Bradfield phoned the shoe shop to tell the officers there that the suspects were now in the bank vault. He spoke with DC Stanley who said the officer in the shoe-shop basement using a listening device could hear the sound of metal being hammered.
Bradfield turned to Spencer Gibbs. ‘We’re going over to the bank in fifteen minutes, Spence… ’
‘Why not go now if they’re in the vault?’
‘I don’t want to burst their bubble of joy quite yet. When I give the order you get your team in the shoe shop to go out and cover the back alleyway in case any of ’em try to escape from the rear of the café. I’ve also got backup teams in unmarked cars at each end of the alleyway to block the route off in case they try to get out in the van.’
‘How are you getting into the bank?’
‘We’re going in by the front door with Dunbar.’
‘We?’ Gibbs asked, having thought he was to cover the rear alleyway.
‘I want you with me on the arrests, Spence. Kath and four other officers will be with us as backup, and if the suspects kick off I’m carrying,’ he said, making reference to the revolver he had in a shoulder holster under his jacket.
‘What about Cliff Bentley? He’ll see us going in.’
‘He’ll be taken care of. The two officers dressed like tramps will go to the top of the car park and take him out as we move in.’
‘What if he raises the alarm before they get to him?’
‘Chance I have to take, but even then where are the bastards going to run to? They won’t try and escape empty-handed. We’ve got them, Spence, we fuckin’ got ’em like rats in a barrel!’ Bradfield said and patted Spencer’s back.
Clifford felt his teeth chattering with the cold as he looked down on the street below from his vantage point. Everything was quiet and there was an eeriness about the stillness of the night that troubled him. He knew via the walkie-talkie that they had broken into the vault and soon they’d all be rich beyond their wildest dreams. He sat back against the wall and began to think about what had been worrying him earlier. It seemed strange that he’d not seen one single police patrol car or a uniform officer pounding the beat all night. He’d seen a few patrol cars the previous night and knew that when David had been lookout a tramp had been arrested by a uniform officer and a paddy wagon had turned up. Clifford began to wonder if uniform patrols had been told to stay away from the area, or was it just pure coincidence?
Inside the vault John and Danny were still breaking open the deposit boxes. Silas was sweating heavily as he crawled to the café cellar with pillowcases of money and valuables. He then took these upstairs and placed them by the back door to be loaded into the van when they were all ready to leave. Although they were exhausted the euphoria and exhilaration at what they were about to get away with was pumping the blood through their veins and keeping them going.
Silas went back into the tunnel to collect more loot and stood up so that his head was sticking up through the hole in the vault floor.
‘Is nearly 4 a.m. and sun will rise in hour or so.’
Danny looked at John. ‘We must have amassed a fortune so far. Maybe we should call it a night.’
John bent down to look at the heavy combination-dial safe that was embedded into the wall and floor between the rows of deposit drawers.
‘We open this – it’s gotta have somethin’ of big value inside. I’d reckon a load of cash, or really expensive jewellery.’
Silas shook his head. ‘Come on, John, is not good idea. I agree with Danny, we have plenty and need to load up the van.’
‘Use the torch to cut it open,’ John barked at Danny.
‘I’m happy with what we got so let’s just get out of here,’ Danny said impatiently.
John was livid. ‘What’s your fucking problem? I brought you in on this job and I’m running the show, so do as I say.’
‘You want what’s in it then you do it,’ Danny shouted.
‘I fuckin’ will,’ John said and hauled the oxyacetylene rig over to the safe. He asked Danny to turn it on and light it for him, which against his better judgement he did.
‘You help Silas load the van and come back for the last few sacks and whatever I find in here,’ John said.
