Pine Cone Bandit
(1)
Just because he didn’t have
security cameras attached to his house
didn’t mean he didn’t have a personal camera.
Ongoing footage from the social media site
was saved to a thumb drive.
A few dozen cones were tossed into a boat
and instructions were taped to a burner
sitting on the back seat:
1. Call the cops before the boat sinks
2. Admit who you are
3. Give them the name of the lake
4. Here’s your coordinates
5. Deny anything or try to swim for shore, and the life jacket won’t matter
The next day he checked the online arrest reports
and then the social media page.
The neighbourhood watch site was blowing up with stories
about the pine cone bandit.
He closed the laptop,
tonight he thought, perhaps the porch light
could be left on.
(2)
The ride out to the boat launch had been quiet
the bandit never banged the lid at traffic stops
between being kept inside the vehicle for 9 hours
prior to the drive,
and receiving the non verbal warning before going inside the trunk,
the idea of making any noise while waiting on his fate
felt like an unwise choice.
When the trunk lid popped open inside the garage
and the bandit was flopped in beside the spare tire,
staring up at a revolver with a silencer
was enough of a message.
(if only the bandit understood that silencers weren’t really that silent)
However,
at the the secluded lake
with trees silhouetted in darkness
the bandit thought he might have a chance
trying once, to let out an echoing holler.
The holler was muffled when a round
was fired into the air -
once again eyes widened realizing a
silencer isn’t all that silent.
With 2 life jackets
the trek out to the middle of the lake, was taken
this old 14 foot fishing boat, had been in the family for 40 years
She was solid - sturdy.
The 2nd boat trailing behind by rope,
was fairly new.
Picked up on a buy and trade social media site
and like most things sold on the site,
was not as sturdy as promised.
But it carried dozens of pine cones in the bottom
and they floated nicely as water leaked in around
the seams.
Once parked on the middle of the lake
the bandit was hesitant to leave the security of the first boat
and sit in a sinking one
believing that it would be quicker to just shoot and dump him
But
after pointing out that he was wearing a life jacket, and a cell phone waited
for him,
the bandit realized
he would survive the likely sinking,
only...it would be at a price
(3)
Despite the black out curtains,
he wasn’t able to sleep well
dreams of his days in the service, kept
coming back to him
memories of his wife
deceased, whispered in his ear asking questions
should he really follow through on his plan?
could he take someone out to the middle of the lake and?...
but he was halfway through his plan,
no point in stopping now.
(4)
With the bandit packed
safely inside the trunk of the car
he had decided to go to bed.
Being invaded by memories of his wife
was not part of the plan.
But her death was always on his mind.
The act of needless violence that took her life....
Sleeping through the day,
and allowing nightfall to return,
it was time for a drive
and then a boat ride….
(5)
Every other night for 3 weeks he had found a pine cone
he was prepared.
He kept the car in the garage, bolted down the door
and painted the windows over with a special
white-out paint, that allowed him to see out
but no one to see in.
He turned out the lights in the house by 9pm
and made sure to leave the last pinecone right where he
found it several nights ago – on the gate latch.
And then he waited.
He had been following a social media page created
by his neighbourhood
a group of people posting footage from their security
cameras
he had begun to notice a pattern –
1. One person every night
2. Hitting odd number houses on even days
3. Hitting even numbers on odd days
4. Pine cones placed on gate latches
A) Front porches
B )Inside mailboxes
C) Tucked in latches
5. If the pine cone was removed
or if people changed up their habits,
the bandit moved on and started over
If pine cones were left untouched
or if homeowners stuck to their normal schedules
their homes or vehicles would be hit.
While the break in's by the bandit seemed to be sporadic
he, had noticed the pattern –
So he knew,
tonight was the night the bandit would return to this house.
He had made it too easy
- no cameras on his house
- no motion sensor lights
- no tracks in the melting October snow
leading from the front or back door
All that was left
was patience…..
At 0430 hours and his
3rd cup of coffee
the bandit came up the driveway
coasting on an old, likely stolen BMX
the bandit leaned his transportation against the side of the house
and then walked along the driveway
in the shadows.
He stopped and looked at the latch on the gate
saw his pine cone tightly wedge between
the lock and framing.
The latch was popped
and the gate opened without any noise
(it helped the hinges had been greased)
The pine cone bandit quietly closed the gate
not realizing it had just locked from the outside,
thanks to a new latch
placed at the bottom of the gate.
Once the bandit had moved up the steps of the porch
the mandoor to the garage opened.
His friend was boxed in…
Now it was about choice(s)....
