as it moved away from him.
‘We know what you took from the bank. We know what blueprints you took, thanks to you. But we still need a ‘who’ and a ‘why’. We know that someone else is behind it. We have video footage from the bank with you on this phone several times. There is a reason for all this, of that I have no doubt but we need answers. I can’t think of a reason you would do all this, knowing what was likely to happen. It’s not like you, Falco. I mean, you have a temper and do things unconventionally sometimes, but break the law? There has to be something or someone forcing you to.’ Detective Franks sat down and looked at Will.
‘I took them for the person who is going to ring that phone, and if I don’t answer it, then you are responsible for what happens, not me. Now take these damn cuffs off me!’ he banged his fists on the desk, getting more frustrated as he spoke.
‘Calm down Sergeant…’
‘Wait a minute,’ Captain Bridge interrupted, leaning on the table close to Will. ‘It’s him, isn’t it? It has to be, that explains everything. Falco, why didn’t you come to me? I could have h
elped.’
‘It’s who? What don’t I know? Does someone want to tell me what is going on?’ Franks responded.
‘I can’t say yet,’ Will insisted, looking at both of them.
The phone started to ring, they all turned to look at it. They all paused and glanced at each other. Will stood and tried to grab the phone but couldn’t reach it quick enough. Detective Franks picked it up and looked at it.
‘Private number, well let’s just see who is calling, shall we?’
‘Don’t, please, I have to answer or…’ Will pleaded, but before he could finish, Franks answered the phone.
‘Hello?’
‘Can I speak to Sergeant Falco, please?’ came the voice on the other end.
‘He is busy right now. Can I ask who is calling?’
‘NO, Detective, you can’t. Now, give Sergeant Falco the phone. NOW.’
Detective Franks looked at the phone as he handed it to Will.
‘Hello?’ Will said as he struggled to hold the phone with cuffs still on.
‘Sergeant Falco, glad you could join me. Now, why didn’t you answer the phone?’
‘That would be because you made sure I got arrested and so, I am sat here handcuffed in an interview room, not telling them who you are and what is going on. They took the phone from me when we got here and so I couldn’t get to it before they did. Handcuffs slow you down, a fact you will know soon enough,’ said Will, clearly frustrated with everything.
‘Well, thank you for getting me what I wanted. Saved me doing it, and sorry about the whole arrest thing, but I think it’s quite ironic that in trying to do what’s right, you break the law and get arrested. No hard feelings, but I couldn’t have you following my man, now could I?’ he paused. ‘Well I presume you want to know where I have the wonderful Kathy?’