41

Abe vanished so quickly Eddy might have doubted he had been there at all, were it not for the key in his hand. He glanced down at a standard car key on an unidentified metal key ring. Slipping the key in his pocket he set off to look for the black BMW. To his relief he spotted it straight away, parked exactly where Abe had said it would be, in a quiet side turning just round the corner from the row of shops. There were cars parked on either side of the road, but no sign of life on the street or in any of the houses along the road as he approached the car. Although a few years old it was still a nice looking motor, if unremarkable, a car that wouldn’t attract unwanted attention. Eddy breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried he might not be able to find the car. As it was, he was going to earn himself a tidy sum driving that set of wheels.

The waiting around had been making him nervous, but now the time had come to do the job, his apprehension melted away. Never one to shy away from a risk, he felt a surge of his characteristic optimism. He just knew things were going to turn out all right. It had only ever been just a question of time before he got his hands on enough money to pay off his debts. Once that was all dealt with, he would be sorted. It was a sign, Abe having turned up out of the blue when he did, just when Eddy had hit rock bottom. And if the job with Abe failed to convert into a long-term money spinner, Eddy still had his back-up plan. Humming very softly under his breath, he sauntered along the pavement, his identity discreetly concealed behind sunglasses and baseball cap. As he approached the car he glanced around. Abe had warned him not to get in if he noticed anyone loitering nearby. But he saw nothing suspicious, no one who could have been a plain-clothes cop watching to see who was going to get in the car.

Even so his hand trembled as he turned the key, and as the door shut, he felt trapped. If the BMW was being watched, he would be caught before he had even turned the key in the ignition. He shut his eyes and tensed, waiting for uniformed police to surround the car.

Nothing happened.

He sat motionless for a moment, his eyes closed, waiting. And still nothing happened. After a few minutes his breathing slowed down to a normal rate though his heart continued pounding as if he was running. He opened his eyes. There was no movement in the street. Now all he had to do was wait. That was the difficult part. He didn’t dare close his eyes again even fleetingly, for fear he would miss seeing Abe running towards the car. Neither of them had mentioned the jewellers a few doors along from the side turning where the car was parked, but Eddy was sure that must be the target of the robbery. He stared straight ahead, picturing the shop window, its contents twinkling and sparkling in the sunlight. He imagined Abe and another shadowy figure entering the shop, their faces masked, and a terrified shop assistant handing over money and fabulous jewellery.

A shrill alarm startled him, sounding very close by. At the same time he heard a distant clamour of raised voices. He turned the key in the ignition and the engine purred softly while he waited. Two masked figures burst into view, pounding along the pavement. Eddy had a brief glimpse of Abe’s eyes glaring wildly from behind his balaclava. His stocky accomplice appeared to be struggling to keep up with him. Reaching the car, they wrenched open the doors Eddy had unlocked in preparation, and hurled themselves into the car, Abe in the front passenger seat and the stranger in the back.

‘Go! Go! Go!’ Abe cried out as he slammed his door shut.

Before he had finished the first word, Eddy spun the wheel and was pulling away from the kerb while Abe called out directions. They turned left, right, and left again, zigzagging away from the spot where Eddy had been waiting for them. Crossing Lendal Bridge they were forced to slowed down.

‘I can’t go any faster,’ Eddy said, alarmed that they hadn’t travelled far from the scene of the robbery, and were no longer able to speed away.

‘Don’t worry,’ Abe said, still panting from his desperate sprint. ‘Head towards the station. There’s no panic now. We should be OK along here. No one’s going to spot us in all this traffic –’

He broke off as a siren rang out above the hum of traffic. Automatically, Eddy’s foot hit the accelerator and the car jolted forward but he had to brake almost at once as they drew close to the car in front. The man in the back of the car swore.

‘Calm down. They’re not looking for us,’ Abe said. ‘Take that balaclava off, you fucking moron!’

‘Of course they’re looking for us,’ the other man said, his voice shrill with agitation. ‘We just robbed a fucking jewellers. Who do you think they’re looking for?’

‘Sure they’re after whoever did it, but they don’t know it was us, do they?’ Abe replied. ‘So shut the fuck up, will you? Eddy was parked round the corner, out of sight. No one saw us get in the car. Look,’ he went on, raising his voice, ‘the street’s packed with bloody cars. How are they going to know it was us? Just stay cool and there won’t be a problem.’

The man in the back of the car fell silent. Eddy glanced in the rear view mirror and saw that he had pulled off his balaclava to reveal a large square face, still ruddy from his recent exertion. As though sensing Eddy was looking at him, he raised his head. Beady black eyes stared back at Eddy, who shifted his attention back to the road in front. There was something unnerving about the other man’s expression. It wasn’t just that he was scared, he looked malevolent. For the first time, Eddy began to regret his involvement. Abe had made it all sound so simple and risk-free, but the reality felt very different. Still, it was too late to back out now, even if he wanted to. Wordlessly he drove towards the station, trying to focus on the money he was going to collect when the journey was over, and telling himself it would be worth it in the end. In exchange for a few uncomfortable minutes, he would receive the best part of a thousand quid. It wouldn’t solve his problems, but it was a start.

As the wail of the siren grew louder, they left the main road, turning back on themselves. Near the river, Abe barked at Eddy to stop. They waited in the car for a few moments without speaking, until another man approached them.

‘Who the fuck is that?’ the passenger in the back asked, while Eddy watched the stranger uneasily.

‘Come on,’ Abe replied. ‘This is where we ditch the wheels.’

He jumped out of the car and nodded at the man who had now drawn level with them.

‘Give him the key,’ Abe told Eddy.

Fumbling, Eddy did as he was told, and they watched the car disappear back the way they had come.

Abe’s strained expression relaxed into a broad grin. ‘Time to go home,’ he said. He pulled off his gloves and slapped Eddy on the back. ‘Not a bad day’s work.’

He said nothing about paying Eddy for driving the car. All at once, Eddy felt apprehensive. It was awkward having to ask, but he wasn’t about to leave without collecting what he was owed. He was entitled to be paid, but all the same his voice trembled slightly as he asked for his money.

Abe scowled. ‘What’s your problem, Eddy? Don’t you trust me?’

The other man laughed, and Eddy forced a smile.

‘Sure I trust you. I just thought we weren’t going to hang out together for a few days, and if I’m not going to see you for a while, I’d like my money now. I don’t want to wait for it.’ He paused, aware that he was talking too much. ‘I need it,’ he added plaintively.

‘Ah, he doesn’t want to wait,’ the other man taunted him. ‘He needs his money.’ He turned his head to one side and spat on the ground.

Alone in a deserted spot with Abe and a physically powerful stranger, Eddy was helpless. If they were going to rip him off, there was nothing he could do about it. Slowly, Abe reached into the pocket of his jacket. For a terrible moment, Eddy thought he was going to pull out a gun, but instead he withdrew a grubby envelope which he held out to Eddy who snatched it gratefully.

‘Destroy the envelope and change the notes as quickly as possible. Now get lost,’ Abe said. ‘I’ll be in touch when we need you again.’

‘Don’t you want my number?’ Eddy asked.

He was desperate to check how much was in the envelope, but didn’t dare to look.

‘I’ll know where to find you,’ Abe said. It sounded like a threat. ‘Now fuck off. We can’t be seen leaving here together.’

Eddy nodded and hurried away, overwhelmed with relief to be leaving.