Footsteps shuffled down the hallway. Who was out there? The two men Bellamy had noticed entering the back door? And perhaps someone who worked at the bank who’d left the door unlocked to allow the men in?
As the footsteps and whispers drew closer, Bellamy’s hand on her arm tensed. Although the room was dark and she couldn’t see anything, she could feel him lean into the door, probably to keep anyone from entering.
A second later, the door handle rattled, and someone shoved against the door.
Bellamy seemed to be pressing his full weight to keep it closed.
The man on the other side grunted with the effort of opening it. A moment later, a key jiggled in the lock. The man tried again to open the door.
At a distant noise, the man swore. “It won’t unlock.” He stepped away, the keys jangling again. “I guess you’ll have to stay in the maintenance closet.”
“How long should we wait before coming out?” came another voice.
“At least two hours in here,” said the first man with the keys.
A door opened nearby—perhaps the door across the hallway.
“Will that give us enough time to cut through the wall and the safe?” another voice chimed in. “We need as much time as we can get.”
Zaira almost gasped but instead cupped a hand over her mouth. The men were bank robbers. And she and Bellamy had discovered them.
A thrill of excitement wound through her. The men didn’t realize she and Bellamy were here thanks to Bellamy’s quick thinking and determination in holding the door closed. Just as soon as the way was clear, she and Bellamy could tiptoe out and alert the police about the plan.
She could see everything unfolding. The robbers would be hammering away at the safe, and the police would race in with their guns at the ready and catch the thieves in the act. She and Bellamy would be credited for saving the bank. In fact, they would be heroes for the daring deed.
Beside her, Bellamy was motionless, still leaning against the door to hold it closed. She wanted to say something to him about her ideas, but with the commotion and voices only feet away, she kept her hand over her mouth so she didn’t give away their location.
From what she could tell, the man with the keys was opening a different door and ushering the others inside. “We’ll be finished and locking up within the hour. You have to wait until well after that to make sure everyone is gone.”
Was the fellow a bank teller? Maybe a manager? Or even a custodian who took care of the property?
Whatever his role, he was obviously aiding the robbers, perhaps intending to take a percentage of what was stolen.
With a final word of caution, the man with the keys closed the door on the robbers, then made his way back down the hallway.
As soon as the far door squealed open and then closed, she could feel Bellamy finally release his tight hold on their door. He didn’t move away completely, almost as if he was afraid of someone still coming in and discovering them here. But at the very least, for now, they’d escaped detection.
They wouldn’t be able to go until the robbers across the hall left in an hour or so. Until then, they were stuck waiting in the cramped room. If they could see where they were and what was around them, maybe they could move a little and find a place to sit down. As it was, they probably needed toremain motionless so they didn’t accidentally bump into anything and make noise that would give them away.
After long minutes, Bellamy’s hand circled her arm. He tugged her toward the door and positioned her until she had her back against it. Then he drew her down to the floor so they were both sitting with their backs against it.
Her shoulder and arm were pressed against his, and even though she wasn’t scared, she drew some comfort from the fact that he was here beside her. She rested her head back against the door, and from the position of his body, she could tell that he was doing the same.
The minutes ticked slowly by. She was going to be even later getting home than she’d stated in the message she’d had delivered to Alannah.
The biggest problem was that she wouldn’t be able to turn in her next story segment by the deadline. By the time she and Bellamy left in an hour or so, the newspaper office would be closed, and Mr. Knapp would be gone.
Maybe she could give it to Bellamy, though, and ask him to deliver it first thing in the morning. Surely he would be willing to since he’d offered to deliver it in the past.
Whatever the case, being late in delivering the manuscript was worth this adventure and this opportunity to catch thieves in the process of robbing a bank.
Finally, when her backside was starting to get sore from sitting in one place for so long, the door of the room across the hallway clanked open.
“Mr. Wright said it would be better to wait two hours,” came a loud, high-pitched whisper from one of the robbers.
Mr. Wright. At least she and Bellamy had the name of one of the men—possibly the bank worker—involved in the plot.Even if all Mr. Wright did was unlock the back door and let the two men in, he was still an accomplice and would need to be held accountable.
“We’ve waited long enough,” said a rougher and lower voice. “We’ve got to get started now so we can get as far away as possible before morning and the bank opens.”
