Watch Out for the Big Girls (20 page)

She had felt bad for forgetting. Just as she felt bad about reaching out to him now. She knew he wouldn't be pleased to hear what she had done to maintain her cover. “How's your daughter?” she asked.

“She's a strong girl, but I don't want to talk about that right now.” He switched back to what she had just revealed to him. “What do you mean you had to? No, you didn't.” His tone came across like a parent scolding a child.

“Yes, I did,” she disagreed with him. “You told me to do whatever it took and I did. You knew it might come to that when you sent me on this mission. But, relax, it paid off. I have something nobody knows about. I'll bring it to you when the coast is clear. Let's just wait to see what happens now.”

“Does she trust you?” he asked.

“Now more than ever,” she said with confidence. “I have another mission tomorrow.”

“Well, take advantage of the situation and get in deeper.”

“Okay,” she whispered. “I have to go. I'll fill you in later.”

The McCarthys arrived at the funeral a little late after dealing with the sickness of their daughter. He pulled up and parked behind a long line of cars. The three of them got out and walked down the lengthy cement path outside of the beautiful grass field until they met up with two or more people in black attire. There were reserved white plastic folding chairs for the McCarthys up front. The caskets were closed due to the damage the agents' bodies had received during their deaths. They were lined up side by side and covered with American flags. Huge pictures of them sat on top of the flags. Nearly two dozen soldiers stood in formation behind the caskets, with their wooden rifles against their chest, awaiting the twenty-one-gun salute ceremony in honor of the fallen agents. Head Agent Mobley stood at the podium. He turned and faced the mourning families and offered his deepest condolences. All three agents' families were filled with tears and were grief-stricken. After Head Agent Mobley finished his speech he leaned into Agent McCarthy.

“That son of a bitch Douglass!” he cursed in McCarthy's ear. “All of his cases will be reversed. And, somehow, he still pulled off a deal for immunity. No justice, Tom. No justice. Sometimes I second-guess which side of the law I'm on.”

“Me too,” Agent McCarthy agreed.

The small cell was frigid. The central air had been purposely turned up to the maximum setting to provide extreme discomfort. She wasn't given a bedrail like the others who came through the intake process. The thin, hard plastic cot and the metal sink and toilet unit were the only three things in the cell besides her orange jump-suit–covered body. She could hear the officers discussing her name outside the door right before a small slot was opened for her to stick her hands through to get cuffed.

“Fields, legal visit,” the officer announced. Starr rolled her eyes as she stuck her wrists through the door's hole. The cold steel clamped down tightly, cutting off her blood circulation.

“Motherfucka,” she mumbled.

The officer heard her and chuckled. “Come on, a tough gal like yourself? I'm sure you and your friends are used to playing with toys like these.”

“Yeah, and ugly, fat, balding crackers are the reason why!” she retorted while exiting the cell.

She was led down the long hallway and steered into a small room with glass windows dividing it. Diamond pointed to the black phone, signaling her to pick it up. The door shut behind her for privacy. The cuffs stayed on for safety, and not hers. Both women cracked a forced, artificial smile before speaking.

“How're they treating you?” Diamond asked knowing the answer.

“Like shit. It's cool. I can handle it.” Starr forced another smile. “What's the status?”

“Well, they're just being a bunch of hard asses. It's nothing serious. It's all theatre for the public eye. Making it look like they're at least trying to do something. Today's Saturday so they'll have you sitting at least for the weekend. For good reason, bail will probably be denied the first go-round. I'll have to resubmit the bail packet to the magistrate judge. She'll approve it. Chances are you're looking at two whole weeks. I'm just being honest.”

“I expected as much. So what do they have?”

Diamond chuckled. “Come on. Aside from the assault, rather, spitting on the agent, the same shit they always have: nothing. What they did manage to do was get testimony from that piece of shit Douglass. This Agent Reddick sought a good faith warrant, meaning even though there wasn't any physical evidence to his claims and accusations, chances were more than likely they were true. It's all hearsay. The Feds are much different from the state. They actually convict off of strictly testimony, but your record is so spotless. Thanks to me, even with a court-appointed lawyer no jury will convict you. So due to double jeopardy standards, they would blow their chances of ever using a conviction on something that'll stick.”

“What about everybody else they grabbed?”

“A few of them got minor weapons charges, for small shit like not renewing their gun permits. Nothing. Most of them are already out. You can't be charged. It's a public establishment. That stuff could've been anybody's. Besides, it wouldn't even make it to the evidence room.”

“So this was their best shot?”

“Pretty much.” Diamond lightly laughed as she agreed.

“Well, we haven't even swung yet. Let's get down to business. Here's what I need handled. Today, let's show 'em how hard we really go.”

Diamond smiled and shook her head. “I figured you'd say that. I'm already on it.”

Felicia stood behind Monica and watched her effortlessly put three holes in the targeted man's chest and three into his head. She professionally reclaimed her firm grip by placing her left hand under the butt of the gun along with the ball of her left foot planted in the ground balancing the weight as she slightly bent her knees and fully extended her arms, while squinting with her left eye closed. When she felt comfortable enough, she calmly exhaled then repeatedly pulled the trigger. The remaining five shots hit the man in his groin area leaving no trace of a crotch.

“Bitch, I'm impressed,” Felicia announced and she thoroughly was.

Monica let out a light chuckle. She knew Felicia was studying her the entire time. She deliberately missed the main target a couple of times, careful not to draw suspicion about her accuracy. She lowered the Glock .40 and turned around. She removed her protective goggles. “It was a'ight,” she said modestly.

She knew had it been a real person instead of a firing range target sheet, they wouldn't stand a chance. She had been handling guns for quite some time now and had studied some of the best marksmen around.

“Not bad.” Felicia revealed how surprised she still was behind Monica's marksmanship. She had expected to see bullets whizzing all over the place and then, once Monica was done, she'd step in and show her how a pro did it. Despite Monica's pretty decent performance, that was still Felicia's plan. “Now it's my turn.” A sinister grin appeared on her face.

Just as she put on the protective glasses and was about to take position, her phone went off. Unexpectedly, Monica's phone went off a second later. Felicia and Monica retrieved their iPhones at the same time. They both stared at their screens and then looked up at each other.

Careese was happy to stroll back into work. She entered with a smile plastered on her face the way she always did as if nothing had ever happened. She paid no attention to the dropped jaws and surprised looks on some of the faces she strolled by. Some of her coworkers looked as if they had seen a ghost. Her boss, Mr. Harry, was the only one who knew of her return. She made sure she looked awesome in her white two-piece Oscar de la Renta pantsuit. She went right to her post and relieved the temporary teller who had been filling in for her during her brief absence. She recounted her drawer and got set for a busy day. She hoped the time would go as slow as it wanted to. She needed time to settle back into the swing of things. She mustered up a welcoming look when she saw Olivia quickly making her way over to her.

“Are you all right?” was the first thing Olivia asked.

“Yes, I'm fine.” Careese smiled.

“I missed you,” Olivia whispered to Careese. She looked around before she brushed her hand gently across Careese's arm.

“Me too,” Careese replied. Even without looking into her eyes, Careese knew that Olivia had fallen for her. Her reaction to her return only confirmed what she had already known.
Poor Livie,
Careese thought, knowing the feelings weren't mutual. She had used her coworker for what she had needed and she had served her purpose well.

“I'm glad you're back,” Olivia chimed.

“Yeah, it was just a case of mistaken identity. I'm glad to be back too.” Careese flashed a fake smile. Although she had no interest in her personally, she was still appreciative for the call Olivia had made on her behalf. Had she not, Careese knew things may have turned out totally differently. The two detectives had really worked her over and had her up against the ropes. There was no telling what would've happened had Diamond not shown up when she did.

“What do you say we do lunch?” Olivia asked, bringing Careese back to the present.

Careese shook the thought out of the forefront of her mind. “Sure,” she agreed just to get rid of her so she could concentrate and forget about all that had happened.

Olivia smiled. “See you then.” She scurried off as both of the lines began to grow.

It was business as usual and the day seemed to go as smooth as normal. Careese checked her watch. It was nearly time for lunch. She dreaded that she committed to lunch with Olivia. She did a quick scan of her line versus Olivia's. She hurried and withdrew money from her register to cash the check of the elderly lady who stood in front of her so she could service the other four people in line before her lunch break. She intended to place her L
INE
C
LOSED
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EXT WINDOW PLEASE
sign up purposely to direct traffic Olivia's line so that their lunch date would be impossible.

“Would you like large bills?” Careese looked up at the elderly woman with a smile and asked. Her smile was immediately replaced with a frown as she became wide-eyed.

“Don't nobody fuckin' move!” were the words that echoed through the bank and sent customers and employees into a panic. The thunderous boom that rang out into the air was enough confirmation for everyone to let them know the robbers meant business. Careese froze. She could see one of the five masked men in expensive business suits subduing the security guard by the entrance of the bank by relieving him of his weapon. People screamed when they saw the robber butt the security guard in the head with the huge weapon, which sent him crashing to the floor.

“Shut the fuck up!” another one of the masked men bellowed as he let off another shot into the air. Screams turned into murmurs and silence.

Everyone instinctively dropped to the floor. In an instant, four of the gunmen were at the tellers, while the first one stood over the guard. Occasionally he peered out the window and glanced at his watch while he listened to a police scanner. “Six minutes!” he yelled to his partners.

“Fill 'em up!” one of the masked men yelled to a trembling Olivia as Careese and the other two tellers followed the same order. A large black duffel bag sat open at each of their feet.

One of the masked men made his way to where Harry, the bank manager, sat. “You.” The gunman waved his weapon at Harry. “Get up!”

A wide-eyed Harry slowly rose. Apparently he had not complied quickly enough. The gunman yanked Harry up by the arm. “Give me a reason,” the gunman threatened. He had his M16 pressed up against the back of the Harry's head. “Now move.”

Careese studied Harry's face nervously. She hoped he didn't have anything stupid in mind. Harry escorted the gunman to the back vault with his hands held high. A large light had switched from red to green.

“You got one chance to get it right or you die where you stand,” the gunman warned.

The one thing Harry had in mind to foul up the robbery was immediately erased by the robber's threat. He wasted no time punching in the correct security code to the vault without triggering off the alarm.

The gunman smiled. “Good boy. Now, get in there and fill this bag up.” He smacked Harry in the chest with the black duffle.

Harry entered the vault and began reaching for stacks of bills to stuff in the duffle.

“No, muthafucka, use the money on the left,” the gunman ordered. “Down there.” He pointed. “Small bills, none of those exploding dye packs and none of those black light specials that'll make my hand glow.” The gunman was letting him know he was a professional. He stood over Harry and watched him close. “No! Those numbers are in sequence. Mix 'em up good! I know that trick, too!”

Once Harry was done, the gunman glanced at his watch.
Perfect timing,
he thought. Within minutes the duffle was filled to a T. “Thanks.” The gunman snatched the bag from Harry and then cracked him on the side of the face with his weapon. Harry was unconscious from the blunt force trauma to the head. He fell hard onto the some of the vault's money. The blood from his head flowed into some of the stacks. The gunman exited the vault just before it reclosed.

“Time!” the gunman up front yelled after hearing the radio dispatch letting all officers know there was a robbery in progress. The masked robber noticed his crime partners standing and waiting for him as he appeared from the back.

“Relax, folks, your money is safe. It's still in the back. I doubt y'all came to withdraw this much. So consider the rest ours. Thank you for your cooperation. You've all been lovely,” the gunman slyly remarked before they attempted to make their getaway.

Careese finally let out a sigh of relief. She lay face down on the floor shaking her head in disbelief.
Just my luck,
she thought. She was glad that the robbery ended without any major incident. She couldn't wait to report the incident to her Double G sisters. Careese's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden presence of a figure. She hadn't heard anyone walk up, but she noticed the shadow that hovered over her. Before she could turn around to see who stood over her, two rounds were pumped into the back of Careese's head followed by a note that landed on her back. The impact of the bullets caused her gold hair clamp to explode into pieces. Loud cries rang out as the gunman who had doubled back into the bank after forgetting why they had really chosen that particular branch to rob, quickly made his exit. He gave his crime partners the thumbs-up and then hopped on the Kawasaki that awaited him outside. Sirens could be heard wailing in the distance. The oldest of the Spaulding brothers popped a wheelie and pulled off, as his four brothers followed suit.