“Are you sure about that Brian?”
Yvonne Williamson looked out from the kitchen where she was drying up the dinner plates, looking at her husband as he held the telephone to his head.
“Yeah, I’ve heard of them – who hasn’t? But are you sure they’re going to be visiting near here? Any idea where?”
“What’s going on,” Yvonne said as she looked on. Mark turned and raised an eyebrow, before saying “I’ll tell you in a minute – can you open a bottle of the Rioja?”
“Sure,” Yvonne said as Mark turned back to the phone.
“I know the name – I’ll admit they have been on my list for some time, and they have three young daughters as well. The last thing I’d want is for them to fall victim to that bunch.
“Okay – let me think about it, and I’ll let you know. I think we can help out, if what you say is confirmed.
“Talk to you soon Brian.”
“Okay,” Yvonne said as Mark put the phone down, “what was that all about?”
“I’ll tell you in a minute, when I know the kids are asleep,” Mark said as he headed up the stairs, Yvonne looking at him as he did so.
When he came back into the room, Yvonne handed him a glass of wine and said “Sorry about that – Brian has a job for us, and... Well, it’s more about preventing a tragedy than information gathering.”
“Oh? So we’re going to be firmly on the side of the angels?”
“Well, not quite,” Jay said as he put a manila folder on the table. Opening it, he took out a photo of a family – father, mother and three girls.
“The Wintours?”
“Yeah,” Mark said quietly, “you know Dave of course, as the area manager for HBOS, and his wife Ruby. Then we have twelve year old April, ten year old May and eight year old August.”
“Didn’t they name their daughters after the months of their birthday?”
Mark nodded before he said “and Brian wants us to stop them being the latest victims of the Harbingers – and, if possible, get them arrested.”
Yvonne put her glass down, and then looked at the photo. “Oh my god,” she whispered, “they’ve targeted the Wintours?”
“According to Brian, yes. He says we can do whatever is necessary, but – well, you know what that lot do...”
Yvonne nodded. “None of them would be safe – and that’s assuming they don’t end up dead afterwards by all reports.”
“Exactly,” Mark said, Yvonne noting the disgust in his voice as he said it.
“So when are they supposed to be hitting the family?”
“According to Brian, Saturday night. Saturday night...”
“Mark, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“The kids are staying with their friends this weekend, aren’t they?”
“Yeah – Charlie’s at Freddie’s, and Lisa with Cassie. And now I know you’re thinking what I’m thinking.”
“I’ll make the calls,” Mark said as he stood up, “this is going to be different...”
It was a clear Saturday morning as the four men walked over to the grey transit van. Opening the rear doors, they got in to find the masked Mrs McPhee waiting for them.
“Hello boys,” she said in her soft Scots accent as Jay Edwards came from the front to join them.
“Awright boys,” he said, “today we visit the Wintour family. Mother, three girls, and Daddy will make a nice large withdrawal from his accounts to cover the costs. It will be a long day, and I think there will be some games to play, so I hope you’re ready for that.”
“With you, Jay, it’s always fun,” one of the men said.
“Good – get comfy boys, it won’t take us long to get there,” Jay said as he went round the front, and Mrs McPhee closed the sliding door. Only then did Mark remove his balaclava, as he drove off.
The Wintours lived in a detached house outside of the town, which Mark drove up the drive to and parked out of sight of the main road, at the side of the house. Pulling on his balaclava, he got out and opened the rear doors of the van, the other five getting out. All were wearing blue coveralls, black leather gloves and trainers, and black masks only showing their eyes and mouths.
They moved quickly round the front and entered the house, Mrs McPhee closing the door quietly as Jay listened, and the four associates held the leather bags with their equipment in. He motioned for them to put the bags down, and then follow him, as he walked down the hallway and looked in the front room.
The three Wintour girls were sitting on the floor, but in a way that brought a chill to Jay’s chest. They were sitting in order of age, August closest to the door as she leaned against a chair. The eight year old was wearing a pink top with a matching bolero style wool jacket, a pink and black tartan skirt that came to just above her knees, black wool tights and black leather ankle boots. A black scarf was tied over her eyes and head, trapping her long ginger hair.
Ten year old May was sitting in front of the chair next to August. She had short mousey brown hair, and was wearing a white sleeveless top with coloured dots, a pair of dark blue jodhpurs and knee length black rubber boots. She had a folded brown scarf tied over her eyes.
Finally there was twelve year old red haired April, lying on her side on the long couch. She was wearing a black cap sleeved top, black bands with white embroidery on the front of the legs, and taupe leather ankle boots. She also had a black scarf tied over her eyes.
But being blindfolded was not the only thing all three had in common. Their arms were behind their backs, and Jay could see the bands of rope around their waists, stomachs, legs and ankles. The legs bindings were tightly cinched, and he guessed the arm ones were as well. They also had strips of white tape covering their mouths, and it was clear to him, Mrs McPhee and the others that there was something in their mouths.
“Oh god,” Mrs McPhee whispered into Jay’s ear, “are we too late?”
“Let’s hope not,” he whispered back, and looked at his associates. “Guns out – search upstairs, make sure nobody else is there.”
All four nodded as they took pistols out from their pockets, and walked up the stairs, while Jay and Mrs McPhee walked slowly to the kitchen, Jay with his gun in his hand as well. As they got closer, they heard a woman singing, and Mrs McPhee slowly opened the door.
Ruby Wintour was sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through a magazine as she held a mug of coffee in her hand. Ruby was wearing a short sleeved blue dress with a round collar, that came to just above her knees, dark tights and a pair of knee length black leather boots She then looked up, and slowly put her mug down as she said “oh my god...”
“Not a sound please, Ruby,” Jay said as he came forward, “allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jay Edwards, and this is Mrs McPhee.”
The sound of his Geordie voice made Ruby stop for a second, before she said “oh my god, no – you’re going to rob my husband’s bank?”
“Yes we are,” Mrs McPhee said, “and we were afraid we weren’t the only yins to do so. Your children...”
“The girls? You’ve seen them?”
“Yes,” Jay said, “who did that to them?”
Ruby smiled as she said “I did – they like to play escape games, and I was just having a break before I got them to start. You’re going to tie us up as well, aren’t you?”
Jay was surprised to see her smile at that, as the men re-appeared.
“No one else around Jay.”
“Well then Ruby,” Jay said, “show us what your girls can do.”
“Come along then,” she said as they followed her, Jay and Mrs McPhee watching as the men stood behind them.
“All right girls,” Ruby said, “you may begin.”
As they watched, April began to twist her face, as the tape began to come away from over her lips thanks to the movement. As it came off, Mrs McPhee could see a large cloth coming out as well, so she realised April was using her tongue to push the cloth out and remove her gag.
She then managed to get to her feet, May calling out as best she could to direct her as she hopped over. May also started to move herself round, as August began to push herself across the floor towards her sister.
As April knelt down and turned round, she looked over her shoulder, using her fingers to rub on the edge of May’s tape gag and then starting to peel it off. As she was doing this, August had managed to get behind May, and Jay watched as she used her fingers to find the knot at her sister’s wrists and start to unravel it.
The whole group watched as April removed May’s gag, then waited as the middle sister used her teeth to untie her older sister’s wrists, while at the same time August was untying May’s. Once April had her hands free, she shook her arms free from the stomach rope, and then turned to the other two, her back to the group as she removed her blindfold and started to untie August.
Eventually, all three stood up and hugged each other. Jay then clapped his hands, as did the others, and said “very, very impressive, young ladies.”
“Who said that,” April said as she turned round, and the three girls saw the masked gang standing with her mother.
“Oh god – who are you?”
“Well, April – yes, I know your name, and yours May and yours August – my name is Jay Edwards, the lady here is Mrs McPhee, and these are my associates. I’m afraid you are going to have a very different, but hopefully very exciting day today.”
“Are you real robbers?”
“Well – yes, we are, and we want your daddy to do something for us today. For that to happen, we need to stay with you and your mummy for a few hours, but so long as you do as we say, it’ll be like a big game.
“Talking of which – how long have you been playing those games?”
“Two years,” August said, “and we’re really good.”
“So I can see,” Mrs McPhee said, “I was wondering – do you think we could play the game with all of you as well?”
The girls looked at each other, before May said “we have a game we like to play. If you can tie us all up, together, and we cannot escape, then you can keep us tied and gagged for the rest of the day.”
“May,” April said quietly, “that might not be a good idea...”
“Oh why not April? In fact, if you do it, we’ll stay tied and gagged all day and all night. But if we get free...”
“You can name the penalty,” Jay said quietly, “so long as your mum plays with you?”
“Will you Mum,” August said as she jumped up and down. “You’ve never managed to do it anyway, so it should be easy for you to break free.”
“All right,” Ruby said, “but I name the penalty. If they manage to get free, then you leave once we have all escaped, and you take nothing. And that applies if, after the first game, they or I manage to get free at any other time in the remaining day and night.”
Jay looked at Mrs McPhee and his associates, before he said “I think that’s fair. Now, if any of you need to go to the toilet, Mrs McPhee will take you.”
As August and May went with the masked woman, April came over to her mum and said “they are really robbers, aren’t they?”
“Yes we are April.”
“Then we’d better make sure we get free Mum,” she said, Ruby nodding as she looked at Jay and the others.
“This is not going to be your lucky day,” she said quietly as the younger girls came back.
“Well, we’ll see,” Jay said in his soft voice as he looked at them, and one of the associates brought in a bag. “Ready to begin?”