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“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
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THE CALL CAME IN JUST after ten in the morning. A gunshot fired inside Variety Bank of Colorado. Jed Link is the nearest first responder. He drives his cruiser less than a mile and is at the bank in under a minute. When he arrives, people are pooling out of the bank in a stream of chaos. Jed throws his Kevlar vest on, slips his earpiece in, and checks his sidearm. He doesn’t need this. Not today. Not ever. He steps out of his vehicle into the cool January air. It is so cold, his nose prickles when he breathes. He waits to see the backup officers, including armed snipers, arrive and give him the go-ahead signal before he heads inside of the bank. The small village police force has access to trained snipers, but they don’t have a trained negotiator. That job falls on Jed’s shoulders this morning. He needs to talk to the Chief about making sure someone receives negotiator training once he gets out of this mess. If he gets out of this mess. Jed takes a steadying breath. He feels a tingling sensation in his fingertips.
With stealth, Jed slips into the bank. The gunman, a local man, Darren Abelman, stands against the counter with his pistol raised, his arm is shaking. Jed sees the victims of the man’s gunfire. The once giant freshwater aquarium that resided by the bank’s doors is reduced to shards of glass on the carpeted floor. The community fish that once lived in the aquarium are flopping helplessly on the carpet. Three bank employees and two customers are on the floor as well, faces down, hands placed defensively over their heads. Someone is whimpering. Jed directs his attention to the gunman. The fish need to be the only victims today.
“Drop the weapon, and put your hands up,” Jed commands. His weapon is raised.
“I can’t,” the armed man yells. The hand holding his gun is shaking anxiously. “Not now.”
“You can. Just drop your weapon. I know you don’t want to hurt anyone,” Jed’s breathing quickens, but he keeps his voice calm, low. “Drop it.”
“I can’t do this. I can’t let you take me in.”
Jed levels his voice. “Darren, I know about your wife and kids. This isn’t the way. If you don’t drop your weapon, those snipers out there? They’re going to shoot you. Your family doesn’t deserve that.”
“I can’t. It’s too late,” the armed man, Darren, argues. Jed doesn’t know Darren, but he knows of him. He was given the intel when he arrived at the bank that morning. The standoff has been going on for several minutes now. If they aren’t careful, it could go on for hours, or it could end in a tragic instant. Jed needs it to end without anyone dying.
“It’s not too late, Darren. Drop your weapon. Meet me halfway, okay? I know you don’t want to shoot anyone, and I promise you, none of those guys out there wants to shoot you. I don’t want to shoot you,” Jed’s breathing is getting heavier. He feels the familiar shock of anxiety creeping up his legs, through his torso, settling in his chest. Nausea begins to wash over him. Bile rises in his throat. His ears start to ring. If the dizziness sets in, Jed will be in trouble. A panic attack now means he puts everyone in the bank at risk. If someone dies today, it will be his fault. Jed tries to regain his composure. He takes another deep breath, relying on the methods that he developed years ago to soothe his anxiety. He can’t let this event turn into a tragedy.
Jed takes another deep breath. “You don’t know me, Darren, but I served too. I saw a lot of bad stuff over there, Darren. I don’t want to relive that. I don’t think you do either. Let’s promise each other not to open fire today, okay?”
“How can I trust you?” It is a valid question. If Jed apprehends Darren, he will go to jail. There is no question about that. If he doesn’t apprehend him, someone will most likely get shot. Jed takes another deep breath.
“You have to have faith, Darren. You don’t want to hurt anyone, do you?”
“No.”
“This isn’t the way to solve your problems, Darren.”
“His wife is Tammy and his kids are Jacob and Ashley. He just lost his job.” The tinny voice comes through Jed’s earpiece giving him some more information about the armed man. Jed will use this information to try to take control of the scene—to talk the man down.
“Darren, Tammy and your kids, Jacob and Ashley, what will they do if you never come home again? Because, Darren, I promise you, if you pull that trigger, you won’t be going home again.”
“What can I do?” Darren sobs.
“Drop the gun, Darren.” Please.