‘Sorry. Business matters. How may I help?’ The sweaty proprietor showed no recognition even as I faced him full on. Initial anger at not being recognised was soon replaced by the memory that I was in disguise and I laughed out loud at my forgetfulness.

‘I’m here on behalf of a colleague,’ I said. ‘He came here a week or so ago and paid you an obscenely large amount for some CCTV footage.’ I stared at the jerk and slammed both hands down hard on the counter. ‘He’s sent me to make sure that you wouldn’t have kept a copy and given it to anyone else.’

I wandered up and down the counter, fingering the key rings and phone cover displays. I was like a wolf closing in on my prey. A small handgun would have been a good accessory at this stage which I could have extracted for effect. Control is easily won with menace.

‘Well? Can I assure him that no one else has been interested in your footage?’ I smashed my fist, harder this time, against the glass and watched the fat little Indian jump.

‘Yes, sir. You can assure your friend that I wouldn’t do such a thing. No one has been asking to see our CCTV footage.’ Lies are easy to pick up. He had hesitated for a split second.

‘Was it a woman who came asking?’

‘No, sir. I can promise you that no one except your friend has been.’

‘Would another three hundred pounds tempt you to change your story?’ There it was again, a distinct flicker of interest that rendered the slimy bastard momentarily speechless.

‘I don’t understand. I’m not telling a lie.’ I grabbed him by the throat, squeezing air from his passageways and spat in his face.

‘If my friend hears that you’ve double-crossed him and kept copies of the tape he paid you well for, I’ll be back. You’ll have no fingers left to count out your filthy cash.’

I straightened my jacket and readjusted my glasses. Perhaps if I hadn’t been such an honourable upstanding citizen I might have turned my hand to petty crime; money with menaces.

I left the tremulous shopkeeper and exited back onto the street but my momentary lightness of mood evaporated. A woman had been at the shop recently and paid handsomely for a copy of the CCTV footage. His lies had told me the truth. Rebecca had got there before me.

I’d waited long enough. The time had come and I couldn’t put it off any longer. I had one last job to do.

Someone had pinned back the front door to the converted house using a brick as a doorstop. I was able to walk straight in off the street but I made sure to kick away the brick in the process and let the door close behind me.

90

Arthur