Friday Fast Fiction: The Short-Lived Bank Heist

Tom and Ed were standing in the middle of Ed’s apartment shortly after they robbed the local bank when the phone rang.

“Hello? You have the wrong number.” Ed hung up.

“Why did you answer that?” asked Tom.

“It rang.”

“Dude, we are in a life-changing moment. For starters, we don’t need to answer phones anymore. We’ve got this.” Tom held up a fistful of bills. “Let’s sit down at the table and count.”

A few minutes later Tom said, “$6,326, not enough to retire on, but it’s a start.”

The doorbell rang.

“Don’t get it,” said Tom.

“It might be my girlfriend,” replied Ed.

“Sit and be quiet.”

The voice through the door was faint: “Eddy, it’s Mitzy.”

Tom whispered,” I thought Jane was your girlfriend.”

Ed whispered back,” Until last week.”

“Don’t move,” said Tom.

Ed shot up from the table when the front door opened.

“I forgot to lock it,” he said.

“Didn’t you hear me?” asked the young woman.” Hey, what’s on the table?”

“Business earnings,” said Ed.

“From Jack-in-the-Box?”

“That’s my night job.”

The woman walked past Ed to the table. “Who’s this?” she asked.

“Tom, my business partner.”

“What business?”

The two men answered at the same time. One said, “auto body repair” the other, “car wash.”

“Oh, you stole it!” said Mitzy.

Tom stood up. “What makes you say that?”

“The cop who stopped me on the way here—he said two men robbed the bank.”

There was a loud knock at the door.