“Also, he has a lot of trees around his property and a back alley. We took everything—we even took his car, because he had a BMW, out through the alley. We put everything in a U-Haul around the corner and parked the car there, too. Then, after the last trip, he gave me a gun and told me to go around to the side of the house, the one closest to his neighbors, and wave the gun around. Then break the window with the gun. He said that his neighbor on that side was a nosy old lady who had a Ring doorbell camera. He figured that would sell the story better.”
Drew stared at him.Oh my god, what a lame…“And you thought this was going to work? In what universe did you actually think this was a good idea?”
Dunlop shrugged. “Seemed okay, I guess. I didn’t much think about it. Like I said, Frank was my best friend.”
“And where was Frank going to be while you were waving a gun around?”
“He was going to ditch his car and set it on fire.”
“More insurance money,” Drew said.
Dunlop nodded. “Anyway,” he continued, “I put on a mask and took the gun, and I went over and broke the window. Only Meredith, that’s Frank’s girlfriend, was home, and she freaked out. She started screaming, and it scared the hell out of me. I took off, but she chased me, and I ended up tripping over a garbage can. She sat on me as she called the cops. By that point, half the neighborhood was up. Once the cops showed up, it was game over.”
Drew gritted her teeth and knew she’d regret asking, but she couldn’t help herself. “And what did Frank say when he arrived?”
“He said he was out picking up his girlfriend’s favorite ice cream at the store, and he just got home.” When Dunlop rolled his eyes, his whole head moved. “He managed to get a minute to tell me he was sorry. He just couldn’t light his car on fire, and if he told the truth, his girlfriend would leave him.”
“So, he left you hanging.”
“Yeah.” Dunlop held up his hands. “I know. Stupid, stupid. But he’s been my best friend since we were kids, and I trusted him.”
“Okay. Did you tell the police any of this?”
“Well, that’s the thing. He begged me not to, because of his girlfriend and all. And he was saying, because this is my first offense, I won’t get anything—maybe a rap on the knuckles.”
“Oh,” Drew said, putting her hand over her face. “You… Yeah, no. You need to tell your lawyer the truth about what happened. You’ll get more than just a rap on the knuckles because you had a gun. A fact that makes this an armed robbery.”
“I know that now. My legal aid lawyer, because I don’t have any money, keeps trying to make me take a deal. I didn’t do anything, but I don’t want to tell him.”
“You need to tell the cops and your lawyer what really happened. This is just ridiculous. You’re doing nothing but getting yourself in more trouble. Do you know where all the stuff is?”
“Oh, yeah. I helped him rent a storage locker.”
Drew sighed. “Tell me it’s not in your name.”
Dunlop’s face clouded over, and Drew groaned.
“But there’s a camera in the office at the self-storage,” Dunlop said excitedly. “We’ll be on it since he was there with me. He had to pay.”
“That’s something, I guess,” Drew confirmed. “Do you know what he planned on doing with the ring?”
Dunlop rubbed his head. “He said he had a work friend who could sell it for him.”
The whole scenario was a nightmare. The level of stupidity was mindboggling, but in truth it was also sort of…refreshing. Not too many people trusted the way Dunlop did. Naivety at its finest. “So why are you running?” Drew asked.
“Well, because I don’t want to go to jail. I didn’t do anything.” Dunlop looked up at Drew. “You know… you could let me go. I can take off, and no one will find me, and then it won’t matter.”
Drew laughed. “Oh, it’ll matter. You’ll never outrun this.”
“Well, I could give it a try,” Dunlop said. “If you let me go.”
“I can’t do that.”
“What if I pay you?”
Drew snorted. “You just told me you don’t have any money.”
“Right.” Dunlop agreed. “But I know people with money.”
