Chapter 2: Straight Down Into The Quarry

‘But I have keys to the main building, and there’s an emergency set of every key in the safe in our office. ‘When they unlocked the door to let you out, was the key already in the door, or did it have to be put back in the door?’ Lewis asked.

Suzi struggled to think. By then her only thought had been to get out. She thought hard. ‘I’m pretty certain it had to be put back in the door to open it.’ she decided. ‘Now, you told me that when you left the office everyone would have gone home.’

‘Do you know what time the managers usually leave to go home?’ Suzi thought hard. ‘I can’t say definitely,’ she told him, ‘But my impression is that at five p.m. everyone starts leaving. Each week someone stays until last to lock up.’

‘On the occasions I’ve done that, everyone has gone by twenty past five at the latest. I suppose it is possible that one or both of the managers might stop on late if they needed to do anything to the ovens. Although as I understand it, once loaded and switched on they look after themselves.’

‘Ok,’ Lewis told her, ‘Here’s what I want you to do. Find out who is locking up tomorrow night and tell them you need to work late so you’ll do it for them. Once you know everyone has gone, especially the managers, lock up and go back to your office.’

‘Keep an eye on the manager’s office out of your office window for half an hour, just in case anyone returns, then come down and meet me at the main entrance at six o’clock. We might need to be there for an hour, certainly no longer. I want to fit a concealed recording device so we can find out who they plan to attack next.’

‘When you go into work tomorrow, take a photo of the manager’s office out of your window. If anyone asks what you’re doing, tell them that your young nephew wants to see what the quarry is like that you work in. Then post it to my phone when you can.’

Are you ok with doing all of that?’ Lewis asked her, ‘Remember nothing happens without you agreeing to it.’ Suzi completely trusted Lewis by now and assured him that whatever he thought they should do was fine with her. They had a hug and a kiss, then Lewis saw her out before heading home.

TUESDAY

Checking his phone at lunchtime, Lewis found a photo from Suzi showing an ariel view of the manager’s office, with the quarry behind it. He studied it carefully and decided how he would fit his camera and were. There was a text with it. ‘Had a lovely stress-free sleep last night with a lovely dream.’ followed by a smiley face. He returned a thumbs up.

After school Lewis found a text from Suzi giving him all the information he had asked for. He went to the shop and had a coffee with Mike. Then he packed up his smallest camera, all the fittings and the tools he would need to fit it.

‘I take it this is a result of last night?’ Mike asked grinning. ‘Yes,’ Lewis told him, ‘Some very bad men are about to get a nasty surprise.’ After Mike had gone, Lewis settled himself in the back room and set his phone alarm for five thirty.

He studied all the information Suzi had sent him, then did a little bit of his schoolwork. When his alarm went off, he set off on his bike to the brickyard. He arrived at five to six and blew his tyres up whilst he was waiting.’

On the stroke of six, Suzi appeared at the gates. She let him in and locked up again. He put his bike out of sight and Suzi took him round to the manager’s office. She let him in with the master key and watched as Lewis studied the inside layout, the walls and the ceiling.

He took a burner phone out of his pocket. He had already put her number in it, so he rang her. He switched the call off as soon as it rang. ‘Is there somewhere in the office block where you can watch the front gate without being seen?’ he asked her.

When she said yes, he told her to go and make herself comfy and keep a watch on the gate. ‘If anyone comes in, ring the number I’ve just sent you.’ he instructed. ‘No one else has this number, so if it rings, I won’t answer, I’ll just get out of here fast and hide.’

As Suzi headed back to the main building, Lewis got his drill out and drilled a small hole near the corner under a shelf. It came out on the side of the office facing the quarry. After cleaning up his sawdust, he went outside.