Chapter 1 and 2 of my short story

[Keaton Duwelius]

Chapter 1

 

I was finally able to hang up the phone on Vincent Ronelly, my fence, when I told him I would meet him in an hour for coffee. He is a very chatty guy that will not, under any circumstances, let the conversation die. I didn't blame him this time though, because he was talking about something very important. When he first called that morning, I was still sound asleep, because I have a stay at home job as an artist. I had to get out of bed and pick up the phone which was all the way across my small apartment, which I actually like because I live alone and it’s very cozy, unlike a full house which would be much more expensive and a whole lot more empty feeling. I was still very groggy and irritable when I picked up the phone and I let out a long sigh when I realized it was Vince. My frown was turned upside down when he explained that my next job was to steal a diamond crusted locket from a girl for her own ex-husband. When I said I was an artist, I lied, it's just a cover up job. I'm really a career thief. I, Truman Spike, steal things for my fence, who then sells them to his clients. Obviously being an artist wouldn't afford me a nice apartment in northern L.A. When I got off the phone with Vince, I walked into my room and dawned my black tuxedo. I had yet to put on my black shoes when I went into my little kitchen to fix myself a nice big bowl of frosted flakes. I dragged myself back into the living room with my bowl and flipped through the channels until I got to the news. Honestly, the news has never been so boring. The first story I saw was seriously about a cat in a tree, after that, I watched an article about two kids who were making some sort of laser for the science fair. It looks to me a lot like there isn't very much going on in L.A. Once I was through being bored, I followed my daily routine. Brush teeth, comb hair, put on deodorant, then headed for my door. I only engaged three of my four locks when I left, which even a thief as good as me would have to invest some time to get through. I skipped down the stairs and out the door of my apartment building and started to stroll down the street in the direction of the coffee shop. It was a nice day, but even so, all of the buildings that surrounded me made the sidewalk shady almost one hundred percent of the time. Some of the towers had gook and grime all over them, yet others were shining like gold. Vince had beaten me to the coffee shop and had already ordered two espressos. He was sitting at a two person table by the window that looked out on a fine little neighborhood. It was not a surprise to me that he started talking before I even got a chance to speak. "So you know what to do?"

"Yeah. I just need an address." I said right before bringing my steaming hot coffee to my lips and taking a sip. It tasted great and it woke me up, getting me in a less fowl morning mod. "Here it is. She is leaving tonight for a movie date with her boyfriend. You will have from about 6:30 to 9:00. You should still try to get in and out as quick as possible."

"Are there any other obstacles Vince? Dogs, alarms, cameras?"

"Her ex said that they hadn't installed an surveillance or alarm system anywhere in the house and that this girl is allergic to dog fur, so you should be all set." I didn't want to stick around for too long or else I might get sucked into a conversation because, knowing Vince, if I was there for ten minutes, I would be trapped for an hour. I started to strut out the door when Vince yelled "Make sure you don't miss that TV show tonight, it'll really be a good episode!" I found it so annoying whenever he does that because it's just not always needed. It's good for crowded places when you never know who might be listening, you can just yell something completely random and people will think that they were just HEARING things about crazy heists and thieves and stolen property. But when it's in a coffee shop with only one couple at the other side of the place, I just find it unnecessary. But I got over it and started making my way home.

 

It was almost time for me start going over to the girl’s house when it occurred to me that I didn't even know the lady’s name. I didn't think much of it because I dismissed the thought and continued walking the on my mile journey to the now empty house I was about to break into. On most nights, it's dark. But not tonight. It was absolutely pitch black when I was walking down the sidewalk, the only light coming from the very dim street lamps. I was feeling a little bit uncomfortable until I looked up at the stars and saw that the sky was completely clear. It was a very pretty thing to look at but I guess that would be an understatement. They were so bright that night, and the sky was so clear, I could even point out the only constellation I knew (The little dipper). I could only imagine how much of an idiot I looked like when I was staring up at the sky in the middle of the road that I had not even been aware I walked onto. I only looked down when I heard the car horn right next to my ear. It practically gave me a heart attack. I was so embraced that I wanted to smack myself for being such an idiot as to hold up traffic and almost get hit by a vw bug. I jogged the rest of the way to my destination which was only a few blocks away when I finally saw the house I was looking for. I looked twice to see if anybody was near and that probably saved me a whole lot of explaining to the police because when I turned my head to look behind me, a car was backing out of the house right next to the girls I was supposed to rob. So I casually kept walking a few houses down and then pretended like I forgot something and went the other direction. When I got back to the right house, I dove into the small backyard that was only the home of crabgrass and dirt. The back porches steps were a bit of a challenge because there was no light in the area. but once I pulled out my keychain light, I cleared the steps in a breeze. Now, I was on to the lock on the back door. It wasn't a very complicated lock, but it was made out of heavy metal, so I had a hard time keeping the tumblers up. It took me a bit longer than normal to pick the lock but I had all the time in the world. I slid the door open and silently began to make my way inside when I heard a "Meow" that practically made me barf out my eyeballs. "Holy crap!" I whispered, only I was screaming like a banshee in my head. When I realized it was just a cat, I calmed down a little bit. It wasn't like if it were to be a dog because if it barked, then the whole neighborhoods dogs would start barking. I let out a sigh and made my way up stairs. I took a left into what seemed like a bedroom, although I couldn't tell because of the light. I once again removed my keychain light and started searching for a jewelry box. When I didn't have any luck, I moved onto the room right across the hall. I stumbled over a pile of clothes and took a face plant on the carpet floor I shined my pen light under the bed just to be thorough while I was on the floor and I'm glad I did because it saved me probably fifteen minutes of searching. I saw immediately that there was a glisten and a reflection when the box got hit by the light so I crawled my way under the bed and clasped the box. I started lugging the heavy wooden chest out and opened it up to find it absolutely full of rare valuables but the one I was after was right in the middle. Like it was the king of them all. I swiped it, but nothing else. I wanted her to think she lost it. If all of the jewelry was gone, she would most definitely call the police. The police were the first people I thought about when I heard a knock on the front door of the house I was in.

Chapter Two

You would think that a good thief such as I would know exactly what to do in this situation. You of course, would be wrong. I had absolutely no Idea what to do. I was just frozen in my tracks with the locket half inside my tuxedo's shirt pocket and half in the grasp of my shaking fingers. It wasn't until about ten seconds later until I worked everything out in my head. I had to get out of that house and quick. There was a large chance that it wasn't the police who were knocking on the door, and I’m a huge fan of gambling, but not like this. I wasn't about to bet ten years in jail on the odds that it was just one of her friends. I turned my head to the door that led into the sea of darkness that consumed the entire house, almost tripping on the same pile of clothes. I made more noise than I would have preferred while trying to regain my balance, but I had to keep going and keep my head up. I couldn't afford to curse myself for the small racket. I removed my keychain light once again and bit down on it so that I could have both of my hands free. My black water shoes that I always wear on my jobs fell absolutely silently onto the carpet of the stairs. I refrained from diving to the back door because of the noise it would make, although I was still tempted to. I just ran to the back exit, making sure to roll step like the bands do in the parade. I slowly opened the metallic door when I felt the nice cool breeze on my face. I was actually surprised at how silently the door opened. I took the keychain light that was now wet with saliva out of my mouth and turned it off. I didn't want to be seen and I had a hunch that having a light on me would give me away. I sprinted as fast as I could while the slight wind and rattling leaves muffled my thumps on the dry cracked dirt in the backyard. I leaped over the fence, into the backyard of the people who lived right behind the girl I was robbing. I fell behind the bushes onto some pleasant grass, but unfortunately, I knew I was leaving that bush with a shallow cut right across my cheek. I didn't have time to evaluate the deepness of the cut because I had to get moving. I made my way out of the bush and turned around the corner of the fence into the neighbor of the girl who had the pleasure of my little surprise visit. I couldn't resist seeing for sure who was at the door so I began to sneak around to the edge of the fence to find out. I took cover at the very edge of rough wooden fence and took a quick peek around to see only one man at the doorstep. From what I had gathered, He was in a casual outfit, and he had roses behind his back. I hadn't known for sure who he might be until I heard him yell "Hey, it's time for our date, you in there?" He was the date I had been informed of. But why wasn't the girl there to meet him? When I had entered the girls house, I thought she was gone because of her movie. But if the date was here, then where was the girl? I waited until the man left before I made my way home with the necklace. I had made it in and out of the house in five minutes and had the Item of interest in my coat pocket. On the way back to my apartment, I made up crazy fantasies of where the missing girl could possibly be. I thought it was possible that she left, thinking that she would meet her date at the theatre, or maybe she forgot all about it and ran her errands. I had no idea which kind of put me in a bad mood, but at least I had something to think about. I pondered on the strange mystery all the way home. And although it was only 7:00, I was completely wiped out. So I put the necklace in my safe, ate a microwaveable meal and plopped myself straight into bed. I fell asleep almost immediately. If somebody asked me how long I had been asleep, I would have said not a second more than thirty minutes, but when I woke up and checked my bedside clock and I saw that it was almost 9:00. I was supposed to meet Vince with the locket at 10:00. I followed the daily morning routine same as last time only I put on a casual sweat shirt and jeans. When sat down on my couch with my breakfast and flipped to the news channel, I hoped that today’s news would be more exciting than yesterdays. Now, I wish I hadn't wished for what I did, because it was unmistakably more exciting. The image shown on the screen hadn't been at all what I expected. There was a murder right near the shopping mall downtown. This only shook me up more than normal because of the driver’s license picture that displayed the person who had been killed. Around the girls neck was the diamond crusted locket that I currently had in my possession.