‘You want to do this or not?’ I replied.
‘You know I do. But why now?’
‘Cos there’s no time like the present,’ I replied smiling. I didn’t want to hear anymore accusations of paranoia.
I walked over to Curtis and whispered in his shell-like the change of time and real reason. He gave a little nod. He agreed with me. It was time to go. It was on. We schmoozed for another twenty minutes and then left one by one.
Tabatha took the Volvo and Curtis and I took the Land Rover. We were on, we were doing it. We didn’t speak on the way. There was nothing to say. We knew what had to be done. We knew what we wanted and how to do it.
Tabatha parked the Volvo about two miles away, near a lake that Curtis had marked on the map. We parked next to her, she jumped into the Land Rover and we drove to the gap in the hedge. We were all dressed the same; all in black with gloves and woolly hats. We couldn’t have looked anymore the part if we’d been carrying a bag marked ‘Swag’.
We skulked towards the secret gap. Leon had leant us the night-vision goggles, which for once were appropriate.
We slipped between the gap and were on the edge of the house’s grounds. It was pitch-dark and without the goggles we would have been lost. Slowly, we followed the hedge round until Curtis signalled a point to cross the open expanse of land, between hedge and house. He’d got us to sneak across in direct line with the corner of the house; limiting the view from the windows if anyone happened to be looking out.
We crept our way across in single file; gentle steps and paranoid glances for me, excited tippy toes for them. We reached the house and leant up against the wall, our backs pressed up against the cold external brick. Tabatha trembled with excitement. She grabbed my hand, smiling so hard it looked like she was going to break her teeth. I looked up and scanned the windows. All the lights were off, but the house was so big it gave little solace. They could have been at the back and we would have never known.
Edging our way round the house, Curtis leading, Tabatha second and me last, watching our arses, my hackles were up so high I could feel them on my forehead. I looked back so often I felt like I had whiplash. Curtis reached the window he’d chosen on the ground floor and signalled us to stop. We watched as he jemmied it open, raising it up slowly. He smiled as mad a grin as Tabatha’s and then climbed through. We followed carefully behind. We were inside.
So far so good.
We found ourselves in what looked like a small drawing room. Curtis was already sneaking a glance into the hallway beyond, as we still had to go through the house and upstairs. More sneaking and creeping. The only plus point was that the house was deathly silent and pitch-dark. It felt empty, but that could have just been hope. He signalled for us to follow.
The hallway had polished wood floors and hard wooden wall panelling. It felt more like a museum than a house. There were all sorts of things on pedestals: a suit of armour, a couple of busts of god knows who, and paintings everywhere. I walked on the edges of my feet, trying desperately to stop the squeak from my trainers that had occurred the second they touched the polished floor.
Onward Curtis led, striding forward, behaving more like he owned the place than was robbing it. He led us out of the hallway into the main entrance foyer. A giant staircase led upstairs. We went slowly, cautiously. At the top, Curtis signalled us to wait while he scouted ahead.
More dark hard wood and squeaking shoes on polished floors. We reached the big heavy door that led into the study. Curtis turned the large brass handle. The click of the lock echoed round the hallway. Every sound ricocheted along the empty space. He pushed open the door and we walked in. The room was lined with books, every wall covered from floor to ceiling with hundreds of them. Curtis’s eyes lit up at the sight of all that paper; more excited by that untapped knowledge than by the job in hand. In the far corner by the window, just as Colin had said, was the safe. Everything was how Colin had described it; accurate to the letter. I felt almost guilty.
Curtis knelt down in front of the small metal box and started to pull out his tools. He gave a wry smile and then whispered,
‘Piece of piss.’
‘Then be quick,’ I whispered back, through gritted teeth.
‘Stop fretting. Let him do his thing,’ Tabatha said, giving me a dig. Curtis smiled in response to my scolding. ‘And you be quick!’ she commanded Curtis, wiping away his smile.
As instructed, Curtis got to work. The safe had a combination lock, a single round dial and a large handle. It looked like one from a cowboy film; certainly not cutting-edge technology. Curtis started twiddling the dial. He knew what he was doing. This was his skill, this was what he did. We watched transfixed as he fiddled and jiggled. Three times he pulled the handle and three times the door remained closed.
I was starting to lose faith in my friend’s skills, until I saw a crafty smile appear at the corner of his mouth. Before he even turned the handle I knew he’d done it. He pulled down on the handle and the clunking noise as the lock was released reverberated around the room. He pulled open the door and there, in the safe, were the diamonds, sitting on two velvet trays, balanced on two shelves. It was true. It was all true. Colin the shifty bugger had been telling the truth. We were staring at millions in diamonds; looking directly at an end to all our misery.
‘Pass me a bag,’ Curtis whispered.
‘What bag?’ I whispered.
‘Did nobody bring a fucking bag?’ Curtis stammered back.
‘Here, use this.’ Tabatha pulled off her woolly hat and held it out for him.
Curtis poured the two trays into the hat and closed the safe.
‘We’ve got them, babes.’ Tabatha whispered excitedly waving the woolly hat at me.
‘We need to leave now,’ I said, moving towards the door.
We dashed back down the stairs and ran on tiptoes towards the room where we’d entered. Curtis was leading still. Tabatha was giddy with excitement, clutching the hat like her life depended on it. We climbed back out the window and Curtis closed it.
We edged back along the house towards the corner, then fled across the courtyard towards the gap in the hedge.
Back at the Land Rover, Curtis jumped in the driver’s seat and I got in the passenger side. Tabatha got in the back.
‘Let me have a look at them,’ Curtis said, as excited as Tabatha.
‘Drive first, look later!’ I suggested, anxious to be as far away as possible.
He turned the engine and reversed on to the main road.
‘SHIIIIITTTTT!’ We all screamed together.
There in the rear window we could see blue lights approaching. Then a couple of seconds later we heard the familiar whine of the police’s siren.
‘Fucking drive, Curt! What you waiting for?’ I screamed. He slammed his foot on the accelerator. The tyres screeched as we sped off blasting mud and debris into the air. They’re gaining,’ Tabatha shouted. ‘Drive faster!’
The siren was blaring. They were so close the blue lights flashed inside the Land Rover.
‘I’m going as fast I can. It’s a Land Rover not a fucking Ferrari,’ he screamed back.
‘It’s your fucking fault,’ Tabatha yelled at me. ‘We should have had a Porsche!’ She was clutching the woolly hat in both hands and shaking.
‘Shut up!’ I said back. ‘Curtis … field!’
‘What?’
‘It’s a Land Rover. Go through the field.’
‘Oh, yeah.’ His eyes lit up.
The cops were right behind us. Curtis wrenched the steering wheel to the right, the tyres screaming again as we tore off the main road, through a fence and into a field. The wooden poles went flying through the air blasted out of the ground. I heard the cop car screech as it followed behind.
‘Floor it!’ I bellowed at Curtis. ‘Turn the lights off and drive with the goggles.’ It was still pitch-dark.
‘Do you know where you’re going?’ Tabatha demanded.
‘Yeah. The lake’s st
raight ahead and to the left,’ Curtis replied.
‘We’re leaving ’em behind,’ I announced. The cops were struggling to move in the field, their wheels were struggling in the wet mud.
‘We need to get changed,’ I shouted, ripping off my burglar’s attire. Tabatha nodded and pulled off her jumper.
‘Keep your eye on the field.’ I warned Curtis, who was trying to sneak a look.
‘There’s the lake,’ he pronounced. We pulled up next to the Volvo and jumped out. Tabatha and me were already changed. Tabatha pulled out and rejoined the main road. We’d lost them. I could still see the blue lights flashing in the field to our rear.
‘Drive nicely, Tabs.’ I ordered. ‘Get changed, Curt, and put your clothes in the bag. And get your fucking head down.’
‘What?’
‘Get your head down. They’re looking for three people riding together. Get your fucking head down.’
‘Why me?’
‘Cos you’re in the fucking back!’
He grimaced and agreed.
‘I think we’ve done it,’ Tabatha said, as we reached the start of the motorway back to London.
‘We ain’t done shit!’ I was raging. She was right though. We had done it. We’d lost the cops in the field and we had the rocks. All we had to do was dispose of the holdall full of clothes and not make any mistakes. We pulled into a service station about halfway back to London, and I flung the holdall in a dustbin. The sun had risen and a new day was dawning. I was still mad but I was over the moon. Our problems … my problems … were over. I jumped back in and we travelled the last few miles home.
Nobody had spoken along the motorway, fear had kept us all silent, but reaching London eased that fear and got the lips flapping.
‘What the fuck happened?’ Tabatha was panicking. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles had gone white.
‘Silent alarm,’ Curtis mumbled from the back seat.
‘What?’ I returned.
‘There must have been a silent alarm. I thought you said there weren’t no alarms.’
‘That’s what that fucker said to me. Told you I didn’t trust him!’
‘You can’t blame Colin,’ Tabatha pleaded.
‘Yes, I fucking can. Curt’s right. There had to have been an alarm. Otherwise why did the blue bottles swarm?’
‘I don’t know. We weren’t meant to be doing it tonight. It’s your fault. You’re the one that changed the day.’
‘What the fuck does that matter? You think the alarm only works on a Tuesday?’
‘Fuck you, Wolfy! You wouldn’t even have been involved if it weren’t for me.’
‘No, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t be up to my neck in shit if it wasn’t for you. What was it you kept saying, ‘You’re just paranoid’?’ I mimicked her voice badly. ‘If it wasn’t for me and the Land Rover paranoia we’d all be doing a bird right now.’
‘Whoopy fucking do! You got one thing right. Whoopy fucking do! Makes up for all the shit you get wrong.’
We were having a full-blown row.
‘What did I get wrong? What? Come on, what did I get wrong? Cos as far as I can see, my paranoia’s the only reason we’re sitting here now.’
‘What, you want a medal? Ooh Wolfy saved the day, give him a medal.’
‘Yeah, damn right give me a medal. The Saving Tabatha’s Arse medal.’
‘You can have that medal. You can have two. You can have the Kiss my Arse medal as well!’
‘You know what you can do with that medal? You can shove that …’ WHOOO WHOOO. Before I could finish the sentence a familiar whining noise whirred behind us.
‘Tell me that’s an ambulance,’ Curtis begged.
‘She jumped a red light,’ I sneered.
‘It’s Wolfy’s fault. He knows I have to concentrate when I’m driving slow.’
‘I hate you two.’ Curtis sounded like he wanted to cry.
‘What are you doing?’ Tabatha was slowing down.
‘It’s just a ticket. I get them all the time.’
‘Not in this car you don’t. And certainly not with a hat full of rocks. Stopping ain’t an option. Drive! Drive normal.’
‘Thank fuck for that.’ She smiled mischievously.
The cop car had pulled up behind us, presuming we were stopping. He got a bit of a shock when Tabatha floored it, grinning from ear to ear. Driving like a normal person had obviously been causing her problems. Now she could drive the way she usually did, it had cheered her up no end.
‘What’s happening?’ Curtis was still lying on the back seat.
‘We’re running from the police again,’ I replied.
‘If we don’t get out of this, I just want you to know that I hate you both.’ He really did sound like he was going to weep.
‘Oh shut up. Don’t get your doily in a twist!’ Tabatha sniggered
If looks could kill …
‘What?’ I said with mock innocence. ‘You make doilies. I had to tell her.’
‘I hate you. I really hate you both.’
Tabatha flew through North-East London, bombing down back streets and small alleyways. The pursuit driver was good. She was struggling to lose him. It was still early so the roads were empty.
‘We need to dump the car,’ I said.
We’d reached Leyton.
‘Tabs, swing a left. There’s an industrial estate up the way.’
‘Yeah, I know what one you mean.’
‘Cool head for it. Lose this guy so we can get out without him seeing us.’
‘Got it, babes.’
Tabatha did the kind of driving that should only be allowed in times of war; she took a left, a right, jumped a pavement. To be honest I closed my eyes through a lot of it.
‘Curt, you got any weed on ya?’
‘This ain’t no time for a spliff.’
‘Give me the bag.’ I flung the bag in the glove box. ‘If we get pinched say you ran because you had a bag of weed.’ Tabatha nodded. ‘How we doing?’
‘This guy’s good, babes.’ The cop car was still behind us.
‘Fuck it! We’re just going to have to dump it and run. Curt, you ready?’
‘No,’ he grumbled.
‘Good! Be ready to move once we stop.’
Tabatha roared into the industrial estate. We’d gained distance from our pursuer but only a little. She skidded to a halt and we jumped out.
‘Everybody scatter!’
Tabatha had the rocks and flew out the door. Curtis had nothing but sprinted like a gazelle the minute we stopped. We ran in different directions. That pursuit driver was bloody brilliant. He was on us in seconds. I could hear more whirring. More coppers had turned up. There was nowhere to run.
I broke round a bend to see three blue bottles moving towards me. I slowed down to stop. I was caught. I could already see Curtis being escorted by two officers. They had him in the arm grip and were walking him back towards the cars. We were nabbed. Our only hope was that Tabatha had got away. As it stood, we were just up for reckless driving; a misdemeanour compared to what we’d really done.
The police ran towards me, before they got close enough to get all excited. I shoved my hands in the air.
They took an arm each and escorted me back towards the patrol cars.
‘Why were you running?’
‘Jogging,’ I replied lamely.
They brought me back towards Curtis.
‘I told you not to buy that weed,’ I shouted at Curtis. One of the officers was already searching the Volvo. He’d find it in a second.
‘Fuck you!’ Curtis shouted back playing along. We were looking okay. Curtis had had his head down the whole time. So hopefully the police thought there were only two of us in the car. Curtis knew the score and as long as they didn’t have Tabatha we were going to be okay.
I saw Curtis’ eyes pop out. I turned round. ‘Shit.’ I mumbled. Two female police officers had Tabatha and were escorting her over. I couldn’t see the woolly h
at.
‘You two and your fucking weed!’ she screamed once she got close enough. ‘If you two weren’t such junkies, I wouldn’t have any problems. You’re always dragging me down.’ She flung a kick at me. We were cool. I didn’t know how. I didn’t know what she’d done … but I knew the police didn’t have the stones.
We spent the rest of the day at the police station. They charged Tabatha with jumping a red light and Curtis with the weed, which was okay. We could live with that.
The only problem we did have … was that they’d fingered us for the diamond heist. The police were on form. Someone had seen a blue Volvo fleeing the countryside. Our only hope was that they’d said there were two people in it. And we were three. They suspected it was us, but they couldn’t prove it. They couldn’t even prove it was the same Volvo. I waited outside for Tabatha and Curtis.
‘Let’s go,’ I said, as soon as they walked out. I didn’t want to talk about anything in front of the station. I’d already called a cab. We jumped in and headed back to Muzzi’s. Curtis’ cousin’s Volvo had been impounded and nobody was giving the £300 to break it out. Not when it was barely worth £200.
Once safely back amongst the partygoers at Muzzi’s, surrounded by a wall of sound, I said, ‘Where’s the rocks?’
‘I had to stash them. We need to go back and get them.’ Anxiety was riddled across her face.
‘Not with the police staring at us.’
‘They think we stole £20 mill in stones,’ Curtis announced matter of factly.
‘What?’ Tabatha and I blurted out.
‘The five-o made a big issue during my interview about how £20 mill in stones is a lot of rocks. There weren’t £20 mill in that safe. Three and half, four tops, I’m telling you.’
‘You sure?’ Curtis gave me a look as if to say, ‘Don’t insult me!’
‘Fair enough. Well, that makes a lot more sense.’
It was as though a light inside my head had flicked on. ‘Would you spend £4 mill to make £16? I would.’ They both looked at me, confused.
The Tale of the Wolf (The Kenino Wolf Series) Page 10