by Pete Rossi
"I'd like you to come and sit in the ambulance, sir. I think you may be suffering from shock." The medic chaperoned the driver over to the back of the ambulance, closing the door to allow them some privacy.
As Beth saw the ambulance rear door close, she quickly rang a number on her mobile and reported all was clear. Seconds later, a white van pulled up alongside the vehicles, and backed so its rear end was a few feet away from the back of the truck. The truck that was jammed full of brand new electrical appliances. TVs, laptops, iPads, Blu-ray players.
Four men got out of the van's rear door leaving the white van driver sat in the cab, blocking the view between the ambulance and delivery truck's rear doors, should the ambulance door be opened.
The men ran to the front of the delivery truck and manhandled the Vectra, freeing it from the truck. No mechanical damage to the car, thankfully. One window was smashed, the side well dented in and scraped, but the tyres were still inflated and properly on their rims. The surrounding roads were still remarkably quiet, few vehicles headed around the rear of the retail park where deliveries were made, but those that did would still be able to pass by. None had so far. If any did come, seeing an ambulance on site already, they would pass through without stopping. Emergency services had already been called and had responded. Nothing for them to do.
The men swiftly opened the rear door of the Comet truck. It had automatically unlocked when the vehicle detected it had been involved in a collision. They began to unload the contents of the delivery truck in to their own white van. A well choreographed team. Almost as well organised as a Formula 1 pit stop crew.
Barely three minutes had passed since impact, but already the unloading was finished and then the white van sped away, leaving only Beth in the damaged Vectra.
After another five minutes, the back door to the ambulance opened and Jen came out, looking more composed. She had been asked to pretend she was in shock, but no pretence had been necessary. Jen got in to the rear driver side seat and Beth pulled away. She had been crying.
"They got everything loaded okay."
"I feel so guilty," Jen said. "That driver could have been injured with what we did."
"He'll be fine. He's probably just in shock like you are."
"What happens now?"
"We meet back at the warehouse to unload the goods, then I dump this car. Then someone will come along and burn it."
"What about the truck driver? Won't he notice stuff is missing?"
"He will, but not for a while yet. They'll drive him straight to the hospital and he'll be kept there for ages."
"Won't he phone his boss or something and say the truck has been left in the street?"
"He might. But we're long gone by now."
"But he has our descriptions."
"But not the right ones. You're not blonde, you don't have blue eyes, you won't be wearing those clothes again."
"But what if someone has a description of the car."
"If they have got the licence plate, it's wrong. And it'll be burnt out in less than an hour anyway."
"Are we really going to get away with this?"
"Don't see why not, we've done similar things before with no trouble. Just relax, you'll have a flash top of the range TV in before Ben gets home from school."
"But I feel so guilty. It's one thing just buying something you know is nicked down at the Duke of York, but we've nicked the things ourselves. And we could have hurt people."
"People we don't know and don't care about. They don't matter. Look, just get hold of yourself, okay," Beth said, now visibly annoyed. "Don't screw this up for us."
"If it's one thing he's going to remember, though, it's me isn't it. I was sat in the back of the ambulance with him for ten minutes."
"Well that's your own fault, you were never meant to go in that frigging ambulance."
"But they were cleaning up these cuts on my face. What am I going to say if anyone asks me where I got them?"
"I don't frigging care. Just make something up. Say you fell over or something."
By now, they had arrived back at the warehouse. Barely forty minutes had passed since they were last here. The warehouse door rolled up as they approached, and closed again after they passed through. The white van was already inside, but most of the merchandise was already long gone, after being split up in to smaller chunks and ferried in many directions by a plethora of vehicles. Only one item remained inside the white van - a top of the range TV with a huge screen, still in its box.
"You go home in the van now, and I'll dump this car somewhere. See you later." Beth left in the damaged car. Jen following shortly after in the van with her new television.
***
At three fifteen, King James Comprehensive kicked out for another day. Two thousand pupils streamed out from the gates. A fleet of buses took many pupils home. The roads around the school were blocked with parents cars collecting their offspring. A group of fifty or so headed straight toward the nearby Catholic school, intent on causing trouble as usual.
For once, the weather was fine. Ben sauntered down toward the school gate, in no great hurry to get home. Sure, his mum had won something on the lottery, but she didn't care about him, did she? No point hurrying home to find out there was no present sat waiting.
He was caught up from behind by Gemma, Beth's younger sister and his next door neighbour. "Haven't seen you all day," she said as she drew alongside. "Got a little present for you."
"Thanks Gem," Ben said. "More than my mum will have got me." He unwrapped the small package. Found a small piece of tin foil with a couple of white tablets inside. He shoved them quickly in to his pocket before anyone could see. "What are these?"
"Dunno. Found them in Beth's bag this morning. They're not her birth control pills."
Ben popped one in to his mouth and offered the other to Gem, which she took.
As they passed through the school gates, a black Vectra shot by on the road outside, narrowly missing a group of kids taking their time crossing the road who stuck up their fingers as it roared away.
"Sure that was Beth," Gem said as the car flew past. Red brake lights flared up ahead, and the car turned right, through an opening in to an empty field. A second car followed shortly afterward, making the same turn.
Gem jogged to the gate, and in the distance she saw her big sister get out of the Vectra. Ben had caught up by now. He quite liked the idea of a car journey in close company with Gem's big breasted older sister. Not that Gem was lacking much in that department either.
They both saw Beth get in to the other car and it sped towards them, mud being flung up in to the air. It shot past them without slowing.
"That was Beth in there, wonder what the hell that was all about," exclaimed Gem.
"Fancy a ride?" Ben asked her. He jogged over to the car. "Looks pretty knackered," he said, "the side is all smashed in. It'll be more wrecked before I've finished with it."
"Keys are inside," he said as Gem peered through the smashed window. "Get in, I fancy a drive."
"We shouldn't," she said. "Beth will have seen us."
"Doesn't matter," Ben replied back. "Get in." He turned the keys and switched the engine on."
"Have you driven before?"
"Yeah." He neglected to mention that his last driving escapade had finished with a totalled Ford Escort and a trip home in the back seat of a police car.
Gem got in, her short skirt riding up high. "Might have another present for you," she said, licking her lips. She reached over to Ben and looked into his eyes. She put her arm round the back of his head, locked her mouth against his. Ben's hand crept up to undo the buttons on Gem's blouse.
"Not here," she said. "Take us somewhere quiet."
***
Ten to six in the evening. Jen was sat in the living room watching her new TV. It almost seemed too big for the room. Don, Caz’s husband had finished fitting the satellite dish half an hour ago and Jen was flicking through the channels. Ben still hadn
’t come home yet. What a surprise he was going to get when he arrived.
There was a knock at the door. Jen got up. Wondered who this could be.
She went to the door, left it on its chain, and opened it an inch or two. Two policemen stood there. She slammed the door again. Refused to open it.
There was a crash as one of the policemen attacked the door with a steel battering ram. It didn't give just yet, but looked as though it wouldn't take much more abuse before it did. Sure enough, a second hit was all it took as the cheap PVC door disintegrated.
Now the door was open, Jen could hear the police helicopter overhead. At the bottom of the drive stood another policeman, holding back an Alsatian.
They barged through the battered door, one pushing past Jen and in to the living room as the other stood with his hand on Jen's shoulder.
“It’s in here,” the first shouted.
The other grabbed hold of Jen's arm. Got out his handcuffs. “You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. We are arresting you on the suspicion of receiving stolen goods.”
"Stolen goods?"
"Yes. Stolen goods. In particular, that TV."
"But I've had it months," Jen protested.
"No you haven't," said the first officer. Jen was struggling against the handcuffs, so he twisted her arms over the back of her head.
"You're killing me here," Jen groaned.
“That TV is a display model. And it’s got a satellite tracker in it. The second you turned it on, we were on to you.”
Jen swore. “Satellite tracker?”
“Yes. A number of these have been stolen before.”
Seconds later, another officer entered the room.
“Miss Dawson”
“Yes.”
“Miss Jennifer Dawson.”
“Yes.”
“I’m afraid I have some distressing news for you. Your son Ben has been involved in a car accident. I’m sorry to say that he has passed away.”
“He’s sixteen today. He can’t drive. It can’t be Ben.”
“He was in a black Vauxhall Vectra. It was reported stolen a few hours ago. He was driving. There was a girl in the car as well, a Miss Gemma Roberts. She has also succumbed to her injuries.”
Jen fainted, pulling one of the policemen down to the floor with her.
###
Urban Exploration & The Curse of Chillingham Castle
Urban Exploration
An abandoned Victorian mental asylum, derelict for decades, sits in the middle of the English countryside. Three University graduates decide to explore the decaying ruin one summer day. A week later, one of them returns for a second visit. Will this trip go as planned?
The Curse of Chillingham Castle
Chillingham Castle is one of the most haunted places in England, with a long and bloody past. Over from America on their first European holiday, tourists Mark and Susie take a detour to the atmospheric castle. It was a decision that they would later regret. Life for them will never be quite the same again.
