Harry was also on the move, aiming the car at the gap between the tree and the ditch. Bella was running alongside, trying to open the driver’s door, while keeping the gun aimed at Harry. The car bounced over a dip and Bella stumbled, let go of the car and dropped the gun.
Murphy still sat, watching to see where Harry was going and trying to decide what to do.
Shirley had now joined the other women, and the four of them made a circle round the still-moving Jaguar. Harry was heading toward the tree where Dolly was standing, her face picked out by the headlamps. She held her hand over her eyes, blinded by the glare. Linda was the one who realized what would happen. She ran up behind Dolly and, screaming at the top of her lungs, pushed her out of the way of the car as it lurched past.
As Dolly picked herself up, they all heard the siren as the patrol car hurtled up the road from the cinema toward the car park. That was enough for Murphy, who quickly left his parking spot and drove away in the same direction as Tesco.
Still surrounded by the running women, Harry maneuvered the car backward and forward, tires spinning on the gravel, and then crashed straight through the barrier on to the road and away, the patrol car flashing past him in the other direction.
Shirley screamed a warning to Dolly.
‘Police! Police!’
Dolly didn’t need telling twice. ‘Get out! All of you back to your cars! Move!’
Dolly and Bella made for the green Fiesta.
‘Where’s Linda?’ Dolly asked, her breath heaving. They could see the red Capri, the doors still open.
‘She’s there,’ Bella yelled. ‘Now come on, let’s go!’
The three cars all hurtled out of the car park just as the police approached the entrance. They sped off into the night, leaving the patrol car uncertain who to follow.
Dolly watched anxiously over her shoulder as Bella drove. ‘Linda... Has Linda made it?’
‘It’s all right, I saw her in the car,’ Bella told her. ‘The money, Dolly. Did you get the money?’
Dolly’s face was set, her mouth rigid. ‘Just drive, Bella. Just get us home.’
Murphy couldn’t get any sense out of Micky Tesco. He was so proud of his motorcycle antics, he kept looking at the money, saying, ‘We did it, by God we did it! You see that wheelie I did, over the ditch? Eddie Kidd, eat your heart out!’ Then he suddenly looked at Murphy. ‘Murphy, you shouldn’t be back ’ere. What you doin’ back ’ere?’
Harry entered the lock-up silently. ‘I’d like to know that, Murphy. What are you doin’ back here?’
Murphy looked at Harry, then at Micky. He knew he’d blown it. ‘It was the Old Bill, Harry.’
Harry nodded. ‘The Old Bill.’
‘They were there in a flash, Harry. Somebody must have tipped them off.’
‘Doesn’t mean you’ve gotta piss off! What a bloody cock-up!’ Harry shouted furiously.
Micky grinned, pointing at the money. ‘Come on, Harry. Does that look like it’s a cock-up?’
Harry glared at him. He felt like slapping his face. He jabbed his finger at Murphy.
‘I told you to stay on her, follow her. That’s all you had to do. She must have driven straight past you, and you blew it!’
Micky didn’t understand why he was so angry. ‘But we got the money, Harry!’
This time Harry did slap him, a quick, vicious swipe. Micky reeled back, and Harry looked at the money spilled across the floor.
‘That is a frigging piss in a frigging, fucking ocean.’
‘Better than a kick in the arse, though, isn’t it?’ Micky said sullenly, rubbing his cheek.
Murphy could see Harry was on the point of really losing it. ‘I panicked, Harry,’ he said, holding his hands up defensively. ‘It won’t happen again, honest.’
Harry looked at him almost in disgust. ‘Again? You think you’ve got the bottle for the jewel caper, do you?’ Again Harry prodded him. ‘Do you? You make me sick, the pair of you. Fuckin’ amateurs!’ Harry walked out, throwing instructions over his shoulder. ‘Lock the place up and stash the cash...’
Micky picked up Harry’s two suitcases and jogged after him. ‘I’ve got a great pad for you, Harry. Just you wait and see...’
Left on his own, Murphy looked at the bundles of banknotes spread over the floor. He got down on his hands and knees and started to pick them up.
‘You told her to get this?’ Dolly held out the gun, deliberately pointing it almost at Bella’s face.
‘It was for you. To protect you,’ Bella said sullenly.
‘Well, you certainly made a bloody mess of that, didn’t you?’ Dolly snapped.
She began pacing up and down the room, hands on hips. ‘I’ll give her hell when she gets here!’ Dolly looked down at the scrunched-up sheets of newspaper and old tights — stuffing for the dummy — scattered on the sofa. It suddenly dawned on her. ‘Oh God, it was the dummy!’
Bella looked puzzled.
‘You didn’t see Linda in her car — it was the dummy.’
Shirley and Bella looked at each other, dumbstruck, then back to Dolly. She was rubbing her head, trying to piece it all together.
‘Which one of you pushed me?’
They just stared at her.
‘Out of the way of... his car.’ She couldn’t bring herself to say his name. ‘Come on, which one of you was it?’
Bella and Shirley both shook their heads.
Dolly picked up the gun and slipped it into her coat pocket.
‘Where are you going?’ asked Bella.
‘I think we’d better get back up there. Shirley, you stay here in case she comes back.’
Shirley looked nervous. ‘But what shall I tell her? I mean, what should I do?’
‘Tell her she’s for it. Tell Linda she’s really for it this time.’
Micky was showing Harry round the flat he’d rented for a couple of weeks — well, not rented, borrowed. It was certainly much more Harry’s style, all very plush, with gold dolphin taps in the bathroom. Micky pointed to the bidet and picked up a bottle of Badedas.
‘You never know who you’ll meet...’ he drawled in a TV ad voice.
Sometimes Micky really got up his nose, but Harry couldn’t help smiling. He walked out of the bathroom and into the stunning lounge, with the brown-tinted mirrored walls and thick-pile carpets.
‘How long we got this place for?’
‘Few weeks. Friend of... a friend had a slight run-in with Her Majesty’s...’
Micky didn’t mention that it belonged to a coke dealer who’d been done for dealing and was serving six months. Flashy so-and-so, Italian feller. Micky knew Harry would really go for a flash place like this. Yeah, he thought to himself, he was beginning to suss Harry out.
‘Fancy a drop of chilled Chablis, Harry?’
Harry smiled, patting Micky on the shoulder. ‘I shouldn’t have sounded off like I did, Micky. You did a good job, and like you said, sixty grand is better than a kick in the arse.’
Micky grinned from ear to ear. Suddenly, him and Harry were friends.
The area round the oak tree in the car park had been sealed off with blue and white tape. There were two police cars in attendance, an ambulance and four other cars standing by. Already, great arc-lamps had been erected to illuminate the ditch and the surrounding area.
Linda’s car was also surrounded by red tape. Local residents in dressing gowns huddled outside the tape, watching the goings-on. A man with a coat over his pajamas wandered over.