End It With A Lie

by Peter M. Atkins

Nibbles’ three sons were all over twenty-one and old enough to choose their direction in life. They’d not always made the best choices, but they were surviving alright. Getting by on the proceeds of small time crime and dealing Lee’s illicit products.

  This morning they’d driven past the engineering shop in Grey Street, where each of them had the opportunity to see the wooden crate Lee had appointed them to watch. They’d arrived in two cars and had left one car in the next street before cruising Grey Street in the other to get an idea of the lie of the land. After the brief excursion they parked where they had a clear view of the engineering shop’s side wall. Shane, who was the oldest of the three and the car’s driver could see a small corner of the wooden crate.

  Dion was the youngest of the three.

  “How long’s this gunna take?” He whined.

  Shane answered in a quiet voice.

  “Lee just said to watch, that’s what we’re gunna do. Don’t start whingin’ Dion or I’ll loosen yer. Now shut up, I’m trying to think.”

  “Fuck Lee,” Dion cursed before he lapsed into a sullen silence.

  Shane threw a small plastic bag over his shoulder.

  “Here, get some of this up your big nose, it might quieten yer a bit.”

  “Shit where’d you get this. There’s a lot?”

  “I want a lot back too, so go easy on it. It’s got to see us through this watch job.”

  It was quiet for some moments.

  “What do you reckon, Charlie?”

  “Drive back around the next street Shane.” Charlie said as he pointed in the direction he wanted to go.

  Shane pulled out and onto the road, driving slowly for fifty metres before he turned right. Charlie then directed him to travel some fifty metres into the street.

  “Pull over here.”

  He paused for a moment as he looked at a building which was set back from the road where they’d parked. It was a long building with all of the area between it and the road taken up by a large apron of concrete.

  It looked vacant and appeared to have been so for some time.

  The only lively thing about it was a single tube fluorescent light burning over a doorway.

  “It looks like it might have been a car repair place or something, eh?” Anyway it backs almost right onto the big box yard. I reckon we bring our camping gear and move in. Tonight we’ll turn up with the bolt cutters, take the lock of that gate, break into the place and move in, piece of piss.” Charlie decided.

  Dion leaned forward suddenly showing interest.

  “What do you mean? Like a camping trip?”

  “Yeah that’s it boy, a camping trip. We’ll bring plenty of munchies. We’ve got plenty of dope, the powers on going by that light and there’ll be a dunny in there too. Camping with all the comforts of home, and we can even bring the little T.V.”

  Charlie scrutinized the building with his observant eyes.

  “We’ll have to bring another padlock though, because those cards by the gate tell me that a security man is still checking the place. He won’t notice a different lock and we’ll have a key to let ourselves out. If anyone springs us, then what’s the penalty for squatting? People are doing it all the time.”

  *****

  A little after four o’clock Tom Lee and Larry drove through the double gateway and into Kane’s engineering workshop yard. Lee had called Shane before he’d left Sudovich’s office to ask if Kane was still at the workshop and as they entered the yard Lee saw what must be Kane’s car. It was parked alongside another older vehicle, which suggested there might be at least two people at the site.

  He drove in and parked beside the older vehicle, before he and Larry walked over to the open doorway which led into the workshop area proper. As they approached there came from within the humming sound of machinery.

  The lower light level inside the building halted them in their stride for a moment while their eyes adjusted. They saw that the humming noise came from a small lathe.

  A man was leaning over it making an adjustment to the job he was working on. A long slender spindle shaped object with a bolt head and threaded neck. Lee looked at the man for only a moment before he walked toward the office end of the building. He was halfway there when the lathe man looked up from his task.

  “Can I help you?” He called.

  Lee didn’t like the tone of the man’s voice, but discounted any suggestion of his feeling from his own.

  “I’m looking for a man named Kane.”

  The lathe man turned off the lathe and it whined a little as it slowly began to lose speed.

  “Mr. Kane is in his office. If you’d like to wait for a moment, I’ll go and let him know he’s wanted. Who should I say is calling?”

  “My name is Tom Lee. I own this building.” The lathe man walked through a doorway, and turned down a narrow corridor, to where he knocked on an office door lightly before entering.

  “Mr. Kane, there are two men in the workshop asking for you. One of them says that he owns this building, says his name is Tom Lee.”

  Kane looked up.

  “Is there anything lying around they might see?”

  The lathe man assured Kane there wasn’t.

  “No Mr. Kane. Except that I was working on the spindle and they’ve definitely seen that.” Kane looked down at his desk and began piling some papers, which he quickly stowed into a desk drawer before locking it.

  His mind was in overdrive. Upon learning of Sudovich’s demise, he had considered the possibility that someone would make themselves known as the new owners of the building. He hadn’t expected an unannounced surprise visit. He immediately became wary and suggested the lathe man do likewise.

  “Show them in here, then double check the workshop. Make sure there’s nothing lying around.”

  “What about the spindle?”

  Kane looked at the lathe man.

  “Go back to work on it. It’s too late to hide it now. Bring them in, quickly.”

  Some moments later Kane heard footsteps in the corridor. They stopped outside his open doorway where two men in expensive suits stood looking in at him.

  “Mr. Kane?” One of them asked.

  Kane walked toward the doorway to greet them.

  “Yes. My name is John Kane.”

  Lee stepped forward and reached out his hand.

  “My name is Tom Lee. This is my associate Larry Barrett.”

  Kane shook Larry’s hand and then addressed Lee.

  “What can I do for you Mr. Lee?”

  “Mr. Kane, I was Garry Sudovich’s business partner and since his accident I’ve had to take over the general day to day affairs of this part of our business. Larry and I have been taking stock of my real estate assets. In the course of this we’ve taken the time to visit my holdings. Mainly to assess their value and maintenance standard, but we will of course take the opportunity to meet those who rent or lease them.”

  Kane’s mind was moving fast, but he never allowed himself to panic. He knew also there were paragraphs in the lease agreement about land lords approaching without notice.

  “I see,” he said as he gestured to the two chairs which faced his desk, “Would you like to sit down? Coffee?”

  Both Lee and Larry declined the offer as they seated themselves.

  They stayed for half an hour, during which time Lee talked as much as he’d listened, and as he expected he learned little. His main aim in the visit was just to have a look around the workshop and eyeball the wooden crate that stood proudly alone in the rear yard.

  After their interview they remained quiet during their walk back to the car, until they became seated in it.

  “What do you reckon Larry?”

  “The workshop looks a bit thin on the ground, but aside from that it looks normal enough,” Larry answered as he clipped up his seatbelt.

  “Yeah, on the surface it looks great, but did you see the third bloke?”

  “Yes I saw him;
he looked like he was filling out job cards.”

  “That’s was my first thought on the way in, but when we passed his office on the way out I saw him pull off the top docket, the customers copy, screw it up and throw it into the bin.”

  Larry looked impressed.

  “Nicely picked up Mr. Lee, you’re very observant.”

  Lee looked back towards the workshop as he wished he was a fly on its inside wall.

  “So Kane is cooking the books, eh? That means he’s either trying to build them up with the idea of selling the business, or he’s laundering money.”

  Lee looked to the yard area.

  “Yes, but where does the transformer fit in? Sudovich was paid fifty grand as a down payment, and that payment was in some way connected to the transformer. Or the box it came in.” He started the car and drove to the intersection at the end of Grey Street. “If the transformer is the important part of whatever is going on, then maybe he’s cooking the books to justify his being there. I mean, maybe the need for a front is as important as the reason for the transformer.”

  Lee’s mind was doing what it did best, seeing beyond the trees. He could not and did not hope to see the future, but he saw real life as a chess board and used what facts he knew to assume his opponent’s next move. Most people did that, but Lee had a natural instinct for it, which was good for him because his survival depended on it.

  “There is one other thing Larry. If whatever Kane is doing is illegal, and it revolves around the transformer. Then he’s doing it on my premises, with a transformer which was imported into the country in my company’s name.” Lee slapped his hand onto the steering wheel and lent weight to his next sentence, “He’s up to something Larry, and it’s bigger than the two hundred grand he was going to pay Sudovich. My worries are, how big, and if he gets burnt how much heat will I feel? The bastard is doing dirty deeds in one of my buildings and under my company name. He’s like one of those pricks who steals your identity.” The more Lee thought about it the more incredulous and angry he became, “Shit, and I can’t even shoot the bastard.” He went quiet for a moment as he dialled his mobile phone, and as it made connection he added, “Well not yet anyway.”

  Shane answered the mobile phone Lee had given him.

  “Yeah, we saw you there Mr. Lee. We’re in the car yard building behind the big box. We just have to look out the back window to see it.”

  He listened as Lee spoke and then put forward an idea.

  “I think the best way to have a look without it being noticed would be to drill a couple of holes in it, rather than breaking it open. Then just glue some paper over the holes. That’d be enough to see what’s inside of it.”

  Shane listened for a moment and then replied.

  “Yeah Mr. Lee, I’ll call you as soon as we’ve had a look. Tonight yeah.” Shane closed the phone and turned to Charlie.

  “Lee wants us to go in there tonight and see what’s in the box. I told him we’d drill a couple of holes and he reckoned that would do. He said there’ll be a bonus.”

  “There’ll be a brace and drill bit in old Nibble’s carpentry stuff at home,” Charlie reminded.

  It was decided.

  *****

  Kane looked up at the lathe man who was leaning in his office doorway. “Look Barney, there’s nothing to worry about. If Lee suspects anything, which I am sure he does, there’s nothing he can do. He can’t go to the police because he’s involved. We used his company name remember. He needs to find out more about what’s going on, and I doubt he can. Not before our start time next week anyway, after then it doesn’t matter what he finds out. No, the next time we see this fellow Lee, he’ll be expecting to be paid off. We’ve just acquired another expenditure that’s all, and we’ve enough capital to cover these unexpected expenses.”

  He extracted the papers he’d hurriedly thrust into the desk drawer upon Lee’s unexpected arrival.

  “How long do you need to have the spindle finished?”

  “Probably two to three hours,” Barney replied.

  “You’d better get on with it then. Is Steve still out there?”

  “He was in his office a moment ago.”

  “When you’ve finished the spindle, give it to Steve. I’ll give him his instructions. Send him in on your way out will you.”

  “Yes sir.” Barney said automatically.

  Kane looked at him.

  “Be careful Barney. It’s Mr. Kane remember?” Kane noted Barney’s agitation as he watched him go and he understood.

  The transformer with its delay due to the ships breakdown had put their plan back some weeks, and it was becoming apparent that his people were showing some initial signs of stress.

  They will get plenty of opportunities to off load some stress he thought.

  Within the next week they’d load it on to the shoulders of the populace of five countries.

  *****

  Shane and Charlie used their key, leaving Dion with the promise of fast food on their return. They borrowed the brace, drill bit and a small torch from Nibbles.

  Nibbles didn’t mind them using the brace and bit, but he reminded them to return the torch. It was part of his professional tool kit, and he had a job on the next night.

  Their return was welcomed by Dion who was suffering a severe case of the munchies. His needs were met, and then after a couple of cones they settled in and waited for midnight. Watching as the security man left another card in the front gate, before they moved on the wooden box. Shane reckoned it was a good time, and Charlie and Dion as usual went along with what he decided.

  Fifteen minutes after midnight they went over the security wire which separated the two premises. In a minute they were out of sight from the road, crouched in low light behind the wooden crate. It was an ordinary crate of timber and ply wood Charlie discovered as his fingers touched its rough surface. He searched for a moment before deciding where to begin winding the drill bit into it.

  Shane held his open hand under the tip of the bit and caught wafer thin shavings of wood before they fell to the ground.

  Charlie finished the first hole, and then began to drill another about two hundred millimetres lower. In a short time, he laid the brace upon the ground and pulled the torch from his pocket. Pressing its glass end to the bottom hole he turned it on while he peered in through the top hole.

  He motioned with a sideways nod to Shane who leaned forward to peer into the box. Some seconds later Shane sat back on his haunches and grinned at Charlie who let out a low chuckle.

  Shane cut two very small pieces of duct tape and placed one over each hole. Then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small plastic fruit juice bottle.

  He removed its lid and tipped out two beer bottle labels. They fell to the ground in their wet curled up form and both Charlie and Shane picked one up each. Soon the labels were stuck at odd angles with their own glue over the small pieces of duct tape.

  Charlie reckoned you couldn’t get more normal than beer bottle labels stuck in odd places.

  Fifteen minutes later Shane called Lee on the mobile phone.

  “Mr. Lee, we’ve been in and the box is empty.”

  CHAPTER 7