Dropped and Picked Up

Caution: some violence and sexual content.

      Saif couldn’t believe this. The entire block around the bank was barricaded by the police. He thought they were all off looking for those guys who’d escaped from the county jail last night. What were they doing here?

           It was the cap on his lousy day. Work brought its usual batch of misery and his love life was as stale as it had been when Emily left three months ago. Now, he couldn’t even pick up cash. Saif needed a break.

           But first, he needed money. The plumber was coming tomorrow, probably six hours after the time he said he’d come, and the man preferred to be paid in cash.

           Saif turned left, passing the police barricade, and found an empty parking spot in front of a shoe store. He pulled in and yanked his phone out of his pocket. Ten percent battery life left. He hoped it’d last long enough for him to find another ATM as he’d never replaced the phone charger he’d once kept in his car. Emily had probably taken it when she left.

           For once, something went right. The phone said there was another ATM a quarter of a mile away. Saif turned the key and his car came alive again. As he pulled out of his parking spot, he heard a soft crunch and stopped.

           It was probably a twig, but curiosity, or maybe boredom with his life, compelled him to take a look. Saif got out of the car and walked around its front. Looking down, he saw a large envelope lying against the curb, now baring a fresh tire tread.

           His curiosity continuing to direct this scene, Saif picked up the envelope. Noticing the growing gray clouds above him, he hurried back into his car.

           Back behind the wheel, he studied the large envelope. It wasn’t sealed, but it was one of those envelopes that had a string to hold it shut. He unwound the string and flipped open the flap.

           Looking inside, he gasped and dropped the envelope. It hit the floor between his feet and three bundles of bills spilled out. His brief glance told Saif there was even more money still in the envelope.

           Saif’s heart pounded. He could see the police barricade about a hundred yards behind where he was parked. This treasure was ill-gotten loot and the cops were within shooting distance. He had to get out of here and figure out what to do.

           Trying to appear as normal as possible, he started his car again and drove away, not daring to duck down to retrieve the envelope and spilled cash.

* * *

           “What do you mean, ‘you lost it’?” Noah asked, his hands balled into fists.

           “I don’t know what happened,” Jared said, very aware of the thirteen-inch-difference in height between them. “I left the bank, put the envelope in the bag, and ran back to the car. It must have fallen out.”

           “’Fallen out’?”

           Noah could not believe this. He could beat this moron while on his deathbed and, right now, he felt prime to do some damage.

           “Let me explain something to you,” he said in a slow, controlled tone. “We dug out of our cell in the county jail. Every cop in the state is looking for us. We need money to disappear. Most people get money through their jobs. We are escapees, so we can’t get jobs. Therefore, we did the next best thing and robbed a bank, something you told me you had done before without screw-ups!”

           “I’m sorry,” Jared whined. “I was nervous. I’ve never had this much heat on me before.”

           “What did you think would happen when they saw we were gone?”

           Noah took deep, rasping breaths and coughed. He ought to have just kept those cigarettes as currency. But the stress of his murder trial had brought back his old habit. The one upside was Linda wasn’t around to scold him for it.

           “What should we do?” Jared asked.

           “Let me think,” Noah said. He couldn’t believe fate had stuck him in a cell with this punk, a kid looking at twenty years for knocking over a couple convenience stores. Had he ever really robbed a bank?

           Noah, on the other hand, had no criminal record or prior misdeeds to speak of. But he was looking at life without parole for killing his soon-to-be-ex-wife and her new boyfriend, catching up with them at a traffic light as they were driving home. It wouldn’t be so bad, but Linda’s new boy toy identified himself as a sheriff’s deputy and was pulling his pistol out of the glove compartment when Noah put his own gun through the open car window and shot him. The prosecution was going for first degree murder on this alone. Given all this happened because Linda wanted someone else in bed and had made her selection without first consulting her husband, Noah didn’t see any of this as fair.

           And now, his getaway was ruined. Jared had been useless from the day they were shoved in that cell together. His sole contribution to the whole escape was directing them to the apartment of his previous cellmate, who’d beaten a drug conviction and, with some reluctance, allowed the pair to stay. The cellmate, whatever his name was, was currently at work and would drive them out of the city that evening. The bank hadn’t been far and Noah had misplaced his hopes on the possibility of Jared doing something else right.

           Noah recalled the old saying about a stopped clock being right twice a day. By his calculation, Jared had another nine and a half hours to go before he’d be able to be intelligent for another brief moment. Noah wasn’t willing to wait. He pulled the pistol out of his pocket.

           “Hey!” Jared exclaimed, seeing his partner take aim. “What? …”

           The bang was loud and the bullet hit its mark. The kid crumpled in a heap on the floor, a bloody wound in the center of his chest. Noah wondered if he ever realized his former cellmate had probably been guilty of those drug charges. He’d found the gun and some pot while exploring the small apartment during Jared’s botched bank run.

           Noah knew killing his partner meant he now had to leave. He supposed he ought to feel remorse for what he did, but it didn’t matter to him. He was already facing life if they caught him. What else could they do? And Jared was useless, so the world wouldn’t care.

           Noah pocketed the gun and pulled on a jacket he’d found in the closet. Like the rest of the world, Jared’s former cellmate was considerably bigger than him, so the man’s clothes fit Noah fine. With one final glance at the bloody body, he left the apartment.

* * *

           Two hours after getting home, Saif had calmed down and rational thinking was returning. The envelope was lying on his kitchen table, its contents removed and organized into stacks based on denomination. These stacks totaled sixty-four hundred and eighty dollars. Saif had a decent job, but he’d never seen this much money at once.

           He’d watched news reports about the bank robbery. It was described as someone walking up to a teller, presenting a note and a gun, and leaving with what was given. Some expert said this was more common than an armed assailant taking over the entire bank. Authorities had linked the robbery to the jail break from the night before and many more cops were now in the neighborhood where the bank was located, searching for the escapees.

           Saif considered his options. He could turn the money in. There might be a reward, but it was sure to be marginal by comparison. He considered the risk of being found, either by the prisoners or the cops. But, no one seemed to have noticed him out in front of that shoe store. Still, there were probably cameras and he’d used his phone while in the area. There had to be some kind of record of his search for an ATM.

           Saif studied his apartment. He kept up with maintaining the place, but it was as dull as the rest of Saif’s life. He needed a break from it as much as everything else. He looked at the money again, considering.

* * *

           Noah walked down the street. He figured he’d retrace Jared’s route as far as he dared. Maybe he’d finally have some luck and come across the money. How much more misery could the world throw at him?

           He kept his head down, having bought a baseball cap. He was always told his facial features were average and unremarkable and he supposed this would help him now.

           Noah kept walking, glancing left and right for any sign of an envelope with money. He knew he was about a block and a half from the bank now, passing a shoe store, and he’d have to call the search off soon. He’d already passed half a dozen cops without incident, but he did not want to take too many more risks.

           He hated to admit it, but he had no plan for if he didn’t find the money. His ride out of town was now out of the question. He’d have to find new funds and resources on his own. Thing was, he’d never robbed anyone and used to only use his guns for hunting or going to the range. But all that had been his old life. Now a murderer and escapee, he had to embrace this new identity all the way.

           “Noah Visser!” a voice shouted. “Stop where you are!”

           Noah froze at the sound of his name. He now seemed to see cops everywhere. They were approaching him, many having their guns out. He was surrounded.

           “Get on your knees!” someone ordered. “Don’t try anything!”

           Noah watched them get closer, now ten feet from him. His fingers curled around the pistol in his pocket. True, he was already facing a lifetime in prison. There was nothing worse they could do to him. But, he didn’t want to go.

           He pulled out his gun and took aim at the first cop he spotted.

           “Gun!” someone yelled.

           “Drop it!” someone else shouted.

           A shot rang out through the scene. Noah felt a searing pain in his side. his hand weakened and released the pistil. It hit the sidewalk with a clatter as he sank to his knees and collapsed face-down on the pavement.

* * *

           While waiting, Saif turned on the TV. The news was on and Noah Visser was the top story.

           “Visser was returned from court to the county jail after the hearing,” the anchor was saying. “He faces additional charges for the escape and for the murder of Jared Navers. Visser was originally awaiting trial for the murder of his wife, Linda, and Sherriff’s Deputy Seth Pierce when he escaped. He was recaptured the following day after officers recognized him and took action. Visser attempted to resist and was shot during a brief standoff …”

           Saif heard the door open and switched off the TV. He turned to see Kandi, with a “K” and an “I”, coming out of the bathroom. The young redhead was still gloriously naked. God bless Nevada’s laws and her boss’s pride in what his establishment had to offer.

           “What are you doing, Baby?” Kandi asked with a smile.

           “Just waiting for you,” Saif said, watching her walk towards the bed.

           After a month of nervous anticipation, waiting for someone to break through his door or window in search of the money, Saif decided to make use of the bounty. Whenever had his dull life allowed him to come across almost seven thousand dollars just like that?

           True, his weekend with Kandi would decimate his small fortune, but Saif didn’t care. The woman was gorgeous and very talented. Plus, no one here asked questions when he’d paid in cash.

           Most important, this was exactly the break Saif needed. After this weekend, he’d return to his life a new man. The possibilities seemed endless as Kandi joined him on the bed. Emily was already a vague memory.

* * *

           Noah was wrong. They could do more to him.

           Now facing three murder charges plus the escape, he spent twenty-three hours a day in a windowless cell by himself. His time outside was also alone in a small enclosure as he was now considered too dangerous for general population. And, there was a good chance he could expect the same treatment once he was convicted and sent to a prison.

           Noah shuddered at the thought. He’d met some decent guys on his pod. Now, he had only himself and the bullet scar just below his ribcage, a reminder of his twenty hours of freedom. Hadn’t he suffered enough? Especially since this was largely Linda and Jared’s fault?