The Whole She-Bang 2 by Janet Costello

Author:Janet Costello
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery, short stories, mystery stories, crime and mystery fiction, sisters in crime, canadian crime, canadian short stories, anthologies and collections
Publisher: Janet Costello

No Honour Among Thieves

by Lesley Mang

A former English teacher and editor, Lesley has published book-length non-fiction. Her first published fiction appeared in The Whole She-Bang.

I was leery about taking the job.

I knew the guy's reputation.

If I was unsuccessful, not only would I not get paid, he might try something nasty. Everybody knew the guy flew off the handle for almost nothing. But I was short of cash, so I agreed to it. There are fewer jobs for freelance break and enter artists these days. Most of the operations are run in one way or another by gangs.

I actually knew the guy slightly. His name was Douglas Crawford. He’d been a year ahead of me in high school. His parents pulled him out of school in the middle of the year when he was sixteen and sent him to a boot camp in the States. I don't know how long he was there or if he ever returned to school. I left in the middle of Grade 12.

Anyway, I met Douglas by chance in a bar not far from where I lived. We semi-recognized one another. He was pushing forty, a little pudgy, a little gray, but fashionably dressed. I wasn't much younger, although I wasn't fat. We were about the same medium height. After a few beers, we talked around what we worked at. I told Douglas I was a service provider, not specifying the service, but he knew what I did. Among other things, I knew he imported illegal weapons. I also heard he romanced rich older women.

He started off nice. “Thing is, Robbie,” he said, “You could maybe help me out. There's this house in Rosedale that needs some attention. I'd make it worth your while—how about half the jewellery? The old lady has a ton.” I wondered why he wanted to do a B & E when he probably could have asked for anything he wanted.

“No, no, she's not one of my ladies,” he smirked. “Just someone who lived near us when I was a teen. I used to see her going out in the most fantastic glitter. Anyway what do you say, pal?” He gripped my wrist. “This is a very good deal. I give you the source, you give me your expertise. That's fair.”

He didn't note that the risk was all mine. He was also going to wait in a car outside while I did the job.

I did some preliminary work casing the place, noting the type of security and what I would have to do to disable it. Then Douglas picked me up on a cold spring night around eleven and we headed over to Rosedale.

We didn't talk much en route. I thought about how I ended up doing B & Es for a living.

My dad had left and my mother was struggling to support us with her job waiting tables at a greasy spoon in the east end of the city. I had a job, myself, briefly at a coffee chain, but the pay was so low, it hardly made a difference.

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