Chapter 19

Getting a seven and a half tonner will not be a problem but this had to be the exact same model. A Mercedes Benz Atego would be another matter.

These trucks are the workhorse of delivery firms. Once a firm gets one, they don't usually get rid of it until they have run it into the ground or it's so battered up it's not good for the firms' image. Not only that, it had to be white and in a good condition. There would be no chance of fooling anyone if the crew rolled up in a truck that looked like someone had taken a baseball bat to it.

Rob pondered as to where he would source a half-decent one. I'll get the easy jobs out of the way first.

Since the Government had cracked down on false number plates, they had made it law that you had to submit a logbook to have any made. It would be a little hard to walk into a car spares shop and ask for three sets of different number plates, luckily, there were still a few shops that did not ask questions. For a few extra quid, they would knock out as many as were needed.

Thrash and Burn Spares were one such shop. Walking up to the counter Rob eyes the grease monkey serving. Handing him a folded piece of paper, the grease monkey, prising his head away from his mobile phone, opens it to see three number plate registrations and four fifty pound notes. No words needed to be spoken, and with a nod, he walks into the back room. Within half an hour Rob was on his way back to the warehouse with shiny new reg plates.

Not knowing which number Dan was going to use, getting all three was the best option.

Setting them on the make shift table, Rob pulls out his mobile phone and connects to the internet. Typing in the web page for Mercedes brings up their main page. Scrolling through, he searches the Mercedes Atego specs page. Grabbing a pen, he writes down the details.

Height, Eleven foot two inches

Length, Twenty foot eight inches

Width, Eight foot one inch

Side door Height, Six foot two inches

Side door width, Two foot five inches

Retrieving the photos that Dan had given him, he measures the size of the truck. By comparing the size of the photos, and the specs of the truck, from the website, he can then work out the scale ratio.

Looking at the ratio, he calculates the size of the SecuRight letters on the side to the nearest centimetre.

Each letter measures one and a half foot in height on the box and six-inch letters for the cab.

Once he has a truck, he will mark out the exact position of the letters. For now though, getting the signage made up is next on the cards.

Looking around the Neon shop, there was every kind of sign font that anyone would ever need. What Rob needed was just a plain sign, red in colour and the right size. Strolling down the aisles, he sees a sign for magnetic letters.

That will do nicely he says to himself. These would be ideal to be able to pull them off instantly when finished with.

The shelves, labelled in sizes, starting from the smallest ran from the left and largest to the right. Moving along, he comes to the larger letters. Finding what he needs, he sifts through the pile of jumbled letters that had been thrown into a box. He grabs two of each letter and makes his way back to the smaller sizes. Picking up two of each, he pulls out his wallet, walks to the counter and pays cash.

Back at the warehouse, he starts to contemplate about the truck.

"Now comes the hardest part, sourcing the bloody truck. Tomorrow is another day and it can wait until then".