The Camera Heist: A Criminal Memoir

Part Three: The Heist

 A few days later, we strolled down Delaware Ave towards downtown Buffalo, looking almost like twins but with contrasting colored hair. We were wearing our usual attire as young genius part-time criminals. Designed to blend and infiltrate whatever place took our fancy. Walking proudly in the vanities of our own creation. Wearing black ties, white dress shirts, and London fog trench coats, looking like young professionals, but ultimately up to no good for society, so business as usual for us both. Nothing new for us, but God help the world around us. Apart, we were far more vulnerable, but together, we were almost unstoppable. So clean and sleek looking, but with such immoral intentions, we were determined to do what we liked, and what was fun to us, and to Hell with the consequences.

We were the definition of young evil attitude combined with unique ability. We both had very different gifts, and they complimented each other perfectly, in a way that was our combined power. To blend and be able to do almost anything together, often to our detriment, or sometimes comedic and absurd results. I knew Joseph's amazing abilities, to blend in, and to get away with things I never even hoped to.

Doing our personal strut down the street, we passed many closed businesses, and others that were absolutely worthless to us, looking for unique opportunities for ourselves. Or at the very least, ways and places to cause absolute trouble and chaos for our own mere selfish amusement. Yes, combined we were that bad.

Both of us in our very prime, like young deities, or proud demons, take your pick if you wish, we were either, or both, with almost inhuman potential in the things we could do together.

If Evil is a choice, then we both were on the very same diabolical page, believing we were that invulnerable to anything. We weren't of course, but we thought we were, and attitude affects and shapes actions no? It molds how we see the world, and react to it.

If I have one true regret looking back, I wish I had Joseph's utter boldness back then. Personally I never embraced such a bold attitude until long after we had parted ways sadly, perhaps decades after.

For the moment, I was with him, and his gifts weren't mine, but our attitudes were equally belligerent, strength in numbers. We felt like we should own the damned world, at the height of our combined power. Had Joseph entered the shoe store with me, he would have distracted the employee that actually caught me,and I would have succeeded in my theft, but even he didn't see the benefit of working together always, not yet. This would come later in our young adventures.

So I was caught, my heist failed. Working completely together, I felt we could have accomplished almost anything. Combined we were a strange Power in the world. Apart we were both incomplete, and always would be. We were dressed to the max that day, to give an impression of wealth, though in reality we were both poorer than church mice.

We were at the edge of downtown Buffalo, on Delaware ave, one of the center districts for business, and especially for small stores and shops. We were the lions, cruising past the herds of prey, looking for the right place and moment to do something fun and chaotic with our day.

Joseph stopped on the sidewalk next to me, and stared across the busy street. So I halted and looked where he was looking. It was a fairly small camera shop, listing many brands and camera icons in the glass windows.

While we both stared, only Joseph knew what he was staring at and ultimately why, and me because he was staring. He turned slightly towards me. "Johnny, are you in a betting mood?" he asked, a devilish smile on his face. Right then, I knew we had found some entertainment. We often made bets on irrational or weird feats between us. I responded: "Depends on the bet, and what you are considering"

"I'm going to do something almost impossible, and to make it more interesting, as a bet between us. I wanna casually walk in that store, and make off with an expensive camera right in front of the clerks. I'm gonna do it anyway Johnny, since mom wants a new camera, but might be more fun if we bet".

"You are right Joseph, that IS impossible, can't be done, not even by you. It's a small place, surely they will see and catch you, and you'll either go to juvie, or booted out"

"If that's true Johnny, lets bet 50 bucks? If I walk out without a nice camera, or get caught, I owe ya. If I walk out with it, you owe me. Deal?" He put out his hand to shake, our usual betting habit.

"Yes, but one exception Joseph, you can't run with it, it has to be stealthy, not a snatch and run, this is fair no?" I responded back. He tilted his head a bit, and smiled at me. To anyone else, this simple look might seem creepy as hell, but I knew him well, this was his way of weighing the problem in his head, and deciding on a positive answer. To him everything was a challenge to be overcome, especially immoral acts, that's what made it all so damned fun for him. My brother nodded with a smirk, and we shook on it. It was set in stone, and we were on.

"Johnny, do me a favor though, go in there, and walk around, asking questions, just don't give me away, and i'll follow five mins later, and quietly do my thing. If you screw it up, and make them suspicious of me, the bets off, agreed?" He asked me. I considered it, and since I very much wanted to see this first hand for myself, I nodded in agreement.

He stood there waiting while I walked a few buildings down, and I crossed the street at the light to avoid suspicion of any kind. Joseph would probably do the same, from the opposite direction. Finally on the right side of Delaware Ave, I passed a few office worker types dressed almost as we were, an abandoned building, a quiet coffee shop, and finally came to the glass doors of the camera place. I levered it open, a slight smile on my face. Whichever way it went, this would be good. I was about to play a role, a mere distraction, such diabolical fun today. Perfectly playing my role, I'd watch out of my peripheral vision, and see how this would go down.

Inside, there were only two employees, and only one other customer wearing a suit. One employee was sitting on a stool behind the register reading a magazine, and the other was helping the single real customer. "Anything you need help with?" the one with the magazine asked me from his perch. Shaking my head, I casually answered "nah, just looking for now". He looked at me, nodded, and went back to his reading. I picked up some camera lenses, and waited while I tried to look busy. Three sides of the store were covered in all types of cameras on shelves, both professional and more common models for tourists probably.

The bell over the door rang, and in strolled Joseph. For all intents and purposes if I didn't know him, he could have passed for an up and coming yet quite young professional. The illusion was perfectly accomplished. It would have fooled me as well. The other clerk that was helping the real customer merely said to him "If there's anything you need help with, let us know" Joseph nodded, and the clerk went back to assisting the other customer.

The guy reading the magazine looked up, and I heard a low dismissal sound, while he went right back to his reading material. I watched Joseph pick up one camera casually, fiddle with it, before putting it down in favor of another. In utter amazement, I carefully noticed he was easing his way towards the doors, fiddling with its features, nothing suspicious at all. He was standing right next to the door when the bell rang, it opened, and another customer walked in, while Joseph briskly walked out behind him, camera in hand.

When the magazine guy languidly looked up towards the new customer, Joseph was already gone. The "impossible" was accomplished all too easily, and casually in view of both employees and two customers, and no one noticed a thing except myself. I dropped the lens on the counter, nodded to the employee sitting, and left the shop.

I met Joseph at the corner stoplight. He stood there, laughing, and handed me the camera. "Here ya go Johnny, all done." Turning it in my hands, I noticed it was a Nikon, very expensive. I handed it back to him. "Your mom Carol will love it, and I owe you 50 bucks. Well done". He nodded back to me. "Never doubt my talents Johnny, I'll prove ya wrong every time". The camera heist successfully won, we headed to the mall for lunch, and to think of more chaos for both of us to get into.

                                                                                             The END