Chapter Twenty-two
“Chanel, the medics said you’re fine. I know you can hear me. It’s Marcus.” Detective Thatcher stood there with a pissed-off look on his face. As I came to, I tried to blink a few times to get a clear picture, but it was useless. My left eye was swollen shut, and the image in my right eye was black and white. I didn’t know how long I had been in their presence because my brain was in slow motion.
“Where am I?”
“You’re still here at the bank.” Frank patted my shoulder.
“Where are the robbers?” I tried to look around, but we were in my office with the door shut.
“The robbery is over.” Marcus stood there with his arms folded.
“Where is Rodney?” Now my heart was in full-fledged panic mode.
Both men looked at each other then back at me. “Rodney is no longer with us.” Frank bowed his head, and I shook mine vigorously.
“What are you talking about?”
“He is deceased!” Marcus snapped, and I jumped. “What in the hell happened to the procedure?” I didn’t answer him fast enough, so he continued. “Because of you and your actions—or lack thereof—a man is dead!”
“I . . . I didn’t do it on purpose.” My voice shook and I began to cry.
“Chanel, we know you didn’t.” Frank tried to console me, but Marcus wasn’t having it.
“Listen! All I know is you went against the grain on this whole thing from day one!”
“What exactly are you trying to say?” I sat straight up in my seat.
“Of all days, why did you blow policy and procedure today?” Marcus asked.
“What do you mean?” I was confused.
Frank looked at me with his brow furrowed. “You were already short-handed today, so why did you let an employee go home early? And you also let Rodney go to the back to smoke while there were still customers in line. The procedure is to have at least three of you working your stations at all times, and you knew that,” Frank scolded me.
“I let Rosa go home because it was her grandson’s swim meet. She works hard and never asks me for anything. The one time she did ask, how could I tell her no when other people called off today?”
“We spoke with Rosa, who told us she only asked for an hour off, but you gave her the remainder of the day. Isn’t that right?” Marcus asked.
“It doesn’t matter if it was an hour, the whole day or the week. The robbery happened only thirty minutes after she left anyway.” I was beginning to get pissed off.
“Well, what about Rodney?” Frank asked. “It wasn’t his break time, yet you let him go outside.”
“First of all, I didn’t let him do anything!” I was up on my feet now. “I sent him to the back to roll pennies for a customer. I can’t be blamed if he snuck outside to smoke,” I stated because I knew for a fact that our video system had no sound. There was no way they heard me tell Rodney not to get locked out like last time, and dead men don’t talk, so my secret was safe.
“You may be right, but tell me why, out of everyone in here, you were the only one left alive?” Marcus’s question left me speechless for a second.
“What happened to Mick and the other customers?”
“They were all killed execution style!” Marcus answered.
“Are you serious?” I reached for my heart. It felt like I was having a heart attack.
“I wish I weren’t, but everybody was killed. Even the old lady and her twelve-year-old grandson.” Frank dabbed at his tears as I allowed mine to slip down my cheeks freely.
I wondered why my life had not been taken, though more than anything I thanked God it was spared. “Am I done?” I asked Marcus through my tears.
“For now, but don’t skip town!” he warned. As I grabbed my purse and cell phone, the door to my office opened.
“Here’s the box you asked for.” A lady cop handed Marcus a packing box, and he placed it on my desk.
“What’s this?” I asked Frank, who was staring at the floor.
“Chanel, you’re a good employee, but it’s in the best interest of the bank that you be terminated until this investigation is over.”
“What?”
“Please don’t make a scene on your way out.” Frank stood from his seat and started placing my items into the box.
“Don’t make a scene? I’ve worked at this bank for years. I’ve never been late and never had a register come up short. Today I was held against my will at gunpoint and all you got for me is a pink slip?” I wiped the tears pouring down my face. Frank didn’t say anything for a moment because he knew I was telling the truth.
“Chanel—”
“No, Frank, don’t ‘Chanel’ me. You’re firing me because I didn’t get killed along with everyone else, and that’s some bullshit!” I snapped. “Where’s your evidence that I was in on this? I thought I’m supposed to be innocent until proven guilty.” I stepped toward the door. “I guess it don’t work that way no more, huh?”
“You’re forgetting your things,” Frank called out, but I kept walking. He, the box, and the bank could suck a fat one for all I cared.
As I walked through the lobby, I cried a little more. The bodies covered in white sheets grabbed my attention. I was shaken up because I came close to being one of them. Today could’ve ended very different for me. Instead of being fired, I could be dead. With that consolation, I chalked up the loss and peeled out of the parking lot using what little vision I had left to get home.