The Loud House - Wild Card

Chapter 4 - Threat

When they arrived back at the station, Lynn was reprimanded by the Sergeant for running off without her partner, but due to the fact that she saved most of the hostages, she was only given a warning. She also provided a detailed description of the attacker, and provided the card he had thrown at her.

"Did he tell you anything else?" Sgt. Bentley asked.

"Only that I wasn't what he expected," said Lynn. "But he also stated that he was happy to see me."

"What the hell does that mean?" Said George.

"The man robbed a bank only to burn the loot and make off with the bank manager," said Sgt. Bentley. "Sounds like a nutcase to me."

Lynn wasn't convinced. Something about what he said bothered her. He seemed genuinely surprised to see her, but not in a way that she expected. He wasn't surprised to see that a cop had gotten into the bank and managed to flank his men. No, he was specifically surprised that she was there, specifically, and also made a point to mention that he was glad to see her. Whatever he meant by that, she couldn't guess to understand. Perhaps she was simply reading too much into it, but it still made her nervous.

Lynn and George were pulled off the beat in order to process the mountain of paperwork on the incident. There was enough there to keep them busy for a week. This was the part of the job she hated the most. She knew they had to keep tabs on everything she did for accountability sake, but it still irked her. To her, the longer she spent on paperwork, the less time she had to be out there making a difference. As the hours passed, she paused to stretch, glancing at the clock. It was finally time to call it a day. Shutting down her computer, she turned to see George approaching her.

"Finally quittin' time," he said cheerfully. "I could use a belt. O'Reilly's?"

O'Reilly's was a Sports Bar down the road and a favorite police hangout. Even though Lynn wasn't a drinker, she enjoyed spending time with her fellow officers, and they served some decent food there. Gathering her stuff, she and George made their way to the bar, joining several other officers already there.

Time passed as Lynn's friends drank their beers, Lynn opting for a diet coke and a sandwich, watching the football game on the big screen. She was rather quiet, still contemplating the events at the bank. The words Wild Card said to her were still bothering her. And what's more, why did he take the bank manager? At first, she figured it was simply a matter of convenience, a hostage to guarantee his getaway. However, he had a host of hostages to choose from, and he seemed to choose the manager specifically. She wasn't a detective yet, but her instincts were usually right when it came to this sort of thing.

"What the hell?!"

Lynn was shaken out of her thoughts at her partner's words. He and the other cops were staring at the television in confusion. When Lynn looked back up, she could see the sports game was no longer playing. Instead, there was a man tied to a chair in a dark room with a bag over his head.

"Good evening, Royal Woods!" Said a voice off-camera. The source of the voice stepped into view, and Lynn stood in shock as she saw the man in the black suit, white coat and card mask she had come face to face with earlier today.

"Wild Card here," he continued. "I have a very special treat for you tonight!" He walked over to the man tied in the chair, who was struggling in vain to free himself. He pulled the bag off of his head, revealing the bank manager he had captured.

"This is our good friend Robert Houlihan!" Said Wild Card cheerfully. "He's the manager at Royal Woods National Bank. Our little transaction was rudely interrupted by the arrival of the local constabulary, and officer Lynn Loud valiantly tried to save this poor wretch, but was sadly unsuccessful." Wild Card's demeanor turned to that of mock sorrow before returning to his former bravado. "Poor, poor Robert! Oh, what bad luck!" Wild Card cackled manically.

"Please, I have a family!" Robert Pleaded. "Please let me go!"

"Oh, I'd like to, pumpkin, I really would," said Wild Card, pinching Robert's cheek in mock affection. "But your bad luck has become my good fortune! You see, your good friend Officer Loud is feeling rather sad that she was unable to save you today, so I said to myself: 'self, what better way to cheer someone up than with a present?' And that's where you come in, Robert my boy!" He bent over until he was face to face with Robert, who flinched fearfully.

"Officer Loud needs some information," said Wild Card. "Why don't you tell the world who your employer is."

Robert's eyes widened in terror. "I can't!" He said. "He'll kill me!"

"Really?!" Said Wild Card in fake surprise. He looked around the room. "That's funny, he doesn't seem to be here. It's just you and me." He added dangerously, before drawing a gun and pointing it to Robert's head. "And what makes you think that I won't do the same?"

"Please, no!" Shouted Robert. "All right, I'll tell you what you want!"

"That's a good boy!" Said Wild Card, holstering his weapon. "Who do you work for?"

". . . The Bianchi crime syndicate," Said Robert in a defeated tone.

"And what do you do for them?"

"I help to launder money from their illegal activities through bank books to prevent discovery," said Robert.

"What kind of activities?" Said Wild Card.

"Extortion, gambling, racketeering, and sale of illegal narcotics," Said Robert.

"What a shocking discovery!" Said Wild Card dramatically. "Who is in charge of this horrific criminal empire?!"

"Please. . ." Robert begged.

Wild Card drew his gun again and put it point-blank against Robert's forehead. "His name," he said dangerously.

Robert sobbed to himself before answering. "Salvatore Bianchi."

"And the truth shall set you free!" Wild Card shouted, laughing maniacally again before walking over to the camera and picking it up.

"This little confession should get the ball rolling," Said Wild Card to the camera. "If you're watching this Officer Loud, and I know that you are, you have two hours to meet me in Warehouse 5 at the Northern Michigan Dockyards, otherwise this unlucky duck will die. Oh, and if you think I'm bluffing," he turned and shot Robert in the leg, causing him to scream in agony. "Now you only have one hour to get here before he bleeds to death. Let this be a warning to you: I'm a man of my word." His cackle returned as he turned off the camera, leaving Lynn at a loss for words. She turned to George, who was already paying the bill for the drinks.

"Looks like we're going back to work, partner," He said.