Bob the Cop - A Short Story
By Solomon Burgess Eisenberg
By Solomon Burgess Eisenberg
Bob was cautious as he snuck into the bank. He knew the thief was here, and he had been sent by the Police Chief to catch them. The criminal had been sending notes to the police saying that if they attempted to arrest him, he’d burn the stacks of cash that were being kept in the vault. Bob was the best cop on the force, so he was sent to catch the robber before they could escape with the money.
As he crept through the hallway, he wished he could have been sent in at night. The thief had made a deadline once they realized they were trapped, to pressure the cops into letting him get his way. Bob had been chosen because he could pass through areas virtually undetected. He walked into the vault at the end of the hallway, and was ready for battle.
He was surprised to see that the vault was empty. There was not anyone in it, and all the money was gone from the metal boxes that had been busted open. Bob looked around, peeking in drawers, and wondering to himself if the criminal could have already burnt the money. He left the room, and checked the other rooms. Still no sign of the criminal.
He pulled out his radio, and reported to the cops outside. Suddenly, just as he finished the message, he noticed an air-vent fall. It had been hastily re-attached with duct-tape. The vent was wide enough that Bob could fit in it.
“This is Officer Miller. The criminal is escaping with the money through the air-vents,” Bob said into his radio.
He got another message telling him to follow the criminal, so he hoisted himself up into the air-vent. Crawling through it, he smelled a scent that reminded him of the time his dog threw up after eating a ton of grass. He guessed that after 2 days of being trapped in the humid bank, the thief had started to smell from all the sweat. The criminal had chosen the wrong time to steal from it, because the air-conditioning was broken. Bob navigated the maze of air-vents, until he found a trail of cash. He decided it was best to leave the bills there and come back to retrieve them later, since if he got lost again he would need to have a way to find the robber's path. Suddenly, he turned a corner to see the bottoms of a man’s shoes. The thief heard him, and started crawling away as fast as they could, turning a corner and disappearing. Bob quickly followed the money trail, but stopped when he saw a crossroads in the vents.
One tunnel immediately caught his attention. It had the bag of money in it, with a strange device attached. It was counting down, and there was a note on it that read: “This bomb will explode when the timer goes off.” The timer was at 2 minutes, and the seconds were quickly ticking away. He saw an exit near the end of the tunnel with the money. He could get it outside to the rest of the force, who could safely remove the device. In the other tunnel he smelled the gross scent of the robber.
Bob had to think fast. He knew that there was insurance, but that still cost the insurance companies money. He quickly decided, and grabbed the money, then crawled as fast as he could towards the exit. He made it out, and handed the cash to the other cops, who defused the device. He then told them about where the thief was going, and they rushed to get him.
One month later…
They had found the thief two weeks later, after chasing him all the way to the other side of town. He was arrested, and Bob was applauded for his quick thinking, and bravery. He was promoted to detective. The thief was put in jail, and the money was safe.
As he crept through the hallway, he wished he could have been sent in at night. The thief had made a deadline once they realized they were trapped, to pressure the cops into letting him get his way. Bob had been chosen because he could pass through areas virtually undetected. He walked into the vault at the end of the hallway, and was ready for battle.
He was surprised to see that the vault was empty. There was not anyone in it, and all the money was gone from the metal boxes that had been busted open. Bob looked around, peeking in drawers, and wondering to himself if the criminal could have already burnt the money. He left the room, and checked the other rooms. Still no sign of the criminal.
He pulled out his radio, and reported to the cops outside. Suddenly, just as he finished the message, he noticed an air-vent fall. It had been hastily re-attached with duct-tape. The vent was wide enough that Bob could fit in it.
“This is Officer Miller. The criminal is escaping with the money through the air-vents,” Bob said into his radio.
He got another message telling him to follow the criminal, so he hoisted himself up into the air-vent. Crawling through it, he smelled a scent that reminded him of the time his dog threw up after eating a ton of grass. He guessed that after 2 days of being trapped in the humid bank, the thief had started to smell from all the sweat. The criminal had chosen the wrong time to steal from it, because the air-conditioning was broken. Bob navigated the maze of air-vents, until he found a trail of cash. He decided it was best to leave the bills there and come back to retrieve them later, since if he got lost again he would need to have a way to find the robber's path. Suddenly, he turned a corner to see the bottoms of a man’s shoes. The thief heard him, and started crawling away as fast as they could, turning a corner and disappearing. Bob quickly followed the money trail, but stopped when he saw a crossroads in the vents.
One tunnel immediately caught his attention. It had the bag of money in it, with a strange device attached. It was counting down, and there was a note on it that read: “This bomb will explode when the timer goes off.” The timer was at 2 minutes, and the seconds were quickly ticking away. He saw an exit near the end of the tunnel with the money. He could get it outside to the rest of the force, who could safely remove the device. In the other tunnel he smelled the gross scent of the robber.
Bob had to think fast. He knew that there was insurance, but that still cost the insurance companies money. He quickly decided, and grabbed the money, then crawled as fast as he could towards the exit. He made it out, and handed the cash to the other cops, who defused the device. He then told them about where the thief was going, and they rushed to get him.
One month later…
They had found the thief two weeks later, after chasing him all the way to the other side of town. He was arrested, and Bob was applauded for his quick thinking, and bravery. He was promoted to detective. The thief was put in jail, and the money was safe.