Читать книгу Born Scared - Kevin Brooks - Страница 13

‘Are you sure you can trust her?’ Dake asked Jenner.

They’d left the moors behind now and were driving along a single-track lane that would eventually bring them out at the top of the village. The snow had eased off a little, and although the icy wind was still blowing hard, the Land Rover was shielded from the worst of it by the high banks and dry-stone walls either side of the lane.

‘I don’t trust anyone,’ Jenner said matter-of-factly.

‘So how do you know she’s not lying?’

‘Because she knows what I’ll do to her if she is.’

Dake didn’t doubt there was a veiled threat to him in Jenner’s answer – and you’d better not mess me around either – and he also knew that Jenner didn’t make idle threats. He made promises, and he kept them.

‘It just seems a bit odd, that’s all,’ Dake said.

‘What do you mean?’

‘The timing, you know . . . Christmas and everything. I still don’t get it. I mean, you would have thought they’d empty the place over Christmas, not keep it all there.’

Jenner sighed. ‘How many more times do I have to tell you? The whole point of this, the reason it won’t be expected – and why we’re going to get away with it – is precisely because of the timing. They usually would keep all the branches empty over Christmas, but when their internal computer system crashed last week it messed up the program they use to schedule and track the collections . . .’ Jenner paused, glancing sideways at Dake. ‘Do I really have to go over all this again? Don’t you remember anything, for God’s sake?’

‘Yeah, of course I remember,’ Dake said defensively. ‘It’s just . . . well, you know . . . I can’t be expected to remember everything, can I?’

Jenner shook his head in disbelief. He’d always known that Dake wasn’t particularly intelligent – he could barely read or write, for a start – but Jenner was beginning to wonder now if there was something seriously wrong with him. How could he not remember what he’d already been told at least three or four times?

Jenner slowed the Land Rover and pulled into a passing space to let a tractor go by. Once it had passed, he lit a cigarette and turned to Dake.

‘The money’s there, okay?’ he said, as patiently as possible. ‘It’s in the vault. That’s all you need to know.’

‘How much?’

‘I’ve already told you that.’

‘I know.’ Dake grinned. ‘I just want to hear it again.’

‘At least a million, according to the girl. Probably more.’

‘At least a million . . .’ Dake echoed dreamily.

‘Yeah, and the best thing about it is they won’t even know it’s gone until the day after Boxing Day.’

‘He’ll know though, won’t he?’

‘Who?’

‘The manager guy, you know . . . the one who’s going to open the safe for us. He’ll know the money’s gone.’

‘He won’t tell anyone.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because he’ll know what I’ll do to his mother if he does.’