“Not long, is the answer. They can’t do it immediately because it would be too embarrassing for them to admit they backed the wrong man. But they’re not going to tribunal. Meredrew was under suspicion of embezzlement, so his judgment will be regarded as suspect, and that includes the way he dealt with Lynsey. She’ll be back all right. They haven’t given you a promotion yet, have they?”
“Well, no…”
“No, and they’re not going to. They just expect you to take more responsibility for the same money. When she comes back she’ll be the senior person again and you’ll be back on the counters. Are you happy with that?”
“For God’s sake, what are you saying, Mike?”
I was perplexed. I could see Rodger was too.
“I’m saying that you don’t have to take this sort of shit any more. And neither does Rodge, and neither do I. Right now we have a window of opportunity. We have a chance to act, and if we don’t grab it with both hands we’ll be kicking ourselves for the rest of our dreary lives.”
I looked at him uncomprehendingly.
Rodger said, “Maybe you should lay it out a bit for us, Mike.”
“Look. We’ve already talked about the procedure for taking the money from the safe to the counters every morning. It’s not just counters, though. There are two cash machines at that branch, in the outside wall where the customers can use them at any time.”
“Mike!” I said. “You can’t get at those ATMs!” I was reluctant to go into detail, but the ATMs are like safes, complete with combination locks, and the room behind them is equipped with infra-red and movement sensors. “Believe me, Mike, they’re totally secure.”
“All right, okay, okay. But people are drawing money out of those things all the time. It’s a customer service, and you’ve got to provide it twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the year. So if, for example, there’s a bank-holiday weekend you’ve got to make sure they’re stocked with enough money to see it through.” He smiled engagingly at both of us. “There’s a bank-holiday weekend coming up towards the end of this month.”
I felt uncomfortable and I didn’t say anything. To my amazement Mike rounded on me.
“Come on, Suzy. Don’t be coy with me now. This is the future we’re talking about: for you, for me, and for Rodge. So just tell me: am I on the right track, or am I not?”
I swallowed hard.
“Yes,” I said. “You are.”
32
Mike finished off his coffee. He’d never behaved as assertively as this before, certainly not towards me. I was quite shaken. It was like I was seeing him for the first time.
He put the mug down. His gaze had never left me but now it softened a little.
“Okay, good. Now that’s a lot of money, and it has to be delivered to the branch, presumably by a security firm.”
“Mike, I don’t like this. If you or Rodger tangle with those people you’re going to get hurt. Can’t we…”
“We’re not going to tangle with them. The point I’m making is: after that delivery there is going to be a large amount of money in the safe, enough to fill the machines for the bank-holiday and, for all I know, refill them the following week. All I want to know is, when is it going to be there, and how long is it going to stay there?”
Again I said nothing.
“Look, Suzy, there’s a bank-holiday weekend coming up. You have to know when the delivery is going to be made, don’t you? It’s part of your working schedule.”
“Yes,” I said, weakly.
“Okay, so when’s it to be?”
“Mike….”
“When?” he demanded.
“Thursday. Seven-thirty in the morning. Oh, Mike, I wish you hadn’t started this.”
I ran my hand through my hair and stole a desperate glance at Rodger. Why on earth hadn’t he intervened? He looked at me, and for a moment I thought he was going to say something, but then he just looked back at Mike. I suppose he was curious to know what Mike had in mind. I didn’t like the sound of it one bit, but Mike showed no sign of relenting. He seemed to be driven by a strange energy and he just kept up the pressure. I couldn’t take it. I had a choice: either I rushed out of the room or I stayed there and answered his questions. Why I chose to stay, God only knows.
“All right. Now we’re getting somewhere. So here come the heavy duty guys with the sticks and helmets. Who will open the street door to them?”
“We both will.”
“Both?”
“Yes. Caroline’s doing it with me. I have to be there to check the security man’s pass.”
“And then?”
“Then one of them brings in the first case. The others stand guard outside. Caroline locks the door behind him and stays there. I take him through to the secure area and open the safe.”
“The money’s packed in the case?”
“Not loose, no! It’s in a thick polythene bag.”
“Right, so he takes the bag out and puts it straight into the safe?”
“Not right away. I just check quickly that the contents of the bag tally with the delivery tag and then it goes into the safe.”
“And then that’s repeated with the other bags?”
“Yes. Two of the men take it in turns, so as one goes out with an empty case the other one comes in with a full one. They want to get the whole thing over as quickly as possible.”
“What do you mean ‘as quickly as possible’? How long does it take?”
“Half an hour.”
“Right. So let’s say the delivery’s finished. At this point the largest amount of cash that this branch ever handles is sitting in the safe in bags. Enough to keep the ATMs and the counters and the Friday payouts going for…how long? How often you get deliveries?”
“We’re a busy branch; we used to get two a week. They’re less frequent now. Deliveries were expensive and the bank decided to cut costs. Now they use a different firm with armoured trucks and a very high level of security, and they carry bigger amounts in the bags and make the drops less often. So after this delivery we’re not scheduled to take another for two weeks.”
“Two weeks?” He closed his eyes. I could almost see his mind working. He opened his eyes again. “There’s got to be not far short of two million in there!”
“You’re very smart, Mike. I think it will be about that. God, don’t ever let on to anyone that I said so!”
“Of course not.”
I felt a bit bad about passing on confidential information but in a way it didn’t make any difference. Our procedures had been worked out in detail by the bank’s security division in close consultation with the carriers and we followed them to the letter. These people were professionals. Mike was simply barking up the wrong tree; there was nothing he could do. All the same I felt a bit uneasy. He seemed to be following some line of reasoning that was hidden from me.
For a few moments nobody said anything. I was half hoping it was over, but Mike picked up the thread again.
“Okay, the money’s sitting there, in bags, at about eight a.m.”
“Yes. And the safe door is locked,” I added emphatically. “I do that as soon as I’ve seen Security off the premises.”
“But it’s got to go out to the ATMs and the counters. When does that happen?”
“That may not happen till midday. We have to bring in the staff to help with counting the notes before the money’s distributed. But it’s perfectly safe in there, Mike, I assure you.”
“Tell me about that.”
I actually laughed, just briefly. I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation. Mike was waiting for an answer, his eyes drilling into me, but I was beginning to feel angry about being put on the spot like this. I adopted the patient tone of voice you might use for a troublesome child.
“It’s a large wall safe with a combination lock and a key. It’s set in concrete, okay? The door is steel, two inches thick. And it’s in a secure area. Satisfied?”
Mike ran his tongue quickly ar
ound his lips. Then he smiled and said quietly: “Suzy, I know this is hard for you, but try to cooperate. You won’t regret it, I promise you. Now, tell me about the secure area.”
“What do you want to know?” I snapped, but my anger was subsiding. “Entry is controlled by key pad. There are infra-red and motion sensors, linked to the alarm system—”
“—which are switched off while you’re in the area—” he interrupted.
“Well, yes, of course. And there’s a steel shutter to the entire area too.”
“Oh, really? Is that usual?”
“Actually I’ve never seen one before. The bank had it fitted as extra security around the time they went over to the bigger deliveries. They fitted a larger wall safe and the shutter at the same time. Maybe they’ll bring them in at other branches too.”
“And it’s linked to the alarm?”
“Yes. Our security firm tests it when they check the alarm systems every six months. I’ve never seen it down at any other time. But if there’s any alarm at all, anywhere in the building, it comes down automatically and seals off the secure area.”
“What about closed circuit TV?”
I hesitated. “No… not in the secure area.”
“You’re sure of that?”
“Yes, quite sure—I just hadn’t thought about it before, that’s all. It’s not really needed in there, you see. We don’t have staff sitting around all day watching a monitor. If someone’s in the secure area the sensors will pick up their movements or body heat and set the alarm off straight away. And if the police want mug shots, well, there’s no way anyone could get as far as that without being caught on camera somewhere along the route. Mike, I don’t know what you’ve got in mind but you might as well forget it. You’re never going to…”
But just then I glanced at Rodger and the look on his face stopped me dead in my tracks. He was smiling, and there was a strange light in his eyes.
33
When I got back from work the following evening, Mike said: “Hi, Suzy. Rodge and I are having a little aperitif. Would you like to join us?”
I went and sat down in the kitchen with them. Mike busied himself at the counter and then slid a gin and tonic across the table to me. The ice clinked gently in my untouched glass. I wasn’t being taken in by any of this. The interrogation had ended abruptly the previous evening and they’d said nothing more about it. But Mike’s plan, whatever it was, clearly wasn’t off the agenda. I’d known something was going on the moment I walked through the door.
“What are you two up to?” I said, looking from one to the other. “Come on, out with it.”
Mike just smiled. It was Rodger who responded.
“Suzy, you know what we were talking about last night?”
He was trying to sound casual, I could hear it in his voice. I said nothing, just watched him through narrowed eyes.
“Well, we think it’s time we did a little demonstration for you. Just to show you what we can do. It won’t take long; maybe an hour all told. I think you’ll find it very interesting. Is that okay?”
“You’re up to something, aren’t you?”
“Yes, we are. But we can’t really discuss it unless you see our little demonstration first. Will you go along with us at least that far?”
“All right. What do I have to do?”
“Nothing. You just stay here. We have to go over to the lab.”
“Are you coming straight back, then?”
“No, only when we’ve finished.”
I laughed. “Some demonstration! I’m not going to see much if I’m over here and you’re over there in the lab, am I?”
“Look, bear with us, all right? It takes a bit of understanding, this. I promise things will be clearer in an hour’s time.”
I shook my head. These two were playing silly games and they wanted me to join in. It really was too much at the end of a day’s work.
Mike said, “Let’s synchronize watches.”
I sighed noisily. “My, my, we are being military about this, aren’t we?”
I found two chunky wristwatches thrust under my nose. I couldn’t very well ignore them. I adjusted my little bracelet watch so that the times coincided.
“Let’s say twenty to seven,” Mike said to Rodger. “That’ll give us enough time to warm the equipment up.” He turned to me. “At twenty to seven, Suzy, can you please stand in the doorway to the lounge, here? Just watch the lounge. That’s all you have to do.”
I must have looked totally mystified, which was understandable because I was.
“Suzy,” Rodger said. “Promise you won’t actually go into the lounge. Just stay in the doorway.”
“Why? Oh, never mind. Okay. Whatever. I think you’ve gone stark raving bonkers, the pair of you.”
And I stalked off to change my clothes.
*
I heard the front door close behind them. I couldn’t be bothered to think about it any more. Once I’d changed into something more comfortable I settled down with a glossy, glancing at my watch from time to time. Six-thirty passed and I got involved in an interesting item on scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. That was something I’d always wanted to do. I thought I’d make some notes and then maybe I could cost it out and see how long it would take me to save up to do something like that. Caroline had been to the Maldives. She said the diving there was fantastic. Which would be better? I fancied Australia. It was further to go but then there’d be lots of other places I could visit while I was in the area…
I’d forgotten all about the time. I don’t know what made me glance at my watch but when I did it said twenty to seven. I leapt up with a start, rushed over to the doorway and turned to face the lounge. As I did so, Rodger literally materialized in the middle of the room. A moment earlier the lounge had been empty and now there he was. I nearly jumped out of my skin. My knees buckled and I had to grab hold of the doorway just to keep from falling. Rodger stepped forward and took me by the arm, and helped me to the sofa. I was staring straight ahead, trembling with shock, heart banging, and breathing like I’d just run up six flights of stairs. When the immediate effects started to subside I wanted to cry but I couldn’t. It took a long time for me to regain my composure. By the time I had, surprise had given way to anger.
“Rodger, you rotten b…,” I compressed my lips to keep back the expletive. “You gave me the fright of my life. What made you want to play a trick like that on me?”
“It’s no trick, Suzy.”
“What do you mean, it’s no trick?”
“I mean I can appear like this anywhere. I’ve invented a form of molecular transport, you know, the sort of thing you’ve seen in Star Trek?”
I was staring at him, transfixed. “But, how…?”
“Look, I have to get back to the lab. Mike and I will tidy up over there and then we’ll come back and we can talk about it some more. Are you going to be all right?”
I swallowed hard. “Yes, I suppose so.”
“Just one more thing. Can you get your handbag?”
I wasn’t really thinking straight. I got up shakily and went and got my bag. When I came back I noticed he had a leather duffel bag and he was holding it open for me.
“That’s good, put it in here. It’s part of the demonstration. You’ll get it back later. I want you to see that all this isn’t just a trick.”
I dropped it into the duffel bag and Rodger drew the closure tight. Then I thought, Wait a minute, what am I doing? It’s got my keys, my credit cards, my cheque book, my driving licence…
It was too late. He stepped back and disappeared.
I reached out, trying to touch the empty air where he’d been only a moment before. Then I sat down with a thump. My head was in complete turmoil.
MIKE, SUZY AND RODGE
34
That morning Suzy had gone to work as usual. I hadn’t pushed her for any more information; for the moment I had enough to go on with. What I needed now was to discuss the whole thing i
n more detail with Rodge. He hadn’t stirred yet. I’d been sitting in the kitchen ever since Suzy went out, reading a newspaper, waiting for him to get up. Finally he made it into the land of the living and I tackled him while he was drinking his coffee.
“Can we talk about this job, now?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Well, it’s not as easy as it looks. If Suzy gets us the GPS coordinates for the secure area we can drop you right outside the safe. That part’s not a problem. The problem is the sheer amount of money.”
“How do you mean?” It seemed Rodge hadn’t surfaced entirely.
“Well, for a start, that bag of yours isn’t going to be big enough.”
That woke him up.
“I’m not taking another bag and that’s flat. I’m used to this one. It works for me. In any case, when I’m projected I only have half my normal strength—remember? If you give me a bigger bag and I fill it with paper money I won’t be able to lift it.”
“I thought you’d say that. Well then, we’re going to have to make several trips.”
“There won’t be time. The security men finish the delivery at eight a.m. The girls come in to collect their tills at eight-thirty. We need to leave at least five minutes as a safety margin at each end. That gives us only twenty minutes.”
“I know. Look, it’s not impossible. The first question to ask is: how many trips? By the way, is the bag here or at the lab?”
“It’s here. I brought it back here after the last job—the one we did on Friday at Suzy’s bank.”
“Okay. Let’s use the money in the suitcase to see how much we can get into it at one time.”
I went and got the suitcase. Most of the money we’d taken from the post offices and bank counters was still there—we’d been careful about spending too much because we didn’t want to draw attention to ourselves. Rodge had taken out five thousand pounds to deposit in his bank account and the last fifteen thousand had never made it as far as the suitcase because we’d used it to stitch up Meredrew. Even so there was about a hundred and twenty thousand to work with. It hadn’t been sorted very neatly. Some of it was still bundled and we started with that and sorted the rest as we went along. When we’d finished, the duffel bag was about half full.
The Man in Two Bodies (British crime novel): A Dark Science Crime Caper Page 17