Dottie wasn’t going to be the woman to do that for him tonight.
‘I’m not feeling all that clever,’ he lied. ‘My stomach is churning something rotten. I think it would be best if I drop you back home and then get myself off to bed. I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’ll make it up to you next week.’
‘Is that why you suddenly dragged me out? It wasn’t because I didn’t want to do it in there?’
‘Yes, it just suddenly came over me and I felt all hot and sweaty. I bet it was that ham I had earlier. I thought it smelt a bit iffy.’ Robbie couldn’t believe how easy this girl was to manipulate. She didn’t seem too upset, which made his life much easier.
They sat in silence holding hands on the bus ride home, but Robbie could feel his jaw clenching as he mulled over his plans for later. He was like a wound-up coil and decided that, once Dottie was safely deposited back at home, he would call in to see Cynthia. She was quite a bit older than Robbie, but always made him very welcome. Cynthia wasn’t much to look at, but she was good with her hands and he knew he would get a tantalising all-over massage. Just the ticket, Robbie thought, and afterwards he’d make his way over to Knightsbridge. He’d decided that if he waited until well after midnight there’d be fewer people about. He’d never attempted a burglary before and had to admit to himself that he was more than a little nervous about the whole thing. From what he’d heard, though, it was going be straightforward enough, and boy, did he need the money.
Of course he could have put off paying Adrian back, but the loan sharks were after him for what he owed and it wouldn’t be long before his excuses wore thin with them. He didn’t want to end up taking a pasting, so stealing what he hoped would be at least two hundred pounds would easily sort out all his debts. If there was more in the safe he might even be able to buy a decent second-hand car. A nice motor would impress the birds too, and Dottie would more than likely be up for a bit of fun on the back seat.
Robbie’s jaw relaxed as he thought about what else he would spend his stolen money on. Any fears he had about the prospect of getting caught and ending up behind bars in a stinking prison were quickly pushed to the back of his mind.
Alice sat quietly in the dim living room listening to The Archers on the radio. It was the omnibus edition and Alice was looking forward to the rare hour of relaxation. With Bill being the way he was and sitting in silence, the characters on the radio were all she really had for company on a Saturday night.
She heard a key turn in the front door and was surprised to see Dorothy walk into the front room. She hadn’t been expecting her home for a while yet.
‘Hello, love, you’re early. Did you have a nice time with Robbie?’
‘Not really. He wasn’t feeling too well. No official proposal tonight but he did talk about doing some extra work to buy me a nice ring.’
‘Oh, well, that’ll be something nice to look forward to then. There’s some warm milk on the stove if you fancy a hot mug of cocoa. You can come and sit with me and listen to my programme if you like?’
Dorothy smiled. ‘Thanks, Mum, but I think I’ll pass on that and finish off hemming the dress I’m making.’
With that, Dorothy left the room like a whirlwind. Alice wished she had the same energy as her daughter, but years of toiling over the kitchen sink had left her spine bent and the constant pain had been really wearing her down lately. Oh, well, she thought, trying to be positive, it wouldn’t be much longer until Bill recovered and then things would be back to where they were before the war. Alice reached across to pat the back of Bill’s hand. She just hoped he would be well enough to see his daughter get married.
Robbie decided to case the area first, but his heart was thumping so loudly in his chest that he was sure the posh-looking people in Knightsbridge could hear it as they walked past him. He was trying his best not to look guilty, fearful that the expression on his face would give the game away and raise suspicion.
Rounding a corner he saw a pub and decided a stiff drink would be in order to calm his rattled nerves. It had been nice with Cynthia: she had more than relaxed him for a while, and he’d managed to pinch a large screwdriver from her, one that he thought would do the job. Now, though, his tension had risen again and for a fleeting moment he considered calling the whole thing off.
He just caught the pub before closing time and once inside, with a large brandy down his neck and another in his hand, he felt his courage returning. Of course, the thought that soon he’d have stacks of money in his pockets was the driving force, especially as earlier in the week one of his debtors, Brian, had threatened him. He’d managed to hold him off with the promise of full payment, and now that promise was soon to become a reality.
It wasn’t just clearing his debts that drove Robbie. He wanted stuff, nice things like his brother owned, and, though he was reluctant to admit it, he was jealous of Adrian. Yes, he knew he was much better looking than his brother, but Adrian, who was ten years his senior, had money and his own business. Adrian didn’t have to sweat over oily engines all day or be at the beck and call of a whinging governor. Adrian was his own boss and Robbie wished he could be too. This will be one in the eye for him, thought Robbie, imagining the look on Adrian’s face when he turned up in a newly bought car.
Robbie knocked back the second large brandy as time was called, and feeling more resolved he took a deep breath and headed for the jeweller’s. Not being familiar with the area, he had no idea how to access the shop’s rooftop and hoped it would be obvious when he got there.
With the strong drink coursing through his veins, Robbie felt more assured than he had earlier. He reached Leonardo’s and had a quick look around, but then carried on by. There were still too many people about so he killed more time by casually walking around until the area thinned of pedestrians. Once he felt it would be safe, he made his way back to the jeweller’s and looked over his shoulder to check that no one spotted him as he darted down a narrow alley next to the shop. To his pleasant surprise Robbie saw there was an old metal ladder, attached to a wall, that looked as though it went straight to the roof. He assumed it was a fire escape, but it didn’t look very secure so he tugged hard on it, ready to scarper if his action set off an alarm. Nothing happened and, hoping it was firmly fixed, he gingerly climbed up to the roof.
Once on top, he squinted in the darkness, and, just as he’d heard the two drunken men describing it, he saw the skylight directly above the jewellery shop. Robbie scurried across to it and levered it fully open so that he could peer down inside. It was too dark to see anything, and, unsure how big the drop would be, he hesitated, but there was no time to fear injury. This was it. There was no turning back, so, bracing himself, he lowered his body in until he was just clinging on to the edge of the skylight frame. For a moment he hung there, but then, gathering his nerve, Robbie let himself drop.
He landed in a heap, with a loud thud which he prayed had gone unnoticed. He lay in the silence for a while, but didn’t hear a sound. When he felt confident that the premises were empty, he scrambled to his feet, straining his eyes to look for a way down to the shop.
It was no good; even though his vision had adjusted to the darkness it was too black to see anything and he cursed himself for not having had the sense to bring a torch. He at least had matches so he lit one, and in the dim light of the flame spotted a door. He opened it, but before he could go any further the flame burned his finger. Quickly dropping the match, he swore under his breath and lit another, which revealed a wooden staircase twisting downwards. Unsure if there were any windows in the stairwell, he carefully felt the walls to guide his way down the stairs – he didn’t want to risk anyone seeing the light of a match.
At last he was at the bottom. Slowly, Robbie pushed open another unlocked door. He sensed it was a small room and, judging by how dark it was, he guessed there were no windows. He lit another match, and seeing he was right he switched on the light. Despite being taut with tension, Robbie smiled. He was in the back office