Buried in Debt(Len Daniels) Buried in Debt


Roger Cole, an industrious contractor, had just finished building the little bank building in Springville and was driving home in his old pick-up truck, when a thought crossed his mind. Having all the plans and specifications in his possession, gave him the idea that if he ever wanted to surreptitiously enter that building, he could do it easily. After all, he installed all the doors and windows and foundation and probably knew every brick and piece of lumber that was part of it.

It gave him a certain sense of power, knowing that the bank held no secrets from him. He knew how the walls were constructed as well as how the floors were laid and reinforced. He realized that if someone had the information he had from this project, it would be a cinch to get into it unannounced.

The thought consumed him day after day and even kept him awake at night until he decided to attempt the unthinkable. Up till now, he never entertained thoughts of dishonesty or breaking the law, but a recent drop in the amount of work he could contract made him think of other ways of making money. He wouldn’t need to take any of those second jobs he was pondering if he had a source of income that could keep him well off. Besides, he could use a new pick-up for the business, as the one he had was on its last legs.

It would have to be well thought out and planned and couldn’t raise any suspicions. He took his time and checked and double-checked every aspect of his planned illegal escapade.

He remembered that there was still rubble from the little café across the road, which burned down while the bank was under construction and hadn’t been removed yet and probably wouldn’t be for months to come. This could be the perfect cover for the tunnel that he was planning on digging to get him into the bank. He spent hours looking around the pile of debris, lifting here pushing there and deciding just how his operation could be concealed and carried out. He didn’t want to do it until the bank was in full swing and operating 100%. He knew then was when the most money would be in the safe. The Friday night right before the coming holiday weekend would be the ideal time since the loss wouldn’t be discovered until the following Tuesday.

Finally, he was ready to proceed. As luck would have it, clouds in the sky hid the moon and he waited until there was little or no light to illuminate the town streets, and quietly began digging. After several hours, and only getting halfway across the road, he realized that it would take at least another night since he had to shore up the walls of the tunnel as he advanced. At dawn, he exited from the hole and covered it up with some debris that lay close by.

The next night he continued on through the tunnel shoring the walls as he went and arriving at the only place where the bank floor wasn’t reinforced under the safe. It was a drain inlet that allowed floor-scrubbing water to pass into the sewer system. Since it was getting late, he would have to forego the entering this night and leave the tunnel. The next night was to be the final one to pursue his ideas of wealth and fortune. He was incensed with the thought.

He knew just how to remove the drain cover to allow him entry into the bank and did so quickly. When he found the safe to be dark, he just scooped up any paper money he could feel and left the coins since they would be too heavy to carry anyway. Packing all he could into a sack he started back down the tunnel. When he got about halfway, which would have been somewhere in the middle of the road, a large feed truck loaded with recently picked corn came rumbling over the road causing the tunnel to collapse and Roger never came out.

He was buried in debt.

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