Phoenix Resurrected

by Oliver T Spedding

  "We'll keep trying." I said.

  After Misses Phillips had left, Garth and I went into the kitchen and I began preparing our supper. Garth took a beer out of the fridge and sat down at the table. The water in the pot on the stove began to boil and I dropped in two handfuls of spaghetti. I sat down at the table opposite Garth.

  "What are we going to do?" I asked.

  Garth shrugged his shoulders.

  "I don't know." he said. "But I'll think of something."

  "Another robbery?" I asked.

  Garth looked at me intently.

  "Do we have a choice?" he asked. "Neither of us has a job and the chances of finding one are remote. And I'm determined not to lose the house."

  ***

  I continued to search for a job but the task was hopeless. Even temporary jobs like a steakhouse or bar waitress were almost impossible to find. And, even if you did find a job as a waitress the earnings were pitiful. Fewer and fewer people were eating out, and those that did were becoming less and less generous with the tips that they left.

  I also worried constantly about Garth and his implied intension to commit another robbery. I loved him dearly and I didn't know what I would do if I lost him. He'd been extremely lucky with the two crimes that he'd committed so far and, even though he believed that this was the result of his good planning, I believed otherwise. All criminals eventually made a mistake that cost them dearly. There were just too many inconsistencies in human behaviour so that even the most meticulously planned crime could easily go wrong. People were just too unpredictable. Eventually though, I resigned myself to the fact that Garth would continue to resort to crime to see himself through life.

  About a week after Misses Phillips had visited us, my worst fears were realised. Garth and I were in the kitchen, he was sitting at the table drinking a beer and I was standing at the stove with my back to him heating up what was left of the stew that I'd cooked the previous evening.

  "I've found someone that I think will be a suitable target to rob." Garth said.

  I continued to stir the stew, too disappointed to say anything.

  "It'll be very different from the previous two robberies though" Garth said. "It can't be a grab and run robbery. This time I'll have to rob the guy on his premises. The problem is that I can't do that on my own. I'm going to need your help."

  I switched off the stove and returned to the table with the pot of hot stew. I ladled it onto our plates and took the empty pot to the sink. I washed it and placed it on the drying rack, all the time conscious that Garth was watching me carefully to see how I was reacting to what he'd just said. I returned to the table and sat down opposite Garth. Suddenly I didn't feel hungry at all. I forced myself to pick up a forkful of stew, but before I put it into my mouth, I looked up at Garth.

  "What would I have to do?" I asked.

  "Okay." Garth said. "This is my plan. The man that I think that we can and should rob is that money lender Bogdanovic. Apart from the fact that I think that he's a thief for charging such high interest rates, when I was in his office in connection with my loan from him, I noticed a large safe. Each of the times that I was there it was open and I could clearly see that there were stacks of one hundred Rand notes inside as well as a great deal of jewellery. I've no doubt whatsoever that there's a small fortune in that safe."

  "But how will you get to it?" I asked. "Are you thinking of breaking into the shop one night? And, if so, how will you open the safe? Bogdanovic won't leave it open at night."

  Garth shook his head.

  "Breaking into the place would never work." he said. "For the reasons you've just mentioned. And there'll be a very efficient and intricate alarm system, without doubt. And, I wouldn't be surprised if those two goons of his sleep in one of the back rooms at night. No. We'll have to rob the place during the day while Mister Bogdanovic's there."

  "But even if you wear your ski mask he might recognize you." I said. "And anyway, how will you get into the shop wearing your ski mask? Bogdanovic won't let you in; that's a certainty. And what about the door? Isn't there a security gate? Are you going to try and break it down?"

  "No." Garth said. "That would never work. And, unless I was disguised, he would recognise me. And a disguise is far too risky. He would probably recognise my voice. But, he doesn't know you. He'd let you in, especially if you were there to ask for a loan."

  "And once he's let me in?" I asked.

  "By opening the gate for you he'll give us a chance to block the lock so that, when the gate closes, it won't lock itself." Garth said. "And we'll do that by you sticking a strong piece of tape such as mirror tape over the cavity that the bolt of the lock goes into when the door is closed. Thus, the door will close after you enter the shop, but it won't lock itself. Then, while you and Bogdanovic are discussing your loan in his office, I'll be able to enter the premises without him knowing. Then I'll pull down my ski mask and rush into the office."

  "Are you sure that he won't be able to see you come in through the door?" I asked.

  "Yes." Garth said. "The office is on the left side of the door as you enter and the doorway can't be seen from it. Each time I visited Bogdanovic he came out of the office to see who'd rung the doorbell so I'm sure he can't see the doorway from the office. So I'll be able to get into his office before he knows that I'm in the shop."

  "And then?" I asked.

  "Then I'll hit him over the head with my truncheon." Garth said. "He's seriously overweight so his reactions will be very slow."

  "And what if you kill him like you killed that bookmaker?" I asked.

  "I've told you before, Cindy." Garth said angrily. "We don't know that Mister Eksteen died because I hit him with the truncheon."

  "Okay. I'm sorry I said that." I said. "So, you knock Bogdanovic out. Then what?"

  "Then we take all the money and jewellery out of the safe, put it into my rucksack, I'll roll up my ski mask and put on my fake glasses and we'll leave the shop as if we're two ordinary customers."

  "But even if Bogdanovic doesn't recognise you, he'll know what I look like." I said.

  "Not if you're wearing a wig, fake glasses and heavy makeup." Garth said. "And as we leave the shop we'll pull off the tape that had prevented the security gate from locking, so nobody will know how we got in. But we must be very careful not to touch anything so that there are no fingerprints to betray us. When you open the door use your handkerchief. I'll do the same."

  "And what about those two big thugs that work for Bogdanovic?" I asked. "What if they come into the office while we're stuffing the money and jewellery into the rucksack? You can't fight them."

  "They're usually in one of the rooms at the back of the shop." Garth said. "And I know that each time I was there the door was closed. I remember hearing the sounds of a snooker game so they probably spend all their time playing snooker. I don't think that they'll be a problem."

  "Garth." I said. "That's crazy! I'll admit that your plan up to there sounds feasible but you can't ignore those two thugs. And if they do come in, they'll kill us!"

  "Slow down." Garth said. "This isn't the final plan. It's just the beginning. We're not going to do anything until we've covered all eventualities. What we'll have to try and find out is if the door can be locked and if the key is in the lock on the outside. If it is then I can quietly lock the door as soon as I've knocked out Bogdanovic."

  "And how can we find that out?" I asked.

  "You may have to make two visits to Bogdanovic so that you can find that out on the first visit." Garth said. "Then, if the door can be locked from the outside, we'll do the robbery on your second visit. But remember; we're not going to do this unless we're both satisfied that we can pull it off. So, like you did today, try to find flaws in the plan. That's the only way we'll perfect it."

  ***

  I thought about Garth's plan to rob Mister Bogdanovic constantly, trying desperately to find something that would force him to abandon the scheme, but eventually I had to admit tha
t it all hinged on whether or not we would be able to lock the door leading to the back of the shop. I also resigned myself to the fact that I would have to visit Mister Bogdanovic to find this out. In a way I felt more comfortable with this. At least I would be familiar with the shop if and when we did do the robbery and I wouldn't be going into it blindly.

  I was also tempted to tell Garth after my visit that the door didn't have a key on the outside, even if there was a key there, and that we would therefore have to abandon the scheme. But then I realised that I was vaguely in favour of the plan because, if it did come off, our financial problems would be over, at least in the short term, and that by the time we needed more money we would both have good jobs.

  We discussed the robbery plan every day at least once, going over the plan in minute detail and trying to find any flaws that would lead to disaster. Eventually we were down to two stumbling blocks; the possibility that someone would come to the shop while the robbery was in progress and would test the security gate as people were prone to do with these barriers and the possibility that we wouldn't be able to lock the door leading to the back of the shop. We finally solved the first problem.

  "I'll print out a "CLOSED" notice on my computer that we can stick on the glass front door which I'll close after I'm in the shop." Garth said. "Because it's a glass door, closing it won't be noticeable."

  "Yes." I said. "Just be careful not to leave any fingerprints on it or the door."

  Now the whole robbery depended on whether or not we would be able to lock the door into the back of the shop. And to find this out I would have to visit the shop and apply for a loan. I went to the supermarket and bought a cheap black wig and a pair of cheap reading glasses with the lowest magnification available.

  "I'll have to leave the lenses in." I said. "If I wear glasses without lenses in them Mister Bogdanovic will quickly notice this and become suspicious. Glasses like yours that don't have lenses in them are okay if people are only going to see you from a distance. And as I'll only be wearing them while I'm in the shop I'll easily be able to see with them, especially with such a low magnification."

  "Good thinking." Garth said. "And with enough make-up you can change your complexion, making it either darker or lighter than it really is."

  Garth coached me on what I should say to Mister Bogdanovic during the meeting.

  "Just keep everything simple." he said. "Act like you don't know anything about finance. As we won't be paying back the loan, or even taking it, it doesn't matter what interest he charges you. Ask for a two thousand dollar loan to be paid back in ten days time and if he asks what you need the money for tell him that it's to help your sister who's in hospital and is coming out in three day's time and can't pay the hospital fees until she gets back to work a week after that when she'll be able to pay you back. You're going to lend her the money in the mean time.

  "And your sister's name is Anne. We'll also have to make up a fictitious name for you as well as a fictitious address. We can use the address of one of the apartment blocks in Windhoek Central. Tell him you live on your own and you don't know where your parents are. He'll also ask you for your identity document. Look in your handbag and tell him you've forgotten it at your apartment but that, if he does agree to grant you the loan, you'll bring it with you to the next meeting. We'll also have to buy a cheap cell phone and a SIM card and some air time as he's bound to ask you for your cell phone number. After the robbery we can throw the 'phone away."

  "What should I wear?" I asked.

  "Wear something sexy." Garth said. "That will make Bogdanovic focus on your body and not your face. I wouldn't be surprised if he's a dirty old man and will spend most of the time leering at your legs."

  ***

  As I walked along the pavement towards Mister Bogdanovic's shop I felt as if everyone was looking at me and could see that I was wearing a black wig, had layers of face powder on my face to lighten my complexion, had heavily blackened eyebrows and long artificial eyelashes. My short skirt, high heels and low-cut blouse also embarrassed me. I kept reminding myself that there was an important purpose to what I was doing and if it came off the rewards would be very satisfying.

  I reached the shop with the sign "LOANS" on the window and pressed the buzzer attached to the frame of the door. As I waited for a response I put on my black-rimmed glasses. A hugely overweight middle-aged man appeared in the entrance. He was completely bald with pale blue watery eyes and thick blubbery lips.

  "Yes?" he asked.

  "I'm interested in taking out a loan." I said as the man's eyes wandered over my body as if he was undressing me.

  The man nodded and disappeared from view. A few seconds later the lock on the security door clicked open. I pushed the gate open and walked into the shop. The security gate, which was controlled by a steel spring closed behind me with a distinct click. I glanced quickly at the door in the back wall and, even with my glasses on, I could see the key in the lock. A movement to my left attracted my attention and I saw Mister Bogdanovic staring at my legs from the door of his office.

  "Come into my office." he said and as I entered he smiled at me. "I'm Rocky Bogdanovic."

  Mister Bogdanovic moved to the chair behind his desk and sat down. He pointed at the two visitor's chairs.

  "Sit down." he said, still leering at me.

  I sat down and put my small handbag on my lap.

  "So, you want to borrow some money." Bogdanovic said. "How much did you have in mind?"

  "Two thousand dollars." I replied.

  "And how long will it take you to repay it?"

  "Ten days." I said.

  If the man had had eyebrows they probably would have risen halfway up his forehead.

  "As quickly as that?" he asked.

  "Yes." I said. "My sister Anne is in hospital and will be coming out in three day's time. Until she can go back to work a week after that, she won't be able to pay the hospital's bill. I'm going to lend her the two thousand dollars to help her pay the bill when she leaves the hospital and she'll pay me back as soon as she gets back to work. Then I'll come here and pay you back."

  Rocky Bogdanovic nodded.

  "Have you got anything that you can use as surety?" he asked. "Jewellery, coins or furniture?"

  "No." I said. "My furniture is all still on hire-purchase and I don't have any jewellery of value."

  "Okay." Bogdanovic said. "As you don't have anything to use as surety for the loan it means that I'm taking a big risk by lending you two thousand dollars. The interest will therefore have to be twenty per cent for the ten days. Do you understand what that means?"

  I nodded.

  "What's your name?"

  "Maureen Daniels." I said.

  "Where do you live?"

  "In a one-bedroom apartment in the Sunset Mansions in Uhland Street in Windhoek Central. Number thirty three." I said.

  Mister Bogdanovic wrote all this information on a pad on his desk.

  "How old are you." he asked.

  "Nineteen." I said.

  "Give me your identity book" Bogdanovic said holding out his hand.

  I opened my hand bag and scrounged around in it as if I was looking for the book. I looked up at Bogdanovic with an embarrassed expression on my face.

  "I've forgotten it at my apartment." I said. "If you do agree to lend me the money I'll bring it with me when I come to collect the money."

  "Okay." he said. "But without the identity book I cannot lend you anything. Do you understand?"

  I nodded.

  "Is there anyone that can vouch for you?" Bogdanovic asked.

  "No." I said. "Both my parents are dead and I don't want my sister to know that I borrowed the money to help her."

  "Where do you work?"

  "At Steers in Katutura as a part-time waitress." I said.

  "You travel to Katutura from Windhoek Central every day?"

  "Yes." I said. "Times are tough; as I'm sure you know. I have to take whatever I can."

  "D
o you have a cell phone?"

  "Yes." I said and gave him the number of the 'phone that I had just bought.

  "Okay." Bogdanovic said. "I know that I'm taking a bit of a chance here but you seem like an honest person to me. But I'll have to keep your identity book until you've repaid the loan. You know the terms of the loan, so when do you want the money?"

  "In two day's time." I said.

  "Okay. Come back here the day after tomorrow with your identity document and I'll lend you the money." Bogdanovic said.

  I stood up and Bogdanovic hurried round his desk. As I walked to the door of the office I felt his hand on my back.

  "A pretty girl like you shouldn't be working as a waitress." he said. "I'll see if I can find you a better job. Would you like that?"

  I walked out of the office without saying anything, my skin crawling from his touch. I glanced quickly at the door to the back of the shop to assure myself that I had seen the key in the lock. It was definitely there. The lock on the security door clicked and I pushed it open.

  "Be here in two days time at ten o'clock." Bogdanovic said. "I might even have a job offer for you by then."

  I nodded and stepped out onto the pavement.

  ***

  "What a horrible man!" I said as I walked into the lounge and sat down on the couch next to Garth. "You were quite right about him being a dirty old man. He leered at me the whole time I was there. If he's ever asked to describe me, the only things he'll only be able to describe in detail are my legs. He never stopped looking at them."

  "What about the key?" Garth asked impatiently. "Was it in the door?"

  "Yes." I said. "I saw it in the door as soon as I walked into the shop. And just to make sure, I purposely looked again on the way out."

  "And the interview?" Garth asked.

  "It went just as you said it would." I replied. "Bogdanovic took down all the information that I gave him and then he told me to come back the day after tomorrow. But, what's worrying me, Garth, is that he's bound to send someone to check on the address that I gave him. What do you think he'll do when he finds out that I don't live there?"