The Big Thaw (35 page)

We all had diagrams on a Xeroxed sheet. The bank was in the middle. Alpha 1 was to the right of the bank, close to the edge. Alpha 2 was below the bank, but close. Alpha 3 was in the upper left corner. Alpha Mobile was about halfway up the page, on the left edge. The boat was on the lower right corner, Hester’s office was opposite that, and the chase cars were way over on the lower left corner. The river was indicated on the extreme right edge. The two north-south streets that formed Frieberg proper were parallel lines about three inches apart. The east-west streets were indicated by three parallel lines evenly spaced down the page.

The tension was high for about the first hour. Nobody said much, and everybody was grabbing a look out the windows of the darkened office every few minutes.

By 0230, we were making trips to the adjacent office, and grabbing coffee. By 0345, some of us were staying in the coffee room for as much as half an hour at a stretch.

At 0351, we all watched a train go by on the tracks between the
Beauregard
and the pavilion. A slow train.

I was in Hester’s office about 0400, and saw Nancy and Shamrock walking across the parking lot, and heading toward the
General Beauregard
. Not a bad vantage point. I silently wished them luck with the photos. It had occurred to me that a good set through a telephoto lens could do us wondrous good in court.

About 0412, our radios crackled to life.

“CP, Alpha Two has suspicious movement.”

“Alpha Two?” It was as though Sally had been waiting for just that call. “CP, we’ve got a brown Toyota four-door with Illinois plates, who’s just started his third pass by the bank in five minutes.”

“Alpha Two, Alpha One, is he eastbound? All we have is headlights.”

“Ten-four, eastbound.”

Silence. The tension was back.

“Uhh, Alpha Mobil hasn’t seen any Toyotas.”

“And Alpha Two has the suspect vehicle back on the street facing west… and they seem to be stopping to speak with a female subject walking east… on the north side of the street…” There was a silence of maybe ten seconds. “And she’s in the car, and I think she should go for about twenty-five bucks…”

“A hooker?” I couldn’t believe it. “Right here in River City?” I started to laugh.

“We’ve had rumors a couple of them are trying to work around the boat,” said Hester.

“Well, I think you can mark those ‘confirmed,’” said Art.

A flurry of activity like that, and now everybody was pumped with nothing to do. You don’t want to leave the area, in case you miss something. So you just hang in there and fidget. And think.

I tried watching TV. My favorite, the Weather Channel, showed the blue and pink worm arching almost above us. Fantastic. Warmth, and on schedule.

By 0540, we were no longer pumped. Hester called down to the buffet, and ordered a bunch of rolls and orange juice.

By 0630, it was getting light, and Alpha 1 was stood down for a thirty-minute break.

I think we’d all reached that scratchy stage, when the sun comes up and you haven’t slept, and you’ve had so much coffee that nothing would feel better than to brush your teeth and take a long, hot shower. And then pull the shades, and get into bed.

“Hey,” said George, brightly, “only seventeen and a half hours of Sunday left.”

With the sun coming up, the boat looked gorgeous. The sky had some high cirrus clouds, and was all pinks and grays. Out on the Mississippi, steam was coming up in the ice-free area around the
Beauregard
, and also out in the open main channel.

“I hate sunrise,” said Hester.

There were large vertical pillars of steam coming off the ice. They were fun to watch, and lent a spooky air to the whole thing.

By 0700, the sun was theoretically rising. I say theoretically because those neat tendrils of steam were turning into a thick fog. Over everything. Visibility was dropping.

“Would you look at this shit?” said Art. “We’re not gonna be able to see a damned thing.” He turned from the window. “Well, they’ll call it off, now. You can’t see well enough to make a getaway in this crap.”

I should have realized this could happen. The land and the river were very cold, and damp. The warm, moist air coming up from the Gulf was causing the problem. The jet stream. The problem was that there was almost no wind. Maybe 5 to 7 mph. Just enough to keep the warmer, wet air moving over the river and the land. Not enough to blow the fog away. Visibility was down to 500 feet.

Volont shook his head. “No, they’ll do it. They have to.”

At first, I thought he meant that “had to” because we were all ready for them. But the more I thought about it, the more it began to sound like Gabriel and company were not about to stop for anything.

“He must really need the money,” I said.

“He does.”

At 0828, the radio rasped again. “Alpha Two has a female subject approaching the bank.”

It turned out to be the odd-hour teller. The first clue was when she produced a set of keys and unlocked the door. I was glad they could see her. In the fog, we couldn’t even see the bank anymore.

“She’s alone?” asked Volont. It appeared so. That wasn’t part of the plan, as she was to have been joined by a young FBI agent who was going to pose as an apprentice teller.

Volont got busy on his radio. He looked up. “My man seems to have gotten lost in the fog,” he said. “He thinks he made a wrong turn…”

No plan, as they say, ever goes as written. Volont got on the secure radio, and had one of the team members on street level get out of his gear, lose his FBI jacket, and hustle to the bank as a customer. He’d just have to stay there until the “apprentice teller” got himself unlost.

No problem, really. Just like the first scratch or dent in a new car. You simply hope it’s a small one.

By 0910, I was tired, hungry, and bored out of my mind. I had thought that, if any time was best, it would be just before the bank opened, but after the tellers had arrived.

At 0912, Alpha Foot called on the radio, and advised they’d “go for a walk.” That meant a general reconnaissance about the area of the bank, on foot, that would probably take thirty minutes. Volont called, and said the lost “teller” was now assigned to a team, and left the other agent in the bank.

At 0914, Sally, George, and I went down to the buffet, and played like we were just tourists. Scrambled eggs (special no-fat variety), and bacon, with pancakes and butter and syrup, and orange juice and coffee and toast. Like I said, I was hungry.

We ate in silence for a few moments. Looking out the windows, at the
Beauregard
in the fog. You could still see her fairly well, but we were only about 200 feet from her at that point. Visibility was down to about 300 feet, here at ground level. The garish lights were creating a pinkish haze around her, in the dim light of day. It seemed to be getting thicker.

“Well, only fourteen hours to go,” said George, with false optimism.

I raised my hand to attract the waitress who was roving with the coffee. “Piece of cake,” I said to George.

By 0940 we were back in Hester’s office. I looked out her office window, and could barely make out the
Beauregard
. “Hell, we can’t see shit from here.” I looked at my watch. “I think I’ll take a walk over toward the bank. Anybody else want to come?”

No takers. I double-checked my walkie-talkie, put on my green windbreaker, was just starting out the door when everything started to go to hell.

“All units, Alpha Mobile has ten-thirty-three traffic. Alpha Mobile has three armed suspects getting out of a tan Chevy van in the bank parking lot!”

The presence of the armed suspects was confirmed almost instantly by Alpha 2, who added, “And Alpha Two has the van moving toward the bank, right behind the suspects … I think… I can barely see it…”

The fog now began to play more of a part in the proceedings.

“Alpha Three can’t see anybody…”

“Alpha Four no viz at all.”

“Tell everybody to hold position,” said Volont, straining with the rest of us to look out the window.

Sally’s voice crackled over the radio. “All units hold,” she said, as if she did it every day. At the same time she picked up the telephone and looked at Volont. “Time to wake up Conception County?” It was a good question. If the suspects headed off over the bridge, we’d have maybe seventy-five seconds before they were in Wisconsin. He nodded. She began to dial.

This was a very critical time. We didn’t want them to know we knew they were in the bank, or that we were anywhere around. This was a time to build the robbers’ confidence, and lure them into the open. Well, that’s what the book said.

“Hello, Betty,” said Sally, into the phone. “We’re up, but not running.”

Then, for a time, nothing seemed to happen.

“I can’t believe this shit,” said Art. “They just walked in. From nowhere. Didn’t check it out or anything.”

“It’s the fog,” said Hester. “Nobody could see ’em coming for more than a block… they could have been around for a while.”

We were all in a state of amazement. I don’t think anyone in the room had ever seen a bank robbery actually go down before.

“Remember,” said Volont, “we let ’em come out.”

“Sally,” said Hester, “why don’t you check on the other banks? See what they have.”

I thought that was a good idea. Apparently, Hester hadn’t been as mesmerized as I had been.

Sally got on the phone to our own Sheriff’s Department. No activity with any of the other banks. The silent alarm for the Frieberg bank had gone off, so our department and Lamar had known just about as soon as we had.

So far, so good. I thought my heart was going to bang right through my rib cage.

“How long they been in there?” George was nervous.

I guessed. “Two-three minutes. Seems like a long time, doesn’t it?” I wanted desperately to get down to my car, and head over toward that bank. Worst thing I could have done. It was very likely that, somewhere, there was an accomplice looking for just that sort of thing. An accomplice with some means of communicating with the three inside the bank. Even though my car was unmarked, it did have a cop feel about it. Extra antennas, for one thing. Cheap, with almost no trim, for another. I would really stand out if I were to stop where I could see the bank. And unless I was guided by an angel, there was no way I could time it right and get there just after they left. Nope. But maybe on foot…

“I think I’ll just walk over that way,” I said. “Any takers?”

Volont had to be up at the Command Post. Banks were federal responsibility, and he owned the resources. Art didn’t even respond. George shook his head with a rueful grin. He’d go if Volont thought of it, basically. Which pretty much left Hester. It was her office, though.

“Sure,” she said, grabbing her trench coat and turning to Art.

“Don’t worry,” she said, “I trust you not to snoop.”

Three minutes later, we were on the paving, and walking briskly toward the bank. “I think we can see even less down here,” I said, with a chuckle.

“Ah, but it’s good to get out.”

I glanced at her. “Why don’t women ever wear hats in this kind of weather?”

She looked at my head. “Gee, I dunno, Houseman. Maybe ’cause we don’t look as good in a baseball cap?”

I was wearing my blue U.S.S. CARL VINSON ball cap, with the yellow printing.

“You suppose?”

“I’m sure of it.”

I stepped into the street, and nearly fell. Great. Ice. The warm air that produced the fog apparently lost the fight on the surfaces. The damp air was being used by the frozen ground to make a fine glaze of ice.

“Careful, Houseman. I don’t want to have to carry you back…”

As we moved into the alley behind Alpha 2, Hester came up on her secure radio and informed them we were around, and might be strolling in the vicinity of the bank. They acknowledged.

The bank, in the thickening fog, appeared absolutely unremarkable. If you didn’t already know, there was no way to tell what was happening inside. Even on a clear day, I suspected…

“Professional, real professional.” I should learn, someday, not to overestimate the qualities of criminals. “Sure glad I’m not the agent in the bank.”

There was a
thump
, more felt than heard. I looked at Hester.

“Beats me,” she said, swiveling at the hips to look around.

Then the bank alarm went off. The audible. A heart-stopping steel bell and striker that I was sure could be heard for a mile or more.

That was a bit unexpected. We’d anticipated the silent alarm to go when they went into the vault. It should have, and it had. There was a safety on the vault, even though it was unlocked and half open during dropoff hours. You’d have to watch that vault for a long time before you caught on to the fact that the tellers tapped a button under their counters before they turned and walked to the vault. We got the silent alarm in the Sheriff’s Department.

But now we had that damned audible.

The radios came to life. “Alpha Two had a … uh … loud report, from the bank. Just prior to the alarm.”

“All units hold,” said Sally, “until further.” That had to be at Volont’s direction.

“Gunshot?” wondered Hester.

“Sheriff’s Department advises that it’s the fire alarm in the Frieberg bank…” came Sally’s voice, over the secure radio.

Fire?

“Alpha Two second team is at ground level, and they say they can’t see smoke…” came over the secure radio.

“Three’s very close to the bank,” I said, “and I have no smoke…”

“‘Smoke’?” Hester grumbled. “In this fog, you couldn’t see smoke if your nose was on fire.”

Moments later, the team in the deputy’s house announced that they’d come down the steps to street level, and were in their secondary position. “Alpha Three is at the little wall. We have no smoke, but there’s something … uh … going on in the bank … stand by, One.”

They were on the opposite side of the bank, with a much better view to the inside.

Radio traffic really started to pick up. “Alpha Foot is between Alpha Mobile and Two, going toward the bank, and we need instructions…”