A Beautiful Heist by Kim Foster

Author:Kim Foster [Foster, Kim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Published: 2013-04-17T16:00:00+00:00

Several hours later I was skulking about on a train platform, slipping in and out of shadows and clouds of steam, dressed entirely in black. The air echoed with announcements of train departures and sharp whistles from conductors. Metal clanged as trains rolled into the station. Every inch of my skin tingled. I felt exhilarated. Alive.

I was sneaking onto the train because I didn’t want to be a registered guest—I didn’t plan to stick around once I stole the necklace. The last thing I wanted to be was the girl who ordered the crème brûlée for dessert but never returned from the restroom to eat it. I didn’t need anyone worrying about where the missing guest had gone and raising an alarm prematurely.

I was pleased with myself and the new skill I’d tried out—the Varma Kalai trigger point from the security conference worked like a charm to take out an overzealous security guard and render him unconscious. He was sleeping soundly in a storage cupboard.

But even as I worked, creeping along the platform, I couldn’t help a small tug of guilt. If my father could see me now—well, it would devastate him. But I had to put that out of my mind. Lapses of concentration could be very dangerous for a thief. Besides—why should I have felt badly? This was what I did best. It was who I was.

I was tucked in close to the body of the train, to attract a minimum of attention. I could feel the heat from the engine. With ninja stealth, I dissolved into the shadows of the train and the steam. I slipped between cars and slithered onboard through the emergency door.

I stole into the restroom and changed into the cocktail outfit I had tucked in my pack: sheer black blouse, bias-cut silk skirt, pashmina, black patent sling back shoes. As I was changing in the tiny restroom, I felt the train jostle and pull away from the station with a faint squeal of wheels. I glanced out the window. The shadows and flickering lights of the city slid by. I made my way to the club car and ordered a dirty martini. Next phase: some light mingling, being careful to not have any memorable conversations. Mostly I was assessing the staff, appraising their degrees of alertness. I was also determining how often they entered the baggage car—because that was my target.

Being an old-fashioned steam engine, it had been built with a train’s safe in the mail car for packages and valuables. When the train was revamped, the mail car became a baggage area and cloakroom. They kept the safe. After a little updating of the locking mechanism, they were all set to provide a tidy little service to their customers. Or so they’d thought.

In the club car, sipping my martini, I was waiting for just the right chance. It would be when the staff was fully into their routine, lulled into complacency, when we were well away from the departure platform. Timing was everything here.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.