The Locksmith

by Linda Calvey

  Ruby wore sunglasses and had pulled back her hair into a tight bun, looking for all the world like a young mum out for a stroll in the weak spring sunshine. Taking her little brother out with her had felt like the perfect disguise. After all, who really noticed a young mum? Who really cared what she was up to? Ruby felt as invisible as if she’d worn a wig and glasses, blending into the background, looking as innocent as it was possible to be.

  Thankfully, George had been sleeping peacefully as she bumped the pram down from the DLR, getting off at Island Gardens and walking north along Westferry Road. She was heading for Millwall Docks and the offices inside an old warehouse, which was the target of the heist agreed with Freddie. Ruby insisted to Bobby that she’d case the joint beforehand. She didn’t trust a hair on Freddie Harris’s head, and so she’d set out that day, at around the time that workers took their lunch, hoping to be less visible among the crowds, even if she was stalking through the less salubrious parts of the docklands.

  She walked for a while then slowed as she realised the building was coming up on her right. As luck would have it, there was a bench overlooking the water almost directly in front of the offices she was scouting out.

  ‘Our luck’s in, little George,’ she murmured as she manoeuvred the pram to the seat and sat down at an angle, pretending to fuss with the sleeping baby’s blankets. As she did so, she was afforded a full view of the site where the robbery was due to take place that evening. She hooked her sunglasses onto her head and turned to inspect the site.

  Unfortunately the building was flanked by large security gates, which meant she couldn’t get access inside to scout it properly. It worried her that she was limited to walking round the building, looking for possible exits, checking the number of people coming and going, and getting a feel for the building and its surroundings. She was starting to realise that she would have to take Freddie’s word for it that this job was kosher, but he was the last person she wanted to trust.

  Luckily, the alarm system was clearly visible, the main entrance below it. Ruby didn’t know anything about locks or alarms but she could see the brand was a security company she recognised, and she could give Bobby that much information.

  She looked around for security guards or cameras tracking her movements but could see no one or nothing that would cause problems.

  ‘We’ll wait ’ere for a minute, George, and see if anyone comes,’ Ruby said, stretching her shoulders back and gazing out at the river. Her eyes rested on a large tanker that was negotiating the stretch of water, but her senses were on full alert. Nothing much happened over the course of almost an hour. Someone who looked like a foreman came out and stood smoking a cigarette. He even said ‘hello’ to Ruby, who smiled back at him. She got up and walked around the building as best she could, but there was no getting to the back. There was a main front entrance, and tucked away at the side of the building was a small doorway. She didn’t dare get too close in case anyone spotted her, but she saw that was probably the way they’d force their entry.

  But what about getting away again? She looked up and down the road. There were only two main escape routes, alongside the dock going in either direction, but then again she hadn’t seen the back, so there could be routes there too. She bit her lip, deep in thought. It was a risk. It was a huge risk, but what other choice did they have? If they wanted to earn the thousand pound that Bobby had shaken on to open the safe, then she had to trust Freddie.

  More time passed and there was still no sign of any further external security. Ruby sighed. She set off again as George started to stir, back in the direction of the train station. She walked quickly now, her stomach churning, knowing she would give the go-ahead despite the risk.

  Ruby returned to Star Lane and dropped George round to a neighbour who would look after him while she spent a few hours with Mum. Cathy had been moved to a hospice as her condition worsened. She needed round-the-clock care and pain relief, and Ruby sadly saw that her mother needed more than her help now. Their mum’s days were numbered.

  Sitting at her mother’s bedside, Ruby smiled though her nerves were getting to her. The heist was tonight, and her mum mustn’t know a thing.

  ‘All right, darlin’? Why the frown?’ Cathy gasped, trying to sit up but failing.

  Ruby rushed round her bedside to help her, glad her mum couldn’t see the expression on her face. She realised her feelings were transparent – to her mum, at least.

  ‘Nothin’, nothin’ at all.’ Out of Ruby’s lips came the first real lie she’d ever told her mum. She felt sick as she plumped up the pillows, avoiding Cathy’s honest gaze. ‘Just tired . . . and worried about you. Now, shouldn’t you be gettin’ some rest?’

  ‘Now, I’ve been thinkin’ about things, especially my funeral—’

  ‘Don’t even mention it, Mum,’ Ruby interjected.

  ‘Rube, it’s important, you mustn’t worry. I’m not bothered about all the fuss. I want ya to know that, no matter what happens, I’ll always love you, Bobby and George. I don’t want ya to go short with money. You’ve got enough on your plate lookin’ after George. I’m worried about how you’ll survive without me.’

  Ruby knew that her mum was telling her, in her own way, that she would be happy with a pauper’s funeral, but Ruby didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to acknowledge her mum’s death, let alone what she and Bobby were doing to see that didn’t happen.

  ‘Don’t be silly, Mum,’ Ruby said through cold lips, ‘we’ll manage. Bobby’s got work and so ’ave I. We’ll be fine . . .’

  At that moment a nurse popped her head round the door. ‘Sorry, Mrs Murphy, visitin’ hours are over. Time to go.’

  Ruby smiled again, kissing her mother on the forehead, praying that nothing in her expression would give her away.

  ‘I’ll be in tomorrow, Mum. Love you.’

  Ruby left, pondering how life could be so cruel. How could they lose two parents within months of each other, neither of them old enough to justify dying? The anger simmered inside her, and she knew she couldn’t let it out, not now, perhaps not ever, because she had to stay in control, for all their sakes. It was her the nurses spoke to, her they checked her mum’s medication with, her they came to with questions about what would happen when she died. Ruby couldn’t break down. She had George and Bobby to care for. She had her mum to do right by, and she was happy that she could, in private at least, tell the end-of-life team that they would be able to afford a proper East End funeral with the same undertaker as Grandad Jim had, a fleet of limousines and flowers, though those arrangements would come later.

  Ruby felt exhausted when she arrived home, but she fed George and tucked him up for a nap before reaching into the fridge to work out what to cook for dinner. She didn’t feel hungry, and she could tell with one look at her brother’s face as he walked in from work that he didn’t either.

  ‘Too nervous to eat, Rube. Don’t bother with a dinner. I’ll ’ave somethin’ later. You look tired, though. Go and ’ave a lie-down while George is asleep.’

  Ruby shook her head. ‘I’ll wait up for ya, I won’t be able to sleep anyway.’

  There was a strange atmosphere, both felt equally guilty at taking this unfamiliar path, but Ruby realised she felt something Bobby clearly didn’t, a twinge of excitement.

  She hadn’t been lying when she said she wouldn’t be able to sleep but it was because her nerves and fears were mixed with a rush of adrenaline she hadn’t expected to experience. What they were about to do was against everything their parents had taught them. Growing up, Ruby had wanted to please them. She’d turned away from her friend Sarah’s choices, watching as she, and others like her, ended up with a bad lot in life: parents in prison, homes full of dodgy goods and always having to look over their shoulders. Ruby could hardly believe she’d finally taken a step down the same dark path, though she knew she wouldn’t stop Bobby going tonight. They needed that money to survive, and it should buy their mum a good burial too. There was
no choice that Ruby could see. Do this robbery or fail their mum completely.

  Bobby got changed out of his work clothes. He walked back into the kitchen dressed head-to-toe in black. He was clutching a small bag of tools containing his skeleton keys, which he called twirls. Ruby almost gasped. The sight of her flesh and blood dressed up like some common criminal was almost too much. Ruby thought again of baby George, and knew they must do this for him as well as Mum.

  ‘You ready?’ she asked softly. Bobby nodded. He shoved his balaclava and black gloves into the bag. He gave her a last look before leaving, a look halfway between regret and fear.

  ‘Just a one-off,’ she whispered to herself. ‘Once this is done we’ll ’ave some money in our pockets and things will work out.’ Even as she said the words, she wondered if she was trying to convince herself.

  Ruby saw him in her mind’s eye, walking to the pub for a pint and to meet Freddie and his accomplice. She saw them walk down to the warehouse she had already cased out on the Isle of Dogs. She imagined him finding the safe in the back office, kneeling down next to it and working his magic until click, click, click, the door swung open and its contents were quickly stuffed into Freddie’s bag. She saw the accomplice keeping watch at the side door, a sawn-off shotgun in his hand. She saw Bobby lock the safe again before him and Freddie left the building. Bobby would turn the outside alarm system back on to make it look like an inside job, which had been Ruby’s idea. She had no notion of where it came from.

  CHAPTER 14

  ROBBERY! POLICE SAY IT’S AN INSIDE JOB!

  The headline screamed out from the front page of the local newspaper. Ruby, who was on her way to the supermarket with George in his pram, snatched up a copy, her eyes scanning the front page. It had to be the job Bobby had done only a few days earlier.

  ‘Oi, you goin’ to buy that or what?’ the newsagent shouted over at her from inside the shop.

  ‘Oh, yes I am . . .’ she said, fumbling in her handbag to find her purse. ‘There you go, no need to get stroppy with me!’ Ruby’s hands were trembling as she stepped inside and handed over the coins.

  ‘Sorry, love, didn’t mean to frighten you. You OK?’ the shopkeeper, a young Asian guy added. He obviously thought he’d been the one to unsettle her.

  ‘What? Oh, don’t worry, it ain’t you,’ Ruby muttered. She dashed out to the pram and stood in the street, reading every word of the news story.

  It was the same job.

  Then she gasped. One line of the text stood out. She read it again to make sure she’d understood, then as comprehension dawned, fury rose within her like a striking snake.

  ‘Oh my God, he’s mugged us off. Freddie Harris, you don’t know what’s comin’ to you, but I won’t let ya get away with this.’ Ruby could hardly believe her eyes and yet she’d known not to trust him. She’d known Freddie was a weasel, but this? This was something else.

  Quickly, Ruby headed back to Star Lane, all thoughts of getting supplies of milk, bread and nappies forgotten. Once she’d settled George, she whacked the paper down onto the table as if the table itself was to blame, then paced around the house for the next two hours, waiting for Bobby to come home. She couldn’t settle on anything. She showed George his picture books, but her mind raced and she couldn’t concentrate. She cleaned the kitchen and lounge, but that bought no respite. In fact, her agitation increased as time wore on until, eventually, she heard the key turning in the lock.

  The minute his footsteps sounded through the front door, Ruby grabbed the paper and ran to greet him.

  ‘Whoa there Rube, what ya doin? Pleased to see me at last?’ Bobby grinned. He’d clearly had a good day at work and was mellow from a drink in the pub. Bobby had been welcomed back into the pub and the community as soon as he’d agreed to the safe break. No longer were Ruby’s family seen as outsiders. Now they were complicit. They’d crossed the line, become as crooked as everyone else. Well, Ruby was about to ruin his good mood.

  ‘Look,’ she hissed. ‘Look how much money was in that safe!’ She thrust the paper under her brother’s nose. Bobby’s mouth turned into a perfect ‘o’ shape as he understood why Ruby was so angry.

  ‘Ah . . .’ was all he said. He’d clearly seen the same paper, or heard the gossip in the pub and was hoping Ruby hadn’t.

  ‘Ah? AH? What ’appened when I had to leave you and Freddie together to agree the deal that night, eh, Bobby? Did ya lose yer brain?’

  Bobby sighed a long, drawn-out sigh. ‘Listen, Rube, Freddie offered me a grand to do that job. It was more than enough to put food on the table, pay the leccy and have money left over for the . . .’ Even as their mum’s health worsened, Bobby still couldn’t say the word ‘funeral’.

  ‘He mugged you off, and he mugged me off. That’s what ’appened when I left you two ’ere in our kitchen to go and see to George. He took you for a fool, and me with ya.’

  Bobby walked slowly into the kitchen, slumping down onto a chair.

  ‘Rube, I shook ’ands on the deal. It was what we agreed. A one-off job to get money.’

  Ruby stood next to him. She was too angry to sit. Her pulse was hammering in her head. Her blood was up. She started to read the article out loud, as if somehow that made it clearer.

  ‘“. . . the company chief executive said that the robbers had taken staff wages amounting to £10,000.” Ten. Thousand. Pounds. And how much did you shake on with Freddie? A mere thousand. It ain’t right. They would never ’ave got into that buildin’ without ya. You were the most crucial part of the operation. Freddie knew this, and he let ya shake on a thousand.’ Ruby was shouting now.

  Bobby glanced round, guessing that George was napping. ‘Shh, you’ll wake the baby. So what if I got less? It doesn’t matter, Rube. We got our share, so drop it.’

  Ruby stared at him as if she’d never seen him before.

  ‘Drop it?’ Her voice was cold, measured, now. Her fury mounted. ‘I won’t drop it, Bobby. No, I won’t do that. D’ya know what I’m goin’ to do?’ Ruby’s eyes bored into her brother’s.

  He looked away. Her anger frightened him. ‘No, Rube, what are ya goin’ to do?’ he said, cautiously.

  ‘I’m goin’ round there and I’m goin’ to ’ave this out with Freddie. That’s what I’m goin’ to do.’

  Bobby seemed alarmed.

  ‘You mustn’t Rube. We shook on it. It’s as good as a contract.’

  Ruby looked at him again. She saw her soft-hearted brother, always thinking the best of people, always ready to share what he had and take little for himself, and she knew in her bones that she was made of different stuff. She had no fear of Freddie Harris and his mates. Let them see.

  Without a word, Ruby turned and stalked out of the kitchen.

  ‘Ruby?’ Bobby shouted after her, but her only reply was, ‘Stay where you are. Look after George.’

  Ruby blazed through the streets until she got to the council flat where Freddie lived with his parents and younger sister. She knocked and seconds later, Freddie came to the door.

  ‘What an honour! Ruby Green Eyes comin’ to my door. Perhaps you want that date now? ’ave you decided to play with the big boys like meself?’

  ‘Big boys!’ spat Ruby, laughing mockingly. ‘You’re hardly a big boy, Freddie. Whatever you are, there’s one thing I know about you and that’s the fact that you mugged off me and Bobby.’

  Freddie’s oily charm immediately dissipated. He seemed to know instantly what all this was about. Now, he got down to business.

  ‘Bobby agreed a grand. We shook ’ands on it so don’t come round ’ere accusin’ me of anythin’.’ Freddie was acting flash, smiling at her cockily, as if she was just some silly local girl who’d fall for a bit of flattery and a few notes in her hand. What he didn’t seem to understand was that Ruby wasn’t silly, she wasn’t stupid at all. In fact, she was pure class, and if Freddie didn’t know that by now she was going to remind him.

  Ruby took a step closer. She turned her
piercing green eyes on him. ‘I’ve spoken to Bobby since ya did that job. He told me you knew about the safe because your girlfriend works in the office. I’ll bet any money ya knew how much was in there that night. I’ll bet any money you set the fee with Bobby knowin’ full well there was ten grand in there.’

  Freddie sized her up and down. ‘All right, Rube, maybe I did know, maybe I didn’t. What’s it to you? Me and Bobby made a deal.’

  ‘Oh, did ya? Well, I’m tellin’ you that the deal was a bad one and ya mugged us off. I know you stole this job off Charlie Beaumont. You wouldn’t want him to know ya nicked his job on purpose, would ya? Charlie might forgive someone accidentally takin’ his job, but doin’ it on purpose? My Bobby wouldn’t ’ave a problem, but you would.’

  Freddie’s face hardened. He shuffled his feet again. His eyes narrowed as he opened his mouth. She’d hit the target.

  ‘Well, Bob shook ’ands on the deal for a thousand,’ he replied weakly.

  ‘Well the term’s ’ave changed. We want half the money, and if we don’t get it you won’t ’ave a hand to shake if Charlie Beaumont finds out.’

  ‘So, now you’re a “proper” gangster are ya, Ruby Green Eyes, turnin’ up ’ere and givin’ me grief?’ Freddie sneered. ‘Wasn’t so long ago you’d turn yer nose up at workin’ with the likes of me, and now you’re round ’ere playin’ with the crooks.’

  ‘Oh dear, Freddie, you could be in a lot of trouble . . .’ Ruby almost burst out laughing at seeing the discomfort on his face. Then she went in for the kill. ‘I want our half of the ten grand at mine tonight. You bring it round or I go to Charlie and let him know he’s been mugged off too. Would you like that, Freddie Harris?’

  The shifty man’s face was pale now. His eyes still refused to meet Ruby’s but instinctively she knew she’d won.