She never saw the gun, but she heard the metallic cha-chink of a round loading into the chamber.

Jessica Rains had been waiting for that moment the whole time she was ringing up a $10,000 jewelry purchase for a man who had made her suspicious the second time he entered Zales, wearing sunglasses and a T-shirt around his neck. The first time, he asked to see big-ticket items: watches, diamond rings, heavy gold chains, she said. When he came back, her security training kicked in.

"We knew when he came in what was about to happen, just from the way he was acting," said Rains, manager of the Overseas Market store. "The other girl here, Crystal (Smith), and I were answering his questions, doing our best to stay calm."

The man told Rains he had $10,000 on a credit card he wanted to spend and she began ringing up an ESQ watch, two Citizen watches and a 3-carat white-diamond engagement ring.

"Then he said, 'I'm not paying for them,' and I heard the gun cock," said Rains, who is four months' pregnant. "When I heard it, I couldn't see the gun because I was sitting down behind the computer, but when I heard it, I was just thinking, 'Please just walk out of here. Just walk out of the store.' We handed him a black bag with the items and that's what he did."

Four hours after the 3 p.m. Monday robbery, authorities arrested Felix Morris Palacios at his Stock Island house and confiscated a loaded semiautomatic .45-caliber handgun with a round in the chamber. Palacios was in the front yard at 838 10th Ave. with two other men: Roger Hernandez, 19, and Leander Rahming, 18, both of Stock Island.

All of them were wearing stolen jewelry, reports say.

Darkness was setting in and despite fears that Palacios was armed and dangerous, Key West police Lt. David Black made the decision not to wait for SWAT but to arrest him immediately.

Within moments police cars converged on the scene, creating a temporary wall between the house and onlookers.

"We were on him pretty fast," Black said. "He didn't have much time to react."

Police also confiscated a shotgun from the house and jewelry matching Rains' description of what was taken. An ounce of powder cocaine also was found near the handgun, reports say.

Palacios, 36, was charged with armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of cocaine. Hernandez was charged with grand theft and Rahming with grand theft, accessory to robbery and tampering with evidence.

Palacios faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison, said Assistant State Attorney Manny Madruga. Palacios has yet to hire a lawyer or be appointed counsel from the Public Defender's Office.

"This was an armed robbery with a loaded gun; you can get life for that," Madruga said. "That being said, we haven't even started to interview witnesses, officers, and handle discovery on this yet."

Palacios has been arrested in Monroe County 13 times since 1995 and is currently serving 3½ years of felony probation stemming from a May 2009 conviction of fleeing, DUI and driving with a revoked license.

Palacios did not score high enough on the Florida Criminal Punishment Code Scoresheet to warrant a prison sentence, despite his 12 previous arrests, according to court documents. The sheet is used by judges to determine sentencing guidelines.

Most of his arrests were for probation violations stemming from a November 2002 cocaine possession conviction, reports say.

Some neighbors were surprised that Palacios was charged in the robbery. Though he had been living at the house only a few weeks, he seemed like a "happy, smiling guy," said one woman, who declined to give her name, fearing retaliation.

"He was friendly. We weren't friends, but we were on friendly terms," she said. "It makes you think about who you live next to. We have kids here."

Another neighbor, who also declined to be named, said he had worked construction jobs with Palacios, who seemed to be a "nice guy."

"He's an electrician," he said. "We did a few jobs together. I would have never expected it."

Court documents indicate Palacios has worked for three different Florida Keys electrical companies in the past two years.

Palacios remains in the Monroe County jail without bond. His arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 18 before circuit Judge Mark Jones, who sentenced him in 2009. He could face federal charges because he allegedly used a firearm in a robbery, though that charge had yet to be filed as of Friday.

Rains is back at work, preparing for a busy Valentine's Day shopping season.

"I'm just glad it's over," she said. "It didn't really sink in -- that we could get hurt -- until he cocked the gun. It's not something I want to go through again."

alinhardt@keysnews.com