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Authors: Iain Edward Henn
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enough to fool those heat sensors at the museum.’
‘Isn’t it dangerous to lower your body temperature like that?’
‘Sure. But not for just an hour or so. Your job will be to run me a hot shower when we get back here.’
‘Not here,’ Lyn corrected him. ‘I’m booking a room at those exclusive new studio apartments by the harbour. Once we have that diamond, we’ll need to reside in real style.’
‘You’re learning,’ Grant said.
‘I’ve had a good teacher.’
He’d met Lyn Sorenson, a tawny, petite brunette, in Sydney a couple of months earlier. She hadn’t been fazed at all when she’d learnt that Grant Matters was a high-class cat burglar of no fixed address. She’d joined him on his travels.
London. Paris. LA. Grant liked the high life, he was always on the go, and he always had a new project up his sleeve.
The heist went like a charm. Scaling the outside wall was no problem. Grant waited until the night patrolman had moved to the next wing of the building before he entered the section where the diamond was kept.
The gel was more effective than he’d realized. He was chilled to the bone. He passed through the infra-red beam with every confidence. He was pleased with himself but he felt weak and light-headed. The cold had numbed his muscles and slowed his movements.
He carefully removed the diamond from beneath the glass case on the dais and placed it in a small black silk bag.
As he turned and retreated he unexpectedly went weak in the knees, a side effect of the numbing cold. He began to topple, righted himself, almost lost his grip on the bag.
Breathe, he told himself. Stay calm.
I can’t let the cold get to me.
Fight it.
He retraced his steps back to the roof, the diamond bag secured around his waist.
He jumped up and down to combat the iciness and the sleepiness.
He needed every ounce of his strength, his resilience, his focus to ensure he rappelled down the outside wall without losing his grip or his balance.
He was most of the way down, ten feet from the ground, when his body seized completely and he dropped like a stone, landing flat on his back on the earth.
If the guards had seen or heard anything…
He shook his arms and his legs to get the circulation back, and pushed himself groggily to his feet.
He scanned the area. There were no signs that he’d been detected.
Move.
He ran, but it was more like a limp, toward the deeper night shadows.
He hadn’t gone much further when a paralysing cramp ripped through his lower calf and he dropped to the ground.
Damn. I can barely move…
And then he heard the alarm, shrieking like a creature of the night, and much sooner than he’d anticipated.
The museum guard was too good at his job. Coming back through on his rounds, he’d obviously noticed the diamond was gone.
Grant rubbed his leg vigorously as he struggled back to his feet.
A figure appeared in front of him, coming out of the darkness.
Lyn.
‘I think we should get a move on,’ she said with a mischievous wink, enjoying the danger. She helped him back to the waiting car.
• • •
Lyn was eagle-eyed, quiet and composed as she drove them back to the apartment.
It was an open plan, split-level residence with exposed timber beams and a skylight. The hot shower was running seconds after they entered the front door.
‘I’m impressed,’ said Grant.
‘With the apartment?’
‘With you. Cool, calm, collected.’
She gave him a mischievous wink. ‘I’ve got a brilliant teacher.’
He laughed.
He stood under the hot spray for what seemed ages, relishing the warmth that permeated his nerve ends and his muscles.
‘Get the coffee boiling,’ he called out to Lyn.
In the bedroom, Lyn placed the diamond on the dresser at the foot of the bed. ‘It’ll be the first thing we see when we wake up,’ she said.
‘A dream come true,’ he replied.
‘What is? Me…or the diamond?’
‘You’re both spectacular.’
She slid between the sheets and into his
‘Isn’t it dangerous to lower your body temperature like that?’
‘Sure. But not for just an hour or so. Your job will be to run me a hot shower when we get back here.’
‘Not here,’ Lyn corrected him. ‘I’m booking a room at those exclusive new studio apartments by the harbour. Once we have that diamond, we’ll need to reside in real style.’
‘You’re learning,’ Grant said.
‘I’ve had a good teacher.’
He’d met Lyn Sorenson, a tawny, petite brunette, in Sydney a couple of months earlier. She hadn’t been fazed at all when she’d learnt that Grant Matters was a high-class cat burglar of no fixed address. She’d joined him on his travels.
London. Paris. LA. Grant liked the high life, he was always on the go, and he always had a new project up his sleeve.
The heist went like a charm. Scaling the outside wall was no problem. Grant waited until the night patrolman had moved to the next wing of the building before he entered the section where the diamond was kept.
The gel was more effective than he’d realized. He was chilled to the bone. He passed through the infra-red beam with every confidence. He was pleased with himself but he felt weak and light-headed. The cold had numbed his muscles and slowed his movements.
He carefully removed the diamond from beneath the glass case on the dais and placed it in a small black silk bag.
As he turned and retreated he unexpectedly went weak in the knees, a side effect of the numbing cold. He began to topple, righted himself, almost lost his grip on the bag.
Breathe, he told himself. Stay calm.
I can’t let the cold get to me.
Fight it.
He retraced his steps back to the roof, the diamond bag secured around his waist.
He jumped up and down to combat the iciness and the sleepiness.
He needed every ounce of his strength, his resilience, his focus to ensure he rappelled down the outside wall without losing his grip or his balance.
He was most of the way down, ten feet from the ground, when his body seized completely and he dropped like a stone, landing flat on his back on the earth.
If the guards had seen or heard anything…
He shook his arms and his legs to get the circulation back, and pushed himself groggily to his feet.
He scanned the area. There were no signs that he’d been detected.
Move.
He ran, but it was more like a limp, toward the deeper night shadows.
He hadn’t gone much further when a paralysing cramp ripped through his lower calf and he dropped to the ground.
Damn. I can barely move…
And then he heard the alarm, shrieking like a creature of the night, and much sooner than he’d anticipated.
The museum guard was too good at his job. Coming back through on his rounds, he’d obviously noticed the diamond was gone.
Grant rubbed his leg vigorously as he struggled back to his feet.
A figure appeared in front of him, coming out of the darkness.
Lyn.
‘I think we should get a move on,’ she said with a mischievous wink, enjoying the danger. She helped him back to the waiting car.
• • •
Lyn was eagle-eyed, quiet and composed as she drove them back to the apartment.
It was an open plan, split-level residence with exposed timber beams and a skylight. The hot shower was running seconds after they entered the front door.
‘I’m impressed,’ said Grant.
‘With the apartment?’
‘With you. Cool, calm, collected.’
She gave him a mischievous wink. ‘I’ve got a brilliant teacher.’
He laughed.
He stood under the hot spray for what seemed ages, relishing the warmth that permeated his nerve ends and his muscles.
‘Get the coffee boiling,’ he called out to Lyn.
In the bedroom, Lyn placed the diamond on the dresser at the foot of the bed. ‘It’ll be the first thing we see when we wake up,’ she said.
‘A dream come true,’ he replied.
‘What is? Me…or the diamond?’
‘You’re both spectacular.’
She slid between the sheets and into his
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