Chapter 33
Thursday, April 29th. 1:26 pm.
Alf was sat in the lounge watching an episode of Wish you were here on the television, wishing he was there.
When he heard something drop through the letterbox.
‘A bit late for the Postman,’ he thought as he stood up and made his way to the front door.
He bent down and picked up a standard sized white envelope lying face down on the carpet. Alf turned it over. It read.
To Alf.
Nothing else.
No stamp.
Just, To Alf.
Clearly it had been hand delivered, so he rushed over to the window to try and see if there was anybody around that could have posted it.
Nobody.
He opened it.
Alf, I just wanted to let you know that as well as knowing how to contact you by mobile, I also know where you’re staying. I will give you until five o’clock tomorrow afternoon, but then we will be making arrangements of when and where I’m going to relieve you and your friends of five million pounds. Try anything, and the Police will get hold of the information that will put you and your buddies away for a very long time. Signed. C U Soon.
‘Shit, I need to let Nicole know that this guy knows where I am.’ he thought, as he picked up his mobile and started to input text; it was wiser than ringing.
Thursday, April 29th. 1:43 pm.
Victoria and Becky had been back from their lunch breaks for well over half an hour, so Nicole knew that she’d be alright leaving for the rest of the day. She went into the office, and just before letting her husband know that she was going, Nicole lifted her mobile out of her handbag, which had been sitting on top of a filing cabinet while she was in the sales area.
‘Fuck.’ she thought. Two messages and both from some time ago. ‘I should have kept my phone on me.’
One from Benny followed by one from Alf.
Benny’s simply read. Ring ASAP.
Alf’s was a tad longer. Get in touch. The bloke who wants five million quid knows where I’m hold up.
She slipped her phone back into her handbag, and turned to Hartley who was sat behind his desk.
‘Am I alright going now that the girls are back?’
‘I’m surprised your still here,’ he replied with a sneer, ‘I expected you taking off, the minute they got back from lunch.’
She didn’t have time for any tit for tat bickering so her reply was short.
‘Right then I’m off.’
‘Will you be coming back here?’
‘No. I’ll see you at home.’
Thursday, April 29th. 2:04 pm.
‘Who first.’ Nicole thought as she exited the front door.
Benny, as his message sounded the more serious. And she didn’t believe for one second, that this guy, who was trying to rip them of for the tune of five million pounds, could know where Alf was staying.
Benny picked up on the first ring.
‘About bloody time,’ were his opening angry words, ‘where the hell have you been? It’s well over an hour since I sent you that text.’
‘Calm down,’ she replied, keeping her voice even, ‘what’s so urgent?’
‘We’ve got another interested party, who wants a million quid or he’s giving the Police the information that he claims he’s got.’
‘Is it not the same guy trying to get a bit more money out of us?’
‘No. It’s definitely not the same one. But he knows as much as the first bloke.’
‘How the hell are they finding all this information out, has one of you blabbed?’
Benny didn’t take kindly to that derogatory comment.
‘Well I’ve not said a fuckin’ word to anybody, if that’s what your insinuating.’ He took a deep breath and then continued. ‘How do we know that it’s not you who’s said something? Or maybe you want to keep all the cash for yourself, and you’ve got Hartley to make these calls.’
‘Don’t be a pillock;’ she replied furiously, ‘do you seriously think that Hartley would soil his hands with a caper like this.’
‘Well somebody’s blabbed, and there are only three of us who know what’s going on. So - it must be Alf, if its not one of us.’
‘I can’t believe that,’ Nicole remarked, ‘he’s in enough shit to keep a pig farmer happy for the rest of his life. What’s Alf got to gain with a bit of extra cash? He’s already going to be a multimillionaire isn’t he?’
‘We need to get in touch with him.’ answered Benny.
‘I’m going to give him a ring as soon as you hang up. He also sent me a text earlier, and I’ve not responded to that yet. I’ll let you know what he says, as soon as I’ve found out.’
They both hung up.
Alf answered on the third ring.
‘What the fuck took you so long.’ he remarked, clearly pissed off.
‘I’ve been busy,’ said Nicole, ‘what’s this about this bloke knowing where you’re staying?’
‘He knows where I am.’
‘How.’
‘I don’t bloody know, but he does. He shoved a note through the letterbox, so I know he’s not bluffing.’
‘And what did the note say?’
Alf read what had been written in the letter.
‘I’ll see you soon,’ said Nicole, ‘I’ll ring Benny. All three of us need to get together, or everything’s going to go ape shit.’
She closed the call and rang Benny straight away. Explained to him about the conversation she’d just had with Alf, and told him to get over to the house where Alf was staying as soon as he could.