Chapter 22
Twenty minutes passed, and there were eight smashed Budweiser cans on the ground. Jesse and Frankie were drunk and high as they smoked some more joints. They did not pay attention to the cars as they felt everybody were asleep.
In the Corolla, Lenny leaned over and opened up his glove box. He removed a device designed to punch out a car window in an accident that also had a sharp blade to cut the seatbelt.
He used the device and sliced Joey's duct tape.
Joey ripped his duct tape off his ankles.
Joey grabbed the device and sliced Lenny's duct tape.
Lenny ripped the duct tape off his ankles.
They turned around and saw that Rose slept. But she was faking it as she could care less if they escaped.
They looked out the rear window and saw that Jesse and Frankie sat on the ground and leaned against some trees. Obviously drunk and stoned.
They both quietly opened their doors, and Joey had that device in his hand.
The quietly stepped out of the Corolla and ever so quietly closed the door and made sure the latch was quiet.
They tiptoed over to Jesse's GTO and Jesse and Frankie didn't see them.
They quietly crouched down and quietly opened Jesse's driver's door as it was out of view of him.
Joey pushed the driver's seat forward.
Kathy woke up and saw Joey. She smiled.
Joey mouthed and motioned that they were going to escape. She nodded that she was in agreement.
Joey leaned inside the back seat and sliced the duct tape from Kathy's ankles with that device.
She sat up, and he sliced the duct tape from her wrists.
She quietly got out of the GTO.
Joey quietly closed the door and did a half-ass job of latching it.
They crouched down and walked to the woods.
They got to the woods, and the coast appeared clear.
They ran in the direction Lenny thought the Interstate was located.
Jesse stood up and walked over to a nearby tree.
He unzipped his pants and emptied some beer on the ground. He looked back, and something didn't seem right. He thought he saw some people in the woods. He continued to pee out a six-pack.
"Frankie, I thought I saw someone over there in the woods. Check it out," Jesse ordered him.
Frankie got up and rushed over towards the GTO.
He ran past the GTO and headed to the woods.
He stopped and couldn't see anybody, so he turned around and walked back towards the GTO.
He got to the car and saw that the driver's door wasn't closed all the way. He got concerned and peeked inside. The GTO was empty. No Kathy.
He panicked and ran over to the Corolla.
He peeked inside and only saw Rose as she slept on the back seat. He panicked.
"Jesse, they escaped!" he yelled.
From the woods, Jesse quickly zipped up his pants and came ever so close to zipping up his penis in his zipper.
He ran over to the Corolla.
He peeked inside and only saw Rose in the back seat. He got furious, opened the back door, and grabbed Rose by her shoes.
He dragged her out of the Corolla, and she slammed on the ground.
She looked up at him startled. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you want to harm our baby," she cried out.
"You let those assholes escape," he yelled at her.
She got up and pretended to be concerned.
She looked inside the Corolla then looked at Jesse.
"Sorry baby, I was asleep," she lied through her teeth.
Jesse whipped out his revolver from his pants.
Frankie did the same.
Jesse thought for a second then his eyes widened. "The interstate," he said then pointed in the direction Joey, Lenny and Kathy ran.
Rose sat back down in the Corolla. She looked worried as she started to feel she made a huge mistake hooking up with Jesse. Her eyes welled up.
Jesse and Frankie ran off into the woods with their revolvers in hand.
Joey, Kathy, Lenny, and Joey ran in the woods. They felt like they were going to make it.
"Thank you, Joey," Kathy said while they ran.
"Are you still mad at me for calling the detective," he asked, worried about the response.
"Yes," she said.
Joey looked worried as they ran through the woods, as he thought he blew his chance to be with Kathy.
Jesse and Frankie searched the woods while they ran.
Joey, Lenny, and Kathy ran through the woods.
Lenny was out of breath. He wheezed and coughed.
He stopped and bent over. He had a coughing fit.
Joey and Kathy stopped and ran back to him.
"You okay?" Kathy asked, concerned.
"My Asthma and I'm a lousy runner," Lenny strained to answer.
Jesse was sixty feet away and saw them. He fired his revolver.
A bullet zinged at them and grazed Joey's arm. He grabbed his arm in extreme pain and dropped to the ground.
"I'm shot," he squirmed on the ground in pain.
Kathy and Lenny looked worried and dropped to his side.
Kathy looked at his arm where he was shot. She laughed. "The bullet only grazed you. It's a minor wound," she told him as she looked at the small tear in his shirt where a little blood oozed out.
"What? But it hurts?" Joey said in pain.
"You baby," she chuckled.
"Don't you move," Jesse said as he stood few feet away with Frankie.
Joey, Lenny, and Kathy saw Jesse and Frankie with their revolvers aimed at them.
"Let's go," Jesse said and rushed over and grabbed a hand full of Kathy's hair and yanked her feet. She cried out in pain.
Joey jumped up and looked like he wanted to jump on Jesse.
That's what Frankie suspected as he pressed the barrel of his revolver into the back of Joey's head.
"Don't you even think about it," Frankie threatened.
"Let's go," Jesse ordered.
Jesse and Frankie marched them all back to the cars where Rose leaned against the Corolla.
Jesse threw Kathy on the ground.
He stormed over to Rose and slapped her across her face. "What the fuck is wrong with you? How could you be so stupid to let them escape," he yelled.
Joey, Kathy, and Lenny felt sorry for Rose for the first time during their kidnapping and forced crime.
Rose's eyes welled up as she couldn't believe Jesse slapped her. He had never done that in the past, and she now saw the type of man she would marry. She started to have regrets again.
Jesse looked around, concerned.
"We'll have to get out of here. That gunfire might attract unwanted visitors," he said. "Frankie, you drive my GTO with the biker bitch in the back and Rose in the passenger seat. I'll ride with these two shit heads," Jesse said.
"Sure thing, Jesse," Frankie replied.
Frankie motioned with his revolver for Kathy to head over to the GTO. She did.
Rose followed afraid if she didn't, Jesse would slap her again.
"Stay here. If you move, I'll put a bullet into Kathy's head," Jesse threatened Lenny and Joey.
He walked over to the trunk of his GTO.
Lenny and Joey stayed at the Corolla, scared to move an inch.
Frankie walked Kathy to the driver's door.
Jesse unlocked the trunk and removed some duct tape.
He walked back over to Kathy.
He bounded her ankles with the duct tape.
He opened his driver's door, pushed his seat forward. He reached over and grabbed Kathy by her arm. He threw her in the back seat.
"Let's get out of here," Jesse said.
Rose got in the passenger seat of the GTO, and Frankie got behind the wheel. He started up the GTO and waited.
Jesse walked over to the Corolla. "Let's move out," he said.
"Mister Jesse, I'm exhausted. I don't know if I can drive. I might fall asleep," Lenny said.
Jesse could see it in his eyes that he was sleepy. He thought for a second, then he reached in his pants pocket and pulled out the bag of uppers. He pulled out an upper.
He handed it to Lenny. "Take this, it'll keep you up," he said.
Lenny stepped back nervous. "I don't do drugs," he said with a firm conviction.
Jesse walked up to Lenny with the upper in hand.
Lenny stepped back.
Jesse grabbed Lenny's chin and tried to open it.
Lenny resisted.
Jesse used force to open Lenny's mouth.
Lenny tried to resist, but Jesse was stronger. Jesse shoved the pill in Lenny's mouth.
You better swallow it," Jesse threatened with his eyes then tilted Lenny's head back. He swallowed and looked scared.
Lenny looked worried at Joey.
"Get the fuck in the car," Jesse ordered.
Lenny got behind the wheel while Joey got in the passenger seat.
Jesse got in the back seat.
Lenny started up the Corolla.
Frankie drove off in the GTO.
Lenny's Corolla followed.
Then Frankie stopped the GTO.
Lenny's Corolla stopped.
Frankie got out of the GTO and rushed over to the Corolla and walked to Jesse's door.
Jesse rolled down his window, and Frankie stuck his head inside.
"What now?" Jesse asked, concerned.
"I started thinking, and do we know for sure that this next kid will be in Phoenix? You forgot to check," Frankie said.
Jesse's eyes widened when he remembered. "Shit. Forgot with all this crap is going down," Jesse said. Jesse removed Joey's iPhone from his pocket. He leaned forward to Joey.
"Call Sammy and make sure he's there and that you'll be there to see him in a day," Jesse ordered.
Joey took his iPhone and looked up Sammy's phone number.
Joey called Sammy's phone number.
Jesse pressed the barrel of his revolver against Joey's head for insurance.
"Hello," Sammy Goddard answered groggily as Joey woke him up.
"Hey Sammy, it's me, Joey Austin," he replied.
A few seconds of silence. "Joey! Why are you calling me so late? Is something wrong?" Sammy asked concerned.
"Sorry about that but Lenny and I are on our way to Phoenix to visit you. We wanted to make sure you'll be there," Joey said.
"Lenny Roth? Wow! I haven't seen you guys since we left UIC. Why the sudden visit?" he asked.
Joey thought for a second on how to bullshit him. "We thought a surprise visit would be fun," Joey said.
"But I know you're on your way. A surprise would be you showing up at my door and me not knowing," Sammy replied.
Joey cringed he screwed things up, and Jesse would be pissed. "Surprise!" Joey yelled out.
"Okay, buddy. When where you get here?" he asked.
"Sometime late tomorrow," Joey said.
"Well, I have plenty of room. But here's another surprise. I'm here in Los Angeles for some vacation. You know, seeing the movie studios and Malibu beach. I won't be home for two days. Can you wait in Phoenix for an extra day? I don't want to miss you guys. I'll call as soon at I fly into LAX and then you can meet me at my house," Sammy said, all excited.
Joey put a finger over the iPhone microphone. "He's in Los Angeles for vacation and won't be home for two days. He wants us to wait," Joey told Jesse.
Jesse grabbed Joey's ear and pulled hard. "Are you fucking lying?" he asked.
"It's the truth, I swear," Joey cried out in pain.
"Okay. We'll wait in Phoenix for him," Jesse said.
"We stay in Phoenix for a couple of extra days," Joey said.
"Great. See you in two days. I can't wait," Sammy said.
"Later Sammy," Joey said then disconnected the call. Jesse reached over and snatched his iPhone away.
"Good job, Joey. I'm beginning to think you'll make a good outlaw," Jesse said then patted his shoulder.
"Move out," Jesse told Frankie.
Frankie ran back over to the GTO.
He got inside and drove off.
Lenny's Corolla followed.
Meanwhile, at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International airport, Angie grabbed her suitcase off the baggage claim carousel.
She walked to the only rental car booth that was open with one customer.
She looked exhausted while waited for the clerk to finish with a customer.
Twenty-five minutes later, Angie drove her rental car down the quiet night streets of Phoenix. She was headed to her hotel and was going to get some sleep. The hell with Joey! She thought as she only wanted some rest and wasn't in a hurry to track him down or their next victim – Sammy.
Jesse's GTO and Lenny's Corolla drove south down Interstate I-25.
Inside his Corolla, Lenny looked wired, as the upper Jesse forced him to take had kicked in.
Joey slept.
Jesse kept a watchful eye on Joey.
Over in Los Angeles, Sammy stood in his hotel room in his tighty whiteys and tee shirt. He was chubbier and still wore thick glasses. But they're designer style glasses and had his hair longer and combed all the way back. He thought it made him more dashing. He reminisced about the good old college days and was excited about seeing two of his buddies again. It's been ten years, and they have a lot of catching up to do.
Sammy walked over to his bed and got under the sheets.
He stared at the ceiling, as he was too excited to fall asleep.
Over in a hotel in Phoenix, Angie brushed her teeth in the hotel bathroom.
She walked out and turned off the lights.
She walked over to the bed and pulled the covers down. She fluffed up two pillows and got in bed.
She snuggled under the covers and fell fast asleep.
In the Chicago jail, Sidney lay in his cell, bunk awake. He worried he would spend most of his life in prison.
In the Columbus jail, Wally slept but tossed and turned as he had a nightmare of bully inmates beating him up.
In the Little Rock jail, Ricky wept in his cell bed while he figured his life was ruined for good.
It was ten the next morning.
Jesse's GTO and Lenny's Corolla were fifty miles west of Albuquerque, New Mexico on Interstate I-40. They drove five miles over the speed limit, and they never caught the attention of the New Mexico State Police while they monitored the Interstate for speeders.
Inside the Corolla, Lenny was still wired up from the upper.
Joey watched out the window as the New Mexico countryside drove by.
In the backseat, Jesse smoked on another joint. Lenny and Joey looked scared, as they didn't want to inhale that nasty stuff.
Jesse leaned forward and blew pot smoke at Lenny and Joey. He sat back and chuckled.
"Don't worry guys. After Phoenix, you'll be rid of me forever. Just one more bank job and I'll be happy, and we'll be even," he said with a smirk.
In the GTO, Frankie drove, and Rose stared out the window. He had the radar detector on, and the highway was free and clear. She had doubts on marrying Jesse but was scared to back out.
In the back seat, Kathy lay on her side on the seat with her hands and ankles bounded by duct tape.
In Phoenix, Arizona…
Angie sat in her car at the hotel parking lot. She looked at a text message on her cell phone.
"Detective Jack Greer will assist you. He's at the station on West Encanto Boulevard located on the west side of Phoenix. His number is five, five, five, twenty-nine, seventy-five. Good luck. Tibbets," the message stated.
Angie turned on the GPS she rented with the car.
She typed in the address for that police station.
She grabbed her cell phone and called his phone number.
"Detective Greer," he said as he answered her call.
"Yes. I'm Detective Angie Williams from Orlando, Florida. I believe a friend, Detective Tibbets from Denver called you about me?" she asked.
"Ah yes, Jack called me last night. Are you in town?" he asked.
"I'm at my hotel and was wondering if I could drop by your office?" she asked.
"Come on over," he replied.
"Thanks. I'll be there shortly," Angie said, then disconnected the call.
Angie drove off.
Angie followed the directions from the GPS, and it snaked her through the Phoenix streets to West Encanto Boulevard and finally to the James' police station.
She pulled her rental car into the parking lot of the station and parked her car.
She got out and walked to the building.
Fifteen minutes later, Angie sat with Detective Greer at his desk. They both sipped on coffee while they talked.
"And I really believe they're heading here to rob another bank," she told Greer.
"By using this Sammy Goddard kid?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied. "They used four other kids so far across the country," she added.
"Why?" he asked curiously.
"Tony Rodman had revenge as his motive. They boys turned him in during college for pot and stealing CD players. This Rodman guy was a janitor. Then years later, one of the kids witnessed Rodman and his brother rob a bank. The girl is some hooker Rodman brought into their plan," she said.
"That's interesting. Want me to put out an APB on the two. Try to catch them as soon as they arrive in town?" he asked.
"No. I want to catch them in the act."
He sipped his coffee. "We're having some budget issues, like everybody else. So we can't spare any officers for a stakeout," he told her.
"I understand. I'll stake out Goddard's place. If I think they're on the move to rob the bank, can I call you?" she asked.
"That sounds feasible," he replied and handed her his business card.
"Great," she said, then put his card in her purse.
She stood up, and Greer stood up. They shook hands.
"Call me if you need anything," he said.
She smiled, then walked away.
Greer sat back down at his desk and reviewed a case file while she left.