Free And Thereby Hangs a Tale by Jeffrey Archer

upon your chosen victim, Mr Neville Abbott, a respected
diamond merchant from Hatton Garden. You held up the security guard at his
workshop with a shotgun, and forced him to open the strongroom where Mr Abbott
was showing a dealer from Holland a consignment of uncut diamonds he had
recently purchased from South Africa for just over ten million pounds.
    'Thanks to outstanding police work, you were
arrested within days, although the diamonds have never been found. During the
seven months you have spent in custody you have been given every opportunity to
reveal the whereabouts of the diamonds, but you have chosen not to do so.
    'Taking that fact, as well as your past
record, into consideration, I am left with no choice but to sentence you to
twelve years in prison.
    However, Mr Bryant, I would consider a
reduction to your sentence if at any time you should change your mind and
decide to inform the police where the diamonds are.
    Take the prisoner down.'
    Detective Inspector Matthews frowned as he watched
Bryant being led down to the cells before being shipped off to Belmarsh prison.
    As a policeman, you're meant to feel a
certain professional pride, almost pleasure, when you've been responsible for
banging up a career criminal, but this time Matthews felt no such pride, and
wouldn't until he got his hands on those diamonds. He was convinced Bryant hadn't
had enough time to sell them on and must have hidden them somewhere.
    Detective Inspector Matthews had attempted to
make a deal with Bryant on more than one occasion. He even offered to downgrade
his charge to aggravated burglary, which carries a far shorter sentence,
but only if he pleaded guilty and told him where the diamonds
were. But Bryant always gave the same reply: 'I'll do my bird, guv.'
    If Bryant wasn't willing to make a deal with
him, Matthews knew someone doing time in the same prison who was.
    Benny Friedman, known to his fellow inmates
as Benny the Fence, was serving a sixyear sentence for handling stolen goods. A
burglar would bring him the gear and Benny would pay him 20 per cent of its
value in cash, then sell it on to a middle man for about 50 per cent, walking
away with a handsome profit.
    From time to time Benny got caught and had to
spend some time in the nick. But as he didn't pay a penny in tax, was rarely
out of work and had no fears of being made redundant, he considered the
occasional spell in prison no more than part of the job description. But if the
police ever offered him an alternative to going back inside, Benny was always
willing to listen. After all, why would you want to spend more time behind bars
than was necessary?
    'Drugs check,' bellowed the wing officer as
he pulled open the heavy door of Benny's cell.
    'I don't do drugs, Mr Chapman,' said Benny, not
stirring from his bunk.
    'Get your arse upstairs, Friedman, and sharpish.
Once they've checked your piss you can come back down and enjoy a well-earned rest.
Now move it.'
    Benny folded his copy of the Sun, lowered himself
slowly off the bottom bunk, strolled out of his cell into the corridor and made
his way up to the medical wing. No officer ever bothered to accompany him while
he was out of his cell, as he never caused any trouble.
    You can have a reputation, even in prison.
    When Benny arrived at the medical wing, he was
surprised to find that none of the usual reprobates was waiting in line to be
checked for drugs. In fact, he seemed to be the only inmate in sight.
    'This way, Friedman,' said an officer he didn't
recognize. Moments after he had entered the hospital, he heard a key being turned
in the lock behind him. He looked around and saw his old friend Detective
Inspector Matthews, who had arrested him many times in the past, sitting on the
end of one of the beds.
    'To what do I owe this honour, Mr Matthews?'
Benny asked without missing a beat.
    'I need your help, Benny,' said the
detective inspector, not suggesting that the old lag should sit down.
    'That's a relief, Mr Matthews.