‘No, definitely not. Meetings are booked in which means there will be a record of it somewhere and when there isn’t, that will raise questions. You need something they wouldn’t question...’ She was running a thousand ideas through her mind. Quickly Emma, quickly.
‘No wait I’ve got it! You’re not a nephew; they would have heard about you. You are his son. But an illegitimate son. You have to try and hide it but burst the information out suddenly and they will be shocked by it. Tell them Kendrick doesn’t want anyone knowing about it and you’re to head up to his office straight away. They will question it but if you sell it right, that might work.’
‘...might work?’
‘Will work. It’s all about confidence.’
‘OK, so let’s say I get inside. I have to get up to his office and get inside his safe without him seeing me, even though he will most likely be in his office!’ My clock indicated there was only three minutes of precious planning time left.
‘How do I open the safe?’ It was optimistic to think that she could explain the details of advanced safe-cracking in 180 seconds but it was worth a shot.
‘You don’t. I’m not sure I could break that safe, but you definitely won’t be able to do it,’ she said calmly. ‘The TL30 is one of the most advanced safes around. It is voice activated, as well as pin-code and finger print sensitive. You can’t open it.’
‘So we are screwed. How do I get it open?’
‘You get him to open it.’
I was extremely confused. I didn’t have enough time to wrap my head around this. Not for the first time, I was completely out of my depth.
‘Write this on your phone. Flat 3b, Berry fields.’ That’s literally five minutes from here if you drive. Knock on the door twice. When they ask “who is it,” say “I am a friend of Jessica Swain and I need your help”. They will ask for a password and you say “Pluto is a dwarf planet.” They will get you an ID that should do the rest. It will take no more than ten minutes of your hour and it will work!’
My mouth fell open once more. What the hell did that all mean? No time to find out. I did what she said and wrote it all on my phone.
‘Is that your real name? Jessica?’ I asked slowly.
‘Jessica Swain is just a cover identity from years ago. But it will help you. We better get back quickly.’
And that was that. She explained exactly what I would have to do with the ID as we walked back to the building and we paused for a second outside 14 Parlour Street.
‘I am so sorry again. You can do this baby. I know I am asking you to commit a serious crime and if you want to run, do it now, but I believe in you.’ She moved in close and kissed me again, just as passionately as before.
I could do it. I had to do it because the alternative was not worth thinking about.
‘Time to be brilliant... again,’ I joked quietly, trying to summon up my courage.
‘You are brilliant in so many ways... I love you,’ cried Emma, a soft tear falling from her beautiful eye.
‘I love you too.’
There was time for one final kiss before the door opened and she walked up the steps and into the house. She turned, smiled bravely and disappeared inside. Vitali was left at the door, looking down on me.
‘Your one hour starts...now.’
‘Wait...can I borrow your car?’
Vitali looked taken aback but almost impressed by my bold-faced cheek. I could see him considering it and then smiling. He fished in his pocket, pulled out a key and tossed it down to me. ‘Don’t scratch it,’ he chuckled, more to himself than to me.
*****
Looking at the car keys, the key-ring told me it was a Mercedes and pressing the unlock button indicated which one it was. I raced to it, and leapt inside, too preoccupied to notice what a beautiful bit of craftsmanship it was. As luck would have it, I had seen Berry fields on my journey in and knew exactly how to get there. West London is not known for its expansive greenery so when you see a large grassy park on what looks like a newly built housing development, it tends to stick in the mind. I remember thinking that it would be a great place to raise kids and wondering if I would ever get the chance to have any.
I found Flat 3 less than four minutes after my countdown had begun and was pounding on the door in record time.
Presently a croaky voice spoke. ‘Who is it?’ It wasn’t a welcoming voice, but it certainly wasn’t rude. There was a touch of South-African in there I thought, but whoever was behind the door had clearly been living in England for a long time.
‘Hi, I’m a friend of...Jessica Swain and I need your help. She sent me.’
There was a small pause before the voice spoke again. ‘If that is the case I am assuming she gave you a password.’
Had I been in a less critical situation I would have felt embarrassed saying such a random phrase but I was in trouble and needed help so I shouted, ‘Pluto is a dwarf planet!’
The door swung open immediately to reveal a small, elderly man. He must have been mid-sixties and no more than five foot four. He welcomed me now with all the kindness of a close relative.
‘Come in dear boy. Please sit down. Can I get you tea or coffee?’
‘Neither, listen I have no time. I need an ID badge. Police or MI6 or something.’
‘Of course, I can sort you out with that, but come and sit. You must want a drink?’
‘No thanks, please, I’m in a rush.’
‘Everyone is in a rush nowadays. What is the hurry?’
‘Trust me, it’s life or death.’
He looked at me quizzically and muttered, ‘Yours?’
‘Jessica’s!’
He didn’t say another word but he rushed about his business. He used a small webcam to take a photo of me and two minutes later I had a police detective badge and ID card that looked as realistic as Jack’s one. Perfect. I used my iPhone to find a postcode quickly for C&M investors, whilst he was making up my ID. It wasn’t far away.
I was beginning to feel impatient but I didn’t feel I could rush him. I looked around his room and tried to take in what I was seeing. It looked more like a science lab then a room in a flat. There were all manner of electrical items plugged in and what looked like scientific experiments happening left, right and centre. It felt like Q's office in the James Bond movies. This man was clearly obsessed by his work and, as a result, was probably very good at it.
I picked up a silver tube, which was longer than a fountain pen but not much wider. It had a button on the side of it and I was very close to pressing it.
‘What does this do?’ I asked, spinning the item in my fingers.
‘BE CAREFUL!’ he shouted. ‘That is a laser-pen.’
‘What, one of those things that shows pretty patterns on the wall...’
‘No, like one of those things that can cut through six inches of solid steel with a burning laser. And it’s under patent so be careful!’
I stopped twirling it at once and put it back where I found it, like a bomb disposal worker carrying a backpack out of Heathrow. That would teach me for being impatient. He was finished a minute later. I attempted to offer him money but he shook his head and pushed me out the door.
‘God speed,’ he whispered as I left.
I drove like a crazed lunatic, which I must have been, and abandoned the Mercedes on the edge of the street. The chances of that being there without a ticket were limited but I didn’t care. I looked at my watch. It was almost eleven minutes into my precious hour. I needed to get going.
Confidence. Confidence. Confidence.
I breezed through the door, careful to keep my head down so the cameras wouldn’t get a clear look at my face. I could end up facing a jail sentence if this went wrong. I shuddered to think how many bad people the Kozlovs knew in prison. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.
‘Which one is Jenny or Jennifer?’ I asked quietly.
An attractive, mid-thirties women looked up and smiled.
/> ‘Hi there Sir, can I help?’
‘Are you Jenny?’
‘I am.’
‘Jim said you were the only one I could trust. I need to talk to you privately. It’s important.’
I had deliberately made it as cryptic as possible. It occurred to me that if I dropped her boss’s name in the conversation it would intrigue her and make her talk to me.
‘Well, yes Sir... Sharon do you want to take your lunch now?’ she asked to her only other colleague on the reception desk. Sharon looked confused but she must have got a look from Jenny, so she smiled and disappeared.
‘OK, we are alone. How can I help you?’ she asked. The thought that Jim Kendrick would have praised her individually was too exciting for her.
‘Listen this is really important. Can you keep a secret?’ I said quietly.
‘Of course Sir, what is it?’
‘Jim asked me to come and meet him here today, but no one can know about it.’
‘Mr Kendrick is not to be disturbed all day; he has important work to do.’
‘Exactly. He doesn’t have work to do. That is for my meeting.’ I looked at her seriously, full of confidence.
‘Is it in the diary? Let me check.’ She moved to looked at the computer.
‘NO,’ I exclaimed, slamming my hand on the desk. ‘Aren’t you listening? This has to be a secret. I thought he said you could handle this.’
‘I can Sir,’ she replied reproachfully, ‘but please fill in what I am missing.’
I sighed and looked at her. ‘Jim needs to see me urgently. But he cannot be seen talking to me about this stuff. He needs you to get me to his office, without people seeing me. Do you understand?’
‘Not really Sir, why couldn’t he just book an appointment with you?’
‘Damn it, because I’m his son!’ I shouted, not loud enough for anyone else to hear but loud enough to shock her considerably.
‘Listen Jim doesn’t want everyone knowing twenty-five years ago he had a long affair with my mum and now she is threatening to release it to the public unless we can come to some agreement. He told me to come in and that Jenny would help me get upstairs. He said you know this company better than anyone!’ Was it working? It was touch and go at the moment.
‘Would it be alright if I phoned up to him, just to check?’ she asked tentatively.
‘Yeah sure, and while you’re at it, hand in your resignation at the same time. Because he will fire you the second he knows you have spoken out loud about this. I don’t know why he trusts you but he does. Do you not realise how bad this would be for him and his other sons if it came out? Now help me get to him and I can promise you he will reward you.’
That seemed to sell it to her. I had managed to make her feel important, so instead of questioning it, she was going to treat it like a mission.
‘Of course, Sir. Take this visitors badge and follow me. Nobody will question you if I walk you through.’
‘Are there cameras? I don’t want Dad to be troubled by evidence I was here. This is big. You understand?’
‘OK, there are cameras in the corridors but if you look down it will be impossible for them to detect you. It’s not the most hi-tech place to be honest,’ she said, smiling.
‘Perfect.’
I looked down and we walked together past several people, straight through the doors. Once we were inside I turned to Jenny and asked, ‘Where is Jim’s room?’
‘Mr Kendrick’s office is on the third floor, second door on the left,’ she replied helpfully.
‘Thanks Jenny, you have been great. I can take it from here. I’ll let him know how helpful you have been.’
‘I appreciate that. If anyone asks you why you are here, just say you are here for internship. Nobody pays them any attention,’ she smiled.
‘Thank you,’ I replied, squeezing her arm kindly and I was off. I turned around to check Jenny had gone and ran to the elevator. It came quickly and I jumped in, pressing the number ‘3’ button. I glanced at my watch. Twenty-one minutes had passed already. I was running out of time.
I was ready for the doors to open and pounced into the corridor, looking for Mr Kendrick’s office. It wasn’t hard to find. Firstly, it was labelled and secondly, it was enormous. Most of the floor was being taken up by his office, which looked bigger than my flat. I took a deep breath and burst through the door.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ came a voice from a distant desk. It was Jim Kendrick. It had to be. He was the only one important enough to greet a stranger in that way.
‘James Kendrick?’ I asked. ‘Stephen Mills, Metropolitan Police Force,’ I called out, tossing my ID on his desk. ‘This is important Sir, so listen closely.’
He looked confused but he didn’t stop me so I continued.
‘We have arrested a man under suspicion of breaking and entering. The man is claiming to have broken in here and stolen an item out of your safe late last night. Some kind of watch.’
‘That’s preposterous. There is no way anybody is breaking into this office. There are cameras, alarms and my safe is unbreakable.’
‘The man we arrested seemed pretty confident. He said the Kozlov brothers paid him to take it. Does that name ring a bell?’
Kendrick went instantly white. He didn’t say anything but the look in his eye made it pretty clear he had heard the name before.
‘We have the man in custody but we haven’t found anything. I need you to check your safe to see if anything is missing. We want to keep this as quiet as possible. We don’t know if this man has done anything yet.’
‘I am telling you that nobody can get in here,’ argued Kendrick. He completely believed who I was, but was struggling to believe my story.
‘Do you care to prove it?’ I said sternly. I knew that would work. It is basic human instinct to want to prove someone annoying wrong.
‘Fine, I’ll prove it,’ he said angrily and walked over to a small cabinet. He swung the front door open to reveal the safe. It was enormous, just like the rest of the office. He held his finger to a scanner and I could see the light run behind his finger. Seconds later it beeped to confirm it was valid. This was followed by three more beeps and then a silence which he replaced by stating his name clearly. That too was met with a beep of acceptance and then all that was left was the pin-code. He turned to look at me, which I understood to mean ‘turn around,’ and I did so. I heard four distinctive, rhythmical beeps and finally a confirmation it was correct. I turned back just in time to see him pull down the handle and drag the door toward him.
The safe was open.
Chapter Twenty-Two
‘We can both stand here and risk dying or you can let me do my job.’
It seemed to be going to plan so far. I had managed to get inside the building and the safe was now open. My clock was telling me that only thirty-five minutes had passed. So far, so good. I worked out I would need at least ten minutes to get back to Parlour Street so that gave me fifteen minutes to get the watch and get out. There was part of me that was so tempted to pull out my gun and demand the watch. Even as I thought about it, I knew I couldn’t. If the police got involved I couldn’t risk being accused of armed robbery or worse, attempted murder. There was a part of me that wanted to do this properly too. Was I enjoying this?
Kendrick turned to laud his victory over me.
‘See I told you, it is right there!’ he boasted loudly. I had to react now.
‘WAIT! DON’T MOVE!’ I shouted at him. I pulled out my phone and pretended to call someone.
‘Jones, it’s Mills. There are possible signs of tampering with the safe. I’m going to get everyone out. Bring in back-up to the third floor...OK...Thanks.’
Kendrick was clearly stunned and not sure what was happening. That was exactly how I wanted him. If he was worried, my acting was working well enough.
‘Sir, I need you to step away from the safe slowly. It looks like someone may have broken into it and left a trap. It’s
not uncommon with the Kozlov’s work.’
‘Oh this is ridiculous; if anyone had broken in don’t you think they might have taken something. I can see my watch is there. Look...’ he said, leaning towards the safe.
‘NO!’ I shouted again. This time he really did listen. He froze where he was.
‘I have been doing this for years James and that safe has been tampered with. By an expert too. Maybe they are after you and not the watch. Do you want to risk your life?’
‘How can you tell? It looks perfectly fine...’
‘We can both stand here and risk dying or you can let me do my job. That could be linked to explosives.’
It finally clicked with Kendrick. Ten minutes ago he had been working in his office and .now he was inches away from death, according to me. I was selling it.
‘What do I do?’ he asked quietly.
‘You are fine there, just don’t touch the safe. Listen, I don’t want to cause a panic here but I need to get you out. Jones is bringing in back-up and until he gets here you can’t talk to anyone. Do you understand?’
He nodded in agreement.
‘OK, I need you to walk away slowly. Is there a meeting room or storage space that will be empty?’
‘Yes there’s an old colleague’s office which is now empty on the second floor. Why?’
‘Good, I want you to go there, lock the door and wait for me to come find you. Don’t talk to anyone. No matter what.’
He was at the door now and agreed to do exactly what I said. He was looking at me in awe. In his eyes, I could see how brave he thought I was. The feeling was incredible.
I couldn’t believe how easy it was. I had walked into a building and got someone I had never met to open a safe and leave the room, just by lying. The power was flowing through my veins. I was visibly shaking. Sadly, I didn’t have time to enjoy the feeling. I had ten minutes to get to the car.
I walked over to the safe and looked inside. It was full of small paper files that looked too important and complicated for me to understand. I pushed them to one side (using my jacket so I wouldn’t leave any fingerprints) and found the watch’s box easily enough. I pulled the lid open and looked inside. It was beautiful. The strap was made of the most expensive leather I have ever seen. I don’t know much about precious metals and stones but I could see lots of gold and lots of diamonds. I would go as far as to say it was the nicest thing I had ever seen. It saddened me that I would soon be handing it over to the Kozlovs but it was a price worth paying.