Give The Devil His Due (27 page)

       ‘No.’ Peachy looked bewildered.

       ‘Let me explain. You never spend more than twenty minutes trying to open a safe.’

       ‘Why twenty minutes?’ asked Phil.

       ‘Because aside from stealth,
time
is the single-most important factor when committing a robbery of this kind – it has a bearing on everything. The chances of your activity being discovered after twenty minutes are increased enormously, meaning that it would be absolute madness to continue after that amount of time has elapsed.

       ‘If this, as I am led to believe, is a one-time-only operation, then it is absolutely imperative you succeed. Let us assume that the document isn’t in the library and therefore the safe has got to be cracked. There are so many makes and models of safe, each requiring different methods of approach, that unless you know exactly which make and model, and preferably the date of manufacture, you are going to encounter problems. Specifications change periodically, even on the same model. You have to know what you are dealing with otherwise it will become a pointless exercise trying to crack it on site. What if after twenty minutes you haven’t got it open?’

       ‘I don’t know.’ Peachy answered.

       Vaughan continued. ‘Well do you walk away and run the risk of never being able to come back and try again? Because obviously even if you don’t get caught, the attempt on the safe would be noted by GSS. The result of this, in all likelihood, will be increased security, and to such a degree that it then becomes impossible for any subsequent attempt to be made successfully.’

       ‘Well I suppose we’d
have
to walk away.’

       Vaughan had a little puff on his pipe. ‘Instead of trying to crack the safe, what if you took it with you?’

       Peach looked at him as though he was insane. ‘Er … Vaughan, do you know how much those things weigh?’

       ‘Trevor, it won’t be a bank safe we are talking about. Any reputable safe manufacturer would recommend the product that would be most suitable for the task. One has to know what most houses of this type would have. Unless of course there is something you’re not telling me?’

       ‘Like what?’

       ‘Like there are a thousand bars of gold bullion stored at this place, or the imperial state crown of Nicholas II, last Tsar of all Russia?’

       ‘No.’

       ‘Well, in that case, if I had to estimate, based on my experience of houses similar to this, I’d say it won’t be over 200 kilos.’

       ‘That’s nearly 450 pounds Vaughan!’

       ‘Thank you for the prompt conversion.’ He wasn’t surprised.

       ‘So, just out of interest, when was the last time you lifted a 450 pound safe Vaughan?’ asked Trev.

       ‘Oh, let me see … if my memory serves me correctly, it was a shade less than 430 pounds, and about nine years ago.’

       ‘What, up a lightweight aluminium ladder?’

       I looked at Phil who just shrugged his shoulders. Neil’s face was blank. Peach was starting to get worked up; I could sense it. So could Vaughan. As Peach was about to speak, Vaughan raised his hand in a ‘please be quiet and you might learn something’ sort of gesture.

       ‘As I have already told you Trevor, there are several things that you have overlooked. Let us view your plan again.’

       We all started to re-examine the papers Peach had given us.

       ‘Now, cast your attention towards the map of the Shoreborough Estate itself. You are going to make your entry and exit into the grounds at this point. Am I correct?’ Vaughan indicated the mark on the north boundary wall and Peach nodded.

       ‘What is the first thing that comes to mind when you look at that?’

       He looked at each of us in turn. I hadn't got a clue what he was getting at.

       ‘Come on, I've already told you that the time of an operation is paramount.’

       Then Phil’s face lit up, almost as if an imaginary bulb had been switched on just above his head. ‘The distance!’ Phil looked smug.

       Vaughan probed. ‘Why the distance?’

       ‘Because it's quite a long way.’

       ‘Go to the top of the class Philip.’

       Peach had a look of frustration on his face that he hadn't been the first to spot this.

       ‘Yes, I would say, even at a conservative guesstimate, that the span from the boundary wall entry-point to the Mansion has got to be well over a mile. Don't forget you will have to cover that both ways. What if your presence during the operation were to be discovered? Are you all regular middle distance runners?’

       The answer was no; nobody was in tip-top condition. Of our group, I suspected Phil was the fittest, based purely on the fact that he had more free time on his hands to train than the rest of us due to the spasmodic nature of his work. Whether he actually pulled his finger out and got his arse down to the gym was another matter altogether.

       As I looked at the map and followed the road that skirted around the north part of the Estate, I couldn’t see anywhere along the road that had a shorter distance to the house than the point Peach had selected.

       ‘So where would you suggest entry is made then Vaughan?’ Peach asked.

       There was an air of ‘Come on,
Mr Know-all
, show us then’ about Peach's questioning. If Peach wasn't careful Vaughan would tell him to shove his plan, and bugger-off back to Kent.

       ‘Trevor, allow me to ask you a question, if I may?’

       ‘Go on.’ Peach was definitely rattled.

       ‘How much does that motorbike of yours weigh?’

       ‘I don't know. Three hundred kilos or so I suppose. I couldn't tell you without digging the manual out.’

       I was wondering where this was leading. Was Vaughan suggesting we do some sort of Steve McQueen/Evel Knievel-type jump over the estate wall?

       ‘That's brilliant Vaughan!’ Phil was patting Vaughan on the back.

       ‘Thank you Philip.’

       Brilliant? What the fuck was Phil on about? I looked at Peach and Neil, Peach started smiling. Neil was still as clueless as me.

       Peach then turned to Vaughan and said, ‘I'm really sorry I was so defensive Vaughan. I can see I've got plenty to learn.’

       ‘Ah, but you
are
learning, and that's the main thing dear boy.’

       Neil and I were still in the wilderness. I looked at Phil. ‘Could somebody tell me what's brilliant and what it is that Peach has just learned please?’

       Vaughan looked at Phil. ‘Enlighten him, if you will please Philip.’

       Phil grinned.

       ‘It's the boat. He's suggesting we use the boat.’

       I studied the map again and suddenly the penny dropped. One side of Shoreborough sat on the edges of the Trent and Mersey canal. Looking at the scale of the map, at a guess, the canal was probably only four hundred metres
at most
from the Mansion house.

       With solid pathway leading to a couple of stone bridges, it was a far shorter distance than the one suggested in Peachy's plan. The question of the motorbike’s weight was intended to establish the maximum lifting load the boat’s hydraulic arm could manage.

       Vaughan looked at me. ‘You see Will, this is the ideal piece of equipment for execution of such an audacious enterprise. Undoubtedly it’ll take a couple of weeks for you to cruise to Shoreborough, but no-one in the world will ever suspect someone of using a narrowboat in such circumstances.

       The safe can be lifted aboard using the arm. A material cover can disguise it as deck furniture or whatever, it doesn't really matter.’

       I could see a flaw in Vaughan's thinking. ‘Surely though Vaughan, once the robbery is discovered it's not going to take two shakes before the police realise that the safe is on a barge and at four miles-an-hour it won't take long for them to catch up.’

       ‘Will, don't be so negative. The police are like hounds chasing a scent. If there is a scent somewhere else that’s stronger that will be the one they’ll chase. Take a look at the north boundary wall. There are two gates: the main gate and another. I am guessing they are padlocked at night?’

       He looked at Peach for confirmation. ‘Yes, with heavy-duty chains.’

       ‘Simple then. As the safe is being loaded on to the boat, but before any alarm has been raised, Neil will deposit a heavyweight lifting trolley just outside the gate. He can then cut the chain using bolt croppers and open it, leaving it ajar. Thus indicating this as the escape route. Any efforts to track the safe will be concentrated on the roads.

       ‘After a considerable distance has been put between the boat and Shoreborough, at a carefully-selected, quiet location, the safe is transferred to a van. Trevor’s motorbike must replace it on deck.

       ‘If subsequently, by some peculiar turn of events the boat were to be stopped, the bike will provide an adequate explanation for the strange object under cover. The safe, meanwhile, travels in the van to Newton Manor where it will remain until we are all present. At that point, I shall crack it for you.’

       What a mind Vaughan had! We were all smiling. His alternative to Peach’s plan was so daring. I wondered if it was a little too fanciful.

       ‘There are, of course, plenty of loose ends to be tied up.’

       Peach looked at Vaughan. ‘Such as?’

       Vaughan settled further into his seat and began to elaborate. ‘Are there dogs being used to guard the property? If so, you will need to anaesthetise them. You will also need to use some temporary artwork to change the livery of the boat while it is moored at Shoreborough, disguising its true identity. This can be peeled off once the boat is underway after the operation. The weather is a major consideration. A robbery like this is best performed during a heavy storm so that the noise helps to provide sound cover for any movements made. It is also likely to stop anybody else being encountered along the towpath. If it's raining cats and dogs people do tend to stay inside and batten down the hatches. You’ll need good equipment: two-way radios. Not mobile phones, their records are traceable and can pinpoint a person's movements.’

       Vaughan was a star. His strategic thinking made me wonder about having a career change. I was getting thirsty. ‘Anyone fancy another brew?’

       All the talking had also left Vaughan in need of hydration. ‘Excellent idea Will.’

       I walked over to the galley and put the kettle on. Phil was jotting things down as Vaughan pointed them out to him. I replenished everybody's mug.

       It was then Peach looked at the professor. ‘Vaughan?’

       ‘Yes Trevor?’

       ‘How would you feel about crewing the boat up to Shoreborough with me and then leading the operation?’

       Vaughan sat there pipe in hand, contemplative. Suddenly, a smile broke out on his face. ‘Thought you'd never ask dear boy. I thought you'd never ask!’

Chapter 21

By the end of the afternoon, my head was buzzing. There was so much to do. Vaughan would be cutting short his stay in Kent. Burst pipes and tradesmen that needed supervision would be his excuses to Lottie.

       Phil had built an electronic gizmo which he assured everyone, would without fail, decipher the keypad code. Peach suggested it might be best to back this up using Vaughan’s tried and tested method of someone hiding in the bushes with a pair of binoculars, pen and note pad, observing the numbers input by GSS staff.

       Neil was assigned the task of obtaining the dog-dope. He told everyone that he’d have to steal it from Denise, but I was sure he'd just ask her for some. At least then we'd have the correct advice on dosage and how to administer it without hurting the animals. I was given the duty of acquiring a van with a tail-lift that could handle a minimum one-tonne payload.

       Phil’s to-do list included sorting out the temporary artwork for the boat. He'd use his computer to create the design and then it’d be a matter of finding the right backing to print on. Vaughan's suggestion was that the boat should be ready to go Friday evening, giving Peach a weekend of travel time before his official leave kicked in. He had three weeks available. It wouldn't matter if the boat hadn't made it all the way back to London on the return journey once the operation was over, as long as it was well clear of Shoreborough. Peach could always marina-hop along the Grand Union back to London, over as many weekends as needed. This would enable him to commute each day to work, until the boat finally reached its home berth at Little Venice.

       With a two-week journey ahead of them, Vaughan and Peach could iron out the finite details of the plan during the trip up to Shoreborough, and any last minute adjustments made once the destination was reached. By the time we got back on the boat that evening, having first dropped Vaughan back at Charing Cross station, I was knackered. The day had been a long and tiring one.

Wednesday 10 a.m. Little Venice
There was so much to do and so little time in which to do it. We would have to drive back to Phil’s, then on to Wales. Vaughan would be making his way back to the Cotswolds later that same day.

       It had been decided that Phil would bring Vaughan over to Little Venice Friday afternoon, in readiness for the evening departure to Shoreborough. Peach still had to arrange his annual leave. We all hoped there would be no problems on that score.

       Depending on how tired Peach and Vaughan became from the two-week journey, it was probable that Phil would join them both at the beginning of the second week. The advantage of this was that with an extra crew member they could get some rest over the remainder of the trip.

       Neil and I would drive to Staffordshire in the hired van during the latter part of the second week, though first there would have to be a brief stop off at Newton Manor. Two heavy-duty lifting trolleys and some other pieces of essential equipment would be left by Vaughan for us to pick up from one of his outbuildings.