After months of planning, the morning finally came when Roger and Frank were to pull off the daring robbery in broad daylight. A branch of the bank was carefully chosen because of a proximity to an optimal escape route, as well as distance from a police precinct. They had traveled the route in morning rush hour traffic to try to determine how long it would take the police to arrive if the silent alarm were tripped. They also picked a time of morning when the bank would have the fewest customer.

Roger and Frank entered the bank as soon as the lobby opened. It was a small lobby, facing the East so that sunlight poured in. It was dully furnished, everything in gray formica except for the green and white bank logos. Specks of dust floated in the sunlight.

They dressed in business attire, except for the ties, wearing sportcoats to cover the weapon holsters they wore underneath.

As soon as they determined that no one was there who wasn't expected to be there, they quickly went into action. Frank drew his weapon and took the security guard by surprise, forcing him to the ground and removing his weapon, then locked the door.

"Everybody down on the ground!" Frank shouted.

Roger meanwhile went to the counter and handed the teller a bag. "Empty the register."

Frank's job was to stand near the door, control the crowed, and keep a lookout. For a moment, Frank seemed as if he was losing his head, but Roger calmed him, reminding him of what the likely police procedure would be, and how it would work to their advantage.

The robbers were unaware, however, that one of the bank patrons was also a police officer, a plainclothes detective by the name of Louis.

Louis also wore a weapon under his suitcoat. He lay carefully listening to the thieves and waiting for the opportune moment to make his move, because he knew he would only have one opportunity.

The opportunity came when the bank teller was ordered to access the safe to obtain more money. The sound of the safe opening distracted Frank, and this was when Louis made his move, quickly overtaking Frank.

The security guard also moved for his weapon, which had been kicked out of his reach. By the time Roger had responded, the security guard already had his weapon aimed at Roger, and Frank had been subdued. The tables were now turned, and Louis was in control.

"You two seem to know a lot about police procedure," Louis said. "It makes me think one of you is a cop."

What Frank and Louis did not know, but were starting to suspect, Roger feared, was that Roger actually was an undercover cop.

Roger had crossed paths with Frank some time earlier while investigating another case. He had to gain Frank's confidence before he could gather any information from Frank, so he created the undercover persona of a bank robber who needed a partner to pull off the perfect heist. 

To see Jeffrey and Judy, no one would have suspected that they could be responsible for a series of robberies. Their high school graduation photos looked like pictures that might be hung on the wall of a salon. Nonetheless, as Roger investigated the case, their names kept popping up. Even though they always seemed to have the perfect alibi, even though there was never any evidence to directly link them to the robberies, there always seemed to be clues which would have placed them in just the right place and time. The picture wasn't complete however. Roger theorized that there must have been a third party who was even more elusive. Roger felt, however, that this third party was not intimately connected to the others. Jeffrey and Judy were lovers maybe, or close friends. The third party, however, was only in it for the money, and that was Frank. Roger felt that if he could gain Frank's trust, he might learn that vital piece of information which could lead to a break in the case.

However, just as Louis had to wait for his opportunity to move against Frank, so too did Roger, but now it seemed as if Roger may not get the opportunity.

At that moment, however, it occurred to Roger what an even stranger coincidence that Louis, a police officer, happened to be in just the right place at the just the right time. Jeffrey and Judy seemed to be in the right time and place over and over again, with such consistency that it defied chance. At the end of the day, however, the evidence was circumstantial. Louis surprise appearance, however, was far from circumstantial. Could it be that Judy and Jeffrey were the perfect post pin-ups, nothing less, nothing more? A distraction from the real masterminds. Louis, Frank, and the security guard. A three man operation.

If Roger was right, he thought to himself, it would be the perfect combination. One who knows law enforcement, one who knows the bank, one who exists outside the law. If this were true, however, then surely no police would be coming, Louis would have seen to that. Moreover, no evidence would likely exist later to link these three to the crime. The security guard would have seen to that.