Chapter 30
Wednesday, April 28th. 5:28 pm.
‘You’re a bit late tonight love,’ said Caroline, as Benny walked into the kitchen looking a tad preoccupied. ‘Is everything alright?’
‘Yes.’ he replied, but thought he’d better make us some excuse, just in case Clive Woodbridge called and landed him in the shit.
‘I wasn’t feeling too well this morning, I felt a bit fuzzy. So I had a bit of a drive round to try and clear my head. I ended up over near Hyde Park. I pulled over in a parking spot and closed my eyes, and I must have dozed off. This made me rather late for work, and I’ve had a bit of a bollocking of Clive.’
‘He’s alright though isn’t he,’ queried Caroline, ‘it’s not going to land you in too much trouble or cost you your job I hope.’
‘Don’t worry about it. It’ll probably just blow over. So, what’s for tea?’
During their evening meal, Benny’s three kids were chattering away. Speaking to dad, but dad wasn’t listening. Dad’s mind was twenty million and one miles away.
‘Benny.’ said his wife, her voice raised.
He shook his head to bring himself round.
‘Sorry, I was miles away. What did you say?’
‘They’ve all three been telling about their days,’ Caroline was understandably annoyed with her husband, ‘and you appeared to be ignoring them. Janice gave up after three times of asking, if you’d fix her bike for her. The chain’s come off - again.’
‘I’m sorry kids.’ he realised that any excuse he made wasn’t going to be acceptable, but he had to try. ‘I’ve not had a good day. My heads thumping and I don’t feel too well.’
‘Look,’ remarked Caroline, ‘why don’t you go and have a lie down. You might feel better after a bit of a doze.’
‘I think I will.’
As Benny got to his feet, Jack, his youngest son, said, ‘Don’t worry dad, you’ll be alright in a bit. We’ll look after you.’
He felt so ashamed of himself for not being more attentive, but thought. ‘Everything will be great once I’ve got my share of the cash. All my ignorance will be forgiven and forgotten.’
As he settled down on the couch in the living room he started to fall asleep.
Suddenly he was woken up by his eldest son, Alan.
‘Dad, your phones ringing.’
Benny sat up and glanced at the caller display. Number not recognised.
He hunched his shoulders, and pressed the answer symbol.
‘Hello.’
‘Hi Benny,’ said the muffled voice.
‘You don’t know me. But I know what you and your friends have been up to, and I want in.’
Benny’s wife and three kids had been watching television when his phone had started to ring, but by now they were more interested in dad’s call.
‘Who is this?’ he shook his head and pulled a face, indicating that he didn’t know who the caller was.
‘It doesn’t matter who I am,’ came the reply, ‘I know you’ve got twenty million quid and a diamond called the Appleford, which is worth the same again. So, I won’t be greedy. You let me have, say, five million pounds and I won’t go to the Police.’
‘I don’t know where you’re getting your information from,’ replied Benny, ‘but I’m afraid your sources are not very well informed. Don’t ring this number again, or I’ll call the Police.’
Benny was getting extremely nervous, so he hung up before any response was possible.
‘Who was that?’ enquired Caroline curiously.
‘I haven’t a clue.’ said Benny. ‘But I think he got the message.’
Janice scurried off in the direction of the stairs, with the probable intention of going up to her room.
Jack and Alan perched themselves in front of the television and started to watch some sci-fi film. While Caroline picked up ‘No Time for Goodbye’ the Lynwood Barclay thriller she was enjoying.
Knowing that his anonymous caller was fully aware of what they’d managed to steal, he quickly put his mobile on mute. That way none of his family would hear if he rang again.
Which he did. Not more than ten minutes later.
Benny promptly made his way to the bathroom making the excuse that he was feeling sick.
As he was leaving the lounge he spotted his wife putting her book down.
‘No you don’t need to come,’ he had to stop her overhearing whatever conversation he was about to undergo, ‘I’ll be fine. I just need a minute.’
The second he got the bathroom door closed and locked, he answered the call.
‘Who the hell are you, and where did you get your information from?’
‘I’m the man who you are going to give five million quid to,’ the voice was still muffled as though the caller was holding something over the mouthpiece, ‘or I will very happily give my information, and proof of what I’m saying, over to the Police.’
Benny was stumped.
He needed to let Nicole know about the call immediately.
‘Are you still there Benny. You appear to have lost your tongue.’
‘I’m still here.’
He needed time.
‘Oh don’t worry, I’m not expecting you dropping the cash off tonight. I do realise that it will take a day or two for you to get hold of it anyway. Nicole is still in the process of transferring the money from her offshore account into one of her UK banks.’
‘Shit,’ thought Benny, ‘he knows a hell of a lot. But how? Had Nicole or Alf slipped up and told somebody else what they were up to?’ No. He couldn’t believe that for a second.
‘I need time.’ said Benny.
‘That’s fine.’ the caller replied. ‘Today’s Wednesday, I’ll give you until Friday lunch time. But if I don’t get it by then, everything goes to the Police. Is that understood?’
‘Yes.’ Benny replied. ‘How do I get in touch with you? Can you give me a number that I can call you on?’
The caller rhymed off a London landline number, and then hung up.
‘You alright in there?’ shouted Caroline from outside the bathroom door, whilst twisting the handle trying to open it.
It was locked.
‘I’m fine. I’ll not be a minute.’
He needed to get in touch with Nicole and tell her what had just gone on. But it would have to wait until morning. He couldn’t take the chance on Caroline or any of his kids, overhearing any of his calls.
It was going to be a long, drawn out, nervous night.
How did this guy find out about the money and the gem?
Had one of them been bugged?
But for someone to attempt to plant a bugging devise on any of them, there must have been a leak from one of them, to cause somebody to even think about that course of action.
Benny was confounded.
But whether he was baffled or not, between them they would have to come up with a solution. Otherwise, they could all three be serving time at Her Majesty’s Pleasure.