to hear my opinion. What would you rather I said? That it’s just one of those weird quirks of life that no-one can explain but you shouldn’t be put off by it, you should just press on regardless and stuff the consequences?”
“No, I just . . .”
“You just what?”
“Oh, God knows.” I flicked the pencil across the room, marking the far wall with a dot of pencil lead.
“Charlie, if I was in your shoes, I’d have turned Pierre down the moment he said he didn’t know who his client was. We’ve been here before, remember?”
I made a noise that was intended to convey uncertainty. “I’m not sure it’s quite the same thing.”
Victoria huffed into the receiver. “Who cares? The fact is you chose to ignore your concerns because of the money Pierre waved in your face. But what you can’t ignore, what you’d be plain mad to close your mind to, is that the place Pierre wants you to burgle just happens to be the apartment you’ve already broken into with this Bruno guy.”
“It’s Bruno’s apartment.”
“So he says.”
I threw up a hand, for all the good that would do. “He showed me proof of address.”
“God Charlie, I have a certificate on my wall here saying I own an acre on the moon.”
“Hey, that was a carefully selected gift.”
“But it’s just a piece of paper! You want me to send you a letter saying I live in that apartment too?”
I pouted. “Bruno’s letter was from a bank.”
“Easily forged.”
“And the credit card?”
Victoria paused. “I don’t know,” she said, exhaling. “I suppose he could have faked an application.”
“All of that just for me? I don’t buy it. And you didn’t see him when we got inside that building. The concierge recognised him for starters, or we would have been stopped. And Bruno knew that apartment, Vic. He knew where the alarm panel was located and what code to enter. Jesus, he even knew which cupboard the coffee was in.”
“I’m not going to argue with you,” she told me. “I’m not even going to try to explain it. All I’m saying is what you already know – something’s not right.”
I glanced at my Hammett novel again, reluctant to concede the point. “Maybe.”
“But you’ll do it anyway, right?”
“I thought I’d just take a quick look.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Think of the positives, though,” I said, trying to control the pleading tone in my voice. “I know the layout of the building. I know I can pick the locks I’ll come up against. The only real problem I’ll have is getting by the concierge.”
“So why call?”
“Honestly? I was seeking moral guidance.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking,” I said, marking a circle on the surface of my desk with my finger. “Say this apartment does belong to Bruno. The way I see it, he hired me to show him how to break in, right? He paid me in full, up front, and nothing went wrong. So, it seems kind of duplicitous, doesn’t it, if I go back and steal his painting?”
I could almost hear Victoria’s jaw tense. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” she told me, a note of laughter in her voice. “Charlie, you’re a thief for goodness sake. Where’s this noble streak been on every other occasion you’ve broken into somebody’s home?”
“But I’ve never ripped off someone who hired me before. I mean, it wouldn’t occur to me to rob Pierre.”
“You have a history with Pierre.”
“Even so. You think it’s bad form to break in again?”
“I haven’t a clue,” Victoria replied. “And if this is really what’s bothering you then I have to say I don’t know what to tell you. It’s not for me to give you the go-ahead, Charlie. I’ve always let you talk to me about this stuff in the past, that’s true, but I can’t justify what it is that you do. That’s for your conscience.”
I didn’t say anything for a moment and neither did Victoria. I could hear her breathing, composing herself. She was right, I guessed,
“No, I just . . .”
“You just what?”
“Oh, God knows.” I flicked the pencil across the room, marking the far wall with a dot of pencil lead.
“Charlie, if I was in your shoes, I’d have turned Pierre down the moment he said he didn’t know who his client was. We’ve been here before, remember?”
I made a noise that was intended to convey uncertainty. “I’m not sure it’s quite the same thing.”
Victoria huffed into the receiver. “Who cares? The fact is you chose to ignore your concerns because of the money Pierre waved in your face. But what you can’t ignore, what you’d be plain mad to close your mind to, is that the place Pierre wants you to burgle just happens to be the apartment you’ve already broken into with this Bruno guy.”
“It’s Bruno’s apartment.”
“So he says.”
I threw up a hand, for all the good that would do. “He showed me proof of address.”
“God Charlie, I have a certificate on my wall here saying I own an acre on the moon.”
“Hey, that was a carefully selected gift.”
“But it’s just a piece of paper! You want me to send you a letter saying I live in that apartment too?”
I pouted. “Bruno’s letter was from a bank.”
“Easily forged.”
“And the credit card?”
Victoria paused. “I don’t know,” she said, exhaling. “I suppose he could have faked an application.”
“All of that just for me? I don’t buy it. And you didn’t see him when we got inside that building. The concierge recognised him for starters, or we would have been stopped. And Bruno knew that apartment, Vic. He knew where the alarm panel was located and what code to enter. Jesus, he even knew which cupboard the coffee was in.”
“I’m not going to argue with you,” she told me. “I’m not even going to try to explain it. All I’m saying is what you already know – something’s not right.”
I glanced at my Hammett novel again, reluctant to concede the point. “Maybe.”
“But you’ll do it anyway, right?”
“I thought I’d just take a quick look.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Think of the positives, though,” I said, trying to control the pleading tone in my voice. “I know the layout of the building. I know I can pick the locks I’ll come up against. The only real problem I’ll have is getting by the concierge.”
“So why call?”
“Honestly? I was seeking moral guidance.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking,” I said, marking a circle on the surface of my desk with my finger. “Say this apartment does belong to Bruno. The way I see it, he hired me to show him how to break in, right? He paid me in full, up front, and nothing went wrong. So, it seems kind of duplicitous, doesn’t it, if I go back and steal his painting?”
I could almost hear Victoria’s jaw tense. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” she told me, a note of laughter in her voice. “Charlie, you’re a thief for goodness sake. Where’s this noble streak been on every other occasion you’ve broken into somebody’s home?”
“But I’ve never ripped off someone who hired me before. I mean, it wouldn’t occur to me to rob Pierre.”
“You have a history with Pierre.”
“Even so. You think it’s bad form to break in again?”
“I haven’t a clue,” Victoria replied. “And if this is really what’s bothering you then I have to say I don’t know what to tell you. It’s not for me to give you the go-ahead, Charlie. I’ve always let you talk to me about this stuff in the past, that’s true, but I can’t justify what it is that you do. That’s for your conscience.”
I didn’t say anything for a moment and neither did Victoria. I could hear her breathing, composing herself. She was right, I guessed,
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