Chapter 5 - The Inside Job
Richard Vincent was a wealthy man who wore expensive tailored suits and smiled for the cameras.
But sitting in the dark office, his face looked cruel and entirely unhinged.
He poured the contents of the pickle jar onto Laura's mahogany desk.
Pennies, nickels, and quarters cascaded across the wood, clinking loudly in the silent bank.
He sifted through the loose change with his manicured fingers.
Laura held her breath, praying the key had sunk to the very bottom.
Suddenly, the heavy glass door of the bank lobby clicked open.
Laura ducked behind a filing cabinet in the hallway as footsteps approached.
"Mr. Vincent, the police perimeter is clear," a woman's voice echoed in the lobby.
Laura peeked around the corner and felt a sickening wave of betrayal.
It was Sarah, her trusted senior teller.
"Did you find the key, Sarah?" Vincent asked without looking up.
"No sir, the manager must have taken it before she ran off with the boy," Sarah replied.
Laura realized Sarah had been the one tipping Vincent off from the very beginning.
Sarah was the one who warned the bearded man that Caleb was in the private office.
Vincent sighed aggressively and swept the coins off the desk onto the floor.
"Find her," Vincent commanded coldly.
"I don't care if you have to burn this city down, find that ledger before the feds do."
Sarah nodded and turned to walk out of the office.
Laura knew she only had one desperate chance to get the key.
She waited until Sarah walked into the lobby, then she pulled the fire alarm on the wall.
The deafening siren shattered the silence, accompanied by flashing strobe lights.
Vincent cursed loudly and ran out of the office to check the hallway.
Laura slipped into the office behind him, dropping to her knees in the dark.
She frantically swept her hands through the pile of coins on the carpet.
Her fingers brushed against a cold, flat piece of jagged metal.
She grabbed the safety deposit box key and shoved it into her pocket.
Before she could stand up, the office lights flicked on violently.
Sarah was standing in the doorway, holding a compact pistol aimed directly at Laura's chest.
"I knew you were stupid enough to come back," Sarah sneered.
"Drop the key, Laura, or I will kill you right here."
Laura froze, her hands raised slowly into the air.
"You are going to prison for this, Sarah," Laura warned.
Sarah laughed, stepping closer with her finger on the trigger.
"Vincent pays a lot better than a bank salary," she mocked.
Suddenly, a heavy fire extinguisher smashed violently into the back of Sarah's head.
Sarah collapsed onto the carpet, completely unconscious.
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Mike was standing behind her, holding the empty red cylinder.
"I told you I wasn't going to let you do this alone," Mike smiled.
