Payback by Chris Calder

Author:Chris Calder [Calder, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heddon Publishing
Published: 2020-07-26T16:00:00+00:00

Tommy the security man was on a routine round of his night shift. As usual, Geoff heard the measured clump of his approaching boots down the long corridor well in advance of Tommy’s arrival. Damn, he thought, just at the critical moment.

He knew that he had about a minute before he could expect to see Tommy at the door. He threw a cloth over the small battery-powered black box on which he had been working, then turned to focus his attention on the control panel beside it on the workbench.

Before Penny’s death, Geoff did overtime only when absolutely necessary. After her illness was diagnosed he had resented every moment away from her, but pressure of work sometimes made it necessary. Now it was different. He was able to work alone on his project, quietly and without interruption. Without the visceral motivation of cold revenge, he would have had neither desire nor reason to be working overtime again. The experimental work on the special product he needed in order to further his plan was tantalizingly close to being finished, so he was nearly there.

When Tommy entered, Geoff was bent over the test bench, with various small electronic components spread around.

Tommy shut the door behind him and whistled. “By golly, you’re a glutton for punishment.”

“Oh, you know. Needs must when the devil drives.”

The security man strolled over and perched on a stool. “That’s nearly two weeks to my certain knowledge, four hours every night except one.”

Geoff smiled. “Ah, that must have been the night I got some sleep.”

Tommy looked concerned. “None of my business, lad, but aren’t you overdoing it, maybe just a bit?”

Geoff put down the screwdriver he had been holding. He looked up and spoke softly. “It’s good of you to worry, Tom. Yes, I have been pushing it a bit lately, but it helps. These days I’d rather be here than at home.”

Tommy’s weathered face softened. “Like I said, none of my business, but whatever this lot pay you, it ain’t nearly enough!”

“Thanks, mate,” said Geoff simply.

Tommy stood up. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

Geoff’s fingers tingled with excitement as he waited impatiently until the sound of Tommy’s boots had faded altogether. He was ready. He re-assembled the small black box carefully, put the cover back on the control panel, and switched the unit on. The system controller was then live, as it would be when installed in a building. His pulse hammered and his hand shook as he took a deep breath, picked up the black box and tapped into it the code he had pre-programmed into the control panel.

A muted click confirmed that it had switched off, and the red ‘system off’ indicator light came on. In a moment of sheer elation, Geoff made a fist and punched the air.

“Yes!” he whispered, exhaling a huge breath. Then he cleared a space on the bench and reached under it to pick up one of the four other control panels he had retrieved from the production line. Four more and he was done.

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