by Gary Weston
Telford shrugged. 'What can I say? I'm a people person. It was just about the money.'
'Look. Steve. You're good. But let's face it. We're better. You still have a whole heap of explosives directly underneath your best features. And guess what? We have a neat little timing device. Nice job by the way, Ferret.'
'One tries to please.'
'Anyhow. We'll set the timer to four minutes. We'll let you think about your future for two minutes. We'll come back and ask you one question. We hear no, we go, and don't come back, with the timer still turned on. Got that?'
'You are crazy.'
'We all have a cross to bear.' She re-taped Telford's mouth and she and Ducket left the room. An excruciatingly long two minutes later, they returned. 'Steve. I'm going to remove the tape. But before I do, I'll ask one question. Will you and your gang work with us? Taking the tape off now.'
Steve Telford chuckled. 'Not sure why, but I find you strangely attractive.'
'You have excellent taste, but in your dreams. Will you lot join forces with us?'
'If we don't?
'You all die. Boom. Ironic, yes?'
'And if we do?'
'You live and don't end up behind bars. Ferret. How much time left on the timer?'
'Eighty two seconds. We should go. They had their chance.'
'Okay. I am so disappointed in you, Steve. Have a nice death.'
'Turn the timer off. Let's talk.'
Chapter 33
'What just happened?' The Chief asked.
Andersen said, 'The Ferret happened. Him and your sister. It's all over.'
'They sorted it out?'
'Yes. And Fred sends Poppy his love.'
The Chief put those words into his mind, trying to make sense of them. 'No. Dale. It isn't all over. Maybe the explosives and the extortion. No. It hasn't ended. It's just begun. But I tell you this. My sister and the Ferret came through for us. While we were all scratching our backsides, wondering what the hell to do next, those two were actually doing it. They saved the hotel. They saved a factory and over three hundred jobs. They saved possibly hundreds from being killed and injured at the stadium. Think about that for a moment. Two people. My sister and the Ferret, did all that. We owe them big time.'
'I can see that,' acknowledged Andersen. 'Where do we go from here?'
'If they need us, we will be there for them. We hear their call, we are there for them like they were here for us.'
'We'll be ready. Goodnight, Chief.'
* * *
Hank Andrews flew at Sandra Mitchell, and his Uncle Steve's strong arm held him back.
'She'd kill you in a heartbeat. There's an old song that says you gotta know when to fold 'em. Fold 'em, Hank.'
'They robbed us of millions.'
'There'll be another time. What's this really about?'
'You lot have been a bit of a side issue for us, to be honest,' said Sandra. 'We were in two minds whether or not just to turn you in. We could still do that, by the way, if you wish to push your luck.'
Steve Telford grinned at the most exciting woman he had met since the death of his wife four years before. 'You said you want our help?'
'You might be useful.'
Frank Telford said, 'What's in it for us if we help you?'
'No jail time. We let you go free. That and doing your country a huge favour.'
'And if we refuse?'
'Hmm. We either kill all of you, or get you locked up. I'm not too bothered either way myself. But think about it. We have already put a block on any of you leaving the country. There is also an envelope with all your details with a certain legal person who will release it if anything happens to us. Go free or go down. Your choice.'
Steve Telford said, 'We help you, we go free?'
'Pretty much.'
Telford looked at the others. 'Any objections? Because if there are, I'll let you debate it with these two. Any takers?'
Nobody spoke. Telford approached Sandra. 'We could shake on it or, we could kiss.'
'I'm out of your league. Shake my hand then impress me. If you are a lucky boy, I might let you kiss my cheek.'
Telford took her hand in both of his and looked deeply into her eyes. 'If I get to kiss your cheek, I'll die happy.'
Chapter 34
'Your husband, and, let's be honest, my sister, who happens to be your mother by the way, are heroes.'
For Poppy, it was a comfort of sorts that her husband, father of the child she was carrying, and a mother she hadn't seen for a year, were regarded as heroes. 'Nice. We should invite them over for Sunday roast.'
'Hello. A hotel worth millions, a factory with three hundred jobs in the balance, thousands of people at the stadium. All saved because of them. That makes me so proud I could burst. Poppy. They have a job to do. Let them get on with it and know they'll be coming home when it's over.'
'I can't kill him then?'
'No. Your aunty had the right idea. She never killed me. If I had been really really bad, I would have things tipped over my head.'
'Oh, Uncle Bernie.'
'You don't believe me? Right. Me forgetting her thirty third birthday. Irish stew. Ruined a perfectly good shirt. Fifteenth wedding anniversary. Custard, fortunately cold. Missed a special dinner with friends. Beer. Another ruined shirt. I reckon I've got through more shirts from various stuff being poured over me than actually wearing them out. Can you hear what I'm trying to say here?
'Don't kill him when he gets home?'
Bernie nodded. 'That would be a good thing.'
* * *
Even Sandra Mitchell felt out numbered. The water in he pool at the mansion was at the perfect temperature, and she didn't mind the smell of cigars. She hadn't questioned who the one piece swimming costume may have belonged to. She wanted to relax to the point where eight men wouldn't try to kill her. Ducket, feeling a little self conscious with his skinny body, had fought well but here on their home turf he had limited use. He was at one end of the pool, swimming badly. If it got nasty, she knew she was on her own. She sipped her wine.
'You're an interesting woman.' Steve Telford had sat next to Sandra and it hadn't seemed strange.
'I have my moments.'
'You work for the government?'
'I thought all tax payers did that. According to your records, you pay some. You are self employed. A crop sprayer.'
Telford chuckled. 'When they start spending the tax dollars wisely, I won't begrudge what they take off me. Sandra. There's something big, bad and ugly coming our way, you say. When are you going to tell us what it is?'
'Tomorrow. Right now I'm just a woman in a heated pool, sipping wine. Sorry you didn't get your millions.'
'No, you're not. It doesn't matter. We'll lie low for a while and have another go. Sandra. We would never hurt those people in the stadium. Or anywhere else for that matter. That was never our intention. We are not thugs. We just want lots of money. Nothing wrong with that.'
Sandra said,'Every day we hear about wealthy people doing obnoxious things to get even more money. The lines are blurred. The people I sometimes defend aren't worth defending. I'd rather put my energy into people worth saving. We stopped you because there was a potential for ordinary people to be hurt. We watched your sorry progress every step of the way. You all thought you were the ones calling the tune. Not so. We could have stopped you at any time. There was another reason we didn't.'
The more she spoke, the more her full lips moved, the more this woman filled his mind. 'I'm listening.'
'Not tonight. But your special skills will be useful. Steve. You are a qualified chopper pilot. Also a good coordinator. Frank. A consulting mining engineer. You know all there is to know about explosives and you had access to them. You probably sleep with explosives you love them so much. Out of interest, what explosives did you use?'
'Ammonium Nitrate. Nice and stable. Used in blasting. It just needed an electric current going to the primer, that triggering the T N T booster, which set off the
ammonium nitrate. Easy when you know how.'
'I'll bear that in mind. Hank. You wrote the book on electronics. Actually, three books. Titch. Expert on security systems. Blow on a lock and it opens for you. Perhaps even as good as me. Gary. If it has wheels, you can drive it. And you're a very good mechanic. Chas. The baby of the group. A good all rounder. Nick. Useful on computers. Nothing like the Ferret here, but you can get in and out of places. We found out a lot about all of you from your Facebook page. Thanks for that. Most helpful. Maybe Ferret will teach you a trick or two. You all have skills. So basically, for men you are all fairly useful.'
Nick looked at the scrawny man swimming at the other end of the pool. 'He's that good with computers, is he?'
'Don't embarrass yourself going up against him. Computers haven't caught up with him yet. Plus the fact I've been training him how to fight. He's not up to my standard, but he could take out any four of you if he wanted to. If I were you, I'd be nice to him.'
'We get the picture,' said Steve. 'But I'd rather be nice to you than him.'
Sandra climbed out of the pool, picked up a towel for her hair and leaned over close to Steve Telford. 'You still have to impress me. Do that and I promise you can kiss my cheek.'
'I look forward to it. Goodnight, Sandra.'
Chapter 35
Eighty thousand people had left the stadium having enjoyed a good game. A few did scratch their heads at the number of fire appliances and ambulances outside; decided it must be some kind of training exercise and left for home. Hancock and his men, relying on the message from Ferret being accurate, did a thorough check of the stadium, declaring an hour later there were no explosives.
At the Darlington factory, Tiffin gave relieved owners similar news. 'The only explosives have already been set off. Some damage, nothing structural.'
'I think we've aged ten years,' said David Davenport.
Sean Davenport said, 'Will you be able to catch them?'
'We have our Scene of Crime Team inside now. They'll find the electronic trigger and maybe also something we can use. If there's the slightest trace of evidence remaining we'll be making the most of it.'
David Davenport smiled for the first time in twenty four hours. 'If I had any money, I'd make a safe bet you'll find nothing.'
Andy Carter was leading his team out of the factory. He was carrying three small plastic bags.
'Andy?' Andersen said.
'Useless. We'll go through the motions, but we got nothing.'
'Told you,' said Davenport. 'I'd better go lock up the factory. We wouldn't want anyone breaking in now, would we?'
Andersen sighed and shook his head. 'Nope. I guess not.'
Chapter 36
'Nothing?'
'No, Chief,' said Andersen. 'No explosives at the stadium, anywhere. A small charge was used at the factory and damaged a window. Just to make us think the stadium was rigged. Clever.'
'No clues to their whereabouts I suppose?'
Andersen shrugged. 'Not unless Sandra or Ferret decide to turn up and enlighten us. Any guesses what they're up to?'
'Nothing that makes sense. But one thing bothers me. If Sandra and Ferret know where the gang is, why haven't they turned them in?'
'Sandra's not police.'
'No. But Ferret is. Those two are up to something.'
Andersen said, 'Oh, yeah. I'm just glad they're on our side.'
* * *
Debbie Sefton hugged Poppy. 'They're hero's. Both of them.'
'They've cracked the case,' said Poppy. 'So why isn't Fred home?'
Bernie sipped his beer, wondering the same thing. 'The only thing I can think is that this isn't their main case. They solved it because they could. It isn't what they're really working on.'
Debbie said, 'What could be bigger than that?'
'I've no idea,' said Bernie. 'They are safe for the time being. Let's hang on to that.'
Chapter 37
Sandra was stretched out on the bed in one of the mansion's guest rooms. Built at the end of the Victorian era, ceilings were high, and embellished with ornate plasterwork in a floral design. The walls had been wallpapered in a silver grey which blended sympathetically with the room. This had been and was still a much loved family home. She wondered briefly how Steve's and Frank's parents would view the latest venture of their offspring. Not favourably, she suspected.
Ducket, standing at the foot of the bed, said, 'Tell me you don't trust them.'
'I don't trust them. There. Feel better?'
'Not a whole lot. I just want to go home. I should at least send Poppy an email.'
'Fred. We talked about that. You more than anyone knows we need to stay out of cyberspace. For the time being at least. That was pretty reckless, by the way, what you put on that scoreboard.'
'I couldn't resist it. It's a pretty remote chance of us being traced by me doing that or even sending a one off email to Poppy. Even I'd struggle to do that.'
'This is too big for even remote chances. I've been on this case for over four months. I've been to five other countries, narrowing things down. We need to focus and if we have even the slightest worry about our family, we won't be able to do that. It won't be for much longer, Fred. We have a lot to do tomorrow. Go to sleep.'
'I'm going. You don't think those blokes will kill me in the night?'
Sandra grinned. 'Hopefully not.'
'Thanks. I still think you are putting a lot of faith in a bunch of men with criminal tendencies.'
'They aren't natural criminals. This was their one and only job. They had an idea and we went and scuppered it for them. Not only that, they know they can't get out the country. I think that once we explain what this is all about, they'll actually want to help us.'
'We'll see. We're going to need all the help we can get. Steve's the one the others will follow. If he's on side, the others will be, too.'
Sandra pouted. 'Didn't you see the way he looked at me? He's just a man. I can control him. Besides.'
'What?'
'I think he's cute. Goodnight, Ferret.'
Chapter 38
'I'll add good cook to your list of abilities.'
Steve Telford smiled and flipped the eggs. 'I'm nothing flash. You're up early.'
Sandra said, 'I was hoping for a quiet chat with you before the others get up.'
'Sleep well?'
'Like a log. Nice place.'
'A family inheritance. Mine and Frank's parents. They left no money, just this house. They died when the train they were on ploughed into a caravan on a crossings. That was a couple of years ago. I live here permanently. To the others it's a place for holiday weekends, family functions, a place for the boys, or even the girls to let their hair down. I suspect you know all that.'
'Most of it. Why didn't you sell the place?'
'We considered it. Its been in the family for four generations. That and the state of the economy doesn't make it a good time to sell. I must admit, it's perfect for me. Three acres surrounded by farms. I have heaps of outbuildings for my helicopter and the crop spraying gear I use. It would be a nightmare to find somewhere as convenient. When Camila died, I sold up and put the money into my business. Sandra. Being crooks isn't our full time job. We all have families. Careers. This was a one off caper, all about security for us and our kids. Well. Not my Kids. I never had any.'
'You were happily married, though.'
'Camila died four years ago. I've been a lonely bachelor ever since. The odd girlfriend. Nothing serious.'
'I see. Who came up with the idea of the crime?'
Steve chuckled as he set two plates on the kitchen table. 'Blokes. What can I say? We were here to have a weekend away from the women. Barbecues, beer and the world cup on the television. Not sure who came up with it first. My nephew Hank, I think. He watches too many action films on television.'
'Never watch it.'
'You're not missing much. There'd been some botched up armoured car robbery on the news. Complete idiots. The plan, if
you could call it that, was destined to fail. A guard died for nothing. We said how we would have done the job. As you pointed out, we all have skills to bring to the table. All except guns. None of us have anything to do with those. The ones we did use we controlled carefully so we wouldn't hurt anyone. We never fired them if anyone was too close. Frank with his explosives was a fairly obvious choice. One thing led to another, and the rest as they say, is history.'
'I almost feel apologetic about stopping you. Almost.'
'Are you a cop?'
'Not exactly. I'm freelance. Let's just say I love my country and will do all I can to protect it.'
Steve pushed his plate away. 'My family and I are no threat to our country.'
'I know that. We were almost tempted to let you just get on with it. But you were putting certain friends of ours in potentially dangerous situations. You were three seconds off killing four of them. Couldn't let you keep doing that.'
Steve looked embarrassed. 'We had no idea anyone had gone inside the building. We thought it was empty.'
'Four good men almost lost their lives. I'd have no hesitation in taking all of you out had you done that.'
'I'm sorry, Sandra. It was sheer bloody luck we didn't kill them. No more, I promise.'
Sandra glared at him. 'I wouldn't let you. Maybe this is a way for you all to atone for your actions. Balance the ledger. We saw you all had talents and ability. We can make use of that.'
Steve nodded. He studied Sandra's face. He liked what he saw. 'For our country?'
'Yes. That and your freedom. Mark my words. Anything happens to us, you will go down.'
'Sandra. I'm not going to hurt you. I think you are looking to me to persuade the others to help you. Would that be correct?'
'They'll listen to you.'
Steve got up and poured fresh coffee from the percolator. 'I need to be convinced. We'll have a proper meeting; you tell us what you have in mind. If I think we should be involved, I'll put my weight behind your proposal.'
