claustrophobic feeling that she was in a casket and the man was pushing
the lid down on top of her.
Bare seconds had passed since they'd entered the bank. It would be
over soon, she told herself. Soon. They wanted only the money,
nothing more, and they would surely hurry to get out as quickly as
possible. Yes, of course they would. With every second that they
lingered, they increased the odds of being captured.
Could they see her through the cracks in the desk? The possibility was
too frightening. There was a half-inch split in the seam of the wood
all the way down the center panel, and she slowly shifted her position
until her knees were rubbing against the drawer above her head. The
air was thick, heavy. It made her want to gag. She took a shallow
breath through her mouth and tilted her head to the side so she could
see through the slit.
Across the room the three gray-faced customers stood motionless, their
backs pressed against the counter. One of the robbers stepped
forward.
He was dressed in a black suit and white shirt, similar to the clothing
the bank president wore. Had he not been wearing a mask and holding a
gun, he would have looked like any other businessman.
He was terribly polite and soft-spoken.
'Gentlemen, there isn't any need to be frightened, ' he began in a
voice that reeked with southern hospitality. 'As long as you do as I
say, no one will get hurt. We happened to hear from a friend of ours
about a large government deposit for the army boys, and we thought we
might like to help ourselves to their pay. I'll grant you we aren't
being very gentlemanly, and I'm sure you're feeling mighty
inconvenienced. I'm real sorry about that. Mr. Bell, please put the
Closed sign in the window behind the shades.' The leader gave the
order to the man on his right, who quickly did as he was told.
'That's fine, just fine, ' the leader said. 'Now, gentlemen, I would
like all of you to stack your hands on top of your heads and come on
out here into the lobby so I wonXt have to worry that one of you is
going to do anything foolish. Don't be shy, Mr. President. Come on
out of your office and join your friends and neighbors.' She heard the
shuffle of feet as the men moved forward. The gate squeaked as it
opened.
'That was nice and orderly.' The leader oozed the praise when his
command was promptly followed. 'You did just fine, but I have one more
request to make. Will all of you please kneel down? Now, now, keep
your hands on your heads. You don't want me to worry, do you? Mr.
Bell would like to lay you out on the floor and tie you up, but I don't
