The Tale of the Wolf (The Kenino Wolf Series) (17 page)

‘
Because what policeman is going to look for anybody else, when he’s got us three idiots standing there with the rocks in our hands? They’d just think we stashed the remainder somewhere. Or we had a fourth who’d run off with them. Either way, he gets to walk off into the sunset, while we get the stripy shirts,’ I said, helping Curtis along.

‘
The bastard!’ Tabatha said.

‘
Yep.’

‘
So what do we do?’ Curtis queried.

‘
We get our rocks. Where did you stash them, Tabs?’

‘
In some Mexican warehouse. I put them inside a papier mâché donkey, right at the back, out of the way. There was three of them in there ... big though … waist-high.’

‘
The police catch you inside?’

‘
Nah. I was well out of there when they got me.’

‘
Good. They probably think the stones are somewhere in one of those units, but they won’t search them all. They can’t get that many warrants, not on the evidence they have.’

‘
But we can’t go back.’ Curtis was right. The police were no doubt keeping an eye on the industrial estate, waiting for us to turn up so they could nab us.

‘
Okay, there’s a bag of rocks in a piñata surrounded by police. This is slightly tricky.’

‘
Just slightly,’ Tabatha concurred. ‘I can’t believe, after all the shit we’ve just gone through, we’re gonna end up empty-handed.’

‘
It ain’t over yet. We need some info. You know exactly which warehouse it was?’

‘
I can take you to it, but I don’t know what it was called.’ She lowered her head in contrition.

‘
Not a problem. I need to make a call. Back in a bit.’

‘
What are you going to do?’ Tabatha looked miserable.

‘
Get the rocks ... What else?’ I smiled

I phoned Tommy-Two-Tooth and told him there was a warehouse in North East London, and I needed info on it and the piñata’s inside. I also told him the police might be watching, so to be careful. He told me he’d call me back in an hour. Tommy didn’t care why I wanted to know. For him, it was just a job. For a man that dealt in information he had a remarkable lack of curiosity; not just in what I was doing but in general.

After Tommy I phoned Kelly. She was still in Guy’s hospital, and I wanted to know whether Colin was still there, hoping I could get Boom-Boom to visit him and extend his stay. Kelly said he’d checked out that morning, which meant he probably knew that we’d done the job and escaped. It was a pity. I was sure I could have convinced Boom-Boom to take him some fruit … or turn him into a vegetable; one of the two. Wishing her and the baby the best, I hung up.

The butler was out, if he really was a butler. I hadn’t decided on that bit. I had two possible theories about the shifty Colin.

The first was that he was the actual owner of the house and would claim that we had taken all the jewels instead of just a quarter, and would thus claim insurance on the three-quarters we
hadn’t
, while still possessing them. The other quarter would be returned and we’d be serving serious time for not handing back the three-quarters we never stole. The police would be less likely to believe our story, not when we’re holding a load of stones in our hands.

The second theory was that he really
was
the butler and had whipped the three-quarters while we were being charged for the whole theft. He’d probably disappear and no suspicion would arise. The police already had three suspects, caught red-handed, and we’d serve time for the three-quarters we didn’t steal.

It wasn’t overly important which was true. It was an issue for after we had the stones, when we’d get revenge. I had no intention of letting him get away with giving us the shaft. But it had to wait.

I walked back into the party and grabbed a beer. Muzzi’s mini-festival was still raging. Boom-Boom and Marisol were still chatting on the stairs. They’d been like that for days. Not that I was complaining. With Marisol distracting Boom-Boom, I was able to continue running round with Tabatha without her overprotective sibling’s interference.

Tommy phoned back after forty minutes. He told me that the warehouse was used by a chain of Mexican bar/restaurants, those theme ones. They had three different sites around the city, and that the three donkeys were destined for the restaurants; one to each. The chain was celebrating its fifth birthday and the piñatas were the height of said celebration.

Tommy said he knew someone who worked for one of the restaurants and that he’d told him that the celebration was in three days’ time and that the piñatas would be on the move then. Until they were needed they were going to remain in the warehouse. I’d been right about the police. They were staking out the industrial estate. Not one specific warehouse, the entire estate, which was the first bit of good news I had. The police didn’t know where the rocks were, but it certainly complicated matters.

I thanked him and told him I’d call him back. I had a choice to make. Get the piñata while it was still in the warehouse — which meant figuring out a way to get to it under the nose of the ever watchful police — or grab it when they were moved. If the police didn’t know where Tabatha had stashed the stones, they weren’t stopping the companies from conducting their business, which meant they’d let the piñatas out on the back of a delivery truck without a second glance. The only problem was. We didn’t know which one it was in. We’d have to grab all three.

I phoned Tommy back and told him I needed to know the second the piñatas left the warehouse. He told me he’d get a guy on it and put the bill on my tab. Thanking him I went back to Tabatha and Curtis to explain the situation.

We were going to steal the piñatas off the delivery truck as soon as it moved and we needed to be ready. Tabatha kissed me when I’d finished explaining what we were doing. I think she’d given up. After all the crap we’d just gone through, I was buggered if I was going to end up empty-handed.

With Tommy’s man watching the piñatas and nothing else to do. I decided to enjoy the rest of the party. I knew it was the last respite I was going to get. Things were definitely about to get busy.

Thursday 11:00 a.m.

I awoke the next day on Muzzi’s sofa. Wednesday night had disappeared in a blur of smoke and drink. Tabatha was sleeping on my lap. It was the best way I’d woken up in ages, probably ever. She stirred.

‘
Morning,’ I said hopefully, I wasn’t sure it was. It could have been any time. I didn’t really care. I was happy where I was, which was something I hadn’t said in a while.

‘
Morning,’ she beamed back. ‘We’ve got to go to a wedding.’

‘
Damn. Completely forgot.’ It was the day of Anna’s wedding; the whole reason Muzzi had run the party … Adriano’s stag night. Although I doubted half the people at the party knew that. ‘I need to get changed.’

‘
Me too.’

‘
Here.’ I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys to Betsy and handed them to her.

‘
What’re these for?’ She knew what it meant.

‘Well, someone has to drive Betsy and I’m not sure I’m allowed.’

‘
Am I?’

‘
More than anyone has ever been.’

She smiled ‘We better go get her then.’

‘
Yeah. Do you know what time it is?’

‘
Eleven. We got three hours.’

‘
We better get moving.’ I didn’t want to say it. It was the last thing I wanted to say. I really wanted to say, ‘Let’s stay here all day.’

‘
I’ll meet you at yours with Betsy.’ She stood up. ‘See you in a bit.’ You know you have a special woman when she doesn’t think the fact you’ve named your car is odd. Or, at the very least, plays along. I followed her out.

‘
Wolfy?’ It was Muzzi.

‘
Yes, Muzzi mate, what’s up?’

‘
Don’t forget you promised to help me clean up tomorrow,’ he pleaded.

I’d agreed to help Muzzi repair his house when he’d agreed to host the stag night. I wasn’t going to let him down. He’d also agreed to do Longy’s wake. Muzzi was going out of his way and I wasn’t going to leave him to struggle alone.

‘
No worries. I’ll round up some troops for tomorrow.’

I headed home, quick shower and shave and one more Nat the Needle suit. Tabatha arrived about ten minutes after I’d finished getting dressed.

‘
I see you’ve got Betsy.’

‘
Course.’

‘
You ready?’ She looked stunning … again. This time a black trouser suit; understated yet elegant.

‘
Are you?’

‘
Yep. Let’s move.’

We jumped into Betsy and headed to Camberwell registry office. I’d insured Tabatha to drive Betsy before she arrived. I know it doesn’t sound romantic but it was a serious step for me. The registry office was on Camberwell Church Street. I’d expected all these Catholics to be having a church do but I think Anna had rebelled, not wanting to be a hypocrite; knowing she was more sinner than saint. Tabatha parked up Betsy and we got out. She took my arm and we walked in. We were a couple. We hadn’t said it, but we were a couple.

Curtis was already there, as were Marisol and Boom-Boom, who’d also paired off. Geronimo was there with Charlotte, Muzzi, Leon, Kelly and their baby, little Jacob, plus dozens of other people. I knew near enough everybody there, or they knew me. There was much glad-handing. I took up a seat near the back with Tabatha, keeping an eye out. I wanted to see if the mysterious Michael was going to make an appearance, as he knew both bride and groom. Just because I hadn’t been actively engaged in the Longy mystery, didn’t mean I wasn’t still trying to find out what happened.

‘
Where’s the groom?’ Tabatha nudged me.

‘
Maybe he’s out the back.’

‘
He should be standing there waiting for her to come in.’

She was right. We were all waiting for the wedding to start and there was no groom. Thinking about it, I hadn’t seen him at the stag night. Not that I’d been really looking for him.

‘
Muzzi ... Muzzi,’ I whispered. He was on the other side of the aisle, as a friend of the groom. ‘Where’s Adriano?’

He shrugged.

‘
Was he at the do?’

‘
He was definitely there on Tuesday, I remember seeing him, but I don’t remember seeing him after that.’ Muzzi looked worried. He was thinking what we were.

There was mumbling and shuffling in the family seats up front. I could see Puglia talking to one of his bigger sons.

‘
This is going to kick off,’ Tabatha said it first. I was trying to feign ignorance, happy face and all that nonsense. ‘He’s ditched her.’

‘
Maybe there’s another reason. Maybe he’s out the back,’ I hoped. Everything had been so crazy lately that I really needed something to go as it was meant to. It was a wedding: two people get married, we throw some rice, everyone drinks too much and the best man tries to cop off with a bridesmaid … as it should be.

Just as I was thinking about the way it should be, Anna came out screaming from a door by the front.

‘
The bastard’s dumped me.’ She was waving what appeared to be a letter and was crying. She looked stunning. Needles had really worked his magic on the dress.

Puglia rose and ran to his daughter followed by Mama and the rest of the clan.

‘
It’s gonna kick off now,’ Tabatha nudged me again.

I lowered my head. I knew she was right but I was still hoping for a normal day.