herself vigorously. She was perching on the edge of the bath, drying her feet, when the door handle turned. She froze as it rattled again, but finding her voice she called, ‘Who’s there?’
‘It’s Trevor Bardington. Sorry, I didn’t realise someone was in there.’
‘I’ve nearly finished and it’ll be free in a few minutes.’
‘Right, thanks,’ and as she heard his footsteps retreating, Pearl dressed quickly.
She scooted out, but as her eyes flicked along the landing there was no sign of the man. Soon she was back in her room and, throwing on pyjamas, scrambled into bed. Yet why was she frightened? Mr Bardington had only tried the door – he hadn’t forced his way in. Pearl turned, clutching her pillow. It was Kevin’s threat that was making her jumpy and more than ever she felt alone, vulnerable, in these almost empty premises.
It was after midnight when Kevin, Nobby and Dick walked quietly to a nearby street, pleased to see the van parked in the usual spot.
‘There’s nobody about,’ Nobby said.
Dick scratched his chin. ‘It won’t take long to open that door.’
‘Come on then, let’s get on with it,’ Kevin said impatiently. He didn’t like standing around and was nervous of being seen. The sooner they got into the van and drove off, the better.
Dick, skilled at the task, soon had the door open, and in another few minutes Kevin had hot-wired the van, the engine coming to life.
‘Jump in the back, Dick,’ he hissed as Nobby climbed hurriedly into the passenger seat.
Kevin took as many backstreets as possible, finding his mouth dry as they drew up outside the warehouse. The premises were in darkness and Kevin twisted round in his seat to speak to Dick.
‘Are you sure about the alarm?’
‘As sure as I can be.’
Nobby climbed out. ‘Come on, Dick. We’ll cut the padlock and open the gates. When that’s done, Kevin, you can drive in.’
Kevin waited, finding his hands sweating as he gripped the steering wheel. The two men made light of the lock, and soon the metal gates were swinging open. With a look in his rear-view mirror, Kevin drove into the grounds, pulling up in front of the loading bay.
Dick walked up the ramp, inspecting the alarm box high on the wall. ‘I hope that bleedin’ ladder’s long enough,’ he mumbled before bending down to his bag of tools.
Nobby struggled to get the ladder off the van. ‘Give me a hand, Kevin.’
As soon as they’d placed it up against the wall, Kevin returned to the van, ready for a quick getaway if anything went wrong.
Dick climbed the ladder and then Kevin watched as he placed a small torch between his teeth, leaving his hands free to work on the alarm box.
Kevin’s tension eased. Dick seemed to know what he was doing. He removed the cover, carefully handing it down to Nobby before reaching inside the box. Then suddenly a deafening, clanging racket pierced the silence.
Kevin froze momentarily, but then in panic he gunned the engine to life, eyes on stalks as he screamed, ‘Come on, let’s get out of here!’
Dick slid down the ladder, grabbed his tools, and then both men scrambled for the van.
Nobby just about managed to leap into the passenger seat as Kevin screeched off. ‘Shit!’ he yelled, holding on to the dashboard for dear life.
Dick had almost shot into the back of the van and, with tyres screaming, Kevin was out of the gate, driving with his foot hard on the accelerator.
‘For fuck’s sake,’ Dick yelled, ‘give me a chance to shut the back doors!’
Kevin slowed almost imperceptibly before turning a corner, his ears peeled for the sound of police sirens. Dick managed to pull the doors closed, and soon they were streets away.
‘Slow down, you stupid bastard! You’re drawing attention to us,’ Nobby shouted.
‘Watch your mouth,’ Kevin spat, his eyes now flicking to the back of the van and to Dick Smedley. ‘So much for the alarm being a fucking doddle! Christ, it serves me right for getting mixed up with amateurs.’
Nobby’s voice was dangerously low: ‘We ain’t amateurs. It was just bad luck. Now find somewhere to dump this van, and soon.’
Kevin turned left towards the industrial arches under Clapham Junction station. In the pitch-darkness his headlights pierced the gloom and, parking in front of the first unit, he scrambled out of the van.
‘Come on, this’ll do. We can make our way home through the backstreets.’
The three men walked quickly, constantly looking behind them and relieved when they reached Battersea High Street.
‘That was a bloody fiasco,’ Kevin said, breaking the silence.
‘I’ll admit it was a cock-up, but we got clean away.’
‘Yeah, but empty-handed.’
‘There’s always another job, and we’ll make better plans next time.’
‘Next time! You must be kidding!’
Nobby shrugged. ‘You’ll be looking for easy money again soon, and I’ll be in touch.’
‘Don’t bother,’ Kevin spat as he marched away.
Trevor Bardington still couldn’t sleep. Standing in the darkness of his room, he looked out of the window on to the three young men below him in the street. He recognised his landlord, Nobby Clark, and though the men seemed to be arguing, he wasn’t interested. His appetite was rising again, and try as he might he couldn’t fight it. How many times had he moved? How many different areas had he lived in? He’d lost count. So far he’d been lucky, very lucky, and had never been caught.
He turned away from the window and threw himself onto his bed. Once he had seen that face it was impossible to get it out of his mind – impossible to fight the desire. Now, as he had done so many times in the past, he began to plan.
Other than the young girl downstairs, this place was ideal, and if he used drugs again, there would be no noise. Of course, the time and place would be crucial, and it wouldn’t be easy. His brain turned. There had to be a way, there was always a way, and as an idea began to form, Trevor Bardington smiled. He’d love it, he knew he would. They all did, despite their protests.
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