Bank Heist

Story

Copyright 2022 by John Wells. All Rights Reserved.

Cassie was watching the morning news when a reporter starting talking about a bank robbery. Somehow, all the cash vanished from one of the downtown bank’s vault overnight. She smiled, thinking, ‘I could make that happen.’ She went about her day normally, including teaching Computer Science classes at Southern New Hampshire University, which is walking distance from her home.

The next morning, she had an early class, so missed the eight o’clock news broadcast of a second robbery of a different bank. But heard it being talked about as the students entered her classroom for their ten o’clock class. She checked it out on her phone to find the identical thing happened.

She knew magic or alien tech was the only way it could happen to two banks. One and it might be an inside job. But it would never happen twice that way. As the head of the local illusion, she knew it was time to investigate.

All magical beings were required to register with the local illusion when they wished to practice magic within the county. All illusions expect them to be trained by the illusion covering their home and to carry a license as proof of their membership in good standing. Humans were not the only beings walking the streets. The others used technology or magic to look human.

After her last class, she texted the primary investigators of her illusion to meet her at her place. She walked home to arrive before any others. She used magic to help make dinner of chicken stir-fry over rice. The magic cut the frozen meat and vegetables while she cooked normally. Just a little shortcut to save time to prepare a larger meal than planned. She finished it before the first person arrived.

Kameron was the person she wanted to talk to first, so she was glad he was the first to arrive. He is a Manchester police detective giving the illusion access to crime scene information. “I can’t stay because the case is hot, but yes, magic got used to enter the vault at both scenes. If you can come up with suspects, let me know.” He leaves immediately after.

Debra shows up next. She works as a private investigator. They both start eating. Jim shows up shortly afterwards. He is a financial advisor. He joins them in eating. Cassie states, “Kameron’s been and gone. It was a magic job, so he will appreciate any help. Any clues floating around in the financial world, Jim?”

“Just the bank president’s statement that insurance will cover the loss and the money was there when the vault closed for the night. They are at a loss for explaining how it can happen.”

They each knew what they could do to help solve the crime. After eating, they went off to handle it. Cassie called all the nearby illusions, asking them to check on their members. Debra got more details from Kameron. Jim looked for the money trail.

Jim calls Cassie with a lead. She searches the Internet for the information and tracks it to an address. Since it is right around the corner, she walks there.

The door was open so without thinking Cassie enters. The room is gloomy with just the nighttime light coming through the open door. She proceeds into the next room, which is black as night. She cannot see anything. Something bumps her hip and she screams loudly, “shit,” as the room lights up brightly with her body's magical glow. She calms down, seeing the dog looking for attention. “You scared me,” she states as she scratches behind the dog's ears. 'Do not be silent. Raise your voice. Be a light in the dark,' she thinks of what just did. A quote her dad said to her during high school to push herself beyond her fears. She never thought she would physically do it.

Looking up, she sees a figure exiting the room so she fires a magical tracer tag at the suspect as they run away. She follows the energy out the back door and around the house corner to find the trace ends with no magical energy stopping it. Whatever she was tracing is more than just a rogue magician. They have magic and something else to vanish without a hint. She texts her team, 'I don't think we know what kind of enemy we are really dealing with.'

Cassie started out chasing the computer trail. Somehow, she ended up investigating the suspect. That is Debra or Kameron’s job, not hers. Having reached this deadend, she is lucky they ran instead of killed. She goes back to what she knows at home thinking, 'just remember who you are. Don't let the world change you into someone else. That's the best advice anyone can give you.' Her dad said it to her in her middle school days and it applies to this moment.

On the walk back home, Cassie got a phone call from Debra. She filled her in on the details she received from Jim, plus her adventure at the nearby house. Once home, she checked her electronic alien detection software. She had a hit on his transport, so she forwarded the new address to both Kameron and Debra. Kameron got the details that she covered by phone with Debra.

Kameron calls “your lead check out. We recovered most of the money. The suspect vanished in front of two police officers. He was holding something the size of a flip style phone, likely alien technology. There was no magical energy.”

Cassie states, “definitely alien. Hold a moment.”

She double checks her device and gives the new address to Kameron.

“I will meet you there with a jamming device.”

She uses magic to create it on the spot easy for someone trained in Hardware Engineering once she detected what it does. She drives to the scene and turns the device on. It blocks the signal so the being cannot move.

Kameron and four officers enter the building. Others guard the four sides of the building. Cassie sits in her car near enough to stop the technology and far enough to be safe.

Kameron exits with the technology in his hand, while two officers escort the prisoner. It is the man Cassie saw at the house.