Tales from the Wanted (no longer updated)

Chapter 2: Barbara Turner

Barbara Turner is one of the worlds most infamous bank robbers. She was officially arrested and convicted in 2000 after being on the run for 11 years.  Her most famous crime is the Chimes Bank robbery in 1989. She did it alone, and managed to steal $84,000,000. What you are about to read is her taped confession from April 7th, 2000.

8:42 A.M - 04/7/00

All words are spoken by Barbara Turner.

Did I do it? Yes, I did. But no one ever asks why. People only want to know "what." Never "why," or "how." I did it because my life had no more thrill. After my husband passed, I had no more adventure. We always used to travel together, go on car rides together, run errands together. That's why we were married for so long. We were the perfect match.

I remember one time, we had to make a trip to the bank to deposit a few checks. I loved the back, even as a child. I thought it was interesting how things worked in there. How the people would bring money in, or take money out. My father used to call it a "vacation for cash," which I found to be the greatest analogy in history at 7 years old.

Anyways, so we went. While we were waiting in line, there was another couple. They were young, and obviously in love. They seemed so good and happy. Typical American couple. Until they took out guns and started screaming.

Now, that's what I found the most interesting about banks. How easy it was to throw everyone into a panic. When those two took out weapons, the bank tellers basically started throwing money at them. And not in bags like you see in the movies. Just loose dollar bills.

When my husband and I returned home that night we went to sleep almost immediately. Or at least he did. He was still in shock from earlier events. Meanwhile, I stayed awake thinking. Thinking about why the couple decided to do that, how that planned it, things like that. I was in deep thought with myself until the phone rang.

"Your husband has cancer," has got to be one of the worst things anybody can hear. I slid into a kitchen chair, staring blankly at the table. Tears started to form in my eyes, but I wiped them away when my husband walked in. He asked me what I was doing awake, and I told him. And then he sat down too.

He passed a year and a half after that day. It was awful. I can't speak much more about that, so I'll get back on topic here.

My husband was the main source of income for both of us. It's not that I didn't work a job, it just paid terribly. After he passed, a lot of money was lost. The house went up for foreclosure, bills were piling up. It was bad. I knew I had to do something about it, it was just a matter of what.

So I did what the young couple did. I chose small banks around the state, getting about $2000 every time. I was never caught, and I saved the money well.

The Chimes Bank was not supposed to be my last. Yes, the place is huge, but I wanted a challenge. Some adventure. I went in brave, and left a disaster. Literally, a disaster. I ran faster than I'd ever ran in my life. I was nearly caught. But I got 84 million out of it.

And then I spent 11 years on the run. Moving from state to state, town to town. Hell, I spent nights on the subway. I was doing fine with the cash I had, obviously. I started to lose track of time after a while. When I asked someone the date, I was shocked out of my mind. 11 years had gone by, and I didn't even realize. It was depressing. All this running, and for what? To enjoy money? To live in fear? I chose to stop it.

And now I'm here. Confessing to years of crime. Why? Because someone finally asked "why." I did.

9:14 A.M - 04/7/00

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reading!