REVELATION: Book One of THE RECARN CHRONICLES (12 page)

He still had an hour or so
before Karen would return from the gym. Taking the Businessman’s
card out of his wallet, he placed it on the kitchen table and
pressed his right thumb down on the top right corner of the card.
His thumbprint activated the ink on the card allowing a previously
invisible telephone number to be seen printed on the front. The
card automatically connected with Maurice’s computerized
communications system and dialed the Businessman’s number, but not
before engaging the scrambler so that the conversation couldn’t be
heard or at least understood by others. Maurice picked up the
business card and cradled it in the palm of his hand. The call was
connected and a male silhouette was displayed on the LED screen on
the wall.

“Yes Mr. Boone. What can I
do for you?”

Maurice was a bit taken
aback. It hadn’t occurred to him that since the business card had
initiated the call, it had also identified him to the
Businessman.

“Um. Hello Sir. I wonder if
you remember that I did some sensitive work for you a while
back.”

“I remember, Mr.
Boone.”

“Well… you said to contact
you if I ever needed help. Help that probably only you could
provide.”

“I remember, Mr.
Boone.”

“Well… sorry to trouble you
Sir, but I need to find a rather large sum of money
quickly.”

“To pay for your daughter’s
kidney transplant, I assume?”

Maurice was stunned. How did
the Businessman know about Caitlin’s illness? The silhouette cupped
its chin in one hand.

“I can see you’re surprised
that I know about your daughter’s tragic situation. There’s not
much happens in this city without me knowing about it.
So…”

“So I was hoping that you
could recommend two or three of your associates, experts in
breaking and entering into high security
establishments.”

“Business premises or a
private residence?”

“A private home.”

“And what would be the
revenue from this endeavour?”

“About four million
pounds.”

“Well… you need seven
hundred and eighty-three thousand pounds for the treatment, so that
would leave two hundred and seventeen thousand pounds for you. The
rest of the spoils must be shared equally with the other team
members, of course.”

Again, how did the
Businessman knew how much Caitlin’s treatment would
cost?

“Of course,” he
replied.

“Who is the
target?”

“Christian
Marks.”

“The squad player for
Arsenal?”

“That’s him.
Yes.”

“Good choice. He’s not a bad
player but will never be a first team regular. Plus he’s not the
sharpest tool in the toolbox.”

This time Maurice wasn’t
surprised at the Businessman’s knowledge. It was common knowledge
that Marks had issues with the trustworthiness of the banking
system.

“And when do you intend to
relieve Mr. Marks of his monthly salary?”

“It needs to be soon. I’m
working against a deadline.”

“Of course you are. Well,
the timing is right as he’ll be receiving his salary today and
liquidating the cash tomorrow. The team that you’ll need? I’m
thinking of yourself, someone to get you past the security system,
and two others to bypass Mr. Marks’s security personnel. That
should be enough. Normally I’d require a finder’s fee, which in
this case would be the two hundred and seventeen thousand pounds
left of your share – after the medical fee has been paid to Doctor
Stefansson.”

Maurice didn’t bother to ask
how he knew the name of the doctor involved. He had rapidly come to
the point when he thought it safer to assume that the Businessman
knew everything about everything. The Businessman
continued.

“However, in this instance,
I’m willing to waive this fee.”

This wasn’t an act of
charity on the part of the Businessman. Maurice was fully aware of
the consequences of this offer. It meant that he would forever be
indebted to the Businessman; he would be in his pocket. He didn’t
like the idea of this, but he had no choice. One day he might
receive a call to do something for the Businessman. And he would
not be in a position to refuse.

“My associates will be in
touch with you tomorrow. Goodbye Mr. Boone.”

The LED screen switched
itself off. Maurice was left wondering if he was doing the right
thing. Suddenly his hand felt hot and he opened his hand to reveal
a pile of ash where the business card had once been.

The café was almost empty.
Maurice sat at a table in a corner, sipping his second cup of tea.
Earlier that day a card had been delivered by hand, a rather
antiquated delivery system considering that almost all
communication was now by e-mail, SMS, or video-call. A number of
the Businessman’s associates used this low-level technology for a
very good reason; it was so old and so few people used it that it
tended to be more secure than the other forms of communication,
being resistant to prying electronic eyes and ears. The card had
contained instructions for an appointment that had become visible
when Maurice’s DNA had been automatically identified and
authorized. That’s why he was sitting at a table in the Antique
Plaza Café, wearing a shirt and tie. That had confused him too. Why
did he have to wear a shirt and tie? It had definitely said to do
so on the card. He was sure it had. But it was too late to check
now for, just like the Businessman’s visiting card, it had
self-destructed and was now just a small pile of ash sitting in
Maurice’s kitchen bin.

A man walked through the
automatic door of the café. He was a slim, very dapper man with a
rather angular face and a sharply pointed goatee beard protruding
from his chin. He walked over to Maurice’s table and shook the
accountant’s hand vigorously.

“Hello there Maurice, my old
friend. I haven’t seen you for absolutely ages.”

Maurice had never seen the
man before in his life, but decided that it probably wouldn’t be a
good idea to point that out.

“Yes, it must be over five
years…. Excuse me, I feel such a fool – I’ve forgotten your
name.”

“Manfred. Manfred Götze. You
remember. We were at that seminar together.”

“Of course. How can I forget
that seminar? All those nights at the bar.”

“Excuse me Maurice, but your
tie is crooked. Allow me to straighten it for you.”

Manfred, if that was his
real name, leaned forward and straightened Maurice’s tie,
discreetly transferring an electronic signal inhibitor from his
index finger to the back of the knot of Maurice’s tie.

“That’s better. Now we can
talk freely.”

Maurice hadn’t noticed it
happen but the café was now completely empty. The two other
customers who had been enjoying a romantic morning coffee together
had vanished. Even the server and the girl at the cash-desk had
gone. Now he and Manfred were totally alone. Manfred leaned back on
his chair, visibly more relaxed now that security protocols were in
place.

“I understand you have a
security problem.”

Maurice’s mind made a mental
inventory of his home security precautions. He wasn’t sure why.
Perhaps it was down to nervousness.

“Um… no. I think my home is
safe.”

“No, Maurice. You need
assistance in bypassing a sophisticated security system. Christian
Marks’s security system. Am I correct?”

“Yes, that’s
right.”

“Well, I’m here to tell you
your troubles are over.”

“If only.”

“The operation is scheduled
for 3 a.m. tomorrow morning.”

“That quick? I haven’t had
time to plan anything.”

“That’s all been taken care
of Maurice. You didn’t honestly think that we’d leave something as
critical as planning to steal four million pounds to you, did
you?”

“To be honest, I hadn’t
thought of that.”

“And that’s why I’m here, so
you don’t have to think.”

Maurice was quite happy to
let Manfred take control. All he was interested in was getting hold
of enough money to pay for Caitlin’s treatment. He’d prefer to
leave things to the experts.

“Just be on the corner of
Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus at two o’clock tomorrow
morning, with a dark holdall - one big enough to hold a million
pounds. I’ll explain the plan then. Less time for you to forget it
and no time for you to blab about it. Understood?”

“Understood. How big does
the bag need to be?”

Maurice had no concept of
what a million pounds in large notes looked like.

“A regular sports bag should
do it.”

“Really? A sports bag? For a
million pounds?”

“People always think that a
large sum of money will take up more space than it
does.”

And with that, Manfred
deftly retrieved the electronic signal inhibitor from behind
Maurice’s tie and left the café.

Karen wouldn’t like him to
leave the house at that time in the morning, but it was imperative
that he did so. His daughter’s life was at stake.

Later that night, Karen was
sleeping in their bed – a good night’s sleep guaranteed by the
bed’s ‘sleepEZ’ system which sent out a relaxing hum, the frequency
of which was designed to keep the sleeper in a deep sleep until a
predetermined hour, at which time it would change its function into
that of an alarm, gently waking the sleeper who was sufficiently
refreshed and ready to start a new day having had a great night’s
sleep. When first introduced the technology had suffered a few
initial teething troubles, specifically a malfunction of the alarm
system which resulted in some sleepers being left comatose for days
on end, but those problems had been ironed out now and the beds
were once again considered safe.

Maurice decided he had to
take a risk and, although he didn’t like doing it, he had to
deceive Karen. He crept around to his wife’s side of the bed and
found the touch-screen display that was used to change the settings
of the bed for that particular side of the bed. It was recommended
to set the frequency to medium, so that unexpected noises would
still wake the sleeper, but Maurice changed the setting for an even
deeper sleep, ensuring that Karen didn’t wake up too early and find
him gone. He was certain that he would be back home before she was
woken by the bed’s alarm and she would be none the wiser.
Explaining to her how it was that he now had one million pounds in
his holdall might prove a little tricky, but by then it would be
too late for her to complain. It would be a fait accompli and the
life of their daughter would be safe. Even Karen would have to see
that he had had no choice.

At 1 a.m. on Saturday
28
^th
, Maurice silently left his house,
ensuring that the house security was activated. Karen was sleeping
peacefully. He had had no need to adjust the setting of Michelle’s
bed; that girl could probably sleep through a hurricane. He walked
the kilometre to the underground station, trotted down the concrete
steps and bought a ticket from one of the automatic ticket vending
machines. The station was reasonably busy, it being essentially the
hangover of a Friday night. Several couples were dotted around the
platform, probably after a night out at one of the several good
restaurants in the area. In the corner, a group of raucous men were
on a stag night, busily chatting up a group of drunken girls on a
hen night. Maurice only had to wait two minutes before his train
arrived and after an uneventful thirty minute journey he was at the
rendezvous point. He checked his watch. It was 01:55.

At exactly 02:00 two large
black SUVs with tinted windows pulled up alongside him. The
passenger door window of the first SUV slowly opened and a voice
told Maurice to get in. Maurice did so, and saw that the driver was
Manfred.

“Good evening
Maurice.”

““Good morning
Manfred.”

“Ah. Of course. It’s morning
now. These early morning ops make me lose all track of
time.”

“So… what do you want me to
do?”

“Nothing really. You just
have to scoop up your share of the money. My two colleagues and I
will neutralize the security systems, both human and electronic.
Then I will open the vault…”

“Do you know how to open the
vault?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I
didn’t. There hasn’t been a vault built that I can’t open within
sixty seconds.”

“Will anybody be killed? I
don’t like the idea of people getting killed.”

“Who do you think we are?
We’re professionals. People only die if we want them to die, and we
don’t want anybody to die tonight. We’ll be using pulse-guns, set
to stun. The security guards will be knocked out for a couple of
hours but that’s all. Nobody will die unless the setting is
switched to kill. If that were to happen the heart of the
unfortunate victim would stop in an instant and it’s off to
reincarnation city he would go.”