Short Story – Failed Robbery

Jones and his two accomplices entered Red Cross Bank. “This is a hold up!” Jones, the

leader, yelled as he burst through the door. He then asked for the bank manager and demanded money from him. He demanded that the money was to be placed in the sack he had brought. After receiving the cash, Jones and his men tied everyone up. Next, he drew the blinds and turned over the sign on the door so that it read, “Closed”. Fortunately for Jones, the street outside was almost deserted because there was a procession on the other side of the town.

Since most of the town people were at the procession, Jones’ gang went on to rob the Red Cross Hotel opposite the bank. The robbers collected approximately $100,000. Unknown to Jones, Robert, a twelve-year-old boy, was playing in a side street adjacent to the hotel. When he heard the commotion, he hid behind a car and witnessed the unfolding robbery. When Jones’ gang had left that part of town, he ran to a nearby telephone

booth and alerted the police. A police car was sent immediately to investigate the robbery.

When the police car arrived at the Red Cross Hotel, the police officers saw Jones’ van

speeding away from the hotel. The police car gave chase. The cars sped through several streets before leaving for the country-side. At one stage, they traveled so fast that Jones’ van nearly rolled over. At an intersection, Jones’ van attempted a U-turn with the police car following. The chase ended when Jones’ vehicle crashed into a lamp-post. No one was seriously hurt in the crash.

That afternoon, the bank and hotel staff rejoiced at the recovery of the money. Jones’

gang was taken into custody. The town celebrated the arrest of the robbers by declaring a party for the following day. At a ceremony in the Red Cross Hotel, Robert was given a $200 reward for helping the police apprehend Jones and his gang.