Takes One To Know One

Jenna knelt down on the creaking wooden floor of the farmhouse bedroom, and flattened out the creases in the bedspread. A few strands of blonde hair slipped forward over her face, but she quickly brushed them behind her ear with her hands.

Hundreds first. Reaching into the bag beside her she retrieved a large wad of green paper. She counted aloud as she placed each crisp bill on the bedspread in a neat stack.

Of course, she really had no need to count the money. Jenna was fully aware that the bright red knapsack on the floor next to her contained no less than thirty seven thousand, two hundred dollars and ninety cents. After all, it was written right there on the receipt, which could be seen poking out of the side pocket.

Yet she continued to count it aloud – her brow furrowed with concentration; her bright blue eyes glinting.

Jenna's voice danced through the small upstairs bedroom of the old farmhouse, and travelled downstairs through the rustic kitchen and lounge. Outside the farmhouse nothing was heard at all. The snow lay thick on the roof like white icing on a chocolate cake. The ground was covered in a deep snowy carpet that extended right through the surrounding forest, with generous helpings of powder weighing down the highest branches. From the house one could see the unused barn just a few hundred feet away. The car-port adjoining the barn was empty, as were the stables on the other side. Hidden deep in the third row of trees, Jenna's dark blue sedan was barely visible.

Jenna worked as a Claims Processor at a small insurance firm. Each day she dealt with claims for burgled houses and lost jewellery. It wasn't a very satisfying job, but it paid enough for her to get by.

Just a few hours ago it paid really well.

Not many firms pay their employees in cash, but Crishton & Bartley did. Mary from Accounts would present herself at the local bank on Thursday mornings and collect the required break-up of denominations for the fortnight's wages. But if she got some free time on Wednesday afternoon she would visit the bank a day early. The pay envelopes, blank detail slips and all of the cash would be sealed into a green nylon bag, which was then put into her desk drawer and locked away. She would then sort them on Thursday.

Jenna found out most of this information in secret. She had often rolled her eyes at the bogus claims people made to collect insurance money. She had been in the business for years, and yet they would still try to fool her with organised theft. The real criminals were no better, always making stupid mistakes.

After dealing with idiots for so long, Jenna began to think that she could do a better job. Those thoughts floated harmlessly in her mind until she saw Mary lock the green nylon bag into her drawer one Wednesday afternoon. Then she decided to stop thinking about it, and actually do it.

Earlier this morning she covertly arrived at the office building. Access to the interior was easy enough, as the loading dock for the delivery firm downstairs was always busy. Dressed in a pair of navy overalls, cap, and carrying a large navy bag, she was able to slip through the container area unnoticed. Once she reached the second floor offices she walked briskly up to the front security door of Crishton & Bartley. It was a thick glass door, with steel supports floor to ceiling. On either side of the door were long glass panels, too thin to fit through if broken. The door was the only way, but it was protected with two security sensors.

From her navy bag she removed an industrial glass cutter. She attached the suction cup to the glass panel next to the door and tightened the handle. Using the carbide tipped tool on the edge, she repeatedly scored a small circle in the glass right next to the sensors on the door frame. With her gloved hand she pulled the small section of glass out of the panel, and could now reach the sensors.

Jenna examined them closely. There was a matched pair physically aligned on the door and the frame. If opened, the sensors would no longer register a completed circuit and the alarm would be activated. Jenna retrieved an electric screwdriver from her bag, and put it carefully through the newly created hole. She removed the top screws from both sensors, allowing them to pivot towards each other slightly. Placing the screwdriver aside for a moment, she cut off a small length of black electrical tape, and taped the sensors together. She then used the screwdriver to remove the bottom two screws, and the sensors dangled harmlessly from the wiring above the door.

Jenna opened the door with her office key, then used a small lock pick to rake the pins a couple of times. That should scratch them enough to make it look like the lock was picked.

Jenna stepped into the office with her bag, and closed the door behind her. High up in the corner of the entry room on her left was the first motion sensor. From her bag she removed a large black rectangular card, and she smeared some bonding adhesive along its edges. Jenna slotted it into the top of a telescopic tube, which she extended to its full length of about four feet.

She moved the tube with card attached up the wall towards the motion sensor. When she reached just below the all-seeing eye she stopped. Using her second hand to hold herself steady against the wall, she moved the card in front of the sensor as slowly as she could. She would have to be incredibly patient here – if she moved too fast the sensor would detect movement. Inch by inch the card blocked more of the sensor's view. Once the eye was completely covered, she pushed the card edges into the wall and held them for a moment. The bonding adhesive glued the card to the wall, and she was able to pull the telescopic tube free.

Two more motion detectors were dealt with in a similar fashion, and now she could move freely. She moved briskly to the accounts section.

Mary's desk drawer was locked as suspected. She retrieved the lock pick and tension wrench from her bag. First she inserted the tension wrench and twisted it slightly to skew the cylinder within the housing. Then she used the pick to align the pins one by one along the shear line. Each time the housing pin fell onto the cylinder she would feel and hear a faint click. Then she would move on to the next pin. After a few minutes she unlocked the drawer, pulled it open and stared at the green nylon bag.

Her heart raced. She reached in with her gloved hand and took hold of it. She turned it over in her hands, feeling the coins and notes inside flow through the bag like holy water.

With no time to waste Jenna placed it into her carry bag and left the accounts area, quickly heading towards the office door. She opened the door and escaped down the hallway, her heart beating in her throat.

After exiting through the loading dock, Jenna walked behind the building to the alleyway. She felt the sting of the cold night air as she walked another two blocks to her car. She got in and slipped the key into the ignition. The car started first go, which was a genuine relief. She had purchased it a week ago, using a fake name, at an out-of-town used car lot for cash.

Fifteen minutes along interstate 41 she threw the carry bag out of the window. She had transferred the monetary contents into a bright red knapsack and needed to discard the tools and other items linking her to the crime. Jenna flicked her hair out of her eyes, before turning the vehicle around and changing roads ten minutes later. She did not want the trail to lead to her grandparents' home.

After a long drive she turned off the main road and drove through the quiet countryside towards the old property. Sue and Jack hadn't lived in this house for more than two years, but Jenna maintained it out of love. All the furniture was still where it was originally, and she had sold very little of their belongings. Because she wasn't here very often, she had installed an alarm to protect the house and contents.

Driving towards the house she remembered the countless times she had stayed with her grandparents when she was young, and how they had let her feed the horses and stack the hay. There was even a long rope trailing from the rafters in the barn that she would swing on. Jack was concerned that she would hurt herself, but Sue managed to keep him agreeable to it. "She's just a kid," she would say to him, and Jack would mutter about responsibility and discipline. Sue would just laugh and wink at Jenna, who couldn't wait to get back out there and swing on it some more. Jack hadn't lasted more than 3 months after losing Sue to cancer, such was their need for each other. They were inseparable, right to the end.

Jenna parked the car in the dense group of trees behind the barn, as she didn't want to draw any attention to her presence. The car still linked her to an area two blocks from the crime scene. She had then walked to the farmhouse, marched upstairs to the bedroom and started counting the money.

Jenna had finished now, so she began to re-bundle the notes together with elastic bands. Soon she would need to leave to complete her alibi. She wanted to get to work early or on-time. Turning up late would arouse suspicion.

Jenna zipped up the red knapsack and ran her fingers over the patches on the side. This was her old Girl Scout knapsack, and she remembered taking it on so many camping trips. Out of curiosity, she opened the front pouch and found a weathered compass and a pocket knife. She smiled and closed her eyes, remembering the innocence and fun of childhood. For a moment, she completely forgot about the money she had just stolen.

Jenna armed the alarm and left the farmhouse. Slinging the small knapsack over her shoulder, she trudged out through the thick snow to the barn. It was much smaller than she remembered it, but then she was a lot taller now. She retrieved the house keys from the front pocket of her overalls and located the barn padlock key. The lock popped free easily, and she swung the wide door open to reveal the dusty contents.

There, hanging from the rafters, was the rope she used to swing on. Jenna couldn't help but smile. Around the floor of the barn were a few dry hay bales. She had meant to clean out the barn a number of times since her grandparents passed, but had never felt right to do so. High on her left was the loft storage section, where she used to climb up and hide from grandpa during Hide and Seek. The ladder to access the loft was missing. Jenna laughed out loud. She had an excuse!

Securing the knapsack around her shoulders, she stepped forward and started climbing the rope. She was a little wobbly, but gradually she made her way up to the top. She continued to climb until she was right on top of the rafter itself. On all fours she crawled across to the loft section, and then dropped down onto it.

This area was still covered in loose straw, and Jenna looked down to the doorway and imagined grandpa looking for her. She giggled. It was such a sweet time, and thinking about it made her a little misty. With a sigh, Jenna removed the knapsack and hid it under some straw. She then lowered herself over the edge and dropped to the ground.

Dusting herself off, Jenna took one last look at the barn and turned to leave. The money would be safe here, and she would come back to get it in a few months when the investigation settled down. One of the greatest weaknesses too many criminals had was impatience.

As she walked out of the barn, Jenna was struck on the side of the head with something hard, and fell to the ground unconscious.

* * *

She came to minutes later. Her head was really hurting and her arms felt tight. She heard a voice.

"Don't move too much. You took a nasty blow to the head there," the man said.

She looked around for the source of the voice, and found him to her right. A man was standing in front of the open barn door, and the light streaming in behind him made it difficult to make out his features. He looked fairly big, and he had something in his hand that Jenna couldn't quite discern.

"What happened?" she asked weakly.

"I hit you," he said. "My right hook." He laughed a little.

Jenna looked down to see her upper body bound with rope. It was the same rope that she had just climbed. It had obviously been cut down from the rafters. She looked at the man again, and could now see that in his hand was a large knife.

"What do you want?" Jenna asked.

"Well, I need the combination to the house alarm, and the location of the keypad."

"What alarm? We don't have one," she said.

'Nice try," he said, moving around behind her. "I know you've got one, and I'm sure you know the combination."

He pressed the knife against her back and Jenna felt the blade pinch her skin.

She had to think quickly. If she gave him the right combination he would go into the house and take everything she loved. And he would probably leave her tied up here, and she wouldn't be able to complete her alibi. But if she gave him the wrong combination, the security and police would be alerted silently, and they would find her here with the car from the robbery and no alibi. They would conduct a search and find the money.

"4761," she said. "It's in the kitchen."

"Thanks," he said. "You stay here, and if you try to escape I will cut you. Understand?"

Jenna nodded. She believed him.

The man stepped out of the barn and swung the door shut. Jenna heard him flip the latch, and then she heard the padlock clicking closed. Confused, she looked down to see that her key pocket was empty.

But the car keys were still in the ignition, and the car was hidden.

Jenna rolled around a bit until she was able to get to her feet. The rope was tied firmly, but she was bound above the waist so her legs were free. Yet she was locked in, and there was no way she could drive bound like this.

The pocketknife! Jenna's eyes lit up.

With a rush of determination she ran to the nearest hay bale. She kicked and pushed it with her feet to the wall on the side of the loft overhang. She moved another hay bale from across the room. When it was next to the existing one, she used her leg to lever it up on top.

She climbed the stack very slowly, balancing as best she could with her arms bound. Stretching her leg up she was able to put her foot into a notch on the wooden pillar. She pushed hard with her legs and flipped herself up onto the loft top.

Jenna wiggled to where the bag was hidden, and turned around so that her hands behind her back could open the pouch. She retrieved the pocketknife and opened it. The blade was still sharp. She set to work.

Free from the rope, she dropped down to the floor again. The knapsack was on her shoulders, as she couldn't chance leaving it behind now.

She looked at the small barn window. If only she'd kept her glass cutter. She took a breath, and then kicked it with her foot. The window smashed loudly, and Jenna knew the man would have heard it. She jumped through the window, narrowly missing the dog kennel. The snow was cold on her face and hands, but she got up quickly and raced for the car.

The man was running out of the house towards her, streaking across the snow at great speed. Jenna reached the hidden car, opened the door and threw the knapsack onto the passenger seat. She turned the ignition key.

Nothing. Just a click.

"Come on!" she shouted. She turned it again, and it clicked again. Jenna saw the man getting closer and closer. He was smiling.

She tried the ignition again, but it refused to turn over. The man reached the door, opened it, and flung her out onto the snow-covered ground, putting his knee on top of her.

"Nearly," he said, panting. "Now you're in trouble –"

He was cut off by the sound of sirens. A police car and a security van pulled up at the front of the house. The man got up and sprinted into the forest, vanishing into the dense trees.

Two police officers ran over to help Jenna. She looked around and realised she couldn't run now. They would see the car, the bag, the receipt, the clothes. It was over.

Jenna later found out that the man had entered the wrong combination. The silent alarm activated and the police and security were summoned.

Once again it was proven, Jenna thought, that criminals are just so stupid.







--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------

Author's Note:
I'm unhappy with this work for a number of reasons. Firstly, I did not spend nearly enough time on this as I should have for a piece this length. Even a cursory glance reveals many areas requiring re-working. Secondly, there is too much story squeezed into 3000 words. The plot that I had worked out would probably have fit better into 5000 words, so that I could let it "breathe" more. So it sounds rushed, and there's very little emotion in the piece. Still, I have put this piece up because I'm not sure if I'll ever get around to improving it, so perhaps it better just stand as it is!