Phoenix Resurrected

by Oliver T Spedding

  "I think it will make him all the more determined to see you in two day's time." Garth said. "He'll probably want to try and intimidate you and force you to either work for him or have sex with him. But, before you get frightened, remember that he won't even get a chance to accuse you of anything. The fact that you gave him a wrong address means nothing. As you haven’t put anything up as surety it’s unlikely that he’ll bother checking on your address. Having possession of your I.D. document is all that he really needs and he’s expecting to get it when you next meet with him. If everything goes according to plan I'll have knocked him out within minutes of you walking into the office. And by the time he comes round we'll be long gone."

  "Of course!" I said. "I hadn't thought of that."

  "I'm going to come into the shop about thirty seconds after you've gone in." Garth said. "I don't want him sitting at his desk where he'll see me crossing the entrance hall to the back door. He's got to have his back to me."

  "What I can do is drop my open handbag when I'm in the middle of the office and Bogdanovic's still behind me." I said. "I'll make sure that some of the contents of the bag fall out. Then, while Bogdanovic's helping me pick up the things and leering at my legs, you'll be able to close the glass door with the "CLOSED" notice on it, cross to the back door and lock it, and still get to the office before we've picked up everything."

  "That's a good idea!" Garth said. "It'll work perfectly. And then I can knock him out and he'll never know what happened."

  ***

  "Your Honour." James Foster said looking up at Judge Bester. "Miss Bedford is looking a little tired. Perhaps this would be a good time for her to step down from the witness stand and for Garth Gilmore to continue with his testimony."

  The judge nodded.

  CHAPTER 12

  "Garth." Paul Greave said once I'd sat down in the chair on the witness stand. "Cindy Bedford has been telling the court about your plans to rob Mister Bogdanovic. Please tell the court about Cindy's second visit to the money lender."

  ***

  As I walked behind Cindy towards Mister Bogdanovic's shop I realised just how sexy she looked in her short skirt and high heel shoes. No wonder Bogdanovic couldn't take his eyes off her. I even experienced a strange feeling of jealousy as I thought of the two of them picking up the contents of Cindy's handbag off the floor of the office while he looked up her dress.

  I stopped ten metres from the shop and watched Cindy reach the entrance and press the buzzer. I was wearing my ski mask rolled up to just above my eyebrows and the rucksack was slung onto my back. The rubber truncheon was tucked in under my belt and hidden by my dark blue windbreaker.

  I saw Cindy pull open the security gate of the shop and quickly stick the thick piece of mirror tape over the cavity of the lock before Mister Bogdanovic appeared at the front door. The gate closed behind her. I counted to thirty while pretending to fasten my shoelace and then walked to the shop entrance and pulled the security gate open. It opened silently. I entered the shop, took the "CLOSED" sign out of my pocket, unfolded it and stuck it on the outside of the glass door with the pieces of Prestik that I'd stuck on each corner. I could hear Bogdanovic and Cindy talking in the office. I closed both door quietly and moved as silently as I could across the entrance area towards the door into the back of the shop.

  As I passed the office door I glanced in. Both Cindy and Bogdanovic were squatting with their backs to me as they picked up the contents of Cindy's handbag that she'd dropped. I reached the door and turned the key. I pulled my ski mask down over my face and pulled out the rubber truncheon. I moved to the entrance to the office. Both Cindy and Bogdanovic still had their backs to me. I stepped up behind the money lender, raised the truncheon and brought it down hard on the man's bald head. As the man slumped forward onto the floor I saw a large gash on his head where the truncheon had struck him. Dark red blood began pouring from the wound. Cindy stood up, clutching her handbag, her eyes wide with fear.

  "Did you get everything that was in your bag?" I whispered.

  Cindy nodded, too scared to speak.

  I looked at the big safe. The thick steel door was slightly ajar. I hurried closer and hauled it open. I stared at the stacks of one hundred dollar notes and the glittering jewellery. Cindy came up and stood next to me. I pulled the rucksack off my back and opened it. We began to stuff the banknotes and the jewellery inside.

  "Wow!" Cindy whispered excitedly. "There's an absolute fortune in here!"

  I was putting the last of the contents of the safe into the rucksack when I heard a noise outside the office. I put the rucksack down and hurried to the doorway of the office. The handle of the door to the back of the shop was moving up and down vigorously as someone behind the barrier tried to open it. I turned to Cindy.

  "Get out of the shop!" I whispered. "Leave the rucksack and go home! Those two goons are going to break down the door at any moment."

  Cindy hurried away. A loud bang came from behind the door to the back of the shop and I saw the wood near the bottom bulge outwards. I hurried back into the office, grabbed the last of the jewellery and stuffed it into the rucksack. I closed it and slung it onto my back. With my handkerchief I quickly wiped the door of the safe where I'd grabbed it to open it. I heard a loud splintering sound from the entrance area. I moved to the office doorway just as the bottom half of the door to the back of the shop collapsed outwards and one of Bogdanovic's thugs pushed his way through, crouching low. I felt the hatred of him well up in my chest as I remembered the beating he'd given me.

  Realising that I wouldn't be able to get away without the two thugs chasing after me, I rushed up to the still crouching man and hit him as hard as I could on the side of his head with the truncheon. He collapsed onto the floor. The second thug must have realised what had happened and instead of also trying to get through the hole in the door he thrust his hand through the opening and reached up for the key in the lock. Before I could react the hand turned the key and at the same time the handle moved downwards. The broken door opened and the second thug stared at me. He was holding a snooker cue in his hand like a long club.

  The man raised the snooker cue above his head and rushed at me, almost tripping and falling over the unconscious man on the floor. I knew that if I moved backwards as he expected me to do I would be an easy target for him as he would be out of range of the truncheon but I would still be within the range of the cue. Instead, I rushed closer to him as he glanced down to avoid the prone man at his feet. I rammed the end of the truncheon viciously into his solar plexus. The air exploded out of the man's lungs and he dropped the snooker cue. He clutched at his midriff as he bent forward desperately trying to get air into his lungs. I stepped back and swung the truncheon down as hard as I could on the back of his neck. I heard the vertebrae of his spinal column crack. He fell to the ground like a limp rag doll.

  I was gasping for breath from the effort and the tension in my body and had to lean against the wall to steady myself. Gradually I calmed down. I looked over my shoulder at the open doors of the shop but nobody was in sight. I turned and walked to the glass door as I pulled off my ski mask and stuffed it into my jacket pocket. I pushed the truncheon in under my belt. I removed the "CLOSED" sign from the door and put it into my shirt pocket. I stepped out of the entrance area and I closed the door. I carefully wiped the handle with my handkerchief. I pushed the security door wider with the back of my hand so as not to leave any fingerprints and removed the thick mirror tape. I put it into my pocket, stepped out onto the pavement and closed the gate, again using the back of my hand. Surreptitiously I rubbed the bars of the gate with the sleeve of my jacket where I'd touched them as I pushed it closed. I turned and walked away as casually as I could. Nobody took any notice of me.

  ***

  I walked into the house and closed the door behind me. Cindy hurried to me from where she'd been sitting on the couch in the lounge. She put her arms around me and hugged me tightly.

  "I've been so worrie
d, Garth." she said. "I couldn't help thinking that those two thugs would overpower you and kill you. Are you okay? You didn't get hurt?"

  "No." I said as I walked into the lounge and shrugged the rucksack off my back. I put it down on the couch.

  "What happened after I left?" Cindy asked.

  "Fortunately those two thugs couldn't get through the doorway together." I said. "So I was able to take them out one at a time by hitting them with the truncheon."

  "I hope you didn't kill them." Cindy said. "Will they be okay?"

  "Yes." I said. "One of them may have problems though. I had to hit him on the back of his neck and I think that I may have damaged his spine."

  "And Mister Bogdanovic?"

  "He was still unconscious when I left." I said. "The important thing though, is that we got away with it."

  "What are we going to do with the money and the jewellery?" Cindy asked. "Do you want to count it now?"

  "I think that we'd better hide it as quickly as we can." I said. "We can count it later when the heat's off."

  "Where are you going to hide it?" Cindy asked.

  "I think that the best place to hide it would be in a safety deposit locker." I said. The only place that I can think of is the Gold Desert Jewel Casino. You can pay cash to rent a locker there and you don't have to give them any details. We can rent one for three weeks so that, even if the police do come here, they won't find anything to link us to the robbery. You'd better also give me the cell phone that you bought so that I can throw it away. It'll just be a matter of time before Bogdanovic 'phones that number to try and trace you."

  "Can't we count the money first?" Cindy asked. "I'd love to know how much we got."

  "No." I said. "I'm going to the casino right now. The sooner it's hidden the better. We can't take any chances."

  "Do you really think that the police will link us to the robbery?" Cindy asked. "We didn't leave any clues. What makes you think that they'll come here?"

  "It's just a feeling I have." I said. "We mustn't take even the slightest chance. There's too much at stake."

  I pulled the truncheon out from under my belt and put it into the rucksack. I put Cindy's cheap cell phone in my pocket and left the house.

  During the walk to the casino I carefully wiped the cell phone with my handkerchief to get rid of any fingerprints and, when I was sure nobody was watching me, I switched it off and dropped it down one of the street drains. As it was switched off the police would never be able to trace it.

  At the casino I hired a storage locker and paid for three weeks rental in cash. I had thought that the staff would be suspicious of someone renting a locker for so long but they didn't say a thing. I stuffed the rucksack into the steel container, locked it and pocketed the key. I left the complex and walked home.

  ***

  The robbery at Mister Bogdanovic's shop was in all the local newspapers and also on the television evening news. The money lender and his two employees had all been hospitalised but one of the employees had suffered serious spinal damage was likely to be paralysed from the neck down. The police were investigating the crime and important leads were being followed up. According to the police this was the third robbery in Windhoek West in the last six months.

  My hunch about the police coming to visit us proved to be right. One afternoon, two weeks after the Bogdanovic robbery, Captain Williams and Warrant Offices Cilliers showed up at the house. Fortunately Cindy was out looking for work. I was worried that if the police questioned her she would break down and confess to what we'd done. I invited the two policemen into the house and we sat in the lounge.

  "Mister Gilmore." the captain said. "We're investigating three robberies that occurred in the Windhoek West area over the past six months and during our investigation your name came up in connection with all three of the crimes. So we need to ask you a few questions."

  I nodded and tried to look confused.

  "Please understand that this is a routine enquiry and we're not accusing you of any complicity at this stage." the policeman said. "But we have to follow up on everything that has any relationship to the three crimes. Do you understand?"

  "Yes." I said, still trying to look confused.

  "The first robbery took place last November on the Monday morning immediately after the Charity Mile horse race at Turfontein in South Africa." the captain said. "The man who was robbed was a book maker by the name of Edward Eksteen. Unfortunately, during the robbery Mister Eksteen was struck on the head by the perpetrator and died from his injuries. Firstly, we've learnt from the other book makers at the betting hall as well as some of the punters, that someone answering to your description was seen placing bets with Mister Eksteen several times before the robbery. Secondly, some of the punters also claim that someone answering to your description but wearing a dark blue beanie was seen in the vicinity of the betting hall on the morning of the robbery."

  "Yes, I did do most of my betting with Mister Eksteen." I said. "And I also remember the day that Mister Eksteen was robbed. I heard about it that evening on the television. But I was nowhere near the betting hall on that day."

  "Can you prove this?" Williams asked. "Do you have any witnesses as to your whereabouts on that morning?"

  I shook my head.

  "Although I remember hearing about the robbery that day I don't remember anything else about the day itself." I said. "I only go to the betting hall to place my bets on a Tuesday and a Friday and, as the horse that I backed in the Charity Mile didn't win, I had no need to go to the betting hall on the Monday."

  The captain nodded.

  "The second robbery involved a Mister Whiteside from the Ace Dry Cleaners." Williams said. "He was robbed while carrying the week's takings to the bank. Fortunately he wasn't injured during the robbery. We've since found out that the girl that lives here with you, Miss Bedford, was employed at the Ace Dry Cleaners at the time of the robbery."

  "Yes, she was." I said. "She told me about the robbery."

  "Can you remember where you were on the morning of the robbery?" the captain asked. "It took place on Friday the seventh of March this year."

  "Again I have to say that I don't even remember the day." I said. "So I wouldn't have the faintest idea of where I was that morning."

  "Were you at work?" the policeman asked.

  "No." I replied. "At the moment I'm unemployed."

  "The third robbery took place two weeks ago." Captain Williams said. "It involved a money lender by the name of Bogdanovic and involved considerable violence. According to Bogdanovic's records, you borrowed ten thousand dollars from him six weeks before the robbery."

  "That's right." I said. "But I paid him back."

  "We find it interesting that you paid Mister Bogdanovic in full eight weeks earlier than arranged." the policeman said. "In fact, you paid him eight thousand eight hundred dollars two days after Mister Whiteside was robbed. Where did you get the money to pay back such a large sum in one payment?"

  "I won it on the horses." I said.

  "Can you prove that?" Williams asked. "Do you have the payment slip from the bookmaker who paid you out?"

  "No. I threw them away." I said.

  "Can you tell us which book maker you placed the bet with?" Williams asked.

  "It was some of the bookies at the Windhoek West betting hall." I said. "I don't remember which ones though. There are at least five of them. I always spread my bets over a number of bookmakers so that I don't upset the odds."

  The two policemen stood up.

  "Thanks for your time, Mister Gilmore." Captain Williams said. "If you think of anything that might help us in our investigations, please contact me."

  The policeman handed me one of his business cards and he and his companion left.

  ***

  So as not to frighten her, I didn't tell Cindy about the visit by the two policemen. I knew that they didn't have anything that they could pin on me or Cindy. Obviously they were hoping to frighten us into doing something
rash but, as I was certain that I hadn't left any evidence of my complicity in the robberies, I relaxed. They would never catch me.

  Two days after the policemen's visit Cindy and I were sitting in the lounge watching the early evening news on television when someone knocked on the front door. I gently eased one of the curtains aside and peeked out onto the veranda. Captain Williams and four other men stood watching the door expectantly. I closed the curtain carefully and went to where Cindy was sitting.

  "It's the police." I whispered. "But don't worry. Just relax. We know that they've got nothing on us. Leave all the talking to me and if they do ask you anything just play ignorant."

  I walked to the front door and opened it.

  "Good evening, Mister Gilmore." Captain Williams said as he held out an official-looking document towards me. "We have obtained a warrant to search your house. Please let us in."

  I looked at the document and shrugged my shoulders. I stepped aside.

  "Please come in." I said.

  The five policemen walked into the house. I closed the door. The captain nodded to Cindy.

  "While we're searching the house I think that it would be best if you and Miss Bedford sat in the kitchen." Williams said. "We'll be as quick as we can but the search may take a considerable time."

  Cindy stood up from the couch and we walked along the passageway to the kitchen.

  "One of my men will stay here with you while the rest of us search the house." the captain said.

  "May I get myself a beer?" I asked.

  "Yes." Williams said and walked out of the room. He joined the other three men and I heard them go into my old bedroom.

  "Would you like a beer?" I asked the policeman standing with us. He shook his head.

  I tried to appear as calm and relaxed as I could, hoping that it would help Cindy to relax. I heard the policemen moving about and talking quietly. They moved into the main bedroom and I heard them moving the furniture and opening the cupboard doors. Then they moved into the lounge. I heard them moving the furniture and then I heard them talking quietly amongst themselves. A short while later Captain Williams walked into the kitchen. He held out his hand. In his fingertips he held a delicate piece of dark blue paper.