Read Online Wyatt - 05 - Port Vila Blues by Garry Disher - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Garry Disher
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Hard-Boiled, australia, Jewel Thieves, Bank Robberies, Australian Fiction
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about it?
Youll recall there was a small
gold butterfly encrusted with diamonds?
Think Im a philistine? I know what
it was, a Tiffany.
A Tiffany, exactly. Well, its
turned up again.
How do you mean?
I got word yesterday afternoon that
a small-time character here in Melbourne is trying to fence it.
Niekirk raced through the
possibilities. He knew that Riggs and Mansell hadnt pocketed anything from the
safety-deposit boxes, for hed packed everything himself. They couldnt have
dropped it in the alley behind the building. There couldnt have been two
Tiffanies. De Lisle wasnt stupid enough to offload it to a small-time fence. The
courier, he said.
Now I wonder how come I knew you
were going to say that? Springett said.
I handled the transfer. My men didnt
take the Tiffany. I didnt take the Tiffany.
Springett was watching him. Behind
the smile he was guarded, sceptical. You sound very sure of yourself.
Fuck Im sure. Id check out the
courier.
Springett said nothing for a while,
as if weighing up possibilities. I take it that you know a man called De
Lisle?
Niekirk grinned. Now we come down
to the nitty-gritty. Yes, I know him.
I thought so. De Lisles setup
works in theory, separating your side of things from mine, separating the
courier from both of us, like a circuit-breaker arrangement in case one of us
takes a fall. But what happens when one of us starts acting solo, know what I
mean?
Niekirk watched him carefully. You
dont like it that the left hand doesnt know what the right is doing. Nor do
I. I especially dont like it that you knew my name but I didnt know yours.
Did De Lisle give it to you?
I insisted on knowing. I had to be
ready to cover up if anything happened, like your name appearing on an arrest
report.
Fucking lovely. An imbalance of
power between us right from me start. So, if I pull the jobs for him, what do
you do?
Reluctantly, Springett said: I put
the jobs together identify the target, supply photos, floor plans, maps of the
alarm system.
Niekirk looked at him cannily. For
a fee?
Now thats the nitty-gritty,
Springett said. I get a cut of the action. Exactly a third.
Same here. Its my blokes who get a
set fee.
But have you been paid your third
yet?
A retainer.
Springett nodded. Sounds familiar.
The rest when the heats off and De
Lisles moved the stuff.
Trusting pair, arent we? A
retainer to keep us sweet. Not many men would put up with that.
Fucking spit it out, Springett. Hes
got you over a barrel, same as hes got me. If we dont play ball he puts us
away. If we do his dirty work, we stay out of jail and pocket a few hundred
thou. Am I right or am I right?
Both men relaxed, feeling a common
ground between them. Lillecrapp continued to loll against the door, bored, too
absorbed in cracking his knuckles to feel envy or interest in what they were
saying.
Niekirk said suddenly: Whats De
Lisle got on you?
Springetts face shut down. Now youre
stepping over the line.
Suit yourself.
Its no longer a factor.
Sure.
Its strictly business now.
Sure. So youve told him the
Tiffanys shown up?
Not exactly.
Meaning no. Going to tell him?
Whats your feeling?
Dont. If theres been a fuck up, a
rip off from our end of the operation, I say we deal with it ourselves. We dont
want him pissed off. Or theres another possibility: hes moved all the stuff
and is conveniently not paying us what he owes us.
Using small-time fences? Unlikely,
Springett said. Plus he said hed wait a few months.
De Lisle hasnt said anything about
the Tiffany not showing up in the original haul?
That doesnt mean anything,
Springett said. He didnt know what was going to be in those safety-deposit
boxes in the first place, so why would he be worried if it didnt show up in
the stuff the courier delivered? I didnt know about the Tiffany myself until
the owner and the insurance company provided my people with photos and a
description. Either it was ripped off by the courier before Di
Youll recall there was a small
gold butterfly encrusted with diamonds?
Think Im a philistine? I know what
it was, a Tiffany.
A Tiffany, exactly. Well, its
turned up again.
How do you mean?
I got word yesterday afternoon that
a small-time character here in Melbourne is trying to fence it.
Niekirk raced through the
possibilities. He knew that Riggs and Mansell hadnt pocketed anything from the
safety-deposit boxes, for hed packed everything himself. They couldnt have
dropped it in the alley behind the building. There couldnt have been two
Tiffanies. De Lisle wasnt stupid enough to offload it to a small-time fence. The
courier, he said.
Now I wonder how come I knew you
were going to say that? Springett said.
I handled the transfer. My men didnt
take the Tiffany. I didnt take the Tiffany.
Springett was watching him. Behind
the smile he was guarded, sceptical. You sound very sure of yourself.
Fuck Im sure. Id check out the
courier.
Springett said nothing for a while,
as if weighing up possibilities. I take it that you know a man called De
Lisle?
Niekirk grinned. Now we come down
to the nitty-gritty. Yes, I know him.
I thought so. De Lisles setup
works in theory, separating your side of things from mine, separating the
courier from both of us, like a circuit-breaker arrangement in case one of us
takes a fall. But what happens when one of us starts acting solo, know what I
mean?
Niekirk watched him carefully. You
dont like it that the left hand doesnt know what the right is doing. Nor do
I. I especially dont like it that you knew my name but I didnt know yours.
Did De Lisle give it to you?
I insisted on knowing. I had to be
ready to cover up if anything happened, like your name appearing on an arrest
report.
Fucking lovely. An imbalance of
power between us right from me start. So, if I pull the jobs for him, what do
you do?
Reluctantly, Springett said: I put
the jobs together identify the target, supply photos, floor plans, maps of the
alarm system.
Niekirk looked at him cannily. For
a fee?
Now thats the nitty-gritty,
Springett said. I get a cut of the action. Exactly a third.
Same here. Its my blokes who get a
set fee.
But have you been paid your third
yet?
A retainer.
Springett nodded. Sounds familiar.
The rest when the heats off and De
Lisles moved the stuff.
Trusting pair, arent we? A
retainer to keep us sweet. Not many men would put up with that.
Fucking spit it out, Springett. Hes
got you over a barrel, same as hes got me. If we dont play ball he puts us
away. If we do his dirty work, we stay out of jail and pocket a few hundred
thou. Am I right or am I right?
Both men relaxed, feeling a common
ground between them. Lillecrapp continued to loll against the door, bored, too
absorbed in cracking his knuckles to feel envy or interest in what they were
saying.
Niekirk said suddenly: Whats De
Lisle got on you?
Springetts face shut down. Now youre
stepping over the line.
Suit yourself.
Its no longer a factor.
Sure.
Its strictly business now.
Sure. So youve told him the
Tiffanys shown up?
Not exactly.
Meaning no. Going to tell him?
Whats your feeling?
Dont. If theres been a fuck up, a
rip off from our end of the operation, I say we deal with it ourselves. We dont
want him pissed off. Or theres another possibility: hes moved all the stuff
and is conveniently not paying us what he owes us.
Using small-time fences? Unlikely,
Springett said. Plus he said hed wait a few months.
De Lisle hasnt said anything about
the Tiffany not showing up in the original haul?
That doesnt mean anything,
Springett said. He didnt know what was going to be in those safety-deposit
boxes in the first place, so why would he be worried if it didnt show up in
the stuff the courier delivered? I didnt know about the Tiffany myself until
the owner and the insurance company provided my people with photos and a
description. Either it was ripped off by the courier before Di
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