6 Hours 42 Minutes, page 12
part #5 of Vigilante Series
“I’m in as well,” said Simon Chase as he started to stand.
“Sit back down, Mouth,” Bull ordered as he glared at Chase. “I’ve had enough of your crap and there’s no way in hell you’re coming with us. I’ll shoot you if I have to.”
Chase stared at him for a moment then slid back to the floor as he muttered, “Asshole.”
Bull turned his gaze to Ian Howard and smiled. “I appreciate the offer but I’ve already got my big-shot hostage with Mister Director here. You should probably stay here and work on improving your fucking security cuz, frankly, it sucks.”
He let his eyes roam over the four remaining hostages and stopped on Eric Robillard, the bank’s IT Coordinator. “We’ll need to get the money bags out so how about you, buddy? You look like a strong, little fella.”
Robillard glanced briefly at Bull then wordlessly returned his gaze back to the floor.
“That wasn’t really a question, friend,” Bull growled. “Get your scrawny ass off the floor cuz you’re coming with us.”
“I’m hurt,” Robillard complained. “I got bashed in the head by you guys.”
“It’s hardly a scratch,” Bull scoffed. “Get up now or somebody will have to stick you in a bag to take you outta here.”
Robillard grudgingly rose to his feet and stepped over to Chris’ side.
“We’re down to the ladies,” said Bull, “But, what’s a party without ladies?”
He pointed to one of them and said, “You’re really cute. What’s your name?”
The attractive, slender redhead rose to her feet and replied in a confident tone. “Leslie Robb.”
“Leslie, I like that,” said Bull. “What do you do here, Leslie?”
“I’m an accountant,” she replied.
“That’s great,” Bull exclaimed. “Maybe you can help me count up my share of the dough afterwards.”
“I don’t intend to help you do anything, you son of a bitch,” Leslie shot back. “You’re an animal. I watched you kill two of my friends today for no goddamned reason and I hope you’ll suffer for a long time for what you’ve done.”
“Ouch, feisty too, aren’t ya,” said Bull before gesturing with his revolver. “Get over with the two others here cuz you are coming along.”
As Leslie moved over to join Chris and Eric, Sparks called out from the back door. “Parking lot is clear and the chopper is landing.”
“Finally, things are starting to go according to plan,” Bull grinned. “Give me a minute to make a phone call. I need to settle some final details with the captain out there and then we’ll be on our way.”
Chapter 39 - 1:52 p.m.
In the mobile command post, Captain Edgar Leblanc had just received confirmation that the helicopter had landed behind the bank when his phone rang.
“Good afternoon, Captain,” said Bull. “Do you see how well things go when everyone cooperates?”
“What can I do for you, Bull?” Leblanc asked, his tone neutral.
“I just want to review the last steps of our departure plan with you,” replied Bull, “To make sure that we’re all on the same page so that nobody else gets hurt.”
“There’s no reason for anyone else to get hurt,” said the captain. “I’m listening.”
“Good, listen carefully,” Bull started. “First, I want you to contact the chopper pilot and tell him to turn off the engines, get out and open all the doors. We’ll want to check him and the chopper to make sure that there aren’t any weapons anywhere. Once he’s out, we’ll be heading to the helicopter with three hostages. We’ve got vests and helmets but they don’t so I strongly advise no sniper attempts. Anyway, if I hear one shot, another innocent person dies.”
“I understand, Bull,” said Leblanc, “My team has been ordered back because there’s been enough bloodshed as it is and I want those people safe. In fact, why do you need the hostages? Why can you let them go once you’re in the chopper?”
“That’s simple, Leblanc,” Bull replied. “Because I still don’t fucking trust you. We let the hostages go and the pilot you got us turns out to be some dare-devil with a suicide wish who crash lands us somewhere surrounded by cops. The hostages are coming with us and that’s that. Once I’m satisfied that we’ve gotten away safely, the hostages and the pilot will be released. Not a minute before. Understand?”
“Understood, Bull. What else?” asked the captain.
“I’ll repeat that if we have any impression that we’re being followed,” Bull continued, “The hostages will pay for your mistake. I know you’ll probably be tracking us with some GPS crap and I can’t do anything about that. In fact, I don’t really give a shit. Just let us get away and stay the hell away from us and everything will be fine. In the end, it’s only money and I heard that the bank’s insured so, everybody wins.”
“Except for those two women you killed, Bull,” the captain interjected.
“Awww, don’t start up with that again,” Bull replied, his tone annoyed. “What’s done is done, we can’t bring them back and, anyhow, that really was your fault for screwing around with me. Don’t forget that five of my crew were killed too. I don’t hear you crying about them.”
Leblanc paused for a moment, regaining his composure then enquired, “What about the four people you’ll be leaving in the bank?”
“Once we’re gone, you can go in and let them out,” said Bull. “The doors will be locked so you’ll have to break in. I’ll be leaving the bomb that we had with us but your guys should be able to deal with it well enough. It’s nothing real complicated. I’ll be warning the remaining hostages to stay away from it. Are we all clear?”
“All clear, Bull,” Leblanc replied in a dejected tone.
“Good, Captain,” said Bull. “Now, call your chopper pilot cuz I want to get outta here. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, even if we did have our differences. Have a nice day.”
Chapter 40 - 1:54 p.m.
Bull ended the call and slipped the phone into his jacket pocket as he turned to the hostages.
“We’ll be leaving any minute now,” he said to Chris, Leslie and Eric, “So you three get those money bags and go join my colleague by the back door.”
The three of them stepped over to the four bags where Chris hauled one onto each shoulder while Eric and Leslie picked up the two remaining before heading to where Sparks waited at the rear entrance.
Bull watched them go as he reached into a pocket. Pulling out a key, he held it out to Juice and said, “Front door and the mall door, go snap the keys.”
As Juice went off to jam the locks, Bull turned to address the four remaining hostages. “I’ll be leaving the bomb here. What you want to do is just leave it alone and you’ll all be fine. The cops will be breaking into here once we’re gone to let you out and they’ll have somebody trained to look after the bomb. Just stay where you are until the cops get in and everything will work out just fine.”
* * * *
“Got it, Captain,” said Jonathan. “We’ll take it from here.”
He ended the call which had been patched through to his headset and turned to Cat as he started powering down the engines. “Not surprisingly, they want to check us and the chopper out for weapons before putting their lives in our hands. We’re shutting down and getting out, all doors open.”
“Yay,” said Connor with mock enthusiasm. “Let the fun begin.”
A moment later, as the rotors were slowing to a stop, both pilots climbed out, and opened the passenger doors on their respective sides then Cat joined Jonathan on his side of the craft where both assumed a disciplined at-ease stance to wait for their passengers.
Chapter 41 - 1:57 p.m.
“Okay, Bull,” Sparks called out. “Chopper’s powered down and they got the doors open.”
“Adios, friends,” said Bull to the remaining hostages as he and Juice backed away towards the rear exit, “And, remember, just stay put and be good or, kaboom.”
As Sparks unlocked the door, Bull glanced out towards the helicopter and stiffened. “Why the fuck are there two pilots out there? I told Leblanc that I wanted one pilot.”
“How the hell should I know?” Sparks muttered. “And, what difference does it make?”
“The difference it makes is that there’s one more person we don’t know in the mix, you idiot,” Bull snarled. “We don’t even know who the fuck these people are.”
Sparks turned and brought his face inches from Bull’s. “Jesus Christ, this is your fucking idea. Did you think they’d find one of our buddies as the chopper pilot? Were you hoping for someone that we could goddamned trust? Who the hell is the idiot, Bull?”
“Anyway, if you only want one pilot, Bull,” Juice spoke up, “Just tell one of them to back off. What’s the big deal? And, having the second pilot gives us two people who can fly the chopper and an extra hostage.”
“Okay, okay, enough of this crap. Come on, let’s go cuz we’ve wasted enough time,” Bull growled and turned to Chris. “You out first, not too fast, and I’m right behind you so continue being smart. Sparks, you walk behind me with the chick to your left and Juice next to Sparks with the whiner boy to your right.”
Chris took the lead, pushing the door open and headed at a modest pace towards the helicopter with the others following close behind him, Sparks pausing briefly to lock the door and snap the key before falling into step with the others.
When they were about ten feet from the craft and pilots, Bull said, “Stop.”
Everyone ceased walking but remained in the designated formation.
“Why are there two pilots?” Bull demanded. “I specifically told Leblanc one pilot.”
“Canadian Aviation Regulation one forty two dash seven,” Jonathan ad-libbed flawlessly. “Any aircraft destined to carry four or more passengers must have two fully certified and currently licensed pilots on board at all times.”
“That just doesn’t work well for me,” Bull replied. “I don’t want to have the second pilot to deal with.”
“I’m sorry if this is an inconvenience to you, sir,” Jonathan said, maintaining his at-ease stance, “But we will not fly out of here without both pilots. That would be against the regulations and whichever pilot was guilty of the offence could lose his or her license for life.”
“That’s fucking stupid,” Bull argued. “What if I shoot one of you?”
“Doing so would guarantee that this craft would stay on the ground,” Cat took that one, her tone just as stoic as Jon’s, “Regardless of the number of passengers.”
“Listen, it’s not like this is a regular flight here,” Bull insisted, his temper rising.
Jonathan placed his hands on his hips and assumed a more commanding stance. “Sir, we were requested by the police to assist in ending this situation without any further bloodshed by transporting you and your party out of here to the destination of your choice. Nine other commercial carrier services have refused to do so. We agreed but we will be flying according to the rules or not at all.”
“You guys are cops, aren’t you?” Bull challenged. “I told Leblanc, no fucking cops and the bastard sent me cops.”
“No, we aren’t cops,” Jonathan’s reply was blunt. “I’m the chief executive officer of HeliPro and this is Cat Connor, our company president. We’re both licensed pilots and we both fly our customers regularly. Would you like to see our business cards?”
“Yeah, show me your cards,” Bull demanded, “And your pilot licenses too.”
Addley and Connor each extracted a small leather wallet containing their pilot licenses and several business cards and handed them over to Bull. He examined each of the documents for a moment, unsure of exactly what he was looking for or what the documents really proved.
“I still don’t trust you,” said Bull as he handed the wallets back. “Why did you agree to do this when nine others refused?”
“For one,” Cat started with a slight smile, “We demanded ten times our usual charter fee. Secondly, as Mister Addley already mentioned, we wanted to help to avoid anyone else getting hurt.”
“But, aren’t you worried about getting hurt yourself by doing this?” asked Bull, his aggressiveness being pushed aside by puzzlement. “We’re armed, we’ve got hostages and we’ve already killed a couple of people.”
“You killed a couple of people, dude, not us,” Sparks muttered from the back which Bull ignored.
“As Ms Connor said,” Jonathan explained, “We’re getting paid a much larger fee than we usually would for a regular charter. I’ll also mention that we both are ex-military and probably have much more tolerance to dangerous situations than your average pilot would have.”
“If you guys are armed,” said Bull, raising his gun, “You better get those pieces out now.”
“Neither of us is armed,” Jon replied, as if speaking to a child. “We’re commercial pilots.”
“We’re gonna have to frisk you,” Bull informed them.
“You can frisk me if you want,” replied Jonathan. “You won’t be touching Ms Connor.”
“Where would you expect me to hide a gun anyway,” Cat scoffed, turning slowly and drawing attention to her snug fitting uniform.
“Check him, Juice,” Bull ordered, gesturing towards Addley.
Juice moved to Jon, aware of his increased vulnerability for sniper fire but none came. He quickly frisked Addley before reporting, “He’s clean.”
“Check the chopper,” Bull ordered, “Under the seats, storage compartments, anywhere that they might have hidden weapons.”
“Be careful not to hit any controls,” Jonathan growled as the young robber climbed into the open cockpit.
After a couple of minutes of searching, Juice reported that the helicopter was arms-free as well and Bull ordered the hostages to put the money in the open luggage compartment then instructed everyone to board the craft.
“You three get in the seats facing backwards behind the pilots,” Bull directed the hostages. “I want us to be facing forward so that we can keep an eye on you and the pilots at the same time.”
The hostages climbed in and settled down with Eric behind Jonathan, Chris in the middle and Leslie behind Connor. Juice sat on the right across from Eric with Sparks in the centre and Bull facing Leslie.
“Everybody buckles in, no exceptions,” Addley barked as he and Connor closed the passenger doors on both sides.
Jonathan and Cat climbed into the cockpit, closing their doors and buckling up as well before proceeding to power up the engines. Bull unbuckled his seatbelt, stood up and rapped on the privacy divider behind Jon with the muzzle of his revolver.
“What is it?” Jon’s voice came through the intercom.
“Where the hell do I talk?” Bull demanded. “Can you hear me?”
“The passenger compartment is miked,” Jonathan explained. “We can hear you. What do you want?”
“I want you both to put these dividers behind you down,” Bull ordered. “We don’t need any privacy and you certainly don’t need it either on this ride.”
* * * *
As soon as he heard the back door locking, Ian Howard hastened to his feet.
“Quick, get up,” he urged the other three.
“I’m all for stretching my legs,” Simon Chase replied, “But what’s the big hurry?”
“We can’t get out of here,” Erin Ramsey agreed. “They jammed the locks and Bull did warn us to stay put.”
“I’m not taking any chances with that bomb,” explained Howard, “And neither should you.”
“But, h-he said there was no danger if we didn’t touch it,” said Annette Laurier with fear in her voice as Howard helped her to her feet.
“He also shot and killed Louise and Gina after telling us nobody would get hurt,” argued Howard as he pushed open the gate leading to the opposite side of the customer service counter. “If that bomb does go off for some reason and we’re here, we’re dead. We’ll be much safer in the vault.”
“Ian does have a point,” said Chase as he ushered the two ladies through the gate ahead of him.
“We can also lock ourselves in from the inside,” continued Howard as he led them quickly down the corridor, “So should those animals return for some reason, they won’t be able to get to us.”
Chapter 42 - 2:03 p.m.
With the engines running and the rotors turning, Jonathan pulled the collective lever and the helicopter slowly lifted off the ground in a vertical direction, as if it was being raised by an invisible hydraulic lift.
“Woohoo,” Bull exclaimed as he watched the office tower seated atop the bank seemingly slide downwards as they made their escape with two point five million dollars in cash.
Reaching into a pocket of his jacket, he pulled out a small, black plastic box, much like a remote control device for a car alarm system.
“And now, for the grand finale,” he announced with a broad smile before pressing a recessed button on the device.
A dull roaring boom was heard as, eighty feet below, the bomb exploded within the bank, blowing out windows and doors and sending various debris flying hundreds of feet into the parking lot, damaging cars as it went.
“What the hell was that?” Cat Connor cried from the cockpit as Jonathan hovered and turned to get a better view.
“That was me showing that bastard, Leblanc, what happens when people try to screw with me,” Bull replied with a grin.
“You just killed four more innocent people,” Chris stated as he stared at Bull. “Why the hell would you do that?”
“I just explained why, Mister Director,” Bull’s grin vanished. “Don’t you pay attention when someone’s talking? I liked you so far but don’t start getting on my case cuz you don’t want to get on my bad side. Got it?”
Chris kept his eyes locked on those of the killer but refrained from further comment.
