Widows

Harry went back to his car and took his coat off, methodically changing his clothes, folding each garment up and placing it on the back seat. Any other man would have looked fairly ridiculous standing there half undressed, but there was something neat and organized about the way he changed into his tracksuit.

‘We’ll try the explosives,’ Harry said, bending down to tie up his plimsolls.

Terry took a small sampler over to the dummy security wagon, stuck the explosives to the side of it and lit the short fuse. He stepped round the side of the van, out of the way — and BOOM. It was over and done within a matter of seconds, leaving a nice round hole the size of a fist in the side of the vehicle. Terry walked back, grinning.

‘When I use the proper amount,’ he said, ‘it’ll leave a hole big enough to get me granny through, and she’s a big old trout, Harry.’

Harry went over the instructions with the team, quietly but with precision and attention to detail. When he finished, each man put a rucksack on and Joe got the shotguns. Harry handed Jimmy the stopwatch to time the run through.

‘The whole raid has to take less than four minutes from start to finish,’ he said.

All three vans were in position. The bread truck was up front, the fake security wagon was in the middle and the van Terry had driven there was at the back. The convoy was set up as though the security wagon was now trapped in the Strand underpass. Jimmy was standing next to the bread truck so he could see Harry’s signal to start the stopwatch, Harry was in the driver’s seat of the rear van, with Joe and Terry in the back.

‘He don’t look like he’s got it in him,’ Joe said, pointing at Jimmy.

‘He has, Joe. I promise he has.’ Terry said.

‘When you’re nervous, the old trigger finger gets shaky and suddenly — bang! We’re all looking at life for murder.’

‘That’s why we’re here today.’ Harry interrupted. ‘He’s up there counting the seconds till I give the order. Is he winding himself up into a useless frenzy or is he as cool as ice? We’ll soon find out.’ Harry raised his hand and Jimmy raised the stopwatch in acknowledgment.