Noughts and Double Crosses: A Stanton Brothers thriller by Martin Stanley

Author:Martin Stanley [Stanley, Martin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: crime fiction
Publisher: Self-published
Published: 2022-04-21T16:00:00+00:00

19.

THE COUNT in the box was just over three and a half grand. Not bad for a piece of improvisation. But that didn’t mean I was happy with Kandinsky going off-script. He brushed off my concerns with a dismissive wave of the hand, saying: “At least I made a profit, which is more than can be said for everyone else. In fact, I performed a public fuckin’ service back there. Nobody’s gonna shed any tears over Rez and his goons. I’d lay down good money that most people will be glad those cunts are outta circulation for a while. The girls’ll go buy another fix or sell their stash, and they’ll shoot their mouths off. By the time they’ve finished, the local networks will have Jim pegged as the new Robin Hood. And Hinckley will think Seb’s gone rogue. It’s perfect.”

“Nobody told you to do that shit.”

Kandinsky’s eyes narrowed. “And nobody told you to lie. I was doing perfectly fine in Haarlem, tucked up all cosy, getting fat on takeaway bitterballen and fries. You brought me over with a false promise. And if Jimbo had been on his game, we’d be dead now, not Jack McGarr.”

Although I was too angry to admit it, Kandinsky’s points were valid. The Hinckley job had been a mess from the very beginning. It wouldn’t have hurt to do more due diligence and look into Jim’s story a little closer. More research would have helped me find the holes in Jim’s claims. Then, I could have either walked away or planned the job better.

I stared out of the window and thought about what to do next. The car bumped along a road that snaked through the Eston hills, easing past gnarled trees and thickets of overgrown shrubs. We were heading back towards Stokesley because we couldn’t think of anything better to do. But, whenever I glanced at the rearview, I noticed everyone’s eyes on me. They wanted an idea that involved more than just sitting outside Hinckley’s garage and wishing for the best.

I considered various ways of hurting Hinckley that didn’t involve blundering onto his forecourt and interrupting the deal with Bobby D. Gradually, something came to me. It wasn’t very well-formed, but it was the best I could manage at that moment.

I turned towards Jim. “Have you ever been inside Jez’s place?”

He nodded. “Once. The prick wouldn’t lemme sit on the furniture. So I had to stand there like a fuckin’ lemon, listening to him mouth off. But I’ll tell you summat now, youse lot aren’t getting in.”

“And why’s that?”

“Coz it’s alarmed to buggery. Unless you know the code, you sure as hell won’t be walking through the front door.”

“Is it a proper security firm, or just a box on the front of his house?”

“It’s a security firm,” he said. “If you trip the alarm, they’ll be outside Jez’s door in ten minutes flat.”

“You seem to know a lot about Hinckley’s arrangements,” I said.

Jim grinned. “Don’t think I haven’t considered breaking into his place.”

“So,

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.