“No, you know what I mean. I know you weren’t happy about the whole meet the family thing, but they liked you.” She looked at me in the semi-darkness. “I knew they would.” I wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, so I chose the easy option and said nothing.
Jennifer snuggled against me and slid her arm across my chest. “So, thank you,” she murmured, closing her eyes.
6
The night I finally decided to go straight is another evening I’ve relived in my mind time and time again. It was April, but freezing cold outside. The early warm snap hadn’t turned into the expected scorcher just yet. I was huddled in the corner of The Heartsease with Tommy and David. The proceeds from the off-licence job had long since disappeared. Most of the stock was now behind the bar, sold to Big Joe so he could sell it on with a hefty markup.
Tommy was telling us about a grand idea he’d had to rip off a fish and chip shop, of all things. He was waiting for the bus one morning when he noticed a delivery driver pull up to one near his house. The delivery driver had dropped off several large sacks of potatoes in exchange for what was, as far as Tommy could see, a not insignificant amount of money.
Tommy had since worked out that there was a potato delivery every week, and that the fish and chip shop near his house was just one in a large round that the delivery driver made. Every transaction was in cash, and Tommy estimated that by the end of his round the delivery driver would have had at least a few thousand pounds. All in cash. His plan was to relieve the delivery driver of that cash at the end of his round. David was sitting on the fence, no doubt waiting to see which way the decision went between the two of us.
I wasn’t convinced in the slightest. It was one thing doing over a business like an off-licence or office at night, with no one around. Even stuff like that I was becoming uncomfortable with as I knew every time we did a job there was a risk involved. If that risk was realised, and we were nicked, then all three of us would go to prison. It wasn’t something I’d been bothered with before I had met Jennifer, as it was an occupational hazard for people like us, but it was weighing on my mind now that things seemed to be getting more serious between us.
“He won’t care,” Tommy said. “He’s only the delivery driver.” Tommy had been following the delivery driver, as discreetly as he could, for the last couple of weeks and had identified an ideal spot to pull the van over just outside the city centre. “It’s not as if he’s going to put up a fight or anything, is it?”
“So how are we going to get the van to stop then, Tommy?” David asked. I’d been wondering the same thing myself.
“Well, I guess there are a couple of options,” Tommy replied. “We could, I don’t know, stage a car accident or something. Get him to follow us, slam the brakes on at a roundabout so he goes into the back of the car. Then pull into the lay-by to sort out the insurance details and relieve him of the cash.”
“But that still doesn’t answer the question of how we get the cash from him, Tommy, does it?” I said. Tommy’s plan so far was rubbish.
“We’ll just threaten him a bit,” Tommy replied. That’s what I’d thought he would say. “I mean, come on, you and me? We’re both big guys. He’s not. He’s a streak of piss, smaller than David, and got to be in his fifties at least.”
“I don’t like it, Tommy,” I said, crossing my arms and leaning back in the chair. “We’ve never done that before. It’s always just been buildings, never people.”
“I’m not convinced either,” David said. “I mean, what if he has a heart attack or something?” Nine times out of ten, David would follow my line of reasoning, and tonight he was true to form.
“Oh for God’s sake, the pair of you are just not listening,” Tommy replied. “We’re talking thousands here. This could set all three of us up for months.”
“So how do you propose that we threaten him then, Tommy?” I asked, leaning forward and tapping my finger on the table just hard enough to make the beer glasses wobble. “Just stand there looking bigger than he is until he hands over the money?”
“Well, we could take a bat or something?” Tommy replied. “Wave it about until he gets the message?”
“Wave it about?” I asked, louder than I’d intended. I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Wave it about? Really? Tommy, I’ve known you for a long time, but you’ve lost the plot on this one.”
“Why?” Tommy replied, whining. “This is a big job. You’ve got to take a bit of risk for a lot of reward.” I looked across at David and saw his eyes flick between me and Tommy.
“Mate,” I said, putting both hands flat on the table in front of me and staring at Tommy. “You’re talking armed robbery. Do you know what you get for that?”
“That’s not armed robbery,” Tommy said. “Not with a baseball bat it’s not.”
“I think it is, Tommy,” David said, looking across at me for approval. “Isn’t it, Gareth?”
“Yeah, as far as I know, it is. A baseball bat is a weapon unless you’re on your way to play baseball somewhere,” I said. “I think it would be difficult to persuade the Old Bill that we were on our way for a game of baseball in the park when we happened to have an accident with a van driven by a man with a lot of money in his pocket. Which we then decided to take for ourselves,” I said. Tommy sat back in his chair and sighed, deflated.
“I didn’t realise I was having a beer with a couple of lawyers,” he said.
“Tommy,” I said. “Don’t be daft, mate. You know what the maximum sentence for armed robbery is, don’t you?”
“No, sorry Your Honour. I don’t,” he said. “Perhaps my learned friend could enlighten me?” David smiled at his response, but my reply soon wiped the smile off his face.
“It’s life, Tommy.”
I didn’t tell Tommy or David how I knew that the maximum prison sentence for armed robbery was life. Nor did I tell them how I knew even with a baseball bat, it would still be armed robbery. Over the last couple of days, weeks really, I’d spent hours on the Internet looking at various legal websites to find out how long you could get put away for. Going to prison had always been at the back of my mind, an occupational hazard. But while I didn’t think that a couple of months inside for theft would be too hard to deal with, one thing that I drew the line at was life in prison. Ironic really, considering where I am now.
The main problem I had was Jennifer had no idea how I earned my money. As far as she was concerned, my sole source of income was from working the door on clubs and pubs around Norwich. To be honest, the thought of spending a couple of months inside and losing Jennifer when she found out the truth about what I did for a living was getting to me. I pushed my chair back and got my feet.
“I’m going for a smoke,” I said. “Back in a minute.”
Standing outside in the cold, I remembered looking over the wall of the beer garden and seeing Jennifer and Robert arguing. That had been the start, and I realised as I smoked my cigarette that in a sense it was also the beginning of the end. I stubbed out my cigarette in the broken flowerpot on the table and stood for a second, thinking. Tommy’s plans were becoming increasingly risky. The problem with that was that David was easily influenced and if I wasn’t careful, it would be a situation where it was two against one. I knew my bollocks were big enough to resist that sort of pressure, but even so, the time had come. I considered having another cigarette, but decided against it and walked back inside the pub.
“Tommy, David,” I said, looking at the three full pints on the table in front of me as I did so. Tommy must have got a round in while I was outside having a smoke. It was his shout after all. “I’ve got something to tell you both.” I picked up my pint and took a large sip of the cold lager to buy some time. Tommy leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his broad chest. From the look on his face, he knew exactly what I was going to say. David, by contrast, was more interested in scratching what looked like a nasty spot on his neck. “I’m quitting, boys,” I said, trying to say it in a voice that meant it was obvi
ous I meant business.
“What, smoking?” Tommy replied. “You’ve been saying that for years.”
“No, not that. I’m going to go straight. I’ve had enough.” There it was, out in the open.
They both looked at me for a few seconds as if they were wondering what to say next. I was pretty much in the same boat. Until the words had left my mouth, I wasn’t one hundred per cent sure I was convinced that was the right course of action for me to take. I regarded David, who was deep in thought. He looked across at Tommy and grinned. He had obviously thought of something funny to say.
“See, Tommy,” he said, giggling like a child. “I always said he was gay.” Tommy didn’t laugh but looked at me with stern eyes.
“You can’t go straight, Gareth,” he said. “You wouldn’t last five minutes in the real world. What would you do for money? You’re thick as mince at the best of times, and the only things you’re any good at are robbing and looking ugly on the door of a club.” I knew he was angry with what I had just said, but there was no need to be rude.
“Piss off, Tommy,” I replied. “You’re the one suggesting we pull off an armed robbery. Just because I don’t think that’s a fantastic idea doesn’t make me thick as mince.” It was Tommy’s turn to bristle. “What you’re suggesting is way out there. It’s one thing risking a couple of months inside for burglary but quite another risking a life sentence.”
“When did you decide this then, mate?” Tommy said. “What, you went outside for a cigarette and while you were smoking it decided that you would go straight. It’s not like you mentioned it before, is it?”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” I replied. “It’s getting more difficult with Jennifer.”
“What, she doesn’t know you’re on the rob?” David asked. He looked across at Tommy as he asked the question.
“I think she knows I don’t just work on the door of clubs for a living.”
“Seriously? She doesn’t know anything?” David said.
“No, and I don’t want her to find out either,” I said. Tommy was still looking at me with an impassive expression, his arms still folded. He was leaning back in his chair. I mirrored him, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms. Ignoring David, I held Tommy’s stare.
Truth be told, I wasn’t sure what I wanted Tommy to say. Was I looking for him to agree with me? Did I want validation of my decision? Or did I want him to accept it? Tommy looked at me for what felt like ages before speaking.
“I’ve seen that look on your face before,” he said.
“Really?” I replied.
“Yes,” he said. “Laura Hutchinson.”
Now that was a name I’d not heard for many years. Laura was my first ever girlfriend, and at the time I was going out with her I was convinced that she was the one, the one I would spend the rest of my life with. In fairness, I was only fifteen at the time so that was quite an unlikely outcome for the relationship. I’d gone out with her for maybe four months before she unceremoniously dumped me for a lad who looked as if he was at least eighteen, if not older. This meant he could buy booze. That was how seriously she took our relationship. When she finished with me, it was if the bottom had dropped out of my world, and I was heartbroken in only the way that a fifteen-year-old boy whose first ever girlfriend has just ditched him can be. People say girls grow up quicker than boys. Well in Laura’s case, that was definitely true.
I looked at Tommy, wondering why he had brought Laura up in the conversation when I realised what he meant. He still had his arms crossed and was still leaning back in his chair, but the ghost of a smile was playing on his face.
“Yeah?” he said. “You know what I mean?” I knew exactly what he meant, and while bringing her up in this conversation made him a bastard, it also confirmed he was the man who knew me better than anyone else. I guess that’s what friends are for. David looked at Tommy, then back at me, then back at Tommy. He hadn’t got a clue what we were talking about, which is probably just as well because I didn’t feel like explaining it to him.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping our drinks. I was waiting for Tommy to say something. The only thing is I was too proud to ask him if he thought I was making the right decision. He might have been my best friend, but we’re still both blokes. Maybe if David hadn’t been there, it would have been different, but I didn’t think it would be. We all reached the end of our drinks at more or less the same time as people used to drinking with each other often do. David got to his feet and saying nothing, picked up the empty glasses from the table before walking across to the bar to get them refilled.
“Tommy?” I said. “What do you think?”
“What would I know?” he said, the faint smile returning to his face. “But you are as thick as mince. We both are.” I laughed before replying.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I said. It was his turn to laugh.
“Gareth,” he said. “You’ve got it bad, I can tell. And you know what?” He glanced over his shoulder to make sure that David was still at the bar. “If I’m honest, I’m jealous.” I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so said nothing. Tommy paused before continuing. “She’s a lovely girl, and you look good together. In all fairness, I’ve been waiting for you to say something like that for a couple of weeks.” We both sat in silence while we waited for David come back from the bar.
David managed to carry all three pint glasses back from the bar, his hands clasped in a triangle around them. He put them on the table, only spilling a bit. Tommy and I both reached forward at the same time to grab our pint glasses. Once David had sat down and picked up his pint, Tommy raised his in the air.
“Gentlemen, I propose a toast,” he said. David and I raised glasses in response.
“What are we toasting?” David asked. I looked at Tommy and his eyes met mine. I knew what his toast would be, and I loved him for it.
“To Jennifer and Gareth, and their crime-free life. May it last for a long time.” David smiled and glanced at me and Tommy. I wondered for a moment if he’d had the presence of mind to leave us alone for a moment, but looking at him I decided that he probably hadn’t.
“I’ll drink to that,” I said, looking at Tommy with a slight nod of my head as I did so to thank him. The three of us clinked our glasses together, said “Cheers” in unison, and took large swigs of the lukewarm lager. Almost as one, we put them back on the table. Tommy grinned, and I knew from the look on his face, he was going to say something he thought was funny.
“Of course, it’ll never last,” he said, with a sly wink. “In less than a year mate, you’ll be single again.”
The saddest thing is that Tommy was right.
7
I stood in my kitchen, the phone pressed to my ear, and looked out at the sad patch of yellow grass that passed for a garden while I waited for Tommy to pick up. Even though it was only spring, the grass was still dead from the previous summer.
“What is it Gareth?” Tommy’s irritated voice finally came on the line. “It’s bloody well crack of sparrows, mate.” I looked at my watch. It was almost half past nine, hardly first thing in the morning. But I guessed it was early enough for Tommy. In all the years I’d known him, he’d never been a morning person.
“I need some help, Tommy,” I said. “Jennifer’s Dad needs a hand shifting firewood. It sounds like there’s a fair bit of it. Can you help?”
“Oh, for God’s sake, really? What’s in it for me?” he grumbled.
“My gratitude for one, and Jennifer’s. You’d be helping me out big time, mate. I’ll see you right, don’t worry.” As always, the promise of some money got Tommy’s attention. He paused for a couple of seconds, weighing up whether or not it was worth his while. Even when he was silent, I knew what he was thinking about.
“Okay,” he sighed. “Give me a while, though. Need to clean up in here. Had some company last night if you know what I mean?” I laughed in response. I think the last woman who’d been in Tommy’s fl
at was his mum, and she’d only gone round there to give him an earful about forgetting a birthday or something like that.
“Yeah, I’m sure, Tommy. I’ll pick you up in an hour?” I said. His only response was a grunt before he hung up.
An hour later, almost to the second, I was sitting outside Tommy’s flat, leaning on the horn of the car. He appeared and from the look of him, it had been a wild night. I still doubted he’d had any company, but he seemed happy enough even if he looked like shit.
“Morning, mate,” I said as he threw himself into the passenger seat. I could smell the faint odour of stale alcohol on his breath as he spoke. It was just as well I was driving.
“Yeah, well it was until you bloody phoned up,” he retorted. “You don’t want to know what I was in the middle of when you called.” He was right. I had no interest in what he’d been doing when I phoned, especially as he’d almost certainly been alone. I handed him a cardboard cup of coffee. “Oh you’re a star, you are. I knew there was something I liked about you,” he said as he took the cup from me.
“Three sugars, mate,” I said. "Just how you like it.” He smiled as he took a sip from the cup.
“Perfect,” he replied. “Nice one.”
We pulled up outside Andy’s house and got out of the car. I locked the car, and we walked into the driveway where there was a huge pile of wood strewn on the gravel drive. Andy’s car was hemmed in behind the logs. It was a lot of wood, all cut into small pieces which I presumed were fireplace size. Tommy stood back a few feet taking in the house and front garden as I rang the doorbell.
“Nice place,” he muttered just as Andy opened the door.
“Gareth, thank you so much for coming over,” Andy said, the relief obvious in his voice. “You must be Tommy?” He looked over my shoulder at Tommy, who stepped forward with his hand extended. “Gareth said he would ask you to help.”
“Yep, that’s me, Mr Elliott,” Tommy said as they shook hands.
Gareth Dawson Series Box Set Page 5
