Janice Kay - The Baby He Wanted

She had started to introduce the two men when it became apparent they already knew each other.

The next thing she knew they were all seated around the dining room table eating chile verde con puerco with refried beans and warm corn tortillas. Lina guessed Isabel had been cooking all afternoon, but maybe it was one way she enjoyed using her days off. Lina barely nibbled at her dinner, hoping no one noticed, but Bran ate enough for both of them.

He answered a few questions from the adults about the robbery, careful not to say anything the kids shouldn’t hear, then began talking to Eduardo about his business, Clear Creek Power Equipment. It sounded as if he had rented equipment from him a few times. He had also investigated a burglary from the business.

Isabel taught biology and coached the girls’ soccer team. “They asked me to take over the basketball team, too,” she joked, “but I had to admit it isn’t my sport.” They all laughed at that. Isabel might have been five foot one. Her husband teased her, saying she could make a basket if she were standing on his shoulders.

After accepting hugs and promising to call, Lina and Bran left.

“I’ll follow you home,” he said, his tone completely inflexible.

Shivering, Lina didn’t argue. Snow had been forecast for the next day or two, and she wondered if it might start falling tonight. They could hardly stand out here on the sidewalk and talk.

Bran’s black Camaro hugged her bumper all the way home. At her complex, he parked illegally but stuck something on his dashboard that she assumed said Police or the like, and followed her into the lobby where she collected her mail before leading him to the elevator.

As it rose, he said, “Your friends are nice people.”

“They are. You already knew Eduardo.”

“Because of the investigation.”

The elevator doors opened and they went down the hall to her apartment. “And you rented equipment to work on your house,” she said, curious about him.

“I live in an apartment, too. I’ve been helping my brother work on an old place he’s restoring. I’d have said it was a dump, but it’s starting to look good.”

She unlocked the door. “You’re lucky to have family nearby.”

“He only moved here this spring. We’d...lost touch.”

Lina wondered about the hesitation, but only nodded. Once inside her apartment, she watched as he assessed it, starting with the small, decorated tree that sat on a tabletop, then taking in her bookcases, furniture, the opening into the kitchen.

“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” she asked, as much to fill the silence as anything.

He shook his head. “Not when you won’t be having any.”

“It’s no trouble...”

“Thank you, Lina, but no.” He nodded toward her sofa. “Why don’t you sit down?”

She did, her apprehension making her feel like a child who knew she was in trouble. So much for having the upper hand because this was her territory.

“What did you mean by not exactly? Did you or didn’t you see his face?”

Bran sat in a maple rocking chair facing her across the coffee table. “There’s not a good view.”

“How can that be?”

He sighed. “Cameras are aimed in front of the tellers, not behind them. One placed to the side let us see your friend and the manager with the two men, but it wasn’t a good angle. Both men wore knit ski masks. They stormed in, brandished weapons and yelled to intimidate the employees and the two customers who were in the bank at that point. Only one teller was at work, and she froze and didn’t push the alarm. They took away everyone’s cell phones. As I said, they were made to sit on the floor with their backs turned. According to one of the women, they were told that the first person trying to sneak a look would be shot.”

“So none of them did.”

“No. They were scared out of their skulls. None of them could even describe body types. They all agreed both men were big, which is typical when witnesses are scared. They did confirm that you were right about what was going on. The manager was refusing to open the vault. The robber who did the talking said they’d kill the woman if he didn’t do what they wanted. He said no again.”

A whimper escaped her.

He half stood, then sat again, his hands gripping the arms of the chair. “I’m sorry, Lina.”

She took some deep breaths and was finally able to nod.

“When the guy grabbed your friend, she fought. From what we can see on the video, it looks like she hooked her fingernails in the knit mask and pulled it sideways. He wouldn’t have been able to see at all. Subduing her, he couldn’t fiddle with it to align the eyeholes, so he wrenched it off. After he shot her, he grabbed it and put it back on. He wasn’t without it for more than a minute, if that.”

“But Mr. Floyd would have seen him, too.”

“Yeah. That was a death sentence for him, I’m afraid. That and—”

She could tell he didn’t want to finish the thought. So she did. “And trying to stand up to them?”

“I’d have put it a little differently,” Bran said. “If he’d cooperated from the beginning...”

Maya and he would both be alive. Lina swallowed and nodded.

“We’ll definitely want you to sit down with the artist,” he continued. “A couple of FBI agents arrived, and they’re pretty excited that you saw him. It turns out they’ve been after these two for a while.”

“What do you mean? Have they robbed other banks?”

“This is at least the third, and there’s a possibility of others. These guys have used the signs before. They took them away when they left after the two previous robberies, but witnesses had noticed them and remembered the wording, which was identical to what you saw and to the one taped to that sandwich board. You were right—they did take down the one on the door as they fled, but left the one at the drive-through. Unfortunately, neither have any fingerprints. These guys are careful.”

Hung up on what he’d said at the beginning of that last speech, she asked, “What do you mean, a possibility of others?”

“There’ve been a couple others in the past eighteen months that were so similar, it’s likely the same two guys. Ski masks, yelling, making everyone sit behind the counter with their backs turned. No one saw signs.”

“If no one happened to come to the door or try to go through the drive-through...”

“Exactly,” he said.

“I remember the news mentioning several bank robberies not that long ago,” she said, trying to recall details. “But weren’t they down south?”

“The two where we know they used the signs were both in Pierce County. One in Tacoma, one in Lakewood.” Two hours away, then. “The others that may be linked happened in Issaquah and Monroe.”

So, midway. Both were at least an hour drive from Clear Creek.

“Because of the string of robberies, we’re assuming the two men are not locals,” Bran said. “The agent in charge of the investigation suspects that they live in Pierce County, but decided it was getting too hot down there for them to risk hitting another bank in the area. Some had taken additional precautions, including armed guards, and these two were smart to be nervous.”

“That’s why you think I don’t have to worry.” She felt lighter, suddenly.

“It’s likely that the guy just had one of those faces that isn’t especially distinctive.”

“Have they killed anyone before?”

He shook his head.

Lina absorbed the information. So much anger rose in her, for that instant she was almost glad Mr. Floyd was dead, too. If not for him, Maya wouldn’t have died. He’d put the bank’s money ahead of her life.

They sat in silence for long enough, she had trouble making herself look at Bran. Could he tell what she was thinking? If she didn’t say anything else, would he go away?