Not long after Robert’s Halifax trip Janice suffered a miscarriage. It was a severe blow to both of them. Janice had been thrilled at the prospect of having a child and, once she knew that Robert felt that way too, she had looked forward to the three of them forming their own little family. She spent a lot of time planning for the baby’s arrival and took great delight imagining what it would look like. Thinking about the baby was the one thing that kept her mind off her father’s illness.
Robert was sadly disappointed by their loss. He had always liked kids and had been looking forward to being a father. Even though his future with Janice was uncertain, the idea of having a baby around the house seemed exciting to him.
Janice was devastated. With her father’s condition worsening by the day, losing the baby was a double setback. She became depressed and morose and could barely function around the apartment. Robert was genuinely concerned about her and did his best to lift her out of her depression. For the first month or so after her miscarriage Robert was the model husband. No one could have been more kind or considerate. No matter what shift she was working, he made sure he was home to care for her and cater to her every need. When she was away at work Robert cleaned the apartment, did the laundry, washed the dishes and made the meals.
But as time went on, and the pain of her loss began to subside, this began to change. Robert went back to the bars with his friends. When he didn’t go to the bars he drank at home. The more he drank, the more moody and irritable he became. His behaviour was unpredictable. Sometimes he withdrew into himself and became uncommunicative. At other times he was volatile, reacting explosively to the slightest provocation. Janice could never tell what might set him off; the constant threat of his bad temper pervaded the apartment and made her anxious.
One of his biggest eruptions occurred after he went out and bought a new car. Robert bought the car for Janice in the hopes of raising her spirits. Working through Neil McLaren, he traded their junky little K-car for a snappy 1983 Chrysler Baby New Yorker. When Robert told her about the new car, she was delighted. It seemed to take her mind off her troubles.
She did find it curious that, once again, Robert had registered the car in her name. But he explained that putting it in her name was a good way to establish her credit rating. Since Robert was taking care of the payments, she saw no reason to object.
The day the car was to be picked up Janice dropped in at the dealers on her way home from work. Without telling Robert, she signed the car out and brought it home as a surprise. When she got home and showed him what was sitting at the curb, he became furious.
“What the hell are you doing with that car?” he screamed.
“I stopped by the dealership and thought I’d surprise you.”
“I didn’t tell you to pick it up. What the hell are you doing, bringing it home without telling me? Jesus Christ!”
“What are you getting so angry about? I just thought I would ...”
“Well you just stop thinking so much. Nobody asked you to pick it up! If I wanted you to pick the fucking car up, I would have told you to.” “Yeah, but what’s the big deal? I just ...”
“The big deal is you should mind your own goddamn business.”
“What are you getting so hot about? I didn’t ...”
“Look! I’m the one who bought the goddamn car, I’m the one who’ll pick it up.”
“Oh, give it a rest will you. What’s the matter with you anyway? I can’t believe that you could ...”
With that, Robert snatched the car keys from her hand and stomped out to the car at the curb. He jumped behind the wheel, slammed the door and roared away. Janice couldn’t believe it. He was acting like a child.
She wondered what was going on in his head. Why was he acting so crazy? It must be his job, she told herself. It must be the pressure he’s under. She noticed he had become irritable and moody shortly after he began working for his father. To a certain extent, she could understand it. His work was so secret he couldn’t talk about it with anybody, not even her. It was just like being a spy or a private detective. On top of that, there was a lot of liability dealing with valuable stocks and bonds, and carrying all that money around. That kind of responsibility had to weigh on him.
Whatever was bothering him, it made him very temperamental. One minute he was happy, the next he was severely depressed. He could be so loving and caring one moment, then in a split second, he would turn on her and become mean and surly. His heavy drinking made him all the more unstable.
After the incident with the new car he returned to the house that night, very apologetic and remorseful. He told Janice he loved her and tried to be affectionate but she wasn’t very receptive. Tired of his abuse, she told him she wasn’t going to take it any more. This time it was she who had the tantrum and all Robert could do was stand there and take it.
This soon became a pattern. They would have a big screaming match over a simple matter, followed by his apologies. Janice, in turn, would rake him over the coals but would soon cool down and forgive him. This was followed with hugs and kisses and it wouldn’t be long before the incident was over and forgotten.
Their violent arguments became a commonplace to the tenants in the six-plex. Often the neighbours could hear every bitter word that was said. In some ways their spats were comical because inevitably they ended with Robert hollering that he loved her.
One of the sore points between them was the fact that Robert was spending more and more time with Neil and the boys at the bars. Janice had difficulty understanding why he had to go out so often and why he had to drink so much. She argued that it must be costing a fortune. She also didn’t like the people he hung around with and definitely didn’t want them coming to the apartment.
Robert was defiant. The more Janice disapproved of him going out, the more he was determined to do it. Usually he went out when she was at work. When she was on afternoons or the night shift he met Neil almost evry night. They would drink until the bars closed. Robert seldom invited Neil back to his apartment on Melgund and he never invited him there when Janice was home.
Robert drank to dull his anxiety and to sooth his frayed nerves. He lived in constant fear of being found out and of being sent back to prison in the States. Whenever he heard a door slam or a siren wail, his stomach jumped.
As the fall approached, Janice’s father got worse. She wanted to go to Pembroke and spend a weekend with him. It was also time that Robert met her family. Robert liked the idea of the trip and, when Janice asked him to refrain from drinking while they were there, he was happy to agree.
When they arrived in Pembroke Robert was welcomed with open arms by Janice’s mother, Patricia. She was happy to have her daughter home for a visit and wanted Robert to feel comfortable and welcome. Janice’s brother, Peter, was not as receptive. He was polite with Robert but leery of him. Peter was concerned about his sister going out with someone she’d met in a hostel for homeless men. It made him wonder about Robert’s background.
Although Janice’s father, Hugh, was pleasant with Robert, he wasn’t very talkative when they first arrived. His cancer was at an advanced stage and had sapped his strength. He spent most of his time resting under the relief of pain medication.
Robert and Patricia got along very well. He asked if there was anything he could do around the house to help out and, when he discovered that she wanted the front porch painted, he promptly volunteered. He and Janice spent most of Saturday afternoon in the crisp autumn air working on the porch. It was the nicest day they had spent together in a long time. Janice loved working beside him and was impressed with his attention to detail and the careful way he went about his work.
That night Robert stayed up talking with Hugh McKenzie. He had been a career soldier in the British army and enjoyed explaining about guns and wars and military life. The older man became enthusiastic when he spoke about his experiences in the army. Robert relied on his military school background to ask questions and keep the conversation moving. It was a pleasant evening for both of them. Robert enjoyed the older man’s company and found himself wondering how his own life would have been different if he had been raised by stable parents like Janice’s. Since he had never known such a placid way of life, Robert found himself feeling envious of a family with such loving parents. At the same time he was skeptical, wondering if her parents were always like this or was this just a show they were putting on for his benefit?
Other questions went through Robert’s mind as he sat talking to Janice’s father. Here was a good and decent man who lay dying, while he, a criminal living a deceitful double life, was in the pink of health. To Robert there could be no satisfactory explanation.
What made it all the more difficult to accept was that Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie were devout churchgoers and deeply religious. Robert wasn’t religious. He seldom thought about God, and when he did, he certainly wasn’t convinced of His existence. If there was a God, He was a strange God who, more often than not, seemed to neglect good people and punish innocent children. How could anyone have faith in a God like that?
Two special things happened that weekend for Robert. At the end of the first evening Robert gave Mr. McKenzie his injection of morphine to get him through the night. Somehow that act established a momentary bond of intimacy between the two men. It felt good for Robert to help. On Sunday morning, at Janice’s urging, Robert went to church with her and her mother. There was something peaceful and satisfying about that experience.
Sunday night, as they drove back to Ottawa, Janice confided that she was afraid her father couldn’t hang on much longer. She was distraught. First she had lost the baby, now her father was dying. Robert held her hand and let her vent her feelings.
But Robert’s money was running low again. He had to get back to work. On November 12 he caught an Air Canada flight to Calgary. Knowing that his luggage would not be x-rayed on a domestic flight, he checked his bags in at the ticket counter with his gun in his suitcase. His was not the only gun on board that day. The plane was full of hunters heading west and each of them had one or two high gauge rifles stowed in the luggage compartment. Somehow all these guns made Robert feel more confident that his insignificant little revolver would not be detected.
As was his custom, he checked into a commodious Calgary hotel, went down to the bar for a few drinks, and later that night, called Janice for a chat. After that he went to bed and slept like a baby.
The next morning he robbed the Royal Bank on Eighth Avenue, just a block away from the Scotia Bank he had robbed the previous month.
Following the same routine, he handed the teller a plastic bag and a note that read: “HERE WE GO. DO NOT REMOVE YOUR HANDS FROM THE TOP OF THE COUNTER. DO NOT SET OFF YOUR SILENT ALARM. MY PARTNER IS RIGHT OUTSIDE THE BANK WITH A POLICE BAND RADIO. WE’RE BOTH ARMED AND WE’LL USE THE GUNS. YOU’RE TO TAKE THIS BAG AND HAND IT TO THE TELLER’S WINDOW, THEY’RE TO PUT IN ALL THE 100’S, 50’S, 20’S, AND 10’S IN THE BAG. YOU’RE TO WATCH ME. IF I SIGNAL, BRING THE BAG BACK IN. DON’T BE A HERO.”
The teller did what she was told and Whiteman left the bank with $1,370. He was very disappointed. This would barely cover his expenses. In reviewing his procedure, he realized he had made some mistakes. In his note he had mentioned an accomplice to make the teller afraid and cooperative. He had also given a lot of directions. This made the note too long, leaving him vulnerable while the teller read it. Robert would have to correct that.
Ten days later he robbed the Bank of Nova Scotia in Ottawa. It was on Bank Street just a few blocks from his apartment and down the street from Peppers. Robert didn’t like to work so close to home but in his travels around Ottawa he kept seeing banks that were easy marks and he couldn’t resist the temptation. This was one of them. Besides, working near home cut down on his overhead. He had no expenses for air flights, meals or accommodations. For a change, he could walk to work.
He had driven by this particular bank often enough to know how badly it lacked security and was sure it would be an easy touch. It was during this robbery that Robert began wearing a three piece suit under his outer clothing. He figured no one would suspect a man of being a bank robber who was wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase. This time his note was shorter: “IT’S A HOLDUP. DON’T MAKE ANY NOISE, THERE’S A PARTNER IN THE BANK WITH ME.” The operation went much faster. Within minutes he was discarding his outer clothes and walking home.
He was quite satisfied until he sat in his living room and counted out his money. A measly $650! This was worse than Calgary. Too big a risk for too little money. From then until the end of 1984 he robbed three more banks: two more in Ottawa and one in Halifax. One of the Ottawa robberies was on Christmas Eve when he needed some money to finish his Christmas shopping. It was relatively lucrative. He handed the teller a note and walked away with $1,900. As he was leaving the bank he was tempted to yell “Merry Christmas,” but decided against it because it would sound too juvenile. He wanted to keep his work on a professional level.
Robert had good reason to think of himself as a professional. Since October 3, he had robbed eight banks for a total of $20,000. That was a tidy sum for a few days work. Furthermore, he prided himself that he had done it without any violence. Not a single shot had been fired; no one had been injured.
Next year he planned to get some help, maybe take on a partner. It would make things safer having someone to cover his back. Even if he had to split the take, Robert was convinced that, with an accomplice, they could steal twice as much money. But that was for next year, right now it was time for a well-earned holiday.
Robert had been reading travel brochures and discovered he didn’t need a passport to go to either the Bahamas or to Bermuda. He loved the idea of a vacation in the sun and had never been to one of these places before. Using the money he had saved he went to a travel agent and made some arrangements. When he got home, he handed Janice an envelope. As soon as she saw it, she was excited. She knew it was something special because he often brought her little surprises and gifts, especially when he returned from a business trip.
“What’s in here?” she asked.
“Open it and see,” Robert replied.
Janice couldn’t believe her eyes. She came off the couch shouting: “We’re going to the Bahamas?”
“Yep,” Robert said with a devilish smile on his face.
“When do we go?”
Robert pointed to the package in the envelope.
“Read what it says.”
Janice sat down while her eyes scanned the document.
“It says we leave on Friday, January 11th.”
“Well, I guess that’s when we’re going then.”
“And for a whole week!”
“It better be a whole week, that’s what I paid for.”
“Oh, this is great, Robert!” She got up and threw her arms around him. “This is really great. Thank you honey.”
“Want to hear something else?” Robert asked.
“What?”
“Laurie and Steve are coming too.”
“You’re kidding! Have you and Steve been planning this all along?”
“I’m not saying that. I’m just saying they’re coming with us.”
Robert didn’t want to tell her that he was paying the tab for Laurie and Steve Veinot from the apartment upstairs. A few nights earlier, when Janice was at work, he had been sitting around drinking with them. All of a sudden he heard himself blurt out, “How’d you guys like to go to the Bahamas with us after Christmas – my treat.” They, of course, accepted immediately.
From the moment Robert opened his mouth he knew he had made a mistake. He wanted the Veinots to come with them to the Bahamas but he knew that he shouldn’t be throwing his money around so freely. People tended to take notice of things like that and then they started asking questions.
To cover himself, Robert told them a fabricated story about his father giving him four free tickets as a Christmas bonus. He explained that the four of them would have to share a room once they got there. Robert told Janice the same story he told the Veinots, except he added that his father was really pleased with the work he was doing for the firm and had given him a raise. Janice was impressed.
“I’d really like to meet your father, Robert,” she said. “When am I going to get to meet him?”
“It’s going to take a while,” Robert answered. “We have to go slow here because my father is really an old fashioned guy.”
The expression on Janice’s face showed she didn’t understand.
Robert explained: “He’s not real happy with our relationship ... our living arrangements.”
Janice was surprised. “Geez, living together is so common today. I don’t see why ... “
“I’m not trying to insult you, but he thinks you’re after his money, through me.”
“Oh, Robert, that is the biggest bunch of ...”
“I know it is. But please let me play this my way. For a little while. He’ll come around, then I’ll take you out to meet him. Can we do that? Can we play it my way, for just a little while?”
Janice didn’t want to argue about it.
“Sure,” she said and dropped the subject.
Since Robert had so generously invited everyone to go on this trip, he had to make sure he could pay for it. On January 3 he took an Air Canada flight to Winnipeg. In his briefcase he carried a .38 calibre handgun. He checked into the Holiday Inn because the Westin was fully booked. At 11:30 a.m. he walked into the Royal Bank on Portage Avenue and handed teller Roxy Melnyk a small plastic bag and a note that was written in red ink on foolscap. It read: “THIS IS A HOLDUP. THERE’S TWO OF US AND WE’RE ARMED. GIVE IT TO THE CENTRAL TELLER.”
Robert showed Roxy a gun inside his coat.
She nodded that she understood, took the plastic bag and the note and handed it to Sharon Kelly who was handling the cash in the cage. Now Sharon had to read the note.
Robert whispered to Roxy, “Hurry up, Miss.”
Roxy whispered to Sharon, “Hurry up, Sharon.”
Sharon filled the bag with money and handed it to Roxy. She gave it to Robert.
“I want the note back too,” he said.
Roxy looked at him with disbelief.
“I do!” he insisted.
She gave him the note and Robert left in a hurry. He flew back to Ottawa that same day, and got home in time for a late supper with Janice. Later he counted his money and found that he had stolen $4,492. This would go a long way towards paying for their trip to the Bahamas.
On the plane to the Caribbean, Steve Veinot sat beside Robert; Laurie was with Janice. The four of them were in a holiday mood and started to party from the moment they were airborne. Laurie and Steve couldn’t believe their good luck in having their way paid. For Janice, a week in the sun was a dream come true. Robert was in rare form. He kept everyone around them entertained. When he was feeling good, no one was more fun. None of them realized that his delightful behaviour was driven by desperation. Robert lived for the day; each moment of freedom might be his last.
When they landed in the Bahamas the first thing Robert wanted to do was go scuba diving. Janice cautioned him that he shouldn’t because he didn’t know how. The more she tried to dissuade him, the more he was determined to do it. As soon as they were settled in their room he rented some gear, hired an instructor and headed for the coral reef.
That night, they all headed down to the casino. Robert was ready. Before leaving Ottawa he had bought a gambling book called Beat the Dealer. He and Steve studied it for over a week. The first night Robert went to the blackjack tables. He was in heaven. He had $1,000 in his pocket, he loved to gamble and the drinks were free. What more could a guy want? Through the course of the evening he had a good run of luck and won over $500. Janice was nervous. She loved to see him having a good time but she was afraid he’d lose all their spending money.
The second night, that’s exactly what happened. Within two hours Robert lost the entire $1,500. After the money was gone, the four of them went back to the room to freshen up. Janice was concerned that he’d lost so much money. He laughed off the loss, saying, “Ah, what the hell, easy come, easy go.” He turned to Steve and said, “It looks like that gambling book I bought wasn’t worth a shit. Maybe I can get a refund.”
The two of them were feeling no pain and doubled over in laughter. Steve wasn’t surprised at Robert’s carefree attitude about losing money because he had often seen him throw it around like confetti. While they were having another drink, Robert asked Steve for a loan so he could go down and take another run at the blackjack tables.
That was too much for Janice. She couldn’t take any more of his irresponsible behaviour. He had done nothing but drink since they got there. He’d lost all his own money, and now he was going to gamble with Steve’s.
“Why do you have to keep on gambling?” she demanded.
Robert turned on her.
“That’s none of your business.”
“Oh, yes it is. What if you lose all Steve’s money?”
Robert raised his voice. “So? I’ll pay him back when we get home. There’s no fucking problem with that, is there?”
“Yes there is a problem with that!” Now she was raising her voice. “There’s a very big problem with that. You’ve lost enough money already. Why can’t you let it go at that? Why do you have to go back for more?”
“What the hell is it to you, what I do with my money?”
From that point on they were screaming at each other. Steve and Laurie were trapped in the room and forced to listen to the two of them go at it. It didn’t last long; in the middle of the battle Robert stormed out of the room. Janice asked Steve to follow him to make sure he was all right.
Robert gambled for the rest of the night on Steve’s money and when they finally came back to the room in the wee hours of the morning Robert was ahead again. The next day all was forgotten and forgiven. There wasn’t another argument between them for the rest of the week.
The flare-up was typical of their stormy relationship. This time their disagreement was over a legitimate concern; often a fight would break out over something trivial. Janice didn’t know this at the time, but a possible explanation for Robert’s increasing irritability and his mood swings was drug use. It is difficult to pinpoint when it began, but cocaine eventually became a major debilitating factor in his life.
When he and Janice returned from the Bahamas, Robert started on his downward slide in earnest. He began to spend more and more time at the Playmate Club where he got to know more and more people. Some were only acquaintances, but some became his best friends. Nothing good would come of that.