Tuesday, November 5, 2013

31(S3E9)-The Back Stab


31

(Season 3, Episode 9)

The Back Stab

The doctor read from his clipboard with clinical precision, telling Tobias everything that had happened to him in the last forty-eight hours.  Tobias should have been listening but he wasn’t.  He was staring at the side of his wife’s head while she listened and held his hand.

He had been in and out of consciousness since he had first come out of the coma and his thoughts had been more than a little scrambled but one remained constant.

Why was she still here?

This was the third time he had broken his promise to her; his promise to stop helping Sidney with the crimes she couldn’t seem to stop committing.  She should have walked away, she should have left Tobias to die, but instead she was sitting here holding his hand, listening to every word the doctor said about her useless husband who had gotten himself shot nearly to death on their wedding night.

Linda realized suddenly that Tobias was staring at her and she turned.  “You need to listen to this. It’s important.”

Tobias nodded and turned back to the doctor.  “I’m sorry, doc.  I’m just a little scrambled.”

The doctor nodded.  “Of course, Mr. Snyder.  It’s understandable.  You are lucky to be alive.”

Tobias couldn’t help but gaze back to Linda, then back at the doctor.  “Yeah, I think I am.”

“As I was saying, you will be staying here for a little while.  The bullets hit your spine and there has been some nerve damage.”  The doctor continued.  “As it stands, you will probably never gain full use of your right leg, but we will get you moving again.  I know this isn’t the kind of news most want to hear but-”

“Thank God.” Tobias’ comment of relief interrupted and confused the doctor.  Both Linda and the doctor stared at him and he regretted saying that out loud.

It didn’t change the fact that he was relieved.  There was a dark part of Tobias that could never quite walk away from the crime.  He could blame it on Sidney all he wanted but at the end of the day, he knew he had choose to do these things.  Some part that kept him coming back.

Now it was out of his hands.

Without full mobility of the legs, there was no possible way that he could be a thief.  It was finally over. It was as if the dark part of his soul had taken the bullets in order to let the good half live.  The part that wanted him to be a family man and a chef, got to live.

“I’ll give you guys some time.”  The doctor said and walked out.

Linda thanked him then turned back to Tobias.  They both sat in silence and Tobias could feel the weight of his sin now.  He never wanted to say something so cliché but he felt himself about to begin apologizing and swearing, again, to never again be a thief.

 Linda stopped him before he got started.  “Don’t.”

Tobias stopped talking and stared, waiting for her to finally give up on him and walk away.  It was what he deserved.

She didn’t.  Instead she spoke.  “You have made that promise to many times, don’t make it again.  I’m sick of hearing the words.  Instead of telling me, show me.”

Tobias couldn’t help his actions and he began to cry.  “I’m so sorry, you deserve better.”

“I know.”  She said and lightly touched his cheek.  “It’s up to you to give me better.”

He held her hand so tight, he planned to never let go.

****

Regardless of Sidney’s second sleepless night, she felt good.  She had spent the night working, putting one of the most complicated cons together and she was happy with it.  Since Tobias had been shot she felt lost and alone but for the first time she began to feel like she was just fine without Tobias. Her brain even began to take it one step higher.  With Tobias’ negative attitude, and his constant insufferable reluctance, he had possibly held her back.  Maybe, just maybe, she was capable of so much more.

“This is a good spot.” Lana said, pulling the car into a Wal-Mart parking lot.

It was a little under a mile to the bank but Wal-Marts made the best places to park for a robbery.  They were open twenty four hours and were huge inside so it was hard for a patrolling police officer to be concerned about a car in the lot.

Too many good heists had been spoiled because of a simple thing like parking.  There was nothing that would set a policeman’s radar off faster than a lone car in a parking lot of a closed building. In any kind of heist, the escape was the most important part.

Sidney had no intention of escaping, however.

They parked and hoofed it to the bank, staying away from the road and sidewalks which made the trip twice as long.  They reached the bank which sat eerily in the absolute darkness.  Lana stopped and they watched the building for a good couple of minutes, making sure there were no surprises.

“Okay,” Lana began.  “I use the key on the front door and open it, and you go in after me and get the security code on the inside.  Then we have all night.”

Sidney nodded.  “That is the plan.”

“Okay, let’s do this.”  Lana said and they went to work.

Sidney had to calm her nerves she had never been on this side of the job.  It had always been Tobias.  She couldn’t help her excitement.  They moved quickly across the parking lot, hitting the first door in less than three seconds.  Lana flawlessly slid the key into the door unlocking the deadbolt and swinging the door open.  Sidney passed through the door.

She moved to the alarm panel and punched in the code.  That was that.

They were in.  Lana strolled in with a smile on her face.  “And just like that, we’re going to rob a bank.”

Sidney gave her a hard look.  “Let’s just get this done.”

“Awe, we should savor this.”  Lana purred, leaning on the main counter.  “Want to pop your lesbian cherry on a bank counter?”

Sidney frowned at her.  “The vault.  Let’s go.”

Lana frowned.  “Fine, you are such a party pooper.”

Lana strolled over and they keyed the bank Vault before spinning the giant locking mechanism and pulled the big metal door open.

“Huh, this door is a lot lighter than I thought it would be.” Lana said as it opened.

“Its box thirteen.”  Sidney said walking in ignoring her.

She found the box and opened it, a smile creasing her face as she pulled the necklace out.

Then she heard the click of the hammer.  “You should have taken the fuck.  You could have at least had a little fun before prison.”

Sidney stared down the barrel of Lana’s .45.  “Wow, a gun to the head?  That’s so uncreative.”

“I prefer to think of it as simple and elegant.” Lana said, her smile unwavering.  “Fenton made a better offer.”

“Spare me.”  Sidney scoffed and tossed the necklace to Lana.  “This is why you will never get the good jobs.”

Lana laughed.  “That’s funny, I’m going to make a load on this thing and then I’m going to set up shop in a new town and you are going to be doing 25 years.”

She stepped back and put her hand on the door and pushed it closed.  “Adios Sidney.”

The bank door locked as it shut with Sidney inside.

****

Fenton stared out over the night sky from his top floor room, sipping scotch.  The cliché did not escape Fenton but it didn’t bother him either.  His phone rang and he eyed the number and smiled.

“Do you have it?” He asked.

“Easy peesy,” Lana replied, happily.

“And Sidney?”  He asked.

“I left her locked in the vault waiting for the police in the morning.”  She said.  He could hear her smiling.

“Wonderful, come straight to my hotel.  I’ll text you the address.”  He hung up without giving her a chance to reply.

He quickly thumbed another number.  Two rings and a deep voice with a Russian accent answered. “Hello.”

“I have it.  The deal is back on.  Do you still have the money?”  Fenton asked.

“Of course.”  The voice said.  “Where are you?”

Fenton gave him the hotel’s address and the man spoke one final time.  “We will have someone there in six hours.”

The man hung up.  Fenton finished his scotch and smiled.

It was going to be a good day.

End Episode 31


 

 

 Hy

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