Between Two Thieves

by Solomon Carter

  Dan stood on the threshold of the office, still in the doorway. The old converted shop space was dark, the lights not yet switched on. His face turned grim as he heard the clatter of metal hitting the wooden floor, and the noise of a struggle.

  “Eva... what’s going on...?” Before he could say another word the line went dead. Dan eyes were wide and bright in the darkness. “Eva!” He turned around, slamming the door behind him, leaving it unlocked as he ran for the car. Before he had reached the car door, his mobile phone was already pressed to his ear.

  Clancy stopped by the bureau to collect his precious items from the floor. He picked up Eva’s mobile along with them. “Looks like your phone’s had it, Miss Roberts. Shame.”

  Eva backed towards the window. The night was advancing quickly. The sky was a varied blur of colours from indigo to blue through to a thin line of subtle orange on the estuary horizon. But there was no comfort in it. Eva could only think of survival

  “I thought Joe had failed me, so I went in his room to tell him so, yes. But the door was blocked, which annoyed me even more. Until it gave me pause for thought. A moment to clear my head, shall we say. By the time I managed to push my way into his room, I realised the chair blocking my way meant that Joe had been scared half to death. The robber, so I believed, had scared him during the break-in. It gave me a kind of clarity, and yet it gave me greater cause to be angry too. I never advertised my collection, Miss Roberts. No one knew about it except the few people I told, and a few others who had access to my house.”

  The man picked up all of his fine items and laid them on the fold-down writing flap. Eva’s eyes slipped back to the glinting silver stick and the gold buckle at the back, set between the wooden pigeon holes of the bureau. They gleamed in the ever-diminishing light.

  “I wish Joe had been honest with me – even for just once in his life. If he had told me, none of this need ever have happened.”

  “The murder you mean?” said Eva, saying what had to be said.

  Clancy stopped dead. His eyes shone, and he seemed caught in two minds. He gave in and nodded his head.

  “If Joe had told me what he did, I wouldn’t have gone looking for the man who stole my collection. I would have found another, bloodless way to get it back.

  “You thought Carl Renton had stolen from you. And in return you stole his life.”

  “It had to be him, didn’t it? Georgie was young, and far too pathetic and wishy-washy to risk doing anything to upset the applecart here. Neither of them have ever paid much attention to my collection. But Carl Renton was always here, always checking on my son. I’d had my doubts about him before.”

  “Doubts?”

  “The priestly class – sermonising to bolster their own egos, preaching to make up for their own failings in life. Isn’t that what these do-gooders are really all about? First, I had him down as an old-fashioned pervert. The man wasn’t married, was he? I thought he was interested in my son for the wrong reasons... so I kept an eye on him. Read the reports about his charities. I heard of him offering out Bible quotes like fortune cookies. All very odd, all very suspicious. People never do anything for anyone else without wanting something in return, not ever.”

  “Not in your world, Mr Clancy,” said Eva.

  “Renton wanted something and I couldn’t work out what it was. Not until the robbery. Then it made sense all at once. From listening to him, I knew Renton liked to conduct his night time vigils. Having already stolen my gold, there was no good reason why the man would be down there, but I had to start the hunt somewhere, and there he was – standing with his back to me, looking out to sea... holding the jiffy bag you saw, full of all my own precious gold... I caught the man red handed.”

  “You were angry and you felt justified in your anger,” said Eva. “He was red handed... but you weren’t only after getting back your collection. You wanted much more than that. That’s why you went out with a weapon.”

  “What do you mean?” said the man. Clancy leaned back, palms pressing down on the bureau. His eyes seemed to take on a raptor-like quality. The way he watched her now made her feel cold. Eva supposed he was reliving the moment.

  “You believed Carl Renton had lied to you and your son and worse, that he had worked at his lie for a good long time. You had suspected him from the outset, but after a while, you had let things drift because you couldn’t prove anything against him.” said Eva.

  Clancy cleared his throat. “I believed he had milked my son for access and information. He had formed a friendship with my son on false pretences. And as soon as his opportunity came, he struck and stole what wasn’t his. I felt entitled to cause him some measure of pain equal to what he had caused us.”

  “A measure of pain? Equal to yours? You killed him, Mr Clancy! You told me that hatchet had been stolen when I mentioned it to you, but it had never been stolen, had it? It was missing only because you took it with you that night... Why did Carl Renton die, Mr Clancy?”

  Clancy’s eyes flashed, and his teeth showed as he spoke. “I told you. That man had abused our trust.”

  “Trust? But you never once trusted him in the first place.”

  “He hurt my family and deserved to be hurt back.”

  “Hurt? But he was only ever here to try and save your son’s life. He was trying to fulfil the duty you had abandoned!”

  “He had my collection in his hands, woman! I saw it – that was all I saw. I was furious. Beyond furious. Those things were mine! He had ripped out the heart of my collection.”

  “You should have let him speak. Carl Renton would have explained.”

  “I didn’t want to hear his excuses or receive his religious judgement. The man was a thief! The man had what wasn’t his! I hit him once and I made sure I hit him hard... too hard, in fact. The sharp end did more damage than I had expected. When I saw the collection spill from his hands to the sand, and I saw the blood with it, I knew it was too late to stop. There was too much blood. The situation was beyond saving.”

  “You never gave him a chance! Your son gave them to him to apologise for letting him down!”

  “How was I to know? After the first blow landed, there was only one thing to do. He had to be killed. I knew the drug traffickers would be blamed for it. Or some other terrible junkie the man had crossed. This town is full of them. It’s full of suspects. All I had to do was keep to the script my son had set in motion with the burglary set-up.”

  “You hired us...”

  “Because Joe asked me to. I knew there was some virtue in it. You two looking for my stolen belongings would have made my position as the victim look far more convincing. And once the insurance claim was initiated, I knew you would make an excellent reference to strengthen my claim.”

  “You were pursuing an insurance claim? Even after you had killed to get your collection back?”

  “If I didn’t make that claim, people would have wondered why. And then who knows what else they might have wondered. Just the same as one throwaway comment of mine made you wonder, Miss Roberts. You’re clearly a very smart lady. A little too smart for your own good all the same...”

  Eva’s heartbeat filled her body with a relentless pounding. The sharpness in Clancy’s eyes seemed to prod at her, looking for a weakness, an opening which he could exploit.

  “Greed, Mr Clancy. This whole case was only ever motivated by your greed. Just like your insurance claim was. You wanted to have your cake and eat it twice over. You let your relationship with your son rot so you could love your golden treasures instead.”

  “I warned you once, Miss Roberts,” said Clancy. Slowly he lifted the flap to close the bureau. Eva watched as the silver stem and buckle were eclipsed from sight.

  “I don’t care for your warnings, Mr Clancy. You’re a hypocrite, a thief, a murderer, and a liar... damned by your own words.”

  Clancy paused with the writing flap half open.

  “What do you mean, damned by my own words?”

  “Not jus
t words. Deeds too. The man had what wasn’t his. That’s what you said. But I’ve seen what you did, Mr Clancy. I saw what was in the bureau. You were the one who stole the treasures of the Saxon King’s tomb. You were the one who robbed Councillor Audley...”

  The man’s face contorted briefly into a smirk.

  “Please. Not even Councillor Audley is so stupid as to let them be stolen from his own house.”

  “I saw them. The Saxon King’s missing treasures. They’re in your bureau.”

  “I don’t deny it. There seems little point in lying now, does there? Audley was prepared to let his reputation take a trashing if it meant he gets a decent retirement fund in return.”

  “What?” said Eva.

  “I’m a jeweller, Miss Roberts. A good one too. I don’t just buy treasures, I sell them too. To the highest bidder I can find. In this instance, China should do nicely.”

  “Audley engineered the robbery?”

  “There was no robbery. It was a transaction. Audley will lose his job, but then he’ll end up rich. His stupid little fandango about my Celtic torq was an unnecessary fig leaf, but then politicians are the worst, aren’t they? Don’t look so shocked, Miss Roberts. If Audley didn’t steal them, eventually someone else would.”

  “You’re a sick man, Mr Clancy. The kind of man who just doesn’t give a damn about anyone else. You betrayed your son, stole and lied to everyone you know, and you killed the only man who really tried to save your son. And do you know the worst part of it all?”

  Clancy lowered his hand to the open drawer beneath the writing flap.

  “No. But it sounds like you’re going to tell me.”

  “You’ve shown no sign of remorse.”

  “Remorse, Miss Roberts?” said Clancy. “But if I felt remorse then I don’t think I’d be able to do it again, would I?”

  Clancy lifted his hand away from the drawer, holding the criss-cross shaft of the ancient Celtic hatchet in his hand.

  “There’s a kind of a virtue in using this old beast. It’s poetic, almost. Living history in a way,” said Clancy, admiring the hatchet he held with both hands. “It’s ancient, certainly ceremonial. But I fancy that it must once have been wielded as a weapon. Carl Renton couldn’t have been the first to be killed by this hatchet... and you, Miss Roberts, probably won’t be the last.”

  Clancy hefted the hatchet in his hand with satisfaction and slowly moved Eva’s way. The door was on the right. If she made it past his shoulder, Eva had a chance of escape, but Clancy was tall, and the vicious weapon gave him a longer reach, well beyond what she could easily escape. Instead Eva looked for anything she could use. There was nothing to hand, nothing but heavy books and the framed collection of trinkets. On her left, past the window and just out of reach, was Clancy’s trophy cabinet. Some prized positions were empty, their contents still hidden as if stolen. But there were one or two pieces which looked almost promising. Clancy’s eyes followed hers, his mouth twitched.

  “Don’t you dare touch anything in this room. I swear if you lay your hand on so much as one little thing I’ll make this even worse.”

  “I told you, Mr Clancy. I don’t like being threatened. I never have. And I never will.”

  Eva reached a hand for the framed trinkets in the wall behind her. She pulled the whole frame down from the wall and the trinkets spilled, knocking against the glass like hail stones trapped inside. Clancy surged forward then stopped, uncertain, his eyes caught by his treasures in her hand. Eva wielded the frame in front of her. Clancy looked at Eva’s eyes and he watched them flare.

  “No!” roared Clancy, as Eva hurled the frame at him. There was no chance he could catch it or stop it with one hand, though Clancy did his best to try. He reached with his spare hand and tried to parry with the other, but the frame spun and clattered down to the floor, the frame bursting and the glass shattering over him. The gold brooches, trinkets and rings spilt out with the glass, mingling over his shoes and across the floor. Eva swept one hand down to the mess and snatched up a small shard of glass. The glass sliced the skin of her palm and drew blood, but Eva raised it towards him regardless. She eyed the larger cabinet, and the man’s eyes near burst of out his skull.

  “Don’t you dare!” said Clancy. But it was a trick – a feint. As he stepped towards the cabinet, Eva belted towards the door.

  “I’ll kill you!” he roared again and swung the hatchet wildly towards Eva’s head. As the door opened, Eva felt a heavy whoosh rush past her back. She threw herself headlong into the dim hallway to avoid any injury. Below, bright headlights burst through the front door window, washing the hallway in hard light. A car engine drew to an abrupt halt, and a car door slammed. Eva ran down the staircase towards the bright light. Clancy was right behind her, thudding down the stairs. A welcome shadow appeared at the door and slammed against the wood.

  “Eva! Eva, it’s me. Open the door!”

  She tried the handle, but the door had been locked. “I can’t!” she called. Clancy was coming fast. Eva turned away quickly as the hatchet swung for her shoulder. She jinked past the swing and barged into Clancy’s torso, pushing past him to run down the hallway towards the back rooms. Dan’s shadow disappeared from the glass and Clancy chased after her. Eva turned to face her attacker, backing away into the kitchen, the broken glass in her hand no more than a vain gesture. By now Clancy didn’t seem to care about consequences. There was a predatory smile on his face, pleasure at the power he wielded in his hand.

  “You should have just got on with the job. You should have said the gold was gone, and that was that. I was going to pay you. You foolish woman. You’ve really only brought this on yourself, Miss Roberts.”

  Eva backed further into the kitchen, her heels clacking on the tiles. She looked around for a weapon, but saw only a chrome coloured toaster and kettle. She reached for the toaster, seized it from the worktop and hurled it headlong at Clancy as Dan appeared in the blackness behind the kitchen windows. He hammered at the glass with his fists as Clancy smashed the toaster to the floor with his hatchet.

  “You hurt her and I’ll kill you!” said Dan.

  Clancy grinned.

  Eva edged back towards the outer door. Her shaking fingers tried to turn the key behind her hip, but Eva realised she needed to lift the handle first, to yank it up before the key would turn or the door would not open. Her hand fumbled and Clancy stormed towards her, letting out a howl of rage.

  Eva blinked, took a breath, and pressed her head back to the window in apparent readiness for the pain of death.

  Clancy grinned, seeing a final act of submission. She saw the excitement in his eyes. The man tensed his shoulders, his arms followed as they started to sweep upward. She waited for the last instant, the moment the hatchet reached the apex of its arc. Eva slid down the door as fast as she could. Committed, Clancy swung the hatchet down hard. The heavy head smashed the glass to pieces, biting through the double glazing. Glass showered Eva’s hair and burst over Clancy’s arms and body. He growled and pulled at the hatchet but the tool was caught in the glass. The inner pane was gone entirely, reduced to crumbs. But the hatchet head was caught and held in a hole in the second pane. Clancy yanked hard. The glass cracked but stayed put. He leaned back and pulled again. At any moment Eva knew the hatchet would come free. But she didn’t run. She reached up, pushed the door handle high and twisted the key. The lock clicked. Clancy saw what was going to happen. His eyes flared and he pulled at the hatchet with all his might. Outside, Dan heard the mechanism give.

  “Eva!” called Dan.

  She knew exactly what he meant for her to do. As Clancy yanked the hatchet free and the rest of the glass imploded towards him, Eva darted free past the man’s legs. Clancy growled with effort and spun round to follow her. All she needed was time. Just the smallest fraction of time. The kettle was all she had. Eva pulled the kettle free of the cordless dock and threw it at Clancy’s face with all her might. Both his hands were on the hatchet handle. He lifted one arm
to cover his face, but he was too late. The kettle struck his nose and forehead and brought a grunt of pain. His arms fell limp, and the hatchet lowered. In the same instant the door burst open and smashed Clancy to one side, hammering his torso against the silver-coloured oversized fridge. Clancy collapsed to one side, pressed between the door and the fridge. And Dan kept pushing, gritting his teeth with anger and effort. He used the door as a weapon, driving it hard into Clancy’s side and shoulder until the hatchet was dropped and crashed to the tiles. As it landed, the ancient copper braiding snapped and the hatchet head rolled free. Dan pulled the door back, and smashed it hard against Clancy once, and then again for good measure. The second time one of Clancy’s bones popped under the pressure and he cried out. Gritting his teeth, Dan flung the door against him a final time and let it go. Clancy tumbled to the floor clutching his chest. Eva looked down at him from the kitchen doorway but the man’s eyes were screwed up in pain.

  “Eva... you okay?”

  “Better now,” she said.

  Dan offered his hand and they crossed the divide of Clancy’s body to hold one another. The sound of sirens hit their senses and the front of the house was blitzed by more bright lights and flashes of blue. More sirens were coming.

  “He did it, Dan. He helped the councillor rob the Saxon gold. And he killed Carl Renton because he thought Renton had stolen his treasures from him. Gold is all he cares about. Nothing else. Not even his son.”

  “And now he’s going to lose all of it, aren’t you, Clancy?” said Dan, looking down on him with disdain. “Though the truth is I think you lost your son a long time back.”

  Detective Inspector Hogarth appeared in the doorway and pushed his way inside. His feet crunched on broken glass, and his shoe nudged against the head of the ancient broken hatchet. As the back door was knocked against him again, Aaron Clancy groaned and whimpered. Hogarth looked down in shock, then with one raised eyebrow, he cast a seasoned eye over Roberts and Bradley.