Dark Days for Denver

Chapter One

Prologue

"Get on the ground, right now!" The man's voice was calm and firm. His hands, shaking like trees in the wind only seconds ago, now were steadily gripping the black gun. It was a common .22, not impressively large, but enough to make the small entrance hall of the bank fall silent immediately. As the man made a step forward, the seam of his coat flowing upwards behind him almost like a cape, his fingers wrapped around the metal frame tighter. They were covered with gloves thin enough as to keep control over all motion, but thick enough to hide prints. Once he triggered the alarm, it would leave him 15 minutes. It wasn't his first time, and if everything went according to plan, it would not be his last, he had made sure of that. The employees were on the ground, shaking in fear, but nobody dared to say a word. The thick cloth covering the lower half of his face was starting to become uncomfortable. Sharply sucking in a breath, the man made his way to the safe and cracked it within seconds. The heavy door was opening up in slow and steady fashion. All just as he had calculated so carefully. 10 minutes. 7 More than he needed. With swift motion he sorted the money into his bag and coat pockets, leaving the gold as it weighted too heavy for a quick escape alone. By the time the police sirens were audible within the halls of the small bank just outside of Denver, he had already made his escape, leaving nothing but the dawning of a new day for the officers to find.

Chapter 1

Kenny yawned into the depth of his coffee cup and took another sip. Sure, he loved his job, but he would have loved it just a bit more if all newsworthy happened between 10am and 10pm. It was barely even morning. Yet another yawn left his mouth, accompanied by a shiver down his back. Kenny patted the collar of his coat down and entered the Denver Post.

Making his way down to the small desk covered in documents and papers, he briefly nodded at Wendy, one of the editors. They had started at the Post together after college, but they had been friends since high school. She worked hard and tirelessly and Kenny admired that. She was so much smarter than this dead-end job. "Morning, McCormick. Don't get too comfortable, there has been a robbery just outside the city and I need a full report on everything by noon. Make it a good one and maybe I'll get you the front page." Kenny couldn't hold back on a swift grin "No pressure, right? Although, be honest Wends, who else are you going to give it to? Kevin and his 'twelve ways to upgrade your typewriter'?" Wendy tucked a strand of black hair back into her elegant bun with an ever so slight grin. "Get your ass to that bank before I make you write down the latest fashion trends for winter '70 instead."

Upon arriving Kenny could already hear the police chatter. They were still questioning people and securing the scene. He counted ten cars, about fifteen officers. Three witnesses, thirty or more bystanders just watching, blabbering about their own suspicions among themselves. No other journalists yet, what a relief. Wendy would be so pleased to be the first one in possession of all information regarding the most recent crime taunting Denver- or, well, this small town right next to it. The robbery must have occurred right after opening time, judging by the police's progress. Kenny stripped the heavy camera from its bag. Checking the buttons and going through the options, it was all muscle memory by now. He took a few shots of the scene and managed to slip through the tape into the hall. It was nice to escape the crowd. Kenny enjoyed his ability to just blend in, come and go unnoticed, it had been useful in his career and whenever he had been to parties without an invitation. He yawned again, quietly this time. There was no blood anywhere, and no traces of ammunition, so at least nobody had gotten hurt. He took a photograph of the empty safe in the back, plastered with police tape. Not a detective but still very much nosey, he had another look around. No shoeprints, no fingerprints, no money. Kenny left the building and headed towards a couple of officers questioning an employee and flipped his notepad open. It didn't take long to get the basic information down. The police were not too eager on giving details, but he didn't really need confirmation to know that they had just about no clue who was responsible or if that person would strike again. Kenny felt sorry for the employees, they appeared to still be in shock. This area wasn't known for crime, on the contrary, it was deemed rather safe in comparison to the rest of Denver. The bank was surrounded by small stores and houses of the upper middle class. One detail was still on his mind, so he turned to one of the officers again. His nametag underneath a shiny badge read 'Cartman' and he looked like he ranked high enough to know something and arrogant enough to spit it out, with a little finesse on Kenny's part. "Sir, I see you've been handling this crime scene so excellently, could I ask you a few questions?" "Sure, kid. You're press, right? Get a good shot of me, alright?" The officer couldn't have been any older than Kenny himself, and his voice fit the smug expression on his face, but Kenny set his dislike for the man aside, at least for the moment. He took an obligatory shot of the man with the bank in the background and remained as polite as he possibly could. "So, could you tell me how much was stolen? Or disclose any leads that you have?" Cartman scratched his head before responding. "50.000 dollars cash." That was a surprising lot, minding the current recession and inflation rate. Kenny wasn't much into the topic of economy. Growing up poor, to him a pay check that covered rent, food and the occasional bar tap was enough. But he had heard enough from colleagues specialising in that field to know how dire the situation had become for many people in the country. Cartman hadn't noticed him spacing out and continued, drops of spit coming out of his mouth as he raised his voice. "Don't worry, kid. We'll catch him soon. We have tons of evidence. So much evidence!" He opened his arms up wide to visualize the argument.

"They have nothing." Kenny carelessly pushed a few papers aside and sat down on Wendy's desk. The woman lifted her gaze from the article in her hands. "But you do, right?" Kenny nodded, handing her the pages fresh out of his typewriter. "Enough for a decent article at least, but the guy was good. Left no trace, except for a few witnesses wo claim he was skinny, tall and fully covered except for very blue eyes." Wendy looked him in the eyes with a small smile. "So, an exact description of your looks?" He scoffed. "Funny. If I'd rob bank at gunpoint, I wouldn't do it at 5am. Some of us", he pointed at the stack of coffee cups on Wendy's desk besides him, "actually sleep at night. Anyways, do you know a police officer named Cartman? Arrogant type." Wendy immediately groaned. "Yes. Do not get me started on that man. Ego as big as his stack of unsolved cases. Incompetent, lazy and sexist. Plus, he called me a dumb secretary on three occasions. He is so lucky I was not with you at that crime scene" Her face had gone red with anger and she was clenching her fists. Kenny decided to take her mind off things before yet another crime in Denver would occur. "Come on. Finish up tomorrow's paper and meet me at the bar tonight for drinks. My treat, of course. I could invite the others, too, if you'd like." Her face lit up with his words. "Sure!"

It had taken a while to ring everyone after Kenny had finished work, but having his friends around again made up for it. The bar they frequented was dimly lit, small and smelled like the beer they served. Cigarette smoke made it hard to see much further than their booth. Wendy was sitting across the table from him, her eyes closed as she took in the music and atmosphere. Slowly a man approached their table, balancing four bottles of beer in one hand and a plate of snacks in the other before setting everything down. "Hey guys!" he greeted them cheerfully. "Good evening to you as well, Stanley." Wendy smiled at him before pulling Stan onto the seat right next to her. They had been one of those will-they-won't-they couples for the entire time Kenny had known them. Stanley Marsh was broadly built and athletic, kind hearted and empathetic. He had recently started as the coach for a college sports team in the area and ever since then, the two had gotten very close.
They made a great couple in Kenny's humble opinion. He wasn't a relationship expert, but he had dated around a fair bit. Stan had put his arm around Wendy and only let go of her to get up and greet another one of their friends. Kyle's hair was glowing red even in soft and bare lighting of the bar. He still had his fancy attorney clothes on which in no way shape or form fit the run-down establishment. "You're going to get yourself beat up looking like that someday." Kenny noted dryly. Kyle let out a sigh of exhaustion "Can't be worse than another hour in the courtroom with Eric Cartman." He sat down next to Kenny and barely took time to breathe while downing his entire beer. Wendy was back in Stan's arms, but she gave Kyle a compassionate look. Apparently, Cartman hadn't just made a bad impression on Kenny but his friends as well. But their sorrows were quickly forgotten as they talked through the night, cracking jokes and beer bottles open.

The shrill ringing of the telephone tore Kenny from his dreams. Fighting off sleepiness and an upcoming headache from last night, he held the receiver up to his ear. Thankfully the cable was just long enough to let him lay on the carpet next to it while talking. "Kenny-",a small yawn escaped his mouth, "Kenneth McCormick here." The carpet was soft. Too soft. Kenny couldn't help but let his mind drift off again. The sun wasn't up yet, so the hallway of his flat was only lit by scarce moonlight. His eyelids were so heavy. Just a few more minutes of sleep. But the universe wasn't so kind today, and that manifested in Wendy's shrill yelling at him from the other end of the line: "McCormick are you even listening?! There has been another robbery, right in the middle of Denver! Get your ass there immediately! Denver News are already on their way!"