The Girl by the Thames

by Peter Boland

  Duff walked across the other side of the road where there was a large black litter bin. The outside was bolted firmly to the floor, but inside sat a steel cylinder so it could be emptied. He grabbed it with both hands, lifted it out and then tipped all the litter on the pavement. He held the empty metal cylinder to his chest so it stuck out horizontally, like the gun on a tank, then he ran towards the window. Using it as a battering ram, he broke through the glass easily. An alarm went off but that didn’t matter. Alarms were going off all down the high street. Duff turned to the others:

  “Well, come on then.”

  Gem and Lena stepped through the broken glass window. Inside, the shop was slick and white with a row of bar stools on one side lined up against the counter which was a minimalist block of polished white concrete. The place looked more like a miniature nightclub than a shop. Along the other side was a bank of mobile phones on white tables secured with wires so they couldn’t be pinched.

  “Leave them,” Duff commanded. He pointed to the back of the shop. “That’s where the real booty is.” They followed him to the far wall until they were standing in front of a sturdy looking door secured with a heavy metal lock that needed a key card to open it. Duff raised his leg and kicked it hard. Nothing. He kicked it again and again and again, but still the door wouldn’t budge. He swore at it several times then went to the front of the shop and got the metal cylinder he’d used to smash the window. Raising it to his chest again, he charged the door. The metal simply crumpled, knocking Duff on his backside and winding him. Duff coughed and fought to get his breath while there wasn’t a scratch on the door. Duff swore again.

  “Allow me,” said Gem. He stood in front of the door and aimed the gun at the lock. The bang was louder than anything Lena had ever heard before; like being head-butted in the ears. The three of them approached the door carefully as if it might explode. The lock was now a mess of twisted and torn metal. Duff gave it a kick. This time it swung open with ease. Beyond lay a long rectangular windowless room full of utilitarian metal shelves, each one stacked to the ceiling with small sealed boxes of phones covered in smart graphics.

  “Good job,” Duff said, slapping Gem on the back. “Right, fill your bin bags with iphones, nothing else, just iphones.”

  The went to it, toppling the phones into the black plastic bags. When all the iphones were gone they moved onto the other makes, until the bags were completely full.

  “Give them to me,” said Duff. They handed him the black sacks. He clutched them in his fists and threw them over his shoulder like some delinquent Santa. “Got any more bullets in that shooter?” he asked Gem.

  “Yep,” said Gem spinning the cylinder round.

  “Take Lena up the road. There’s a convenience store, point that gun at them and get all the takings. Lena grab some more of that posh whiskey, I’m getting a taste for it.”

  “Where are you going?” Lena asked.

  “To dump these in the car, then I’m going to see if I can grab a plasma screen or two. I’ll meet you back at the car in 5 minutes. Remember, in and out quickly. Okay.”

  They both nodded. Gem led the way to the convenience store, with Lena trailing along behind.

  “This is stupid,” she said. “It’ll be shut with all the riots going on.”

  “It will be if you don’t shut up and hurry. Otherwise, I’ll tell Duff what you just said.”

  “Don’t care, tell him if you like. I ain’t afraid of him, not like you are.”

  Gem stopped and turned to face Lena.

  “I’m the one with the gun, okay, now show me some respect, or I’ll put a bullet in you.”

  Lena pushed past him and carried on walking, she looked back over her shoulder:

  “Like I said, you ain’t got the balls to shoot someone.”

  They reached the convenience store, which hadn’t been touched by the riots. One of the shutters was half down, so they must have heard what was happening up the road. A middle-aged Indian man with a large belly that hung over his waist like a hammock was just about to lock up.

  As they approached the store he said: “You’ll have to be quick, there’s a riot going on up the road.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Gem. “This won’t take long.”

  They followed him into the store. Just before they reached the counter, Gem grabbed a tin off a shelf and hit the man on the back of the head. He stumbled and fell heavily on the chipped lino floor. His wife ran out from behind the counter and knelt down to help him. Gem pulled the gun on both of them.

  “Stay down,” he screamed, “or I’ll put a hole in you both.” Then he turned to Lena. “Do the till.”

  Lena didn’t move. She couldn’t draw her eyes away from the Indian couple cowering in front of her. The terror in their eyes had her hypnotised.

  “Now,” shouted Gem.

  Lena snapped out of her trance and went behind the counter at the back of the store. The key was in the till, just like before. She slapped the buttons wildly several times until the draw sprang open. A tray-full of money stared back at her. They clearly hadn’t been to the bank; it was overflowing with cash.

  “Come on,” shouted Gem.

  Lena clawed at the tray, emptying it of notes and stuffing handful after handful into her jacket. From the other side of wall behind her she heard the sound of someone rapidly descending some stairs. There must be a flat above. A door behind Lena flew open. They hadn’t seen it before because it was covered in a mixture of cheap products like combs and packets of condoms that hung from cardboard dispensers pinned to the back of it. A young Indian man appeared in the doorway with a towel wrapped around him. It must be the couple’s son. His hair was wet and so was the rest of his body. A baseball bat was cocked behind his head, ready to strike Lena in the face.

  There was no way she could dodge it. Lena squeezed her eyes tightly and braced for impact.

  There was a boom and something whizzed past Lena’s head. It made her drop the money in her hands.

  Next thing she knew, the Indian woman was wailing hysterically. Lena slowly opened her eyes. It was like a scene from a movie. The young Indian was on the floor and the woman was by his side cradling his handsome head. His chest had a big red hole in it and his lifeless eyes stared up at the ceiling. A pool of blood crept over the floor, mixing with the notes Lena had dropped.

  “Move,” Gem screamed at Lena, “or the next one’s yours.”

  Lena stepped over the lifeless legs and joined Gem in front of the counter. They were out of the shop in seconds and running up the street towards the car. They found Duff, sliding boxed up plasma screens into the hatchback.

  “Did you get it?” he asked.

  “Yeah, but I had to pop someone along the way. He was going to crack Lena’s skull open.”

  “Hardcore,” said Duff. “Let’s go and you can tell me everything.”

  As they left the riot behind, Gem sat in the front passenger seat re-enacting what had happened in the convenience store. He waved the gun around making ‘pow-pow’ noises, as if it was a game of cowboys and Indians.

  “You should’ve seen it, Duff.” He kept retelling the story again and again, as the adrenalin sped around his body unable to find an exit. “The cunt came at Lena with a baseball bat and I dropped him like a sack of shit.”

  “Yeah, man.” Duff was also getting off on the excitement, and punched the roof of the car as he woo-hooed.

  Lena sat shivering in the back. The shock made her body shut down as she tried to blank everything out. It was too much for her and she emptied her bladder all over the back seat.

  Warm piss spread over her jeans and into the upholstery. At least the car was going to be trashed at the end of it, maybe she could get away without anyone noticing. Lena could smell the harsh stench of urine rising up into her nostrils, she clamped her legs shut to stifle the smell and wished this scary fairground ride would end.

  Chapter 16

  Duff gunned the tortured engine of the Honda and po
inted it into an industrial estate. He headed to the very back edge of the buildings to an area of waste ground. A battered sign said ‘Mitchum’s Business Park Next Phase’. An artist’s impression of the shiny new offices units showed lots of busy people carrying briefcases and having impromptu meetings under cartoon green trees. The sign was three years out of date and there was no business here and certainly no park. It was just flat gravel and patches of grass, with the odd dirty puddle.

  Duff threw the car sideways throwing up a shower of rubbish and pebbles.

  “Everybody out,” he shouted. “This is the fun bit,” he said turning to Lena.

  Her jeans were still wet with urine. She’d been sitting in the back hoping no-one would pick up the acrid scent she was giving off. Luckily, they had had the widows down all the way there. Lena exited the car slowly, hoping the night time would camouflage the damp patch spreading from her flies.

  They emptied the car of all its booty and dumped it in a pile well away from where it was parked. Then Duff went around the back and pulled a fuel can from the boot. He flipped the lid off and shook petrol all over the top of the car.

  “Wanna do the honours?” he said to Lena holding out a Zippo lighter.

  Her hand wobbled as she accepted it.

  “What do I do?”

  “Hey, chill, Lena. You did good tonight.” He held both her hands with his, trying to calm her. “It’s just like in the movies. Flip the lid, light it, then throw. Try and get it on the roof.”

  “Don’t you want your lighter back?” she asked.

  “Nah, I’ve got a whole box full back at the lock-up.”

  Lena threw the lighter and hit her target. But it just bounced off and onto the ground.

  “Go on,” said Duff, “give it another go.”

  She didn’t want to and wished the damn car would just go up with a whoosh so they could leave. She picked up the lighter and stood closer this time, holding it at arm’s length over the top of the roof. It dropped onto the metal with a dull thud. A second later a hot wave of petroleum rushed towards her. She felt her knees buckling and her body being knocked sideways. Her face hit the gravel and the air burned above her head.

  “Shit, Lena,” said Duff, lying next to her. He had rugby tackled her out of the way. “You could’ve been burnt alive.”

  Lena started laughing.

  Duff started giggling too. “Lena, you are one crazy bitch. I love it.”

  She wasn’t laughing because it was funny. It was because the whole situation was mental. She had just been saved from being set on fire and not ten minutes ago had watched a man get a bullet in his chest for defending his family. The logic didn’t add up. Why did she deserve to live and he deserve to die?

  Lena stayed down on the gravel, letting the sharp stones dig into her flesh. The pain was good and she deserved it. She was still laughing much to the amusement of Duff. Gem just stared expressionless. They couldn’t see she was crying as well.

  “Come on, Lena, that’s enough now. We need to get out of here,” said Duff.

  Lena ignored him and rolled around on the ground, letting hysteria take her.

  “I said come on.”

  “She’s lost it,” said Gem. He grabbed her by the arm to pull her up.

  “Don’t touch me,” Lena shouted.

  Duff and Gem laughed.

  Being grabbed by Gem was like an electric shock and brought her back to her senses. A murderer had just touched her. The thought made her remember where she was and who she was dealing with. These two were dangerous. Especially Gem with that gun, she wished she’d never won that fight. He’d just proved he didn’t have any qualms about killing someone, and after humiliating him in front of everyone, she knew she could be next.

  “Sorry,” Lena said.

  “Girl, don’t worry about it,” said Duff. “But we got to go. Okay. We need to move this stuff to the lock-up.”

  “Okay.” Lena got to her feet and pulled her top down, remembering the huge piss stain on her jeans. Something random jumped into Lena’s head. “Why didn’t we drop the stuff off first and then drive here and torch the car?”

  Nobody said anything.

  “Fuck!” said Duff, realising his stupidity. Beneath all his daring and scheming, Duff was still an amateur.

  Gem began laughing. “Duff, that’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.”

  Duff didn’t laugh, while Gem’s hysterics got louder. He would never dare mock Duff like this usually, it would be suicide, but he was still drunk with bravado from the shooting.

  “Wait until I tell everyone about this,” he said, snorting. “They’re gonna piss themselves.”

  A rage burned behind Duff’s eyes. Lena knew the feeling well, that searing, irresistible hatred that could only be sated with violence. She sensed a fight coming. It came sooner than she thought. Duff sprang forward and shoved Gem back hard with both hands. Gem was half the size of Duff; it was like flicking a tiddly wink. The force knocked him backwards and as he hit the ground Gem rolled over and over.

  Duff marched towards him, ready to kick him in the side. Gem recovered quickly and pulled out his gun. But Duff didn't stop and moved towards him until they were face to face. Gem had his gun pointed at Duff’s chest, but he didn’t flinch.

  “So make your move, little man,” Duff said.

  “Don’t,” Lena said. “He’ll kill you.”

  “Shut up, Lena,” said Duff. “He could have done that already. Come on, Gem, what you waiting for. Come on, do me like that Indian kid. It’s easy.”

  Gem’s eyes were wide and his hands shook. “I will ‘n’ all.”

  Duff leant in closer so he was staring right into Gem’s eyes. “Not so easy to kill someone you know. How you gonna explain it to the rest of the gang?”

  “I don’t care,” said Gem. “I won’t tell them. I’ll say you got slotted in the riot.”

  “What if Lena tells them? Or you gonna kill her too?”

  “Stop it, Gem,” Lena shouted. “Put the gun away.”

  “Shut up, bitch,” Gem said, turning slightly to look at Lena. The second he took his eyes off the target, Duff had snatched the gun out of Gem’s hands. He quickly reversed the weapon so now it pointed at Gem. Gem shuffled back with his hands up, fearing for his life.

  “Funny things, guns,” said Duff, looking though the gun sights at Gem. “When you got one, you feel like a king and when you haven’t you’re just another cunt. Correction, dead cunt.”

  Gem squeezed his eyes tightly shut, waiting for the bullet to smash through his skull. Lena hated him, but she couldn’t handle another killing. It wasn’t out of sympathy for him, it was more for her own sanity.

  “No, Duff. Stop. No more shooting.”

  Duff laughed and moved towards Gem. At the last second he spun the gun around so he held it by the barrel. Gem opened one eye, curious to see what the delay was. Duff swung the gun like a hammer at Gem’s head.

  “No please,” Gem screamed, cowering down and holding up his hands to shield himself. The butt of the gun stopped an inch before impact. Duff let out a hearty belly laugh.

  “Oh my God,” said Duff. “You are the biggest pussy I’ve ever met. Look at you. No wonder Lena kicked your ass. Look at him, Lena, what do you think of him?”

  Lena didn’t say anything.

  “I didn’t mean it,” said Gem. “I wouldn’t have shot you.”

  “You know what,” said Duff, walking around Gem, not knowing what to make of him. “I believe you. Get up.” Gem stood up but kept his eyes firmly on the ground. “I tell you what I’m gonna do, I’m having this gun.”

  “But it cost me 200 quid.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” said Duff, losing all his humour. He turned the gun on Gem again. “It’s mine now. You’re my bitch now. And you do everything I say. If I say piss your pants, you piss your pants.” Lena squirmed around, shifting her wet legs uneasily at the mention of pissing your pants. “If I say I want a cuppa tea, you run and get me
one.”

  “What happens if I don’t?” asked Gem.

  “I hate clichés but…” Duff tapped the barrel of the gun on Gem’s head as he spoke each word, “I. Pop. A. Cap. In. Your. Ass. Got it?”

  “Yes,” Gem said without looking up.

  “Good. You two, pick everything up and carry it back. I think we’ve got some celebrating to do. And when we get back, no mention of any of this, that goes for you too, Lena. Then we can all enjoy the fact that my first big job went like clockwork.”

  Lena and Gem carried the plasma screens between them like a stretcher, with the bin bags of phones piled up on top. Walking back made the insides of Lena’s legs sore as her wet jeans rubbed against her skin. She just wanted to leave and get as far away from the gang as possible. Her jacket pockets still bulged with cash, a horrible reminder of the robbery and the murdered boy.

  They followed Duff back to the lock-up where the rest of the gang were already inside. A massive cheer went up as they entered. There was plenty of hugging and back-slapping and excited talk of how they had pulled it off and were now sitting on a small goldmine of stolen goods. Each group proudly showed off what they had acquired. Mack and Seb had looted a games shop and had a stack of different game consoles that reached up to the ceiling and bagfuls of games. Vicks, Si and Liz had also raided an electronics store for hi-fi equipment, they’d even managed a cinema surround sound system. Then it was Duff, Gem and Lena’s turn. Everyone could see the plasma screens but no-one knew what was in the knotted plastic bags. Lena and Gem went off to one corner to let Duff have the limelight. They were both in no mood to get in his way.

  “Right,” said Duff, tearing a hole in one of the bags, “who’d like a new iphone?” There were gasps all round as Duff tossed each person a brand new iphone. Lena missed her catch, and dropped hers on the floor. “Careful, said Duff, “them things cost money.” Everyone laughed, even Gem played along with it, but Lena had no laughter in her. She didn’t want an iphone, she didn’t want any of this, she just wanted to get out of there.