Touched by Angels (13 page)

He passed out, just as it touched the wick of a candle.

When he came to, he was sitting in a chair and saw the brat smiling, as he held aloft the key to the safety deposit box in one hand, where they’d frisked him, and the fob in the other.

He closed his eyes to blot them out.

Loop after loop of rope was wound around both his midriff and the chair he sat upon. His legs were tied too, one to each leg. His wrists were bound behind that and there was a sock stuffed in his mouth. The brat was smiling, as he asked impatiently, “Shall we go now?”

“In a minute,” she said, picking up the suitcase and handbag.

She clicked it open and Bride’s eyes were suddenly filled with terror at what she might bring out. He tried to shout through the sock.

Instead, he sagged with relief, when she produced two-inch thick sheaves of pound notes, and for a moment forgot the pickle he was in.

He had never seen so much money in his life, but that begged the question, as she reached out and placed them on the foot of the bed, if she could afford to give him that much, how much more was there?

“Two hundred pounds, Mr Bride, to show there are no hard feelings.”

She picked up her hat and placed it on her head, turning briefly to adjust it in the dressing table mirror.

“I wish I could trust you, but I have the lad to consider. He’s had a tougher time in his short life than most, and I beg of you not to think too badly of him. Whatever that box contains might
seem
a lot, but in today’s uncertain world…” She laughed. “Who knows. There might not be anything at all.”

He tried to talk through the sock and at least try and reason with her. When that failed, he tried to spit it out, but to no avail.

Then his heart sank as they picked up all their gear and left.

***

Lil closed the door carefully, having visions of the hotel’s owner suddenly appearing, demanding to know what she was up to.

It was quite absurd, in view of the fortune she was intending to steal, that she could be prosecuted for evading a hotel bill that would probably come to no more than a pound. She had told Robert they would leave via the fire escape.

She stepped out and her solid block-heeled shoe sent out a long jarring note that made her jump. She was so unready for it, panic almost engulfed her.

Her hand was on Robert’s, to whip him out and run down, but she mastered herself and quickly unlaced her shoes, whispering to him to do the same.

***

A couple of minutes later, as she stepped outside, Tom Bride had managed to grip, between finger and thumb, the loose end of the rope that held his wrists.

There was, he knew, always a loose end dangling within reach somewhere. Once you had hold of it, half the battle was won. He knew he still had a chance, one that had eluded him while in pain, and filled with nothing but hate and bloody vengeance.

He knew they had no choice but to wait until nine o’clock, because that was when the bank opened, and he was determined to be there, with a threat to blow the whistle if they refused to co-operate.

Soon he had a full inch to pull on and grinned to himself with his eyes on that two-inch stack of wealth on the mattress.

Twenty-nine

As dawn was breaking, Belcher was loitering, hands in pockets, on the other side of the road to the hotel the Guvnor had told him about.

Unable to blot from his mind’s eye all that money he would get, he had not slept at all. He had spent the early hours looking at the crucifix mounted on the wall of his sparse room, where Jesus, his only real friend, looked down upon him.

He was wondering what the link could be between a fob watch and a safe key, for they had to be linked somehow. There had been sheer desperation in the Guvnor’s voice, though he had tried to conceal it. He had a suspicion that even if he had haggled up to a thousand pounds reward, the Guvnor would have agreed.

He had admitted the key opened a safe, and Belcher didn’t for one minute believe it contained documents. Belcher was no less determined to escape now than as a child.

He had still arrived at no answers, when, just after seven, he saw a very dishevelled man appear from the alley between the hotel itself and the building the other side. He was limping too.

When Belcher looked at the photo of the man with the flat nose, he knew at one glance it was him.

***

Robert was becoming increasingly nervous. They sat in the same eating house as yesterday, in Chelsea, breakfasting on grilled kippers, poached eggs and toast, washed down with Darjeeling tea.

He said in a low voice, “He’s gonna to be waitin’ for us, isn’t he?” and added, before she could answer, “The police could take us away. They could send you to prison and me into an orphanage… or the workhouse.”

“Nobody will
ever
take you from me, d’you hear? I’ll kill them first!” Lil said.

She gazed long and hard into his eyes and he felt the waves of love once more. She put her silver cutlery on the plate, took both his hands in hers and squeezed them.

“Now you listen to me.”

She looked around and lowered her voice.

“I tied him as best I was able. He also had a mangled foot and probably a headache with that clout you gave him. Even if he does get loose, I doubt he’d be in a fit state to follow us.”

He looked up, desperately fighting the urge to laugh. All said and done, the clang that thing made when it struck his head was comical and he had never thought they would get him with the mousetrap in a million years.

He knew though that Bride was completely ruthless and would not let something as petty as pain hold him back, in view of the amount of money likely to be at stake, and the hatred he bore them.

“Now eat up,” she said, looking at her watch.

It was eight thirty-five, less than half an hour until the bank opened. He knew that, instead of excitement, her heart was filled with terror too.

The boy gazed at the remains of the kipper on his plate. “Mum, he’s gonna be there. I know he is.”

A tear broke as he looked up and wound its way down his cheek.

Thirty

Bride hobbled along, knowing he had about two hours to kill before the bank opened, though he guessed it might take that long to get there, at the rate he was going. Pain was forcing him to stop every thirty yards or so.

Where the mousetrap had hacked skin away from the two smallest toes, and mashed one of the nails, the hard leather rubbed against the raw flesh, through the bandages he had improvised by tearing strips of cloth from the bed sheets.

He felt the comforting bulge of the wads of pound notes against his chest, each in an inside pocket, as he limped ever closer.

***

Belcher was getting impatient. He had guessed Bride was making his way to the bank the Guvnor had told him about, but by now, people were everywhere.

But then, as he was losing hope, he saw Bride stop once more. This time he had not hobbled as far. He was looking down at his right foot. He saw him look to his left, before shuffling between two buildings.

Belcher glanced around, though nobody appeared to be taking any notice, so he made his way there and stole a cautious glance in. It was a long, dark, narrow alley, a lonely place, where few ventured. Ideal.

Bride was sitting on a step, unlacing his shoe, grimacing as he slowly eased it off. Belcher smirked, as he saw him unwrapping the blood-soaked bandage and dropping it in a heap on the ground. There was more blood over the end of his foot, much more.

This was going to be easier than he thought.

***

When Bride looked up and saw Belcher towering above, he felt his stomach lurch. Though no slouch himself, he had never seen a man as mighty and frightening as this. Hobbled as he was, he felt especially weak and knew he would have to be very careful in what he said.

Bride quavered, “What do you want?”

“Looks painful,” Belcher observed.

“Yes, I had an accident. Now if you
don’t
mind…”

The grin disappeared from Belcher’s face.

“You’d better get up and start walkin’, and if you don’t do as I say, you won’t walk again, ever!”

By now, Bride’s heart was thudding. He looked around again, but still they were alone. He started pulling the shoe back on, but had barely got it between finger and thumb, when Belcher kicked it. It flew end over end, before hitting one of two huge wooden barrels brimming with rainwater.

“Now get up, and do as you’re fuckin’ told!”

Terrified, Bride eased himself up from the step, and Belcher shoved him between the shoulder blades.

Finally light dawned; this man, who had the stink of the workhouse about him, had something to do with the King brothers.

Bride had walked two steps, though, before he realised that without the rubbing of the shoe, most of the pain in his foot had gone, so perhaps he might just be able to run. Without warning, he bolted, knowing it was the last thing the man expected. It nearly worked.

Belcher reached out and punched Bride in the middle of the back. The blow sent him sprawling face-first in the dirt. Feeling as though every sip of wind had been knocked from him, Bride groaned, as he rolled onto his back, and saw Belcher standing over him, one leg either side.

He saw his eyes suddenly bulging, then his hand coming towards him, and tried to shuffle backwards, on his elbows, to escape whatever he had in store.

Instead, Belcher picked something up that had tumbled out of his pockets as he’d fallen. It was the two wads of notes.

He lifted them slowly, so mesmerised, he nearly missed Bride sliding out. He even managed to stagger up, without being noticed. Thinking the safety deposit box must contain infinitely greater wealth anyway, he knew it didn’t really matter about this relatively minor pittance, as long as this terrible man left him alone.

He started walking, but only got one step, before one of those great hands grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and lifted him partially off the ground, with little more effort than he would have used for a cat.

The real fear didn’t come though until Belcher shoved the money inside his jacket and started frogmarching him to the wall between the rain barrels. Once there, he smashed him up against the bricks and Bride saw stars once again, as his head banged against them.

“I been told you gotta safe key or a fob watch.”

“I haven’t, honest. Anyway, you’ve got all the money…”

Belcher’s fist slammed into his stomach. Bride collapsed to his knees, in such awful pain, he only vaguely heard him saying, “You better start givin’ me some answers, or I’ll break every fuckin’ bone in your body. I been told there’s a bint and a kid too.”

Bride couldn’t talk. He had the hazy idea Belcher was frisking him. After several minutes of this fruitless task, Belcher yanked him up once more. When Bride saw his fist about to smash into his face, he gasped, thinking quickly ahead, “
She’s
got it!” His hands were flailing, trying to protect himself.

Belcher gripped his neck even harder. “Got what?”

“Both of ’em. The fob
and
the key.”

“What’s in the safe?”

“Nothing. Just a few old necklaces, worthless, sentiment…”

The fist whacked into his stomach again and vomit filled his mouth. He was on his knees, in agony, knowing he would die here, unless he gave this animal something more concrete to go on.

There was only one way out he could see, but he would have to tread very carefully. He was looking through watering eyes at diced carrot on Belcher’s left boot, spitting, as he croaked, “All right, there is money. Loads of it. Probably jewels too.”

“How much?”

“Thousands… millions even.”

Belcher whipped him up once more and he cried out at the pain in his gut.

“Where is she?”

Bride sagged in his grip and hung there like a doll. “I don’t know, honest, I don’t.”

Belcher pulled a photograph from his jacket with his free hand and showed it to him. It was Adam King.

“He’s dead,” Bride said. “She murdered him. Stabbed him to death.”

The giant pushed him into the wall, but through his pain, Bride could see his gamble had paid off. When Bride cautiously suggested they share the money, rather than keep fighting, he seemed oddly relieved, until Bride realised he probably had scant knowledge of how the outside world worked.

Belcher wouldn’t have a clue how to employ vast sums of money without arousing misgivings, and certainly not how to fence jewellery.

He needed him.

***

Belcher was just tall enough to see over the barrel. He was looking in the direction of the street, as he considered Bride’s clearly sensible offer, when he saw somebody pass by, so transiently that if he’d blinked, he would have missed him.

He had seen the Guvnor.

Thirty-one

When Lil and Robert walked into Coutts & Co Bank once more, they saw no sign of Bride, but knew he could materialise at any moment.

Lil looked along the row of be-suited tellers behind varnished portals, with no sign of any safety deposit boxes. A giant, green enamelled safe dominated one corner of the bank, and the whole area was lit by a vast electric chandelier.

The whole place was teeming with the well to do.

A young smiling man in a suit appeared before her. “How may we be of service?”

“Mum wants to get to her safety deposit box!” Robert piped up.

Lil closed her eyes and felt like strangling him. She had meant to build up to the enquiry rather more subtly, so as not to arouse suspicion. Now she would just have to let it ride and pray the man didn’t smell a rat.

Luckily, he glanced down at what he saw as an immature, affable lad, who hadn’t yet learned the value of tact, and said, “Boys, eh? Got two myself. You never know what they’re going to say next.”