Free Postcards to America by Patrick Ingle

the young man opposite him started to fidget.
    ‘I only need a short spin out the motorway,’ Robert told Gordon. ‘You have the keys of my car. I will give you my passport and you can ring my business to verify my bona fides. We could have this deal sewn up in less than thirty minutes.’
    Gordon looked at the passport, the business card, and the set of vehicle keys and decided to take a chance. ‘Will ten minutes suffice?’ Gordon asked the tanned young man.
    ‘That will be plenty, Gordon,’ replied Robert.
    Gordon handed over the keys and watched as the tanned young man indicated and drove the vehicle on to the motorway. He noted the time and turned his attention to the next customer.
    The brother turned off the motorway lane at the next junction and headed back in the opposite direction to that taken when he originally left the dealership. He pushed the car up to the maximum legal speed. As he travelled he discarded the spectacles and wig through an open window when no cars were visible in the rear view mirror. Fishing in a coat pocket he withdrew a handful of face wipes and removed some of the fake tan.
    Ten minutes after leaving the garage the brother took a slip road off the motorway and drove a distance up a minor road. He stopped at a lay-by beside a white van. A man stepped from the white van and quickly fixed a set of number plates to the stolen vehicle. Without a word, the man handed a set of forged documents to the brother. He also handed him the documents for a short sea crossing for a vehicle and passenger.
    Busy dealing with a customer, Gordon failed to notice that the tanned young man had not yet returned from his test drive.
    Minutes later the man who cleaned and polished the cars at Ryan’s Motors got a telephone call purporting to come from the local hospital informing him that a family member had been admitted after an accident. With a word to the general manager, he sprinted away. The general manager, who shortly afterwards left to attend a meeting, thought it not worthy to mention the news to the rest of the staff.
    As the car, carrying the cleaner drove away, a man wearing the same type overalls entered the forecourt carrying cleaning utensils. Looking to see if his actions were being observed, the man reached into his bucket and withdrew a small bottle of petrol. He unscrewed the bottle top and poured the contents between the windscreen wipers and the bonnet of a car. Looking around, he lit a match and threw it after the petrol. With a loud sound the petrol ignited.
    Looking behind, the man walked hurriedly to the waiting motorbike.
    On the motorway, the brother continued to make good time towards the port.
    A mechanic, parking a repaired vehicle, spotted the burning car and raised the alarm. Some member of the staff pressed the fire button and the siren sounded. In an orderly fashion the staff evacuated the building and assembled at the fire points to await the arrival of the fire service.
    In the excitement, Gordon forgot about the tanned young man test driving the expensive car.
    Once, the brother spotted a police car behind him and slowed down to let the car pass. With sirens sounding, the police car passed him and raced towards a serious accident.
    It took over an hour before the fire brigade arrived and put out the car fire and things regained a semblance of normality.
    Only then, seated behind his desk once more did Gordon spot the passport and the documents left by the tanned young businessman. Leaving his desk, he drove out the route that the man would have driven on his test run. He found no trace of the potential buyer. Returning to the garage, he informed the manager who contacted the police.
    More time passed before the police service could spare the officers to visit the garage. By this time, the brother was following the signs that directed traffic to the port area.
    By the time the police obtained the description of the tanned young man and driven along the motorway to determine