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and either takes out the last one or at least gives the hostages an opportunity to get out the front of the bank in the confusion. We’d need a team to get in there fast to back up my agent. What do you think?” John asked.

    “Since these guys aren’t in the mood to concede to any of our requests that they let a few people go in exchange for food, I say go for it,” the negotiator said.

    The OPD commander agreed. “Since you’ve got a man in there, I’ll defer to you on how you want this to end.”

    “Andrews to sniper one,” John said into his radio.

    “Go ahead, sir.”

    “You still have line of sight on the two gunmen?”

    “They move around every minute or so, but yeah, they can be taken out.”

    “Prepare to fire on my command.” John turned to the OPD on-scene commander and asked, “If necessary, Lieutenant, can we get your SWAT guys to go in with ours to take out the front window and get the hostages out?”

    The lieutenant turned to the com officer and told him to give the order to get ready to go in and to coordinate with FBI SWAT.

    A couple of minutes later, the command post was told that the entry teams were ready to go.

    “Okay, tell them to go in when they hear the snipers fire.”

    The order was relayed, and when John was told all was ready, he made the decision that he got paid to make. “Andrews to all FBI snipers, green light, green light.”

    John left the trailer and rushed to the closest car and knelt down beside it with two of his agents. He drew his weapon and said, “Get ready; this thing is ending.”

    Ten seconds later, shots rang out from above them, and the radio crackled with the results. “Two down, go!”

    By the time John looked up, the entry teams were already going through the doors. As John rushed the bank, he saw Bob Capparell on one knee with his weapon drawn. Bob fired about four shots as hostages flowed out of the bank, and John and the agents squeezed by them to get inside. Two of the robbers lay on the floor covered in blood and gore, both taken down with headshots. The one closest to the hostages had obviously been hit by two rifle shots.

    “Bob, you get the other one?” John yelled as they raced to where the new agent was now standing.

    Capparell didn’t answer, but John was now close enough to look over the counter and saw the third gunman lying on the floor bleeding heavily from the chest. “Bob, wake up; are there any more of them?”

    “Ah, no, sir, there were only three. I had a feeling you were going to take those two out, and I’ve been waiting on pins and needles for twenty minutes, ready to spring up and start shooting if I had to.”

    “Looks like you did an outstanding job, Bob. Outstanding.”

    All of the hostages were cleared from the bank, and statements were taken by the OPD. The bodies remained in place for the usual official and forensic process to unfold. Since robbing a bank was a federal offense, the FBI took over the investigation.

    The incident made the national news on television that night as Bob Capparell sat in the office giving his statement to his partner. When all the statements were taken, John came out to the central area of the office.

    “It’s been one long, tense day. Everyone but the duty shift, go home. Bob, can I see you for a second?”

    “Sure thing, boss.”

    John closed the office door and sat down with Bob.

    “Look, you’ve had one helluva day. Do you need to take tomorrow off to process what happened today?”

    “Why should I need a day off when no one else is taking time off?”

    “Okay, let’s cut the macho bullshit. You were a hostage in a very dangerous situation. I’m sure you were frightened for your life being caught up in that mess and praying they didn’t discover that you’re an agent. You also killed a man today, which I know from your file is a first. Am I wrong?”

    Bob looked at the floor, and his hands began to shake a little. When the young man put a hand to his face, John knew the dam was breaking and some of the tension and stress were being relieved.

    “It’s okay to let go of your feelings in here,” John said kindly. “It helps you stay mentally healthy to take the time to adjust to what’s happened.”

    “Actually, boss, the last thing I wanna do is go home to an empty apartment, and I’ve been taking my time so I can put that off as long as possible.”

    John sat back and thought for a moment. “Look, if it will help you at all, you can