CHAPTER 43
“Make some tea, Wally.”
They’d only just met, but Roger and Gordon had taken an instant liking to one another. They were all sitting around the table behind Gordon’s hydraulic car lift as Walid and Kevin listened.
“A Volvo FM,” Roger explained. “Driving a truck these days is like piloting a Boeing 747, except it needs steering. That won’t last. Give it a few more years and trucks will drive themselves. Robots will take orders, print invoices, carry goods to trucks, and then remotely drive the truck to its destination where more robots take over. What’ll we do, Gordon? Robots will fix robot cars.”
“These young guys just don’t realise what’s happening,” Gordon said, sipping his mug of tea. “I’m always telling Walid to think and plan twenty years ahead. ‘Be prepared,’ I tell him.”
Roger nodded. “Wise words, Gordon. It’s almost here now. There’s no leaning out of the cab window to reverse like the old days, oh no. There’s three on board cameras, engine breaking switches. It’s all digital. Skill has gone. Thinking and planning ahead has gone. Who can map read these days?”
“More tea?” Gordon asked, hitting Walid’s elbow to get him to top up Roger’s mug.
Roger then explained what they knew about Cass. Gordon described some of the history of the area and said he’d known Kevin’s mum, Silvia. Roger then told Gordon about Greg.
“It’s all true then,” Gordon said. “Just as I’d always thought. It’s like the mafia complete with threats and intimidation.”
Then it was Kevin’s turn to explain to Gordon about his father, his real name, his jobs for Khan, and the parcel he’d picked up from Edinburgh. “Roger saved me,” he concluded.
Walid had listened in silence until Gordon nudged him again. “Go on, Wally. Your turn. Don’t be shy. Tell Roger about your passport and Mr. Khan.”
Walid explained what had happened, and that it had cost him five hundred pounds. Then Kevin had the brilliant idea of checking Walid’s passport under the microscope for Greg’s signature.
Finally, Gordon took over. “Now then, Kevin, Wally tells me you’d like to see inside Khan’s room by the back door. How often does Khan go in there?”
“Often, but I’m not there all day.”
“Anyone else go in?”
“Yes. It’s locked, but I’ve heard others inside. Kooky goes in.”
“Kooky Akram?” Gordon erupted. “That asshole who can’t drive a car? What sort of lock, Kevin?”
“There are two. One with push buttons and a padlock.”
“Right. Go home. If no one’s around, photograph them on your phone and come back.”
It took Kevin less than five minutes to return and hand his phone to Gordon.
“Ah. What I call a mortice latch digital lock with holdback. No problem. And the other? Ah yes, simple brass padlock. Easy picking. What time are we going in?”
“Around midnight, Gord,” Kevin said. “I’ll call you and Walid when I’m sure Khan’s gone for the night.”
“Right,” Gordon said. “I’ll be ready. No noise. No loud whispering. Wear dark clothes. I’ll bring torches.”
Kevin and Walid high-fived, but then Kevin wondered if Roger might think he was being abandoned. “What will you do, Roger?”
“Worried I might leave you to your fate and go home, Kevin?”
“No . . . not really.”