Free No Alarms by Bernard Beckett Page B

had told her they only pulled break-ins during the day.
    Simon stopped at a narrow footbridge. A small stream ran darkly beneath it, protected from the streetlights by thick willows on either side. Across the bridge the path ended in neatly mown properties that extended right down to the water. Simon leant against the railing and lit a cigarette, staring at Sharon like he was expecting her to do something stupid.
    ‘Property’s over there,’ he muttered, nodding to the right.‘Second along. You stay here.’ You, because he’d never be bothered learning her name. ‘All you got to do is make sure no one comes over the bridge. Got it?’
    Sharon nodded. Yeah, she got it, sort of. What, but not how. How were you meant to do that, if someone came along and they wanted through? But she knew she couldn’t ask. That was the whole point. The test they were giving her. So she stared straight back at them, like it was the easiest thing in the world, and hoped no one would come past.
    ‘Right then.’ Simon turned to Justin. ‘You got that lighter?’
    Justin nodded and they moved off, like that was all the explanation he needed. Like they did this every night, or Simon had already told him what was happening. Sharon watched their two dark figures run crouched along the other side of the stream, melting into the shadows of carefully arranged lawns, so you wouldn’t know they were there. Not unless you were straining your eyes, trying not to lose them.
    Then they were gone and Sharon was left with nothing to watch but the rain. Not proper wetting rain, the sort that would keep people indoors, well away from the bridge. Light misty rain that hesitated in the streetlights and fell so lightly on your face it felt like sweat. Sharon looked at her watch. She wondered how long it would take, whatever it was they were doing. Maybe until she got sick of waiting. She knew it had to be a chance, that they were sitting somewhere drier now, watching her. Just so they could see what she’d do, when someone came along. It didn’t matter though, if that was what it took to be a part of it. There were worse things they could have asked.
    It would be a dog. An old guy with a big dozy looking thing, across the road, coming out of the mist. Just the sort of dogthey’d have, in their houses out on the other side. Just the sort of reason you’d need, to be out on a night like this. Once round the block in your big grey coat, so the animal would get a chance to shit, well away from the grounds the gardener had worked so hard on. They were too, coming straight at her. The guy looked up, his eyes checking her out, to see whether it was worth wasting a smile. Sharon avoided looking back, just shifted out so she was blocking the whole bridge, hoping that would be enough to send him around the long way. He didn’t have the sort of face that looked used to making detours. Too straight on his shoulders, no sign he was even thinking of backing down.
    ‘Excuse me.’
    Said nice and loud. Not as old as she’d first thought either, now she could see him close up. Sharon didn’t move.
    ‘We just need past.’
    ‘Sorry, bridge is closed,’ Sharon replied, getting just enough ‘fuck you’ into her voice to make him hesitate.
    ‘I beg your pardon. Don’t be ridiculous. Move aside. I need to get through.’
    No asking why, no thinking she might be anything more to him than a nuisance.
    ‘I’m not moving,’ Sharon said, not feeling any of the nerves anymore, not now it was happening. She hoped they were watching, both of them, with a good close up view of her calm-as face. ‘So really you got no choice. Piss off.’
    He looked at her properly then, for the first time. Age, weight, considering his chances. And the dog was looking more interested too, like some smell had woken him. The smell of trouble most like. It gave a low growl and the man tightened his grip on the chain.
    ‘Look, you really should move off. My dog is very protective and I