The police followed in hot pursuit. Tentatively they peeked around the corner. People had scattered from the sidewalk, leaving the streets deserted with no sign of Jack Starke. Fanning out, two on either side of the street, they edged along. One remained on the corner, dispatch called for immediate backup. The last remaining officer ran down two blocks before heading along a parallel street in the hope of cutting off Jack.
Running hard, distance between himself and his pursuers, Jack was near to safety when another obstacle faced him. Two blocks away and an officer approached. Lowering his head, Jack walked calmly along. Red faced and heavy breathing from his run gave him away. Along with the fact that the officer in question recognised him.
“Jack Starke stand your ground and put your hands in the air.”
His orders heard loud and clear by Jack. With a gun now trained on him by his counterpart, he had but one choice. Pulling his Glock 22 out, Jack pointed at the officer. He remembered the first time he had been at the other end. Many officers after graduating never get to fire their weapon in the first year. It took Jack just six weeks. Called to a robbery in progress at Harland’s Jewellers, Jack got there as the perp exited with his loot. A foot chase through the packed streets of Chicago’s south side, ended down a one-way alley in the warehouse district. There was no escape, or so Jack thought, until the perp pulled a revolver on him and began firing. Youth, nerves and no training in firearms got in the perp’s way. Bullets flew everywhere around Jack, one grazed his lower right leg and that was a lucky shot. Jack did not hesitate. He took down the perp with no remorse. Jack found out that day, he had the power to take a life. He could kill and he liked it.
Twenty feet stood between Jack and the officer, guns aimed like a scene from a duel long ago. Questions now rushed through the officer’s mind. How many bullets had Jack fired outside Sam’s coffee house? Had he reloaded once on the run?
“You don’t want your life to end today.”
“I’m the one with the law on my side. Place the gun on the floor and kick it towards me.”
“As you say officer,” Jack said crouching down, placing his Glock 22 on the sidewalk.
His hand rested atop the gun as he pulled it slightly back ready to slide its release. His eyes never veered from the officer who had relaxed his stance in seeing Jack’s co-operation.
A bad mistake.
Jack seized his chance.
His foe taken by surprise as a Glock 22 came towards his face at speed. Finger on the trigger, he had time to fire off one bullet, by then Jack had moved. Lunging forwards, Jack and the officer came together with a resounding crunch. Hitting the concrete floor hard, they grappled like a pair of wrestlers on prime time television. The officer was on top and swiftly started throwing punches. Street fighting more his style.
Jack had learnt how to take a beating over the years, allowing the officer to tire himself out before fighting back. Jack gave him a swift punch to the gut, instantly taking the wind from his sails. Followed with a knee to the groin, the officer rolled off Jack onto the sidewalk, breathing hard in pain. Jack had not finished yet. He still needed to escape.
Making the decision, he spared the officer’s life. There had been enough destruction to start the New Year. With a hard strike to the back of the head with the gun’s handle, he left the officer unconscious on the ground. Throwing his jacket in the doorway leading to an apartment block, Jack made his exit in the opposite direction. His misdirection would give the police trailing him a false lead, allowing Jack the time he needed to get across the city and the safety of Faith’s apartment.
The knock came at the door, answered swiftly by a red-haired beauty in a short silk kimono, hanging open, showing flesh whilst keeping the delights hidden.
“Was wondering when you’d show ya face.”
“I’m here now,” Jack replied walking straight past her into the apartment.
“Nice to see you Jack,” Faith replied closing the door, following him to the open-planned living/kitchen area. “Me? I’m fine,” she said under her breath but loud enough for Jack to hear.
“We got top story on the first news of the year,” Kirsten said excitedly from her seated position on the couch.
“You proud of that fact?” Jack remarked.
“Anybody would be. Another little victory for us.”
“Might be just a moral victory but it won’t last long. Fingerprints were left behind you stupid bitch.”
Faith and Kirsten exchanged a glance between themselves. Both knew they had worn gloves and neither had taken them off. So just how did their fingerprints get inside the vault?
“That’s bullshit! No fucking way!” Kirsten exclaimed loudly. She was the dominant one out of the two friends, never afraid to speak her mind.
Faith was a little more grounded. “Are you sure?”
“Information from a reliable source. Police are running it through AFIS. We all know if the fingerprints belong to either of you, they will get a hit. You’re both in the system for the crimes you’ve pulled over the years,” Jack replied directly. His attitude quickly changed. “Everything could now be for nothing! All that time spent planning the perfect heist.”
“How can you say that? We got the five million dollars back and…”
“It was never about the money!” Jack angrily interrupted.
Faith rolled her eyes. “…I was about to say, you got what you were really after.”
“And what would that be exactly?” Jack asked with puzzlement.
“Don’t take us for fools Jack!” Kirsten shouted jumping to her feet from the couch. “We saw you take the USB device.”
“You saw nothing.” Jack said pulling his Glock 22 into sight.
I left with the knowledge that I had transferred fingerprints. I’d said my goodbyes to Faith and Kirsten. The police would find their dead bodies soon enough, along with four million dollars in bundled cash.
My car parked two miles away. In under an hour, I was outside the city. Before disappearing, I had a phone call to make.
“Sarah, I’m at Sunrise Diner on Interstate ninety-four. I’ll wait thirty minutes and not a second longer.”
“They’re hunting everywhere for you,” Sarah replied concerned. “Tell me one thing Jack, did you break into First National Bank?”
“What do you think?” I replied. It was rhetorical and I continued without pausing for breath. “If you care about me, join me. If not then I bid you goodbye Sarah. You will never see or hear from me again. Jack Starke will forever exist as a ghost in this world.”
I hung up the payphone in the diner, fingering the USB device now concealed in my jacket pocket. The weight of its contents heavy now in my possession. I had not seen the data for myself yet. Hundreds of files heavily encrypted, revealing the secrets of government officials. It included many high in office, across a multitude of top ranking positions, naming them as spies to the American constitution. A powerful weapon now in some unsafe hands many would say.
I ordered myself an all day English breakfast with enough fat and grease to clog my arteries and kill me.
What can I say, big or small, I will risk it all.
Jack Starke was a name Chicago PD and the whole city will never forgot.
My breakfast arrived as I waited to see if Sarah would do the same.
BIO:
Gavin Hunt was born in Middlesbrough, England, in 1978, where he still lives today with his growing family. His is the author of First Down – Bound in Blood and Second and Ten – All Eyes on Me featuring Homicide Detective Jim Blackburn.