Read Online 4 Shelter From The Storm by Tony Dunbar - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tony Dunbar
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around causing the lamps to rock back and forth, and they broke some kind of souvenir glass. It got too loud for Collette and she went looking for Leila to see if she was ready to go home. Unfortunately, Leila had already left without telling her, which was typical.
Collette plopped down angrily next to Bradley. He was telling jokes with one of his friends. He noticed her sour expression and offered his services. She said she was ready to leave, and he said sure, he would drive her.
One step out the front door, however, their plans changed.
It was pouring down rain, and the wind was whipping the trees around in a frightening way. There was water in the street, and they watched a car move through it slowly, pushing out a wake. Bradley’s Nissan was parked in a low spot by the curb, and he ran screaming across the lawn to find that there was already water over his floorboards. After he got done cursing and hopping around, he got his frat brothers to help him push the crippled car into the driveway. When he inspected the saturated carpets he almost broke into tears.
In the meantime, the water rose another inch in the street, and Bradley began to fret that the slight elevation of the driveway might not save his car much longer. He ran inside dripping and told Collette, who had been watching stoically from the window, that he would call a cab and try to get them both home. He knew a guy with some kind of a tow truck who he could get to come after his car, if they hurried.
He got busy signals at two cab companies before he finally got lucky.
CHAPTER VIII
Before the lights went out, things were going very smoothly in the vault. Blotting out the drone of the generator with earplugs, Big Top methodically applied the business end of the big Hilti drill to the locks of the safe deposit boxes, grinding them to oblivion. He moved slowly along the wall, beginning at the top of each row and working downward to the floor, while Monk and LaRue ransacked each box and put everything they judged to be of value into a pair of canvass mail sacks. Mostly they were finding jewelry, cash, and rare coins.
“Here’s a bottle of pills,” Monk yelled, holding up an unlabeled brown plastic vial.
LaRue pointed to the bag, and in it went.
Most of what got left behind were papers, though LaRue scanned them all, and he kept a few.
They allowed James to go home at the end of his shift, after making Corelle clock in. To be sure that the SecureGuard headquarters was still cool about the cameras going on and off, they got Corelle to report in. LaRue sat next to him in the booth while he made the call, his handgun pointed at Corelle’s crotch.
“These TVs is going nuts again,” Corelle told the base.
“No wonder,” the guy at headquarters said. “We’ve got a downpour here you wouldn’t believe. Lights are going off all around town.”
Corelle condensed that message when he hung up.
“He ain’t worried. It’s raining,” he told LaRue.
The trio had completed most of one whole wall. Just three more to go. Corelle watched them sullenly from the floor where he had been told to sit and be quiet. The bags were bulging with goodies, and all three burglars were feeling the constant adrenaline rush of an excellent score when the lights went out.
Big Top looked up but kept on drilling with the power from the generator. LaRue tapped on Monk’s shoulder and told him to keep filling the bags while he pushed Corelle back to the dark booth.
Inside, all the TVs were dead though a couple of green and red lights glowed on the alarm system’s control panel.
“Call in,” LaRue insisted to the guard.
Corelle picked up the phone and pressed the number.
“Line’s dead,” he said and shrugged.
“Your new job is holding the flashlight,” LaRue told him. “Looks like the weather is on our side.” He allowed himself a thin-lipped smile. He was thinking they could spend the night cleaning out all of the boxes and maybe even take a crack at the
Collette plopped down angrily next to Bradley. He was telling jokes with one of his friends. He noticed her sour expression and offered his services. She said she was ready to leave, and he said sure, he would drive her.
One step out the front door, however, their plans changed.
It was pouring down rain, and the wind was whipping the trees around in a frightening way. There was water in the street, and they watched a car move through it slowly, pushing out a wake. Bradley’s Nissan was parked in a low spot by the curb, and he ran screaming across the lawn to find that there was already water over his floorboards. After he got done cursing and hopping around, he got his frat brothers to help him push the crippled car into the driveway. When he inspected the saturated carpets he almost broke into tears.
In the meantime, the water rose another inch in the street, and Bradley began to fret that the slight elevation of the driveway might not save his car much longer. He ran inside dripping and told Collette, who had been watching stoically from the window, that he would call a cab and try to get them both home. He knew a guy with some kind of a tow truck who he could get to come after his car, if they hurried.
He got busy signals at two cab companies before he finally got lucky.
CHAPTER VIII
Before the lights went out, things were going very smoothly in the vault. Blotting out the drone of the generator with earplugs, Big Top methodically applied the business end of the big Hilti drill to the locks of the safe deposit boxes, grinding them to oblivion. He moved slowly along the wall, beginning at the top of each row and working downward to the floor, while Monk and LaRue ransacked each box and put everything they judged to be of value into a pair of canvass mail sacks. Mostly they were finding jewelry, cash, and rare coins.
“Here’s a bottle of pills,” Monk yelled, holding up an unlabeled brown plastic vial.
LaRue pointed to the bag, and in it went.
Most of what got left behind were papers, though LaRue scanned them all, and he kept a few.
They allowed James to go home at the end of his shift, after making Corelle clock in. To be sure that the SecureGuard headquarters was still cool about the cameras going on and off, they got Corelle to report in. LaRue sat next to him in the booth while he made the call, his handgun pointed at Corelle’s crotch.
“These TVs is going nuts again,” Corelle told the base.
“No wonder,” the guy at headquarters said. “We’ve got a downpour here you wouldn’t believe. Lights are going off all around town.”
Corelle condensed that message when he hung up.
“He ain’t worried. It’s raining,” he told LaRue.
The trio had completed most of one whole wall. Just three more to go. Corelle watched them sullenly from the floor where he had been told to sit and be quiet. The bags were bulging with goodies, and all three burglars were feeling the constant adrenaline rush of an excellent score when the lights went out.
Big Top looked up but kept on drilling with the power from the generator. LaRue tapped on Monk’s shoulder and told him to keep filling the bags while he pushed Corelle back to the dark booth.
Inside, all the TVs were dead though a couple of green and red lights glowed on the alarm system’s control panel.
“Call in,” LaRue insisted to the guard.
Corelle picked up the phone and pressed the number.
“Line’s dead,” he said and shrugged.
“Your new job is holding the flashlight,” LaRue told him. “Looks like the weather is on our side.” He allowed himself a thin-lipped smile. He was thinking they could spend the night cleaning out all of the boxes and maybe even take a crack at the
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