Page 15 of Mission: Possible

"Positive."

"It could be the adrenaline," said Daniel, my middle brother and Alice's husband. "I thought you were at the hospital with Alice?"

"I was and I came here on the way home." I pointed to the cash bag. "I had to make a deposit. They didn't take it."

"Who didn’t?" demanded Jord. He went to hug me, then stopped, pointing to my bloodied hands and clothes while shaking his head. He settled for a pat on my shoulder. I didn't blame him. Lily would freak if Jord arrived home with blood stains and he told her they came from me. On the other hand, she would be instantly at my door with pizza, ice cream, and a bottle of wine faster than I could order it through an app. I considered throwing myself at him before I decided I didn't want to pay for his dry-cleaning bill.

"The bank robbers. Six of them. They came in just after I did but here's the weird thing, no one demanded any money. They told the tellers not to press the security buzzer but they didn't tell them to empty the contents of any of the registers. They didn't even grab the bag of cash I left on the side. Isn't that weird?"

"It is," agreed Garrett. He turned his head and spoke softly to Daniel. Daniel nodded and took off.

"Speaking of the cash, can I get it back now?" I asked, pointing to the bag. I didn't want to leave it there unattended too long just in case someone decided to help themselves. That much cash could tempt anyone.

"Go grab it for Lexi," said Garrett to Jord. Jord jogged to the tellers, grabbed the bag, and jogged back, handing it to me. "You're lucky you asked. One of us might have bagged it as evidence, which could have doomed it to the evidence locker for months. So, if they didn't demand the money, what did they want?"

"I barely got to the teller's window when I heard a gunshot and someone shouting. We all hit the floor and they herded us into the middle and told us to lie flat," I replied, "but I snuck a quick look when I could. I'm not sure what they were doing when Officer Andersen started shooting."

"What in hell possessed him to do that?"

"One of the bank robbers was supposed to check everyone for weapons but Officer Andersen still had his gun and the security guard also carried a backup piece. Officer Andersen suddenly decided to the two of them could take down the robbers."

"That was dumb," said Garrett. He, Jord and I all looked at Officer Andersen now sitting on a gurney as the EMTs strapped him securely. He was talking and nodding to the various police officers who interrogated him.

"The security guard thought so too but instead of realizing the odds were against them and lying low, Andersen yelledPolice!before he started shooting. I don't think he actually hit anyone," I explained.

"He took a bullet for all his trouble," said Jord.

"Yeah, and the guy the other robbers deferred to, who was probably the boss, warned us the next shot would be fatal. Then he got pissed at one of the other guys for not checking them better for weapons. He took Andersen's gun and the security guard's before he demanded who the bank manager was."

"He didn't know who it was?" asked Garrett.

I shook my head. "It didn't appear that he did. He threatened to start shooting people until the bank manager identified himself. They took him through that door," I added, pointing.

"Did they bring him back?" Garrett glanced at the small crowd the police successfully managed to corral on one side of the bank.

"No. There were a couple of explosions that shook the floor, then one of the robbers called out to the others before they ran out the back. It was all over pretty quickly."

"Sit tight for a few minutes, sis'. Jord, grab a couple of officers and we'll take a look behind that door," said Garrett.

"I think a code and a pass are required. I saw the bank manager use them," I added.

"Jord?"

"I'll find someone to open it," said Jord and they both took off.

I looked around, wondering what to do. They told me to sit tight so I decided to take them literally, dropping to the floor and resting my back against the wall, with my legs crossed. It was a convenient place to watch what was going on now that the room was flooded with police officers. None of the customers were allowed to leave without first being interviewed by the uniforms with their signature notepads and pens out. The EMTs checked over an elderly couple but otherwise, everyone looked fine.

The tellers finally emerged from behind their security glass and huddled together not far from me, a pair of officers with them. I figured they couldn’t really see anything but I couldn't resist straining to listen to their conversation.

"...don't know why the police took so long," said one man in the bank's uniform of black slacks, blue shirt and tie. I couldn't quite read the nametag on his shirt. "I pressed the buzzer as soon as I saw the robbers walk in."

"Police officers should have arrived in a few minutes," said his colleague, a tall, thin woman. "I pressed mine too, before they even warned us not to!"

"They didn't even come up to us," said a third. "I hid on the floor under my desk, waiting for someone to start shouting for the money in the tills!"

"Maybe they got spooked and ran off after the shooting. I heard one of the police officers say he was an undercover cop. He's so brave!" cooed the tall woman.

I rolled my eyes. I didn't think so. I regarded Officer Andersen as a lesson in stupidity since he was out-manned and outgunned, although I wouldn’t voice that to a room full of his colleagues. Instead, I continued waiting, obsessively checking my watch as the minutes rolled past. Garrett and Jord and a couple more officers went through the security door into the bank and didn’t return. What could possibly be keeping them so long? Did they find the bank manager? I hadn't seen any EMTs rush through so he couldn't have been found injured. Did that mean he was dead? I hoped not. That would be a terrible outcome from what so far looked like a very crappy bank job.