The Lottery Ticket (2 page)

The dining room also had a fire place but this was seldom used and would have a fire screen in front of it decorated with a hunting scene surrounded by a wooden frame. Jennifer found this in an antique shop on a visit to Oxford. The downstairs had the same colour of pastel green carpet throughout with the exception of the kitchen that David had tiled himself. This betrayed the ordered lives of its occupants. The dining room suite was of oak and oval in design. No expense had been spared in this room either. This was another wedding gift, this time given by David’s now deceased parents. The side board was of the same wood but a different design. Inside was the best crockery and cutlery only used on special occasions.

The kitchen was the hub of the house. Most of the time the family sat at the table that was placed under the window at the back of the kitchen. Not only was James’s homework done on it but it would be used for painting which was one of Mandy’s hobbies. All meals except the special ones would be eaten on this table. Because the house was west facing the sun would shine through the window above the table and you could see the neatly kept garden.

From the patio there was a step down to the immaculate lawn bordered by flower beds. Behind the lawn was the vegetable garden which the whole family had input. The wire fence at the bottom of the garden separated their property from the field locally known as ‘The Rec’.

The master bedroom was furnished in pine. In the room was a set of drawers and a wardrobe with a pine headboard and a full length stand alone dress mirror. The dressing table was also pine with a walnut chair. In the small drawers above the base either side of the mirror was where Jennifer kept her jewellery. David kept his treasured possessions in his matching bedside cabinet also made of pine.

One of the main reasons for the family not having expensive holidays was their endeavour to make their home as comfortable as possible. This meant that the money spent on new things would be to purchase the best they could afford. Both David and Jennifer believed that you only get what you pay for.

With this philosophy they waited to buy the best. The children had the same quality of furniture in their bedrooms. Mandy had one more item in her bedroom than James, which was a computer desk with a top of the range computer sitting on it. James had been promised a computer for his tenth birthday.

The family were due to fly out from Gatwick Airport at 7.30am on the Thursday morning which meant travelling down to the hotel on the Wednesday. They intended to take a leisurely trip and stop several times on the way as James was not the best of travellers.

With every thing now packed with the exception of toiletries which they intended to pack on the morning of departure the cases were carried down stairs. For the next couple of days they would have to squeeze passed the cases as they sat in the hall.

Not only were the children finding it hard to sleep through the next two nights because of their excitement, so were David and Jennifer. To all of them this was the holiday of a lifetime and the first time they had ever flown.

Along with the excitement Jennifer felt her concern for James and how he would manage the three hour flight. On any long journeys they had taken before they had always given him travel sickness tablets which did the trick.

David was kept awake making sure in his mind that the house would be protected whilst they were away. He had asked the Simpson’s from next door to keep an eye on the place and to make sure that no one had left anything poking through the letterbox such as circulars or charity bags for old clothing.

Wednesday morning arrived and each of the family used the bathroom. Once each of them had finished they took their toilet bags down to pack them in the suit cases. As Jennifer and Mandy made breakfast for them all, David, with the help of James, loaded up the car.

With the breakfast pots washed up and put away they were ready to leave. David took his role at work very seriously and so too at home. So, a last minute check by David and James that all internal doors were closed in case of fire, all windows secured and that the back and front doors were locked they were finally ready to leave.

All that remained was for David to pop next door to his neighbours to let Mr Simpson, know they were leaving and when they would return. The Simpson’s had looked after the house whenever they had gone on holiday in the past and they felt confident that as before they would return to a safe house.

“John, I meant to ask if you wouldn’t mind just watering the garden while we are away if we get a dry spell”, David asked.

“Sure I will” John assured him, “I’ll do it with the hose from over the fence, now you go and enjoy yourselves”, he commanded.

John and his wife stood waving at the front door as the Campbell’s car pulled out of the drive. They had begun their  holiday of a lifetime.

Chapter 2
 

The break-ins
 

With wire cutters the thieves cut through the wire fence at the back of the property which divided the houses from ‘The Rec’.  Three of them squeezed through and into the garden whilst the fourth that had cut the wire stayed on watch. Following the line of the bushes that edged the garden the thieves made there way to the back of the house. All was dark inside. They had been watching the houses on this street before and knew who was away and who wasn’t. They also knew which ones had alarms fitted.

On reaching the back door the first of the three men kept a lookout whilst the second cut out the glass panel of the back door with expert precision, making sure the sucker was firmly pressed on to the glass so as not to break it and thus not make a noise.  As quick as a flash they squeezed through the open panel. They were all in the house. Each of them had a bag to fill with their booty.

Systematically they went from room to room, first downstairs and then upstairs. Once they had finished it was back to the fence to where a forth accomplice was still waiting. All that remained was for them to edge around the field to where they had left and the getaway van which was hidden from view of the road by the sports pavilion.

The gang leader would never allow the booty to be stored at his home and so it fell to the single one of the group to store it in a garage he rented from the council in a block of ten which he could overlook from his flat.

From here they would deliver the haul to, their
‘Fence’
and split the takings. All of them had served time in prison for various petty crimes and this is where they had hatched out their plan.

Over the past two years there had been an increase in burglaries throughout the city and the towns and villages in the area. Many of these had been in the little towns, villages and hamlets around the city. The police had a theory that it was the same gang but as yet they had little to go on in their efforts to catch the culprits.

This night the theft had taken place just down the road from the Campbell’s property which made John Simpson and his wife very nervous. The police had called to ask if they had seen or heard anything. All they could tell the police was that they hadn’t, but that they were looking after the house next door as they were away and that they would appreciate it if the police would patrol the area from time to time.

The constable told them that he would pass their request on to his superiors when he returned to the station.

      “I had better check the house as far as I can”, John suggested to his wife.

     “Yes I think you should John, the problem is, because the gate is locked, you won’t be able to check the back”, she reminded him.

     “I’ll get the step ladders and have a look over the fence”, he called as he made his way to the front of the Campbell’s house.

Looking at the house from the front he could see no sign of a break-in. Opening his garage door he collected his step ladders which he used when trimming his hedges and fixed them as close as he could to the fence. He climbed up and peered over next doors back way. Looking at the door he could see no forced entry and all the windows were secured.

Satisfying himself that nothing was amiss at the Campbell’s home he put the steps back into the garage and went back inside his house.

      “I wish they had fitted an alarm system before they went, it would make it a lot easier”, John commented to his wife.

     “Yes it would, his wife replied, when I spoke to Jennifer before they went away she told me David was planning to have one fitted soon after they returned from their holiday. She said he had ordered it some time ago but the chap who was going to fit it was going on holiday just before they were and that he would fit it when they came home”.

     “I feel uneasy about all these break-ins that have happened lately and the fact that the police seem unable to catch the offenders, makes me feel even more worried, John commented. Still they say lightening doesn’t strike in the same place twice”, he said trying to reassure his wife and himself.

The break-in down the road had all the hallmarks of the same gang that had burgled other properties in the town and elsewhere. The family had lost most of their small valuable possessions, jewellery, trinkets and ornaments. Some of the items stolen were small pocket size electrical items, these included children’s games and the like.

John couldn’t help thinking how the family would feel on their return from their holiday in a few days time. They had not been contacted as far as he knew from talking to other neighbours. This would be one hell of a shock for them.

The neighbourhood watch had been assured that patrols by the police would be stepped up some time ago but this had not deterred the burglars from their aim.

-------- XXX --------

“These items are not too valuable”, observed the
‘Fence’
as he checked over the selection of stolen goods that lay in front of him.

      “Some of them have hallmarks on them”, pointed out the gang leader whose job it was to bring the takings to the
‘Fence’
.

      “Just because its silver doesn’t mean I can sell it quickly or at high prices, I need to shift this stuff as sharply as I can, if it isn’t it could be traced back to me and then we will all be in the dock” he reminded his collaborator.

       “Ok, just give me what you think there’re worth”, the gang leader retorted hastily, for he wanted to get home to bed as his night had been a long one and he still had to make arrangements with the rest of the gang for the next hoist.

When he finally reached home his wife was ready to leave for work.

      “Where have you been all night”, she inquired of him.

      “If you want to know I’ve been playing cards with some mates, he lied.

The children were putting on their clothes ready to be dropped off at their Nan’s. She would have them during the holidays as no one could predict what their father would be up to if they were left at home. It seemed that a phone call would send him off with no word as to where he was going or when he would return.

His relationship with his two daughters was virtually non existent. The only occasions he would spend time with them was if a childminder couldn’t be found, which would be mostly other members of the family.

His family consisted of his hard working wife Sandra who worked for social services as a home help, his two daughters, Julie the eldest and Rachel who was a year younger than Julie, who was twelve.

Sandra had by now given up on trying to make their marriage work since he went into prison. His mother and father had disowned him and wanted nothing to do with him as he had bought shame on the family name. They did continue to help Sandra and would help her whenever they could. This sometimes meant having the girls if their other Nan couldn’t. If Rodger, Sandra’s husband had to pick them up he would have to wait outside. Never again would he be allowed to cross their threshold they had told him because his stint in prison had given the family a bad name in the neighbourhood.

Neither of the children had a loving relationship with their father. They had both tried but were invariably knocked back as he never knew how to show love. His term in prison had changed him. He was sent down for stealing copper piping from a builder’s yard. He was caught outside sitting in his van waiting for his mate to come and fix his puncture. Ironically it was due to a nail he had driven over on entering the premises.

Sandra would have left him a long time ago had she not had the children. Her mother had always said he was a bad’un. Even before he went into prison he was lazy and if he did do any work it was very part-time and he wouldn’t hand over his earnings to help Sandra keep the family.

       “Why don’t you leave him”? Would be the pointed question her mother would constantly ask.

       “Because he’s my husband”, she would reply. “I married him for better or worse”, she would quote without much belief.

      “Yes, but when there is no ‘better’ what is the point of carrying on with nothing but the worse”, her mother remonstrated.

     “I know what your saying, mum, but I have to carry on for the sake of the kids”, she would excuse as the tears would begin to flow freely.

Sandra was unhappy with her lot but her daughters kept her going. They would help her around the house which she always kept clean. If they thought she needed some quite time after one of the many rows they would go and visit their few friends.

Their home was a pre-war council house on an estate of identical houses. The garden was always in need of attention and this because Roger would do nothing to help keep it tidy. Sandra and the girls would do what they could so as not to cause the council to threaten eviction. If Roger was at home it would invariably mean that he was in bed sleeping or sitting in an armchair watching anything that was on television.

The house had three bedrooms. One was the master bedroom which was shared in shifts between Sandra at night and Roger throughout the day. The furniture was mostly purchased from charity shops or boot sales and was nearly as old as the house. The second bedroom was shared by the girls with bunk beds given by the Salvation Army whilst Roger was in jail. Apart from the rented television this was the most modern piece of furniture in the house.