Chapter 15
It was morning across America.
Jesse’s GTO raced north on Interstate I-135. He raced by a “Wichita – 20 miles” sign.
Inside his GTO, Jesse smoked a cigarette and his speedometer was pegged at eighty-five miles per hour.
No Kansas State Police patrolled that area today.
Joey and Kathy raced their Harleys north on Interstate I-135. Oklahoma City was ten miles behind them. They maintained the speed limit, so they don’t attract any attention.
Back in Chicago, Illinois…
Angie walked down a hallway in a Chicago police station with Detective Benson.
They stopped at the Interrogation Room. Detective Benson opened the door for Angie.
They entered the interrogation room where Sidney sat at a table. He looked so out of place and scared. He changed a little over the past ten years as he gained about thirty pounds.
“Watson, there’s someone that wants to talk with you,”
Detective Benson said as they walked up to Sidney.
“Okay,” Sidney said with a scared look while Angie sat down at the table across him.
Detective Benson walked to the opposite side of the room and watched.
Angie removed her note pad and pen from her purse. She opened up her pad. “Now, you’re in here for robbing a bank,” Angie said.
“I didn’t rob that bank. It’s a huge misunderstanding,” Sidney said with scared eyes.
“Tell me what happened the day you got accused of robbing the bank,” Angie said while she wrote down Sidney’s name, date and time.
Sidney suddenly looked suspicious of Angie. “Who are you?” Sidney asked.
“I’m sorry. I’m Detective Angie Williams from the Orange County Sheriff’s department in Orlando, Florida,” she said.
“Florida?” Why are you up here to see me? I’ve never been to Florida,” Sidney stated.
“I’m here because of Joey Austin,” Angie said.
“Joey? I haven’t seen Joey in ten years. Why are you coming up here to see me about him?” Sidney asked curiously.
“He’s on the run and is a suspect for robbing a bank in Orlando,” she told him.
Sidney’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“So did Wally Spencer and Ricky Adamson,” Angie told him.
Sidney sat there, stunned. “What the hell is going on?” he asked.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. So tell me what happened that day you got arrested,” she asked.
Sidney’s eyes welled up. “It started when I gave Mona a ride to the bank and said use the drive-thru,” Sidney said.
“She said she had a migraine and needed to recline her seat all the way back. She was going to vomit if she didn’t. She also wanted me to put her deposit into the tube at the drive-thru machine. I did, and lots of money came back,” Sidney told her.
“You didn’t find that to be odd?” Angie asked.
“At first, but she insisted it was for her sister’s wedding. Her father only dealt in cash. He was weird like that,” Sidney said.
“Then we drove off,” Sidney said.
“What type of relationship did you have with Mona?” Angie asked.
“I thought she loved me,” Sidney said then looked ashamed.
“How long did you know her?” asked Angie.
“Three days,” he replied.
“You knew this girl for three days, and you thought she was in love with you?” Angie questioned.
“For the first time in my life, I believed I finally had a woman,” Sidney said then looked down at the table ashamed again.
Angie opened up her purse and removed Rose’s rap sheet and held it up at Sidney. “Is this Mona?” she asked him.
Sidney studied Rose’s rap sheet. Then his eyes widened as she looked familiar. “Yeah. That’s Mona. But she had blonde hair down to her shoulders,” he added.
“I believe she wore a wig,” Angie replied.
Sidney studied her rap sheet again then looked pissed. “She was a prostitute?” he said. “Guess she really screwed me,” he said and was pissed.
Angie removed Jesse’s rap sheet from her purse. She held it up to Sidney. “Have you seen this guy? He was with Rose in Columbus by Wally,” she asked.
Sidney looked at Jesse’s rap sheet. His eyes widened in shock, as he knew Jesse. “Oh, my God! Yes, it’s Tony Rodman. Six years ago, I was the star witness for Tony and his brother, Frankie, for robbing a bank here in Chicago. I also knew him in college,” Sidney told her.
“College?” Angie asked curiously.
“Yes, back at the University of Illinois here in Chicago. My buddies, Wally, Joey, Ricky, Lenny, Sammy, and I turned him into the campus police for smoking pot in the dorm. He was pissed and started to attack us, but the campus police stopped him. I didn’t see him for years. Then six years ago, I was going to a Chase bank…”
Six years ago…
Sidney pulled his car into a parking spot and turned off my engine. Just as he opened up my car door to get out, he eyed two guys that raced out of the bank.
They wore cheap cartoon masks and cowboy hats and ran into the parking lot to a beat-up, rusty 1977 Chevy Impala.
Sidney ducked below and peeked just above his dashboard as he figured they just robbed the bank. Then Sidney’s eyes widened with shock when he saw one of the guys remove his mask. It was that janitor, Tony Rodman, from UIC. Sidney did not know who that other guy was but would soon learn it was Tony’s brother Frankie.
Tony didn’t see Sidney as he and Frankie got into his Impala, started the engine, and drove off.
Sidney got out of his car and jotted down Tony’s license plate number. He immediately called the police.
The Chicago police arrested Tony and Frankie during the next day. The trail started two months later. Sidney was called in as the star witness against Tony and Frankie.
While Sidney presented his evidence, Tony sat with his state-provided attorney and glared at Sidney, pissed.
The jury came back with their verdict – guilty.
While some police officers escorted Tony and Frankie out of the courtroom, Tony glared at Sidney. “I’m going to get even you, you fucking geek!” Tony yelled as he strained to break free from the grips of the officers. The officers rushed Tony and Frankie out of the courtroom.
Back in the Chicago police station interrogation room …
“I was afraid to sleep in the dark for months after that. But as time went on, I grew less afraid of him, and he hasn’t tried to come after me since that trail,” Sidney said.
He thought for a second, then it dawned on him. “He’s behind this!” Sidney said while he snapped his fingers. “He wants to put us all into jail as revenge!” Sidney said with a firm conviction.
“That’s very possible,” Angie said, while she jotted everything down.
She looked at Benson. “I have everything I need.”
He walked over to Angie as she stood up.
“Thank you for your assistance, Sidney,” Angie said with a warm smile.
“Please help me! I’m already having guys wanting me for their permanent bunkmate,” Sidney pleaded with her.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Angie said, as she felt sorry for him.
Detective Benson and Angie walked out of the room.
Sidney sat there alone and worried.
A police officer entered the room. “Let’s go, Watson,” he said.
Sidney got up and walked over to the police officer. He escorted him out of the interrogation room.
Hours later, Jesse’s GTO raced west down Interstate I-70. He sipped a beer while he drove eighty miles an hour down the interstate.
Rose watched the Kansas countryside race by out her window. She rubbed her stomach and thought about her baby and how wonderful it will be to become a mother. Her mother was basically good to Rose. Why she ran off and became a prostitute was a mistake. Rose was younger and hung around with the wrong crowd, and they got involved with drugs. But with a baby on the way, she was going to turn her life around.
“I wonder if they have some good baby stores in Mexico,” Rose asked.
“Probably,” Jesse replied, but he really cared less and sipped on his beer.
“How does it feel knowing you will be an uncle?” Rose asked while she looked back at Frankie in the backseat.
“I guess it feels good. I mean. The baby isn’t here yet, so how do I know what it’ll feel like?” Frankie replied, but he also cared less as he was thinking of all those Mexican women he would be having in his bed.
Rose smiled while she rubbed her stomach.
They raced past a “Denver – 225 miles” sign.
Angie walked down one of the terminals at the Chicago O’Hare airport.
She walked into a Starbucks coffee shop and walked up to the counter. “Medium coffee, please,” she told the young girl behind the counter.
The girl poured a medium cup of coffee and laid it on the counter.
Angie paid the girl and walked over to a table.
She sat down and sipped her coffee. She removed her cell phone from her purse and looked at it. She knew this would be another hard call to make. But it had to be made. She punched in a phone number.
“Don’t tell me you need to go somewhere else?” Lane asked with a tone that he knew what the answer would be.
“Austin is headed to Denver. I really believe she’s traveling with this guy named Tony Rodman and he’s using Rose to have these guys unknowingly rob banks for them,” she told him over her cell phone.
“Why?” Lane asked.
“I believe its revenge on these kids. They got him arrested back in college for pot over ten years ago. Then one of them here in Chicago saw this Rodman guy, and his brother robbed a bank a few years back. He helped convict them,” she said.
“Sounds plausible,” Lane replied from her cell phone.
Then there were a few minutes of silence. Angie feared he would order her back to Orlando. She waited for his response.
“I’ll make a call to the Denver police and let them know you’re on your way,” Lane said.
“Thank you as I already bought my ticket to Denver,” Angie said.
“I figured you did. I’ll call you back with the contact information. Have a safe trip,” he replied.
Angie’s eyes widened. She forgot something back at the Chicago police station. “Wait. I need something else,” she quickly said to Lane.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Tony Rodman drives an old Pontiac GTO. Get the tag number. He lives in Chicago. You can call that Detective Benson at five, five, five, eight, nine, three, six,” she said.
“I’ll have someone on it right away,” he replied.
“Text message me the information,” she said.
“You got it,” Lane replied. Angie disconnected the call. She stared at the cell. She made another call.
“Hey honey,” she said into her cell phone.
“Are you coming home?” Wayne asked from her cell phone.
She hesitated for a few seconds. Sipped her coffee then got brave. “I have to go to Denver,” she said and cringed he would blow up.
A few seconds of silence from her cell phone. “Lela is probably going to cry herself to sleep tonight as she’s missing you something terrible,” Wayne said and hoped it would give her a huge guilt trip. It worked.
“I know, and I feel terrible, but I have this hunch that’s burning in my stomach that the kid that robbed the Sun Trust bank is really innocent,” she told him.
“So why do you have to go to Denver?” he asked.
“I believe the people that set him up in Orlando are on their way to set up a friend of his in Denver. And this kid from Orlando is on his way to Denver to prevent this from happening,” she replied.
“Okay, but hurry home,” Wayne said and knew how when she was on a case, she would never give up.
“I will, and I’ll call you tonight,” she said then disconnected her call.
She sipped her coffee and watched the people while they walked down the terminal.
Angie removed her note pad and opened it up.
She reviewed all her notes from her interviews with Wally, Ricky, and Sidney. She turned back to the first page and looked at Joey’s cell phone number.
She sipped her coffee while she stared at his number.
She debated in her mind if she should do it. She wrote a text message on her cell phone. She didn’t send it yet.
It was late in the afternoon.
A rest stop was just off Interstate I-70. It consisted of men’s and ladies restrooms under a carport type of arrangement with snacks and soda vending machines.
In the men’s room, Joey sat on the toilet.
He pondered his life and wondered if he would end up in jail. But he was having a ball with Kathy, and she appeared to take a liking to him. And he didn’t believe she was tricking him.
His iPhone buzzed. He jumped startled and almost fell off the toilet. He removed it off his belt and looked at it.
His eyes widened in fear. He didn’t know what to do.
He looked scared as he read the message.
“Joey Austin. This is Orange County detective Angie Williams. Please call me. I believe I can help you. Running won’t solve anything. Call me at five, five, five, five, eight, seven, two,” Angie text messaged Joey.
Joey turned off his iPhone and was scared to death, and he quickly placed his iPhone back on his belt. He finished his business and pulled up his underwear and pants.
He looked at the latch to the stall door. He looked frightened. Were there cops out there? He thought as he hesitated on opening the door.
He opened the stall door slowly and peeked out the small opening with one eyeball. Coast was clear so far.
He opened the door a little more and peeked out. Coast was clear so far.
He got brave and stepped out of the stall. No cops.
He walked to the men’s room door.
He reached for the handle when the door flew open because a man rushed inside. It scared the crap out of Joey, and he almost pissed his pants. He looked relieved to know that guy wasn’t a cop.
Joey rushed out of the men’s room.
Joey walked out of the rest stop and felt better when he didn’t see any Kansas State Police cars anywhere in the rest stop grounds. He thought about Angie’s text message. He paced around the rest stop. Should I call her? He thought while he walked. He grabbed his iPhone off his belt and turned it back on. He opened up Angie’s text message and read over it a couple of times while he paced.
He paced to the entrance of the rest stop roof overhang.
He saw Kathy as she walked to their parked Harleys at the far end of the rest stop parking lot. He looked at his iPhone. He rushed through the rest stop to the backside of it.
He called Angie’s phone number. He paced nervously as he waited for her to answer.
“Mister Austin. I’m glad you called,” Angie answered his call.
Joey paced and was at a loss of words. “Joey, are you there?” Angie asked.
“I’m here,” Joey said with a nervous tone.
“Why did you run?” she asked.
“I’m scared of going to jail,” he replied.
“I can understand that,” Angie replied.
“I didn’t rob that bank. I mean, I didn’t know I was giving the teller a robbery note,” Joey said and sounded dead serious.
There was a moment of silence, which made Joey nervous. “I talked with Wally, Ricky, and Sidney. I know about Rose Cain,” Angie told him.
“Rose Cain? Who is Rose Cain?” Joey asked.
“She’s the girl with the rose tattoo on her left hand. She used a fake name with you,” Angie told him. Joey smacked his head with his other hand for being so stupid.
“Plus, she’s traveling with a Tony and Frankie Rodman,” she said.
“Tony Rodman? Who is Tony Rodman?” Joey questioned.
“Remember the janitor back at UIC? The one you got arrested for pot?” she asked and hoped that would jog his memory.
Joey thought for a second, then he remembered. “Crap!” he cried out, and it echoed under rest stop. People at the vending machines looked at Joey for a second to see what was the matter.
Joey paced. “Why him?” he asked Angie. “According to Sidney, he apparently witnessed Tony and his brother, Frankie, rob a bank six years ago. He was the witness that put them behind bars. Tony vowed revenge, and I believe he’s doing it now,” Angie told him.
Even though it was terrible news, Joey felt relieved he finally understood why he and his friends were being used.
“I’m on my way to Denver to videotape this girl in the act. I figure that’s the only way I’m going to clear my name,” Joey told her.
“I’m here in Chicago and will be catching a flight to Denver in forty minutes. I’ll be there tonight,” she told him.
“We should be in Denver in the morning,” Joey told her.
“Good. Call me when you get there, and I’ll have the Denver police help catch her in the act. Now, don’t call Lenny, as I don’t want him to slip up and get too nervous. We need Rose to think she’s in the clear. Understand?” Angie said.
Joey cringed as he realized he screwed up by calling Lenny but didn’t have the balls to tell her.
“I won’t,” he replied.
“Now, don’t forget to call me the second you get to Denver,” she said then disconnected her call.
Joey paced and wondered what should he do.
He got it! He made another call.
“Hey, Joey. Are you here in Denver yet?” Lenny answered.
“Should be there tomorrow,” Joey replied. He hesitated for a second. “Listen, I was joking about that girl asking for a ride then set you up to rob it,” Joey said and followed with a fake laugh.
“I knew it! You were always the prankster bank in UIC,” Lenny chucked. “So, why the trip to Denver?” he asked Joey.
Joey paced. “I just need some vacation time as I’m getting burned out at work making video games. Designing video games is wearing me down. So I thought of seeing Denver. You know, the mountains since Florida is so flat,” Joey lied.
“Love to have you. I have an extra bedroom so you can stay here with me,” Lenny offered.
“Sounds good. I’ll call when I arrive tomorrow morning,” Joey said.
“See you then,” Lenny replied, then disconnected his call.
Joey turned off his iPhone and walked to the front end of the rest stop.
Just as Joey walked out of the rest stop and turned left – Kathy was there.
“Joey,” she called out, and it startled Joey, and he jumped. “Sorry to scare you,” she chuckled. “I was about to come into the men’s room and throw you a rope,” she chuckled again.
“Sorry. Not use to long rides on motorcycles,” Joey commented.
“No problem. Let’s hit the road. I want to at least get into Colorado by nightfall,” she said.
They walked down the sidewalk and headed to the far end of the parking lot where their Harley’s were parked.