Good Decisions and Otherwise by Little Dog

Chapter Five

‘An expert job, proper professionals he said, came through the window, took it clean out and climbed in. He said there wasn't much of a noise but enough to wake them, so he called out, ‘Is there anyone there?’, as you would, but there was no reply.

‘They could hear them though, moving around downstairs, and in no time at all they were coming up.

‘Well he called his son. His son only lives a mile or so away.

“Son I need you to listen very carefully” he says, “for there's been a break in at home, and they're coming up the stairs right now. Can you see what might be done?”

“I'm coming over” his son says.

“How long?” says Peter.

“Five minutes. Less.”

Peter says they'll hold out as long as they can.

His son tells his wife to call the police and then gets in the car. He arrives five minutes later to find outside the gate a car, not one he recognises - it was black, expensive-looking, not a sports car though - and then down the drive there is a van.

‘The worst of it he can hear from inside Peter shouting and Dawn he can hear too. He doesn't know what to do but he's got to, so he goes into the garage and gets the shotgun. He's got a copy of the keys of course. He's never shot anyone before you can imagine so he takes a deep breath ahead of going in, and there he has the idea that might save us.’

‘Oh good’ said Brian. ‘I was so worried.’

‘He shoots out one of the back tyres on the van that is parked out on the drive. Well that does it. Everything in the house goes silent for a second or two.

‘Peter starts shouting “That's my son!” and then Geoff - Geoff is the son - shouts in “I've called the police already. They’ll be here any minute.”

‘Well imagine Brian. They are inside with Peter and Dawn. The police are on their way. They've got to get out but Geoff is stood outside with a shotgun.

‘Geoff is thinking whether to go in or not - maybe he's better where he is, trying to stop them from leaving until the police have got there, but his mind is made up for him. Suddenly he can hear the noises from inside change, Dawn's crying and Peter is pleading with them but he can't make out exactly what's being said - everything's muffled - but then he can hear thumping, as if something is being dragged down the stairs. Well then they're there. He can see them through the window - three of them - wearing black, masks on, and they've got Dawn with them and they're holding a gun to her head.

“Come over to me mum” says Geoff. “They won't shoot you.”

“I've been tied up” says Dawn in response, desperately I understand, and then, “I think they will shoot me, they seem very serious.”

‘All this Geoff just about understands, because what she doesn't say, but which has now been made obvious, is that she’s also gagged.

‘The man holding the gun loses his temper and starts making threats, so Geoff does what he’s told to do and gets down on the ground, and before he knows it he’s been tied up too. The robbers speed off in the black car, leaving Dawn and Geoff tied-up downstairs, and Peter tied-up back in the bedroom. In five minutes time the police arrive and find all three of them like that. However the van is also there Brian, so there's a clue.’

‘Are they ok though Rebecca? Was that Dawn you spoke to?’

‘No I don't think so, but yes, yes alright I suppose. I did ask and she said they were ok, but in shock, and feeling very emotional. They don't worry that it's going to happen to them again, but they wouldn't like it to happen to anyone else, and it has made them feel less safe in general. Relieved though, that it wasn't worse - Dawn I think is glad just to be alive now - and they’re proud of their son, for coming over and helping.’

‘I will have to go around myself. I will have to go and see Geoff too. Then I must talk to the neighbours.’

‘Would you like to hear about the clue?’

‘First let me know what they took? Did they take anything?’

‘Yes, all of the jewellery, and Peter had quite a lot of cash. I don't know how much exactly. I asked if they'd lost a lot but I get the impression she didn't want to talk about that bit of the story.’

‘Well give me the clue then.’

‘The van Brian - it belongs to a local company. There was a jacket inside the van, and in the jacket a business card, with the name of the company on it - Frank's Removals. The police have checked, and it is their van.’

‘Then surely we will catch them.’

‘The van was hired out to a private individual - they also do van hire, so people can move their own stuff, and apparently the van was taken from outside his house, about one o'clock in the morning they believe. The man to whom the van was rented claims to have been in bed all night, and he has his wife as an alibi.’

‘No matter the incidentals, it is enough to go on - here there is a finite universe which may be understood. Each of its components will be assessed, each and everyone, in their turn and in their place, and we will know the loose joints and crooked beams for what they are.’

‘Well the police don’t seem to be making any progress. No suspects for the time being.’

‘I would have thought that sufficient information to have by now a list of suspects, actually. What of Frank’s Removals? What of the company's customer? What of the jacket? Peter and Dawn might be able to identify them from the sound of their voices alone - do you know if the police have already arranged a vocal line-up of all of their employees - and their customer - this man who hired the van? I would have thought that a vocal line-up would do it - make them all speak before Peter and he'll be able to tell you who it was.’

‘Brian I don't know. I don't know anything about it I'm afraid. It should be confidential anyway, should it not - the details of the police investigation. But let us hope that is an end to it. Just as you say Brian, the job did not go as planned, they were lucky to get away with it, and they are unlikely to try it again in this area.’

‘The end to it is when they are caught - and I mean tried and sent down - Rebecca please don't leave the room just yet, I was hoping to discuss the issue with you further. Now wait, the jacket Rebecca, do you not agree that the jacket must be the property of the man who hired the van, the customer.’

‘I do not as it happens.’

‘It seems to me that eitber the jacket belongs to the customer or it belongs to an employee. It might have been true I say that the jacket belonged to an employee, because an employee of the company would have the chance of finding out the addresses of all their customers, and would have a chance of stealing the keys, but the business card in the jacket pocket suggests otherwise - why would an employee of the company have the need of a business card?’

‘It is not impossible that he should Brian. I mean really, how often is it that the employees of companies carry the business cards of their employers in their pockets? It happens all the time - to give to their customers of course.’

‘No’ said Brian, ‘I doubt it.’

‘And anyway it might have been a third party, someone that needed the business card to find the company, from which the keys were collected, before the taking of the van from outside of that house.’

‘I am sure you will see that the jacket belongs to the customer, in which case he is more the suspect. On the balance of probabilities we might say that as the jacket was at the scene of the crime then so was the man himself. Now if we have the jacket of one of the three burglars then I have an idea, but first we must see. I suppose they should let me have a look at it.’

‘Why should they? I don't suppose they will. What do you want to do with it?’

‘Just an idea…’

‘Where are you going?’

‘I am going to speak to Peter, and then Geoff, and then the neighbours.’