communication she was going to get. If there was anything different about him, it was only that he seemed more distant and aloof, and possibly a little more depressed.
If he wasnât, she certainly was.
She didnât know what to do or whom to talk to about this. She really didnât have any close friends, which was why she was so happy when Michele had stopped by the other day. Sheâd hoped that might be the beginning of something meaningful. But Tomâs nearly paranoid reaction last night properly nipped that in the bud. And his apology was so flat and lifeless, she didnât get the impression heâd be okay if she tried talking to Michele again.
She wished she could talk to Marilyn, Tomâs mother. But she was in Italy on her second honeymoon. Even if she was home, talking to her would likely invite the same angry reaction from Tom. Because anything sheâd say to Marilyn would likely be repeated to Jim. For whatever reason, above all things, Tom wanted his father to think well of him.
But Jean knew that Marilyn would understand everything she was going through. It had taken Marilyn tremendous courage to do what sheâd done last summer. Leaving Jim like that after twenty-seven years. Even though it might have cost her everything.
Jean certainly wasnât at that place of desperation yet. Sheâd only been struggling with Tom for a few years, and he wasnât nearly as bad as his father had been. Was he? Even still, she was certain Marilyn could help her learn how to better cope withall this. Maybe help her understand how to chip away at this wall that had grown up between her and Tom.
She heard Carly start to cry from the other room. A moment later, âMommy!â It was Tommy calling. After turning off the faucet, she dried her hands with a dish towel and walked toward the growing noise.
As she did, she thought of something else. Something she wished for more than being able to talk with Marilyn. What she really wanted was for Jim, her father-in-law, to come home from Italy and give his son a strong dose of whatever medicine he had taken seven months ago.
It was as if heâd become a totally new man. Thatâs what she needed.
A totally new Tom.
It really wasnât such a crazy idea, robbing a bank.
Tom sat back in his chair at the Java Stop, mulling it over. This was normally his third stop of the day, but today he had decided to make it his first. Since his âMasked Avengerâ heroics had made the Coffee Shoppe off-limits for a while, he had been starting his days off at the local library. But this morning, kids from a private school had filled the place, working on their science projects.
He had just finished reading an online news story about two out-of-work white-collar criminals that the FBI had arrested in Orlando. From what he could gather, they had devised a brilliant scheme. The problem was, they had gotten greedy. The FBI estimated the pair had robbed over a dozen banks in central Florida in a three-month period. Four in the last two weeks . . . and thatâs why they had gotten caught.
They werenât taking as much time to plan the jobs anymore. That much was obvious. At the beginning, the robberies hadbeen happening every two or three weeks. Tom decided the time must have been spent working through the details, coming up with a foolproof plan for each one. And it had been working, flawlessly. No one had gotten hurt in any of the heists. In the interview, the FBI special agent in charge said he didnât believe the guns they had used were even loaded.
At the time of their arrest they had made off with well over $130,000 in cash. Tom did the math. That was an average of $10,800 per bank. He didnât know what standard of living these two guys were shooting for, but even splitting the money in half, that came out to just over $21,000 per robber, per month.
No way those guys needed that much money every month. See, he
If he wasnât, she certainly was.
She didnât know what to do or whom to talk to about this. She really didnât have any close friends, which was why she was so happy when Michele had stopped by the other day. Sheâd hoped that might be the beginning of something meaningful. But Tomâs nearly paranoid reaction last night properly nipped that in the bud. And his apology was so flat and lifeless, she didnât get the impression heâd be okay if she tried talking to Michele again.
She wished she could talk to Marilyn, Tomâs mother. But she was in Italy on her second honeymoon. Even if she was home, talking to her would likely invite the same angry reaction from Tom. Because anything sheâd say to Marilyn would likely be repeated to Jim. For whatever reason, above all things, Tom wanted his father to think well of him.
But Jean knew that Marilyn would understand everything she was going through. It had taken Marilyn tremendous courage to do what sheâd done last summer. Leaving Jim like that after twenty-seven years. Even though it might have cost her everything.
Jean certainly wasnât at that place of desperation yet. Sheâd only been struggling with Tom for a few years, and he wasnât nearly as bad as his father had been. Was he? Even still, she was certain Marilyn could help her learn how to better cope withall this. Maybe help her understand how to chip away at this wall that had grown up between her and Tom.
She heard Carly start to cry from the other room. A moment later, âMommy!â It was Tommy calling. After turning off the faucet, she dried her hands with a dish towel and walked toward the growing noise.
As she did, she thought of something else. Something she wished for more than being able to talk with Marilyn. What she really wanted was for Jim, her father-in-law, to come home from Italy and give his son a strong dose of whatever medicine he had taken seven months ago.
It was as if heâd become a totally new man. Thatâs what she needed.
A totally new Tom.
It really wasnât such a crazy idea, robbing a bank.
Tom sat back in his chair at the Java Stop, mulling it over. This was normally his third stop of the day, but today he had decided to make it his first. Since his âMasked Avengerâ heroics had made the Coffee Shoppe off-limits for a while, he had been starting his days off at the local library. But this morning, kids from a private school had filled the place, working on their science projects.
He had just finished reading an online news story about two out-of-work white-collar criminals that the FBI had arrested in Orlando. From what he could gather, they had devised a brilliant scheme. The problem was, they had gotten greedy. The FBI estimated the pair had robbed over a dozen banks in central Florida in a three-month period. Four in the last two weeks . . . and thatâs why they had gotten caught.
They werenât taking as much time to plan the jobs anymore. That much was obvious. At the beginning, the robberies hadbeen happening every two or three weeks. Tom decided the time must have been spent working through the details, coming up with a foolproof plan for each one. And it had been working, flawlessly. No one had gotten hurt in any of the heists. In the interview, the FBI special agent in charge said he didnât believe the guns they had used were even loaded.
At the time of their arrest they had made off with well over $130,000 in cash. Tom did the math. That was an average of $10,800 per bank. He didnât know what standard of living these two guys were shooting for, but even splitting the money in half, that came out to just over $21,000 per robber, per month.
No way those guys needed that much money every month. See, he
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